My Trails

2/22/14 – 44 miles.
I wondered why I was having trouble keeping warm last night. I had on all my clothes and still felt chilly towards morning. When I crawled out of my tent the cold hit me like an iceberg. The water in my bladder was frozen solid and I am lucky it didn’t crack my filter. It must have been I’m the low 20’s to freeze that hard.

The first thing I did was build a fire. I’m not certain they are allowed here but this was a desperate situation. Once I had a good blaze going I made coffee and sat very close to the flames. It was hard to move away from the heat but eventually I packed up while returning often to the fire to warm my hands.

When I had been hiking a few miles up to Canelo Pass, I met two men who crossed my path while I was sitting on a rock. They were both carrying large, canvas rucksacks, a gallon of water, and when I spoke to them, answered back in Spanish. Can we say illegals? They seemed harmless but I wasn’t going to pick up my phone and call Border Patrol, that’s asking for a confrontation.

Later that afternoon I met a Border Patrol Agent on the trail. I told him of my encounter and he said they were looking for them. He told me that this has become a popular crossing area, and just last night officers raided a group nearby.

I told the Agent about my lion encounter and he said he has seen many in this area. I thought it was rare to spot one.

This area has been tough for water. Even though I load all my containers I still struggle to find good sources. A place called Down Under Tank was another cow pond but I took some there to make it to the next tank. Tanks that are fed by a pump are much tastier than ponds – at least the cows don’t poop in them.

2/21/14 – 31 miles
I started earlier this morning but it was really cold. There was ice in the hose on my water bladder, and every task froze my fingers. I kept wishing the sun would hurry up and warm me up, a complete opposite of what I would wish for in the afternoon. When the sky is clear in Arizona, the nights are cold and the days are hot.

I finished Passage 1 at 9am and descended into Parker Canyon. There was a nice stream that flows from Parker Lake and I rested and filled my water bottles. Then the trail starts into the Canelo Hills on a seemingly never-ending ups and downs. The steep downhill hurt my toes and knees, and the uphill hurt everything else.

After a few miles into the Canelo Hills, I came to a road the AZT guide book said to follow. After a few miles I became worried that I had missed the turn off the road and began to doubt the route. The guide book gives descriptions and turns but not distances. I wasn’t sure if the turn was in 100′ or three miles. Luckily, my GPS said I was on the trail and eventually found the turn.

Tonight I am camped in a nice shady area a couple miles from Canelo Pass. I’m hoping there is water at the road crossing – I will be pretty low when I get there. I took a liter from a cow pond half a mile back, but it was so gross that I’m using it only for cooking.

While I was eating my supper I looked up and saw a cow staring at me through the trees. She continued to stare for about 20 minutes until finally moving on. I guess she doesn’t see many hikers in her woods.

2/20/14 19 miles.
It was really late when I started hiking today. I woke up early but couldn’t drag myself out until the sun warmed my tent. Then I had oatmeal and coffee and didn’t get on the trail until almost 9.

The AZT was a lot easier today. For 5 miles it ran along the crest of the Huachuca Mountains and then dropped several thousand feet into Sunshine Creek. Not long after I started hiking this morning, I rounded a bend, and there 50′ ahead of me I saw what I thought was a large dog walking down the trail. When he turned and loped into the trees I realized I was looking at a large Mountain Lion. Well, as you can imagine, that really spiked my adrenaline. Every time I would come to rock outcroppings above the trail I would keep looking up.

Tonight I am camped just a few miles before Parker lake. It should be warmer here. I haven’t had any cell service since I left the ridge and I don’t expect to get any for a couple more days.

2-19-14, 8 miles.
First days on the trail are always hard. After only a couple miles into my Arizona Trail hike I realized how out of shape I am. A few extra pounds in my pack and a few extra pounds around my waist contributed to a very slow and tiring climb to Miller Peak. I had a conversation with my body that went something like this:
My body said, “This hurts! What would possess you to go through the agony of hiking into the mountains again?”
I replied, “Because it’s fun!”
And my body said, “Why you idiot!”

A couple of hours earlier Richard and Dianna had dropped me off at Montezuma Pass in the Coronado National Memorial where I would start my hike on the AZT. Thanks R&D! I had planned for an easy day up to Millers Peak and down to a camping spot where it would be out of the wind and a little warmer. The trail started out okay, but in a couple of miles as I entered Millers Peak Wilderness, the path turned steep. There were great views but the hiking was strenuous. By the time I reached the side trail to the peak, it was getting late and I didn’t have the heart to climb to the top, so I continued on to Bathtub Springs and made camp there.

I was so exhausted that I layed down in my tent for a rest, assuming I would get back up to make supper when I felt better. The next thing I knew it was dark. I grabbed a couple treats from my food bag, ate them, turned over and went back to sleep. The wind blew all night, and being over 8000′ I kept putting on more clothes to stay warm.

There really is a bathtub at Bathtub Springs. There is a pipe that trickles into the tub, but the flow is too slow to fill a water bottle, so you have to drink right from the tub. I think this is the first time I’ve drank out of a bathtub since I was a little kid.