In Patagonia?

When Mission texted a few days ago that he “made it to Patagonia”, Granny Hat pictured this:

Or this:

But Patagonia, Arizona is just a little “gateway town” in the desert near the Coronado National Forest. Mission said the town has bragging rights: a couple markets, four cafes, bike rentals, a state park with a lake and some history of mining, Jesuits and ranching. It claims to be a “naturalist’s playground”. What mattered to Mission most was “just had maybe the best breakfast burrito of my life!” Granny Hat is a little skeptical, she watched him mix and pack up those cold soak oatmeal mixes. A few mornings of porridge like that and ANY breakfast burrito would be ambrosia.

Mission also found a little hostel called Terra Sol that welcomes thru hikers and had a restful evening. He was lulled to sleep by three hours of African drum music (IS Patagonia on the southern tip of Chili and Argentina or is it near the Cape of Good Hope?) and other revelries around the campfire. The owner of the hostel, a friendly 60 something hippie, and her friends were just living their best desert life under the stars.

Mission passed the 100 mile mark Sunday, April 10 and sent Granny some beautiful desert pictures. For the readers that dig GPS his coordinates that night were Lat. 32.062343 Lon. -110.626338. He also related some adventures from the past week which she will try to tell in mostly his words.

On day 4, after his stellar Patagonia burrito, Mission hit the trail from Terra Sol “feeling rested, started a long walk up the road and eventually reached Temporal Gulch Trail Head where the day fell apart.” He had accidentally taken a newly constructed part of the AZT instead of the current trail and realized they hadn’t connected them yet. This meant he had no information about the next water source, which is the most important consideration on a desert hike. He said he thought long and hard about his three options: “One, I could keep going with no true idea of my next water source. Two, I could cut one mile cross country to Anaconda Spring on the AZT. Or three, I could suck it up and return to where I had left the real trail. Following option three, I returned to the trail and used a water cache there, feeling some signs of heat exhaustion. Met Bandit and we talked for a little. Once I felt better, I continued to Anaconda Spring and filled up before a big climb. Met Sonny from Kansas and climbed the 1000 foot switchbacks with him, hiked in the dark to Casa Blanca Canyon where we bived by a nice stream.”

Streams in the desert! Granny Hat is glad Mission found one. He listed his trail miles as 16.1 for the day but that doesn’t include the wrong trail and backtracking.

🎶When Im found in the desert place, blessed be your name🎶

On Day 5 Mission hiked 26.8 miles from ” Casa Blanca Canyon to IDK”, guess the desert scenes all start looking alike. He started at 6 am to beat the heat and at breakfast he stopped and “talked with Flying Pig, Zac, Lightning and Lauren”. He hiked for some time with Lightning who told him all about “some adventures he had in New Zealand and about his homesteading plans”. They reached Kentucky Camp, a historic gold mining outpost and “we chilled in the shade for two hours”. They resumed at noon and saw folks driving raptors across the desert. After that he “continued on the long, hot road through nowhere. Stopped for a rest at this nice shady spot and Sonny and Bandit caught up.” They found “magic” 300 feet up he road and enjoyed some cookies and Sunny D. Granny’s faithful readers will recall that “magic” is when a trail angel provides unexpected help, food, rides etc. to weary thru hikers.

Mission said his legs were very sore but the “Ocotillo groves made the section enjoyable”. The three hikers “caught up with Pinch and Butt-Tape and all camped at mile 92.4 where there were these evil pincher bug grabby insect things.”

Granny Hat just has to add that she blesses the Aussie hiker who back in 2018 dubbed her son “Mission” on the PCT. As trail names go, he got a pretty good one!