It has been pretty crazy since I started my new job and I completely forgot that I needed to blog about my AZT section hike. You can't count on me. :(
After moving to NM in a veritable tornado of responsibility and just stuff, I took off for AZ with only half the house unpacked. I have to confess that it is pretty much still in that exact state now, weeks later.
PS and I met up with my trusty hiker buds Mrs Smith, Sarge, C-Bear, and E-Bear at Marshall Lake on Friday afternoon. E & C had cached water a few weeks before at stops along the way, but we went ahead and added some to a few stops just to make sure we had enough and dropped a vehicle off at the end.
Day One: After a mostly restful night at Marshall Lake, we set off through the forest. The first day was a tad brutal. And by that I mean, it was an unexpected 15 miles with the sun beating down on us. A few of us were running low on water and we still had a few miles to go. I knew there were a few wildlife tanks along this route, but when Mrs S and I saw one, we weren't sure that it was the tank. We should have gone over to investigate, but we didn't. You live, you learn. By the time we reached the second tank, I was so thirsty! I hopped the fence with my Sawyer Mini in hand. I drank my fill at that slimy tank! PS was in distress and totally pooped out when we reached Old Walnut Canyon Rd. We refueled with dinner and water. Hiker midnight was before dark this day. We were all just completely spent.
Day Two: I felt better in the morning and PS seemed better too. Some of the others were suffering, but thankfully, it would be a shorter day. It was a pretty exposed route and it was hot again. We took a long snack break under the I-40 frontage road. It was actually really pleasant under there. The underpass was acting as a wind tunnel and it kept us cool in the shade. After cooling off, we headed for the next stopping point and water cache. PS was in pretty dire straights after a few miles and I spent most of the time dragging her from shade to shade. I was scared I had finally pushed her too far. It was just way too hot for a furry baby out there. When PS and I finally dragged up to FS791, we were done. I felt fit for more, but I knew it was dangerous for her to continue. I had a little breakdown at that point. Sarge and Mrs S decided that they would get off the trail at that point due to injury and offered to take PS back to Marshall Lake to wait for the rest of us. In the meantime, I am sitting in the shade with PS while we discuss all this. Then Mrs S alerts us to a huge dog that is just plodding down the road. It was a huge husky! He lumbered over to us. He and PS sniffed and then she just laid back down while I offered our guest some water. He drank up two bowls full and just checked out the area. His name is Texas and he was so sweet. Sarge and Mrs S hitched a ride to the bus stop in Flag and took the bus to Buffalo Park, where the other vehicle was. C & E wanted to continue that afternoon to Sandy Seep where they had cached more water and it was agreed that I would wait with PS for Sarge and Mrs S to return and then they would drop me off at Sandy Seep to start again the next morning. i just lounged in the shade with PS and Texas. The guy the others rode into town with came back and checked on me before heading home down the forest road. A little while later, a yellow jeep went by. It drove right past the three of us under our pine tree and pulled into a parking area by the main road. A guy got out and Texas stood up and trotted over to him. The guy was yelling and waving his arms at Texas. He grabbed Texas by the collar and guided him into the jeep. I was sad to see my new friend go and I wish I could have talked to the guy, but he was pretty far from me and drove away immediately. So, thanks for keeping us company in our shady spot, Texas. I hope your dad wasn't too mad at you for wandering off. A little while later PS and I were picked up with bonus french fries! We all went and waited at Sandy Seep for C & E to arrive.
When C & E arrived, they were tired and hot. We drove into town to grab them some food at McDonalds. I snagged an iced tea. It was awesome. Then it was back to the trail. C, E, and I went to retrieve our water from the cache location. It was hidden with some big branches under a fallen tree truck. That was apparently a popular pee spot. There were three or four separate little wads of toilet paper right near our water. Thankfully, it appeared to have been only a pee spot. No evidence of anything else. That being said. I hate finding toilet paper just laying on the ground. At least bury it, you should really pack it out, but for the love of nature, at least bury it. We refilled our water and carried a little extra in a jug to where we camped. It was really lumpy and sloping but it turned out to be the best camp spot of the trip. We saw deer feeding that night. I took an Advil PM just to make sure I could get to sleep. I was just drifting off, when E's headlamp shines into my tent (not on purpose) and then I hear him say, "You can see the eyes". In my half sleep, pharmaceutically enhanced delirium, I sat straight up and started looking for mystery eyes in the darkness! It was an elk. He was making a barking sound and circling our camp.
Day Three: The elk was still around in the morning and started to bark again. He circled us all morning as we got ready to go. We must have been in his spot! E went ahead after he got packed up. C and I had a nice chat as we hiked along. I kept track of E-Bear's boot tread along the way. We got to a traffic sign that said the trail was closed due to flood damage. Not paying any attention, we pressed on. We finally caught up to E and took a rest under some trees. After our rest, It became really exposed again in places because the trail went through a burn area. There were places the trail had been washed out in big gullies, but they were navigable. I sniffed the ponderosa pines and enjoyed the butterscotch perfume (one of my favorite things on earth). We passed a few spring/tank locations but all were dry. We could hear the water running in the City of Flagstaff pipeline outlets, but no water for hikers is available on this stretch of trail. We finally made it to Schultz Tank at Schultz Pass Rd. We used the pit toilet and laid out in the shade to wait for our ride.
We decided not to do the original plan that would have been four days. Everyone seemed to be satisfied with what we did and I needed to get back to NM to start working. We went to Sizzler for lunch where i syuffed myself with veggies. It was perfect after 3 days if packaged backpacking food. I was so dirty and looked like a homeless person. We spent another night at Marshall Lake. We took showers at another campground and used their flush toilets. Ahhh.
Gear report:
Alcohol stove: I didn't get to use my new, homemade alcohol stove. The day before the hike, Level 1 Billion fire restrictions went into place. I had thrown the Jet Boil into my gear at the last minute just in case and it was a good thing. No biggie, it is just heavier and I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to use the one I made.
Thermarest Z-Lite: I loved this item. It isn't the cushiest thing to sleep on, but it didn't really cause me any problems. I actually slept great on this trip compared to most camping I have done. You can just strap this mat onto the outside of your pack and then put it down to sit or lay on every time you stop. No airing up, no worrying about popping it. This is definitely a keeper. Plus it only cost $40. That is a super bargain compared to air mats.
Food: I took bought dehydrated food on this one. Those meals are pretty heavy and contain more food than i could eat. I ended up packing out leftovers from almost every meal. I definitely prefer to dehydrate and package my own food.
