Arizona Trail Hike: Mile 348 - 458
Arizona Trail Hike: Mile 358 - 458
Hello from the trail! This segment was TOUGH. The elevation gain and loss was reminiscent of my time on the Appalachian Trail and the wilderness zones (Four Peaks and Matazal) added spice to the actual hiking conditions. Leaving town with over 5 days of food, having limited water sources, the increasing heat from an impending heat wave all in conjunction with the elevation gain really pushed my skills as a backpacker. Despite all of these potentially negative conditions, it was also filled with joyous moments and lovely connections with other hikers. Passages 19 - 25 perfectly exemplified what thru-hiking days are like; eternal rollercoasters of both literal and figurative highs and lows.
As I would continue to discover, this community was the main highlight and for this - I am thankful.
Arizona Trail Hike Summary:
Statistics:
Days: 6
Full hiking days: 5
Zeroes: 0
Neroes: 1
Total Trail Miles Covered: 110.2
Total Elevation Gain: 21,875 ft
Total Elevation Loss: 18,985 ft
Highlights:
Meeting Mike and Cahaya - such sweet other hikers and trail angels!
The amount of flowing water sources still available at this time of year.
My body/feet finally feeling like they were in a groove. Blisters subsided.
Lowlights:
Heat, climbs, bugs - just thru-hiking stuff.
Longer section therefore heavier packs with amount of food required.
Some cow ponds as water sources.
Arizona Trail Hike: Detailed Version
Day 22: Mile 348.8 - 365.3
Trail Daily Miles: 16.5
Total Miles: 17.5
Elevation Gain: 5481 ft
Elevation Loss: 2376 ft
Weather: Hot, Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Hot, dry climbs
Ira and I got an early start hiking out of Roosevelt Lake. Luckily the Trail Angel’s that I had been staying with are early risers and offered to drive us before the heat of the day set in. Thank you Becky ( Gila Mama) and Scott!
This climb was 4200 feet over the course of 8ish miles. There was some steepness again, similar to New Hampshire/The White Mountains. Adding in the complication of few water sources on this as well. I had planned to do this section in 5.5 days which also meant that I had approximately 8 to 10 pounds of food weighing me down within my pack. All of this to say between the heat, the steepness, the lack of water, and the weight of my pack - I was in for a treat…
It was about 8 miles to the top of the main climb for the day. This ended up taking five hours. Even though my cardiovascular system had approved over the past three weeks; the combination of the heat and my over 30 pound pack led to a lot of breathing breaks going up the mountain. Silver lining, the views of Roosevelt Lake were stunning at every level.
Unfortunately, the water situation extended my day several more miles. I had also entered the Four Peak Wilderness at this point and regulations on trail maintenance change in wilderness zones. Often times there are no motorized or electric trail maintenance tools allowed (chainsaw versus hand saw). So once I entered this space, even though there was a limited amount of elevation gain left for the day I was greeted with a very rugged trail.
Steep ups, rolling rocks, overgrown trail, getting hit with branches from bushes. It was no surprise that when both Ira and I got to the camping spot, we rejoiced.
The water source at this area was heavenly. Had it been earlier in the day I would have completely submerged myself in the small creek. But I did rinse out my shirt and my socks because this was a long stretch and I wanted to make sure my clothes stayed as clean as possible. This was made possible by the dry desert air and my shirt dried out over night.
I soon tucked into my tent with the copious amount of water I filtered. This day ended up having an Appalachian Trail level amount of elevation gain over the course of the mileage. And we all know how I feel about that…
Day 23: Mile 365.3 - 387.1
Trail Daily Miles: 21.8
Total Miles: 22
Elevation Gain: 2858 ft
Elevation Loss: 4751 ft
Weather: Sun, Hot
Overall Day Sentiment: What a star show!
I woke up pretty sore from the day prior and lacked motivation for the amount of miles that I needed to get through for the day. Luckily, there was not as a much expected ascent for the day as the day prior. The trail chilled out a bit with the ruggedness and then opened up to approximately an 11-mile gravel road walk. I can appreciate a road walk every once in a while. This is in part due the footing being more predictable and it’s easier to see if any rattlesnakes are in your vicinity.
Typically, I like to listen to podcasts, music, or audiobooks for a portion of the day, but haven’t been doing that up until this point because of my fear of rattlesnakes on the trail. But with this more open road walk, I was able to catch up on an audiobook I had been wanting to finish. Use your library card people!
Once the trail once I rejoined the actual trail from the gravel roadwalk, no more audiobook :(. But there were some great water sources! Lunch at a flowing creek is one of the best things you can have in the desert. Taking off my shoes, sticking my feet in the water, and enjoying some snacks while I cool off is a great way to spend 30 to 45 minutes.
In both exciting and frustrating news, there was a lot of descent for the day. This makes it almost feel like all of the ascent from the day prior was a little bit pointless, but it comes with a territory. I exited the Four Peaks Wilderness by the end of day and camped just on the other side of highway blank near Sunflower. There was one last great water source, which helped me stock up on water for the evening’s dry camping.
This area was near a major highway - which we crossed underneath the highway through a tunnel. If you remember my last tunnel under a highway situation, I ran into mating rattlesnakes. I was extremely delighted that was not the case of this go around. There was not a lot of great camping sites in this area so we just set up in a field. I was so hot getting ready for bed, but I just left my rain fly off and chose to keep the mesh open to the sky for the night. This allowed quite a show of stars throughout the evening.
Day 24: Mile 387.1 - 411.5
Trail Daily Miles: 24.4
Total Miles: 24
Elevation Gain: 5249 ft
Elevation Loss: 2287 ft
Weather: Sun, Hot
Overall Day Sentiment: Thankful for a water rich alternate
I woke up and perhaps I regretted my decision to not put on my rain fly as m self and all of my gear (including my quilt) were damp with condensation. But I knew that when I got to camp that night, it would be arid enough that everything would be dry before I went to sleep. As this trail continued to prove to me, I had another big day of climbing ahead of me.
Water sources were also up in the air in this section as not too many people have gone through the area or commented on my mapping application, FarOut, about the recent water sources. Around mile five for the day, Ira and I split off and did an alternate that had guaranteed water sources and shade. Initially there was some dirt road climbing and then there we followed OHV track up a decent amount of the climb.
Once we rejoined the trail halfway through the day (around mile 13) we ran into another hiker, Allen. Allen and I had a friend in common from the PCT and he knew her from the his time working in Antarctica. The trail world is a really small world! We chatted about cool jobs that I could go for in 2027 when I re-enter the working world. It was an illuminating conversation that made me think outside of my previous corporate experience.
Unfortunately, from lunch on there was a huge climb about 3000 feet in the back half of the day. And though my dread was heavy, it ended up being very pleasant. It was graded well as the trail was open and clear. It was easy to get into a rhythm of walking up this steady incline, which made the climb go by fast. At the top of the first segment of the climb, I entered the Matazal Wilderness, another wilderness zone, that perhaps is known for difficulty.
There was a second climb for the day, but honestly that went by fast as well, and there were some good views along the way. This is one of the longest days of Ira and I had ever hiked together, mileage wise, and I was very thankful when we got to camp.
I had chosen this campsite because there was water nearby, but I did not realize that it was approximately a quarter mile off of trail. A quarter mile might not seem like a lot but after around 24 miles for the day in over 5000 feet of gain - a quarter mile really adds up. But luckily I was able to drop my pack at the campsite and then head to water. It’s amazing what having no weight on your back makes you feel like – light as a feather.
I tucked into my tent just as the sun was going down and slept wonderfully.
Day 25: Mile 411.5 - 431.7
Trail Daily Miles: 20.2
Total Miles: 21.4
Elevation Gain: 3310 ft
Elevation Loss: 4656 ft
Weather: Sun, Hot, Bugs
Overall Day Sentiment: Gnat clouds in the desert???
Thankfully, unlike the day prior, there was no condensation on my tent. This was an average day, all around, filled with open ridge lines, big views, and increasing heat. The morning flew by and we got some of the bigger climbs out of the waist straight away in the day.
The water source around 12 miles in for the day was a beautiful site that I wish it aligned for me to camp at. This is called the Horse Seep campsite and it was gorgeous flowing water that led to a waterfall. They were pools big enough for you to swim in and gorgeous campsites that were flat and had a babbling Brook behind them. Alas, it is where we stopped to filter water and have a quick snack. If you are in the area - this is worth camping at!
For some reason, this day was inundated with gnats. I’m talking about clouds and clouds of them around my head. I always have my bug head net in my pack, which I ended up using a ton in this section. As I was packing my bag for the Arizona Trail, I wondered if I would need it. The desert does not normally have a ton of flying insects that are bothersome, but since it weighs nearly nothing, I brought it. I am thankful I did!
Lunch was at a wide open Vista on a rocky outcropping that gave me Appalachian Trail vibes. I got service at the top of this climb so I started to text with Trail Angel’s in Pine, Arizona to figure out accommodation which was limited in the tiny mountain town. Even on this open ridge with a small breeze, the gnat clouds remained.
The rest of the day had some short steep climbs, but overall was relatively mild. Ira went ahead because I was dragging pace wise, and I just wanted to listen to my audiobook along the wide open path. At the top of the last climb for the day the trail was gorgeous; wide paths, flat, and had cairns leading away.
Unfortunately, I realized it was too good to be true. That this ideal path was actually a separate trail and I was a half a mile off of the Arizona Trail. I turned around, got myself re-oriented and made the last couple miles to the agreed-upon campsite. This was immensely frustrating at the end of the day because it does add some mileage that I was not intending.
Once back on trail, the last mile of the day was an insane descent on ankle twister rocks at such a grade that I continued to downhill ski. My legs, ankles, and calves were already tapped for the day, so this was somewhat tragic. If you had seen me and the style of hiking I was doing down the mountain - you would not think that I had backpacked so much or perhaps ever hiked. It was a sad display.
I got to the campsite where Ira was at, and I tucked into a tiny corner that ended up being very cozy. The water source was great and I celebrated another successful day on the Arizona Trail by stargazing at night.
Day 26: Mile 431.7 - 451.6
Trail Daily Miles: 19.9
Total Miles: 20.9
Elevation Gain: 3927 ft
Elevation Loss: 3412 ft
Weather: Sun, Bugs, Hot
Overall Day Sentiment: Thankful for wonderful new trail friends.
After a fantastic night sleep, Ira and I got rolling quite literally because there was an intense descent for the first several miles of the day. Just when I thought my quad muscles could not handle anymore, it finally somewhat flattened out and we got to a good running water source. I didn’t realize that I was gonna have to ford a river on the Arizona Trail, but the East Verde River was up to my knees. It was also around this time that I got a text back from the only Trail Angel in Pine saying that she was unavailable so I started panicking a bit about where I was going to get my next shower, etc.
What goes down must go up and the climb that ensued was in fact, comical. It was primarily lava rocks at an insane incline. Luckily, this was still relatively early in the day, so it was not too hot, but I cannot imagine hitting this climb in the intense heat of the day. There was also a gate near the top of this climb that seemed misplaced? It was a tension gate that required one to pull a wood beam in and slide a metal loop over it. They had to install a rope for you to hold onto because the a steepness was so aggressive and the gate was so hard to open that you needed to hold onto something else. So far the Arizona Trail gates had been intuitive and this just was not.
After that incline, Ira and I got to a water source where there were two other hikers; Mike and Cahaya. This was a dad and son duo who go out in backpacked sections of the Arizona Trail. They started when Cahaya was 6, now aged 8, and planned to wrap up next year when he is 9 years old. This would make him the youngest person ever to complete the Arizona Trail. He had just done a 17 mile day in the stretch – seriously amazing!
We chatted with them for some time and just thoroughly enjoyed their company. We hiked with them on and off and stopped at a wonderful next water source and told them where we had planned to camp for the evening, though it was a stretch goal for them. They were going into Payson the following day (a larger town near Pine) that they would drive us into where I could get a hotel and resupply accordingly without relying on either the Trail Angel in pine or expensive accommodation Pine. We had planned to meet at THAT brewery in Pine the following day and they would give us a ride – what angels!
This day continued with a lot of climbing. It felt like an infinite climb that was primarily made up of lava rocks, so it was just ankle twisting. In addition to this, my shoes were at their end with a new pair of shoes waiting in the following town. The desert really chews up the tread on trail runners, and the foam had been so compressed that it felt like I was wearing slippers and I could feel every single rock I was stepping on.
The water in the section primarily was cow tanks, a.k.a. ponds. So that’s where we plan to camp for the night is near a cow tank and this would also set us up for a very short day into pine the following day
Once Ira and I got tucked into our tents and making dinner we hear Mike and Cahaya arrive! They hit their stretch goal to meet us and though I laid in my tent, the boys all had a fire and it was fun to hear the trails perspective through younger eyes and legs.
Day 27: Mile 451.6 - 459
Trail Daily Miles: 7.4
Total Miles: 8
Elevation Gain: 1050 ft
Elevation Loss: 1503 ft
Weather: Hot, Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Hallelujah new shoes
Though it was completely calm when we went to sleep, around midnight, the wind sincerely picked up. The wind got so strong that it ripped two tent steaks out of the ground of my tent, and my tent was just flapping and beating me in the head all evening, so I did not get a great night sleep. But it was a town day, with town food, new shoes, shower, and laundry!
Ira and I went ahead and Mike and Cahaya were going to meet us at THAT brewery in Pine. We arrived just before the brewery opened and we were greeted with another hiker named Cricket! Turns out him and I were about a week apart on the PCT in 2024, so we had lots to catch up on. All five of us had a good lunch and I got my resupply package. Cricket continued on while the four of us headed into Payson to the hotel we were all staying at.
The rest of the day was filled with chores; a wonderful shower, laundry, good food, and lots of laughs.
