2021 Arizona Trail Thru-hike

Mar

2021

Mar

2021

Day 8

The lonely day. Today was the first day we hiked alone. It was the first day we did not see any other hikers from the time we woke up until we set up camp. It was also the first day we hiked without the sun beating down on us. We broke camp a little earlier than usual and intended to beat the heat of the day. With the heat from yesterday being so intense, we wanted to get in as many miles as possible during the early hours of the day. However, to our surprise, we were met with overcast skies. A first for us on the Arizona Trail and a welcome change. With the intensity of the sun minimized, the temperature around ten degrees cooler than the day before, and a breeze in the air we cruised along the trail. Throughout the day we meandered from dirt trail to old roads yet again. At this point it seemed as if the theme of this section of the trail would be road walking. As the end of the day finally approached we found ourselves hiking nearly two miles farther than planned. It was not only a nice surprise, but a confidence boost as well. All made possible by the continued use of lower elevation trail and dirt roads.

12.6 mi

Mar

2021

Day 7

A day of road walks. A day of monotony. A day of blistering heat on a never ending motorized path. Not every mile of the Arizona Trail lies on single track walking path. Some of it still follows roads, both paved and dirt. These areas are also traveled by those who ride the trail on bikes or horses. Currently, the section we hiked today is being re-routed with new trail, outside of the town of Patagonia, so hikers can avoid these long road walks. However, for us this is the current trail and we intend to hike every mile of it. From state highway, to paved back roads, to private dirt roads, to forest service roads, and finally on to old road beds we hiked. We ended up walking 12.6 miles of road before we finally reached dirt hiking trail once again. It was a long day and at the dead end of road is where we camped that night and put our tired feet to rest.

Mar

2021

Day 6

Our first zero day of the trail was a success. We had hot showers, washed our week old outfits, got some much needed rest, and chowed down on delicious town food. Oh, and did I mention the goats? A few weeks ago I came across a post about this place called “Goatlandia” that just happened to be in the first trail town, Patagonia. An Airbnb with goats... you know we had to book it. So, we ate out 4 times, bought our resupply for the next 61.4 mile stretch of trail, met over a dozen other hikers in town, and hung out with some goats, chickens, dogs, and a cat. Not a bad way to spend a day off from hiking. When you hike a long distance trail the only things of true concern are food, water, and where you’re going to sleep. It’s a simple life. Town is your paradise. Trail towns are one of the best parts of thru-hiking. And Patagonia is a special place. A truly unique trail town. Daily Mileage: 0 Total AZT Miles Backpacked: 51.2 of 788.7

12.6 mi

Mar

2021

Day 5

There is no forever, only today. And today I trekked across the Sonoran desert. Sun beating down on my umbrella as I made my way through what seemed to be a wasteland. No sign of life other than the occasional shrub with some vegetation left, patches of grass, cacti, and the two of us. After our first 1.5 miles we filled our bottles from a solar powered water tank and began the 11.1 mile waterless stretch to town. This stretch was the hottest, most desolate, and void of water stretch we have done so far. I can’t say that it was my favorite, but it was definitely unique and exactly what I came to Arizona to experience. With a hot shower, good food, and a comfy bed ahead of us we pushed our aching bodies toward our sweet reward. With 3 miles left the trail ventured off the dirt path we had traveled for nearly 50 miles and onto a paved road. The rest of the way into the town of Patagonia, along the Arizona Trail, was a road walk. And on this particular day it was a hot, foot crushing, long ass road walk. Daily Mileage: 12.6 Total AZT Miles Backpacked: 51.2 of 788.7

12.9 mi

Mar

2021

Day 4

The soreness has begun to set in. A familiar pain long forgotten. It has been 20 months since our last long distance backpacking trip. In that time you begin to forget about the lows and only remember the highs. In hindsight our last thru-hike attempt, on the Pacific Creat Trail, was full of unbelievable beauty and fun filled days. However, it also entailed aching bodies and eventually having to leave the trail due to overuse injuries. A disappointment to say the least. This time we have a plan to take it slower in the beginning to allow our bodies time to adjust to life on trail. Even though we are attempting to avoid injuries our bodies still ache. Muscles you would never know you have begin to ache when taking up long distance backpacking. Shoulders begin to feel the weight of your pack, feet start to feel the result of being firmly planted into the earth tens of thousands of times per day, and your legs scream back at you for the torture you are putting them through. To my surprise, my trapezius muscles are the most tender. The use of trekking poles all day is a motion my body has not experienced in some time. As we made our way through the day we were greeted with rolling hills and wide open views of mountains in every direction. Such beauty had me in awe as I hiked on. A gentle comfort that faded my aching shoulders, tender feet, and sore legs to the back of my mind, if only for a short time. Daily Mileage: 12.9 Total AZT Miles Backpacked: 38.6 of 788.7

11.0 mi

Mar

2021

Day 3

Water. A life or death resource on the Arizona Trail. Today we had a reminder of how precious this resource truly is. Early in the morning, as we were packing up camp, a hiker going the opposite direction let us know that a creek in 2 miles was flowing. With this information in hand we decided not to fill our bottles at camp and enjoy a couple miles with lighter packs before topping off our bottles. Two miles later, to our surprise, we were unable to find this flowing creek. Every creek we came across was dry. We even spent time looking up and down the creek beds for water as we passed them. No water was to be found. At this point we weren’t stressed as recent comments in the water report stated there were small pools in an old creek bed a couple miles ahead. So, we trekked on. An hour later we reached the old creek bed to find that the small pool was unfortunately full of cow patties. Beautiful fresh cow patties. At the site of this we decided that we would try for the next set of pools recently mentioned in the water report and moved on. Unfortunately, they had dried up. Defeated we continued on checking every creek bed, windmill tank, cow trough, ect. Passing up that small pool with cow poo in it left us trekking 8.5 miles with roughly 2/3rds of a liter of water each. Less than half of what we needed. The moral of the story is... when you’re in the desert... take the cow shit water. Daily Mileage: 11.0 Total AZT Miles Backpacked: 25.7 of 788.7

10.3 mi

Mar

2021

Day 2

Today was a hard day. We started our morning with a 2 mile climb from our campsite at 7900 feet to 9090 feet. With a headache from the altitude, nausea from being out of shape, and lack of sleep it made for one awful climb. During the night we had 25mph winds slam our tent until 3am and below freezing temps that made it difficult to get comfortable. I spent a large portion of the night being startled awake by loud gusts of wind. This lifestyle we lead is not what it may seem. Our social media post and conversations with others have people everywhere excited for us as well as envious of the “freedoms” we have. Though it is not as glamorous as it may seem. While we get to experience beauty most people never get the chance to, this lifestyle can sometimes be tough. Tough to the point where I question if it is the lifestyle I truly want. When we long distance backpack we put in long days of hard work, deal with aching bodies and pains, have an insatiable hunger, and spend up to a week without a shower or the comforts of modern life. When we travel we can go months just the two of us, no stable home base or income, missing our families and friends. To which this morning I pondered the question. Is it worth it? While the first half of our day was filled with tough miles and feeling uncomfortable, the second half brought gentle trail and much needed hindsight. I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for any other. Being uncomfortable has made me who I am. For when I am content I do not push myself to achieve more. I wouldn’t be where I am today without putting myself in uncomfortable situations. Daily Mileage: 10.3 Total AZT Miles Backpacked: 14.7 of 788.7

4.4 mi

Feb

2021

Day 1

I never knew Arizona and Mexico would be so beautiful. The entire ride out to the trailhead I was mesmerized by the surrounding landscape. Mountains towered over us as we moved ever closer to the start of our journey. Rather than being covered by trees, the hillsides were covered by tall grass and scattered with shrubs. A major difference from the forested landscape we are use to back east. As we approached the start of our journey our driver gave us some info on the area. Even though a fire had decimated these hillsides only a decade ago, they were full of life. He was sure to let us know about the wildlife we could encounter in the area including mountain lions, bears, wild pigs, deer, rattlesnakes and more. As we arrived at the trailhead we knew the moment was here. Something we have been discussing for almost two years was finally set to begin. Standing atop the Arizona Trail in Coronado National Memorial we could see maybe 100 miles into the distance. Even with a haze cast over the earth, we were blown away by just how much landscape we could see stretching in every direction. Mexico was just a short distance away and Arizona firmly under our feet. Amazing landscapes that look identical, as far as the eye can see, with only a steel wall separating the two. Daily Mileage: 6.2 Total AZT Miles Completed: 4.3 of 788.7

About This Hike

trash-panda

Arizona Trail

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