I must say, the first hike was very much enjoyable. I already have a grand memory of Arizona from previous trips with family members and this shall surely add to them. Many great pictures of the hike were taken and immediately uploaded to Facebook... Thank the cosmos for smart phones, given my lack of a laptop. At least the blog is manageable! I loom forward with great anticipation to the observations next week. Although the night shift is arduous, it's nothing new... Hopefully I can provide some kind of assistance to those who are not as accustomed to the sleep schedule it demands... It's the least I can hope to do given the friendly attitude of my companions on this trip. I look forward to working with all of you!

-ZT