For years, I’ve wanted to set out on the trail for a few days by myself. I love hiking with friends! Yet, there have always been questions that needed answers regarding the solo hiking experience. Would I feel lonely or bored? Would I feel safe? What’s my natural pace? How many miles per day is comfortable? The list goes on.
Now’s a perfect time to start getting some of those answers. If all goes well, retirement will include some time hiking solo on the long trails. During the sabbatical, do a trip that will offer a preview to help decide if that’s still the right plan
Since I would already be on the west coast for Andy’s birthday celebration, I made arrangements to fly from Las Vegas to Tucson for the second half of the trip. I spent a couple days at Mom’s, enjoyed some relaxation time & then spent 3 days on the Arizona Trail. There are several AZT trailheads within an hour of her place, so the plans was to start at the southernmost one (Apache Springs) & end at the northernmost one (Gabe Zimmerman). Total miles over 3 days: 39.6
Two thirds are moderate difficulty, with the final third easy. Elevation is considerably lower than the Rockies so this should be leisurely, right?
Passage 5
Passage 5 – Santa Rita Mountains: Apr 9th
Final pre-pack assessment: everything I’ll need for 3 days in the desert, plus a few luxury items.
Having an old-fashioned with Mom and our good friends, the Fahnings, the night prior to the hike. We always have fun when the four of us get to catch up.
Mom took me out for breakfast & dropped me off at the Apache Springs trailhead via Garder Canyon Road at 10am. I wasn’t sure how rough the road would be, nor if she’d be comfortable driving back. The road was smoother than expected & Mom had a blast with the ‘off road’ experience with her Camry. She even made friends with some cattle on the drive back home.
I thought it’d be easier. I’ve hiked at higher altitude and had much greater elevation change on prior hikes, but the heat was in the mid-nineties and my ski legs hadn’t translated to hiking just yet. I thought I’d finish passage 5 today but was ready to set up camp after 10 miles. Those ‘small’ changes up & down a couple hundred feet felt tougher than I’d hoped.
The AZT has a ton of character. The signs, trail markers, gates and trailheads were all rather unique to this trail. I knew within the first few hours I would love my 3 days here.
Mt Wrightson: its pyramid shape makes it recognizable, so it was an easy way to orient my direction the first days on trail. The snow was no longer on the west side (visible from Mom’s home), but on the east side there was still plenty in early Apr.
I was feeling good and making solid time. My first lesson on the first day: check your GPS and map more often. I missed the marker to turn left & didn’t realize it until I was 30 min beyond. It took a moment to relax & let the frustration subside. I let it go – this is vacation. Time to soak up the beautiful views and not worry about pace. After all, it’s the smiles not the miles.
It’s a water cannon! There is a long history of mining in this area of Arizona and these were used to blast the countryside in search of natural riches. Over time, they didn’t unearth sufficient value for the investment and they were abandoned.
More gates & cool signage. Mt Wrightson is already starting to look a bit more distant to the south.
The scenery is much more striking here than the pictures reflect. The color contrast between the fields, valleys, plants & mountains is remarkable. I’m impressed more with the natural beauty in passage 5 compared to what I’d seen in passage 7 in December.
The prickly bushes with the stalks growing are agave plants. The stalks drop seeds which then become new plants. Keep it up, boys – we can’t have a margarita without the tequila!
After 11 miles (not counting the accidental detour), it was really nice to get camp set up, make some food & have happy hour. I brought exactly 1oz of whiskey, which was meant for night #1.
Just after dinner, a hiker was dropped off at the gate near my camp. We had a quick chat & he continued NOBO to cover some miles. First person I saw all day….
Passage 6 – Las Colinas: April 10th
Additional blog content forthcoming – for now, photo galleries:
Passage 7 – Las Cienegas: April 11th
