Colter, clearly your memory is better than mine. Now that you've reminded me, I do vaguely recall exchanging PMs and asking some questions about your Alaska trek, but it never crossed my mind while giving you the hitch. And I had completely forgotten that we both knew Sharpshin, which seems like it would have been one of the more salient points of the conversation. The irony here is that I sent him the link of your youtube video, not having the slightest recollection that you and he knew each other.
For those interested in the Desert Trail I updated the Desert Trail information page. There is information on planning, including the caching of food and water, weather, route conditions, plants and animals, hike timing, additional information sources and more. Thanks!