My Trails

3/6/14 – 166 miles.
Another day without data signal. There was a brief spot coming over one ridge where I found enough cell to let Richard know I am still okay. I hope he passes the news on to everyone so they don’t worry.

I met a couple of day hikers towards the end of my hike today. They were the first people I have seen in two days. It was a long stretch accross the Redington Pass hills, and for as much water as I saw up in the Rincons, it was the complete opposite today. Everything was dry as a bone between the mountain ranges.

I crossed the Catalina Highway about 3:30 and walked into Molino Basin campground looking for water. There was none but some nice people gave me two bottles of water. Trail Magic!

I moved on to a campground a few miles further and pitched my tent for the night. This campground used to be a prison that held Japanese US citizens in the early part of the war. They were put here just because they were Japanese.

Along about 9:00pm, long after my bedtime, a bunch of roudy kids came into the campground and stared a beer party. I was sort of hidden so they couldn’t see me but their whooping and hilarity kept me up. After about an hour they all piled into vehicles and left. It was the only time I have felt apprehension in my tent. Give me the woods to sleep in any day.

3/5/14 – 152 miles.
Todays hiking was the reverse of yesterday with a little excitement thrown in. I got cold in the night and broke out my emergency blanket, which had deteriorated from years of carrying it around, and ended up being a clear piece of plastic. I got it spreed over me inside my sleeping bag, finally, and it warmed me up until morning. I crawled out a little later than usual with it being so cold and snowy and had a hot breakfast to warm up. By the time I got on the trail it was almost 8am.

The trail was very confusing when I left Manning Camp but I managed to find the AZT amidst several side trails. The guide book labels trails differently than the park does so it wasn’t long before I took the wrong turn. To make matters worse, the trail climbs another 600′ past the camp and right onto more snow. It started out with just a couple inches, but as I climbed higher and worked my way towards the north side of the mountains, it became 4″ and then 6″ deep. When I discovered my error, I had gone a half mile out of my way. I returned to the marker where I turned wrong and noticed someone had scratched AZT with an arrow in the right direction. I guess I’m not the only one to make the wrong turn. I’m pretty sure they want you to use a GPS.

When I finally started down the north face of the Rincons, I ran into more problems. The snow had thawed and frozen back into a sheet of glass. Sometimes I would break through with a bone crushing jar and sometimes it was so hard and slippery that my boots wouldn’t even make a mark. On several, long switchbacks, the snow was drifted across the trail in a smooth, glacier like accumulation with the path filled in with frozen snow. The only way to get across those areas was to kick foot steps into the snow and go slow. It wasn’t just the fear of falling because a couple places had dropoffs of a hundred feet. Who knew I would need an ice axe on the AZT!

I didn’t go too far today. I am camped only a few miles from the Redington highway. I just made a detour of one mile to get water. When I got back to the trail there was a nice camping spot so I am settled in for the night. This will be 4000′ lower than last night so it should be a lot warmer.

3/4/14 – 142 miles.
I’m camped high in the mountains at a place called Manning Camp. It was a strenuous hike up here and I’m glad that it was overcast as that helped to keep me cool. But with the relentless climb and humidity leftover from the rains, I was sweating buckets anyway.

When you gain 5000′ in altitude over a 13 mile hike the terrain changes dramatically along the way. It began as all cactus and sand for a few miles, then the landscape changed to junipers and tall grass, and finally at about 7000′ turned to Ponderosa Pine. Manning camp is at 8000′ and there are just a few patches of snow still around. I am the only one here so as soon as my campfire dies down it will be off to bed. I’m thinking it will be pretty cold tonight.

3/3/14 – 129 miles.
It was a fun weekend of exploring and relaxing with Richard and Dianna. We drove south yesterday on I19 towards Nogales to visit the old Tubac Mission and Tumacacori National Historic Park. There were tons of history and old relics at each location. Very interesting. And we also stopped at a decommissioned Titan Missile Site and toured the underground control area and silo. Richard and I really like stuff like that because we are both geeks, but Dianna was not interested in taking the tour again and waited for us.

Thanks again R&D for all you do for me!

After a quick stop at the Saguaro National Park visitors center to pick up a backcountry permit, Richard and Dianna dropped me off at the trail this morning and I continued north on the AZT. The hiking was easy and I only had 7 miles to the place I would camp for the night so I took my time and enjoyed the nice weather. After a weekend of storm and clouds, it looks like I will have clear sailing through the Rincons and Catalinas.

When I arrived at Rincon creek I was shocked to see no water anywhere. I had just assumed with all the rain there would at least be some pools in the bed. Wrong! This is serious! I have about twelve ounces of liquid to get me 8 miles in the morning, and then if the next source is dry, I am really up the creek without water. Don’t worry, I will be okay, just a thirsty boy.

Am: found water this morning, crisis averted

2/28/14 – 122 miles.
With the threat of nasty weather moving into the area, I hiked 7 miles to a picnic area below Colossal Cave where Richard and Dianna rescued me from the trail. It was a well planned and well timed pickup. I needed to resupply, replace a plugged water filter, do laundry, get a permit to hike through Saguaro National Park, and cleans the grime and sweat from my body.

After hiking for several days and eating dried food I am always hungry for something greasy, so the first thing we did was stop at a Carl’s and get a big juicy burger and fries. Then with my belly full we went to a Flying J where I could take a long steamy shower, much overdue after five days on the trail. The lady at the counter kept asking if we wanted a “team shower?”, but Richard and I assured her that we didn’t want to take a shower together. We finally figured out that she was talking about a truck driver “rewards” program for free showers.

We stopped at several places on the south side of Tucson where I looked for a new filter, but no one had what I was looking for. We ended up driving all the way across town to an REI in the Tucson Mall to find one. The detour to the other side of town gave us the opportunity to revisit the old neighborhood where we spent time growing up so many years ago. Even though things have changed a lot, it still brings back memories.

When we finally made it back to their trailer, Dianna fed me one of her delicious meals and we sat around watching TV until sleepiness overtook me at the abnormally, early hour for hikers. It has been so nice having them near to help me on and off the trail.

Tonight I am staying in Richards truck. The sleeper equipped Volvo he pulls his house with is a luxurious apartment compared to a night in my tent, and I will be warm and dry in the morning.