by 
Rick ‘Handlebar’ Ostheimer made a stop in Superior on his through hike on the Arizona Trail. Mila Besich-Lira | Sun
Superior Sun
On that cold, rainy Wednesday night last week, Rick “Handlebar” Ostheimer made his stop in Superior. Rick or “Handlebar” as other hikers call him has been hiking on the Arizona Trail since September 5, 2014 when he began his through hike at the Utah/Arizona border.
He isn’t a novice hiker, in fact Handlebar has hiked all the other three National Scenic Trails. When he completes the Arizona Trail in a few weeks he will have hiked all four nationally designated trails … all while wearing an authentic kilt. Primarily he wears the kilt for comfort and ease of movement.
He arrived in Superior after he helped a family of hikers who had backpacked to Revis Ranch north of Superior. The couple’s dog wasn’t able to make the return trip on his own so he helped the father of the family carry the dog back to their car. He said that is what you call trail angels, when you help someone else, eventually someone else helps you along the way.
The family highly recommended Casa Denogean as a place to eat and they drove him into town so he could avoid the storm. His plans were to stay in Superior for two nights to restock his supply and get some rest. His first night in town the Copper Mountain Motel was full so they allowed him to camp in his tent in their yard. During his stay in Superior he planned on stocking up on food and supplies so he could continue his trip on the trail. His next stop will be in Oracle.
With very few communities that have services available along the way, Superior has become a favorite stop amongst hikers. Prior to stopping in Superior, he had stays in Flagstaff, Pine and Roosevelt; all three communities are on Arizona Trail Gateway Community trails.
He has a routine each day and eats three small breakfasts to nourish himself. Lunches are usually snack items and each night he cooks himself a warm meal using a pepsi can stove. He camps each night in a tent and before he falls asleep to the sounds of coyotes and crickets, he drinks a hot cup of tea.
One thing he has not enjoyed about hiking through Arizona has been the cats claw. The extended monsoon weather with these hurricanes coming through Arizona has also given him a some extra challenges but the extra rain has made water supplies plentiful.
Each through hiker has a different story on why they hike these through hikes. Some hike for a mission or bring awareness to an issue. Some hike for the love of the outdoors and the challenge. Handlebar is hiking to stay in shape so he can hike a through hike with his grandsons in about 10 years. He plans to hike at least 1000 miles each year to ensure he stays in tip top health to complete that trip.
Sometimes, we wonder, who is visiting our Arizona Trail Gateway communities, who really hikes on our trails. Handlebar is one of the many that visit Superior and the Copper Corridor on the Arizona Trail each year. You can learn more about his journey as well as several other through hikers by visiting: http://www.trailjournals.com/journals/arizona_trail/
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
by by