“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Yogi Berra Every backpacking trip has worn on me more mentally than physically. Before going to Arizona, I did some soul-searching to understand why I wanted to do the AZT and the end game for success or failure. I used these […]
AZT trail towns are usually close to the trail, spaced between 50-60 miles apart, so resupply is generally straightforward. I sent the first few resupply boxes before I left and dropped off a package at Roosevelt Marina. My initial strategy worked fine. However, for the resupply boxes that I needed to send, I asked my
Water along most of the AZT is sparse. A good strategy is never to pass up a water source. Most water sources are “tanks” intermixed with some springs and some water caches from trail angels. The trail angels on the AZT provide water, rides, shelter, and even sometimes trail magic, showers, laundry, and food; they
Towns, in some instances, are just a store. Regardless, I greatly appreciated towns for resupply, cold drinks, snacks, sit-down food, laundry, and shelter. I enjoyed the respite from eating trail food and always tried to take advantage of restaurants, cafes, and sandwich shops. The added benefit was the feeling that I supported the local economy.
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking, and the experience of hiking from rim to rim was memorable. In 2021, the Grand Canyon had 4,550,921 visitors, and less than 1% of visitors descended to the Colorado River. The hike is not easy. The Grand Canyon was a highlight of the AZT for me. The vastness, beauty, and
The AZT changed at Pine, the start of the northern part of the trail. The trail climbed from Pine to the Mogollon Plateau and became almost level with gradual or short ascents with forests and shade! The anticipation of heading into Flagstaff and then hiking through the Grand Canyon becomes more and more exciting each
The lower-level landscapes down south are exposed, and the exposure lends itself to brilliant colors from cacti, bushes, and a few small leafy plants. On the descent from Mt Lemmon, there was grass a couple of feet high, and under the grass were tiny purple and yellow flowers from stringy ground-hugging plants sheltered by the
I never knew that Arizona has ski areas. The most prominent one is north of Flagstaff, called Ski Bowl. The other is Mt Lemmon Ski Valley outside of Summerhaven. Arizona is full of surprises. The ascents of Miller Peak (9,470′), Mount Mica (8,668′), and Mt Lemmon (9,159′) are all over 4,000 feet; however, the most
Occasional mountains broke up the deserts in the southern parts of the AZT, where the cacti gave way to old-growth evergreens. Town names such as Summerhaven led me to understand that in the crippling heat of summer in Arizona, locals would head to the mountains for heat relief. This heat relief happened decades before the
