Almost halfway through his 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail, John (Jay) Waters, a 30 year career Army man, spent two nights dining with local veterans and enjoying a comfortable bed and shower.

By the time Waters arrived May 6 at Lakeshore Hotel and Suites, he had been on the trail since March 25. His journey began at Montezuma Pass near Sierra Vista and the Mexico border and had covered 386 miles by the time he reached Fountain Hills. Waters and his son took 10 days to drive across country to the trailhead.

“He hiked the first day with me,” Waters said. “It was pretty cool. We jumped the fence (a barbed wire) illegally into Mexico and went about 100 yards in and took some pictures.”