AZT-Route Options

This September 30th new x-rays will be taken to determine what condition my foot is in.

Today I covered a shift at Babbitt's Backcountry, which had me standing up for the longest periods of time since the day of the surgery, September 3rd. I found myself searching for as many opportunities to sit down as was possible.

My foot is still numb at the site and still develops that feeling of pressure from prolonged blood fill (at least I think that's what it is.)

Anyhow, I have been thinking about contingency plans if the Doc doesn't recommend that I load my foot for prolonged periods of time; such as the 27 mile hike-a-bike through the Grand Canyon Corridor as well as the many others through Wilderness and "just unridable" bits of trail.

One form of possibility is to skip the section from Utah and through the Grand Canyon, with which I would start in the GC National Park on the South Rim...this of course removes an important section of the AZT for me, though I will likely accept for another attempt when I'm not handicapped so.

As far as hiking the Canyon is concerned, I'll have approximately 45-50lbs on my back, which is load on the recovering foot. The terrain is not difficult but is fairly brutal as far as force and load are concerned. I am not interested in compromising it's future ability to function, when I can just come back to do the entire trail on another date.

Another possibility was postponing the trip a month later. This is a last option and honestly just barely survived not-an -option status.

The primary plan at this point is to do the entire reversed 814 mile route that Scott Morris completed back in 2005, which took him 25 days or so to finish. Later he road the Bicycle specific Route in 7 days, which incorporated a lot of paved road sections.

If Dr. Rosales does not "clear" my foot for immediate moderate-load bearing, I intend on improvising between the two routes described above
...Whatever it is I do, I will be pedalling a great length of Arizona, if not the entire way.