Okay, I didn’t go crazy, BUT there was a race called The Monster 300 where ultrarunners covered 300 miles of the desert section of Arizona. “Wait, isn’t all of Arizona a desert?”, NO, I’m currently writing this surrounded by pine trees and 39 degree weather, after passing the halfway mark I can see my breath for the first time since leaving Miller Peak near the trailhead.
During the end of the heat wave I talked about in previous posts this race took place. In it, ultramarathoners ran 300 miles in just a few days while the heat wave occurred. A jogger walked past me covered in a mix of sweat and sunscreen, eagerly awaiting one of his three 20-minute nap sessions allotted that day.
There were aid stations scattered along parts of the Arizona Trail where they could rest and recover as quickly as possible. In one of them I was lucky enough to use one of their bathrooms and they offered me an orange and some ice, which I gladly accepted, but tried to act calmly as if I wasn’t in desperate need.
These athletes were out there accomplishing something I will probably never be able to do: competing in the heat with nothing more than a small hydraulic backpack. Meanwhile, I struggle to walk 15 miles and just pray that I can find some adequate shade to rest my aching feet. To say I felt like a fool is an understatement. To me, what I’m doing is a shadow of what those competitors accomplished. Difficult, yes, but not so hard or crazy.
Saguaro National Park
This was a section I was most looking forward to seeing. The beauty of a vast landscape filled with saguaros, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, and picturesque views you can only imagine. Also, I had a grudge because years ago I bought a blanket with the park scenery on it, but when someone asked me if I had ever been there I said, embarrassingly, “No.” It’s time to earn that blanket!
Going north on the AZT, from boundary to boundary, the trail extends for 17.3 miles where you gain approximately 6k feet of total elevation. At the time, I hadn’t developed my “trail legs” and was still in my late 10s sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer screen coloring spreadsheets while the adults made the big decisions. Needless to say, it was still in excellent corporate shape.
I couldn’t go from limit to limit in one day. You should have seen me huffing and puffing as I slowly made my way towards the top of Mica Mountain. In my cubicle I would watch videos of hikers struggling to climb mountains and say out loud «that doesn’t even look like fun, who would enjoy that?» I didn’t know I would actually “enjoy that.”
The hike through the park and up the mountain was tough and the sun was relentless, but there was water, I had snacks, and some decent shade. This is what I was dreaming of and it lived up to my expectations and more. There were so many saguaros, some big enough for me to hide behind when I needed a break. The higher I went, the more picturesque the scenery became, and I was more than happy to turn around and take in how vast the park was.
Before I knew it, I was near the Grass Shack campground, which was no longer surrounded by saguaros but trees. It was a nice break from the sun, plus the creek had cold water to filter, a great location for a snack and a quick nap before continuing the climb.
The further I climbed toward staff camp, where at that point I knew for sure I was going to crash that night, the more the expression «drinking the cold air» began to make sense. I was so thirsty on that climb that I felt like I was literally drinking cold air and it was refreshing, but I was still very thirsty.
I arrived at staff camp just before sunset and wasn’t able to fully enjoy my surroundings, but I was able to quickly devour some food after setting up camp for the night. Also, there was a pit toilet, talk about broken! What can I say, it’s the little things in life.
That night was the first night on the trail that I was cold and needed to wear my puffer jacket and extra layers to stay warm. It was a welcome change after putting away my quilt at 3am as I lay sweating.
Manning’s camp, itself, was a reminder of what life was like in the mountains. The sights, smells, and feel of the rustic campground brought back memories of my childhood exploring abandoned farms and cabins deep in the Montana wilderness that I used to explore with my family while riding quads down old trails all day. Forgotten relics of past generations highlight the simplicity of today’s life and the ample conveniences available to us at all times. However, back then it was a different kind of simplicity, if that makes sense.
The final descent out of Saguaro National Park began with forests. I saw a young doe who didn’t mind my presence. Once I left the wooded area I began my rocky descent to the end of the boundary and the end of my stay in the park. I don’t want to brag, but I feel like I earned that blanket. What a place!
Back to the harsh desert I go
The rush of cool air quickly disappeared as I hit the desert floor, but it wasn’t the heat that caught my attention. They were small insects that began to jump every time my feet touched the arid and dusty landscape. If you hiked the Arizona Trail this year, you’ve no doubt noticed a metric ton of grasshoppers covering vast sections of the trail.
It almost felt like a magic trick where every time your foot touched the ground, a chain reaction of flying chaos would suddenly begin. There were so many grasshoppers shooting that I had to walk around with my sunglasses practically glued to my face so as not to be temporarily blinded by one of those flying hoptimus primes.
The good news is that if I ran out of food, I would have plenty of snacks on hand, I just had to catch them, which wouldn’t be that hard to do. Every time one of them landed on me and jumped, I uncontrollably yelled «Parkour!» As I heard another hiker say “No hitchhikers allowed!”
As I continued, the days became hotter and the water scarcer, and I was only saved by the water reservoirs left at the trailheads by Trail Angels, without whom this trail would be extremely difficult to do. More on trail angels in future posts.
Sabino Canyon
After facing higher than normal temperatures since my descent of Mica Mountain, I was looking forward to waking up to cooler weather and a rest day in Summerhaven.
In my trail research I should have skimmed through notes on Sabino Canyon, and I was glad I did. I was completely impressed with the area. It had everything crammed into a picturesque canyon.
The steep slopes were something I had to be careful of as I took in the beauty of the place. The canyon walls were bathed in sunlight and the trail was not busy which made for a good hike. Along the center was a lush green landscape that hinted that there would be plenty of water along the way.
Once I got near the end, it was like entering an oasis. The ferns, tall green grass, and tall trees made me feel like I was walking into a jungle in the middle of the desert. There were beautiful little waterfalls and the stream was flowing at a great pace.
I stopped to dip my feet in and it was hard to want to leave. There were plenty of campsites nearby, but I wanted to cover a few more miles and climb as much as I could before it got dark. I must say that there is nothing that improves your mood like a cold stream. I felt regenerated and was able to do another 5 mile climb on top of the 15 miles I had already done that day.
The climb to Mount Lemmon
Sleeping was easy that night and I didn’t bother checking what the next day had in store. Big mistake. I knew it didn’t have a ton of miles on it and that I had to climb a bit, but oh man, if it was a climb…or a crawl, I would find out.
1,400 feet in 1.7 miles was not something I was mentally or physically prepared for at the time. I don’t remember how long it took me to get there, but it was embarrassingly slow, but hey, I made it.
The view made it worth it as I could see a lot of Tucson and beyond. At higher elevations there were mosquitoes and I didn’t have much spray, plus my nose was running and I was sweating profusely, I was a mess but I was happy.
The closer I got to Summerhaven the better I felt, although I was tired and my legs were ruined but I was determined to finish the day strong. I walked through a huge burned area which was a bit depressing to see. I didn’t know I would be walking through a LOT of burned areas during my trip on the AZT. The rock formations were something else in the way.
I had arrived safely at my destination in the evening and was impressed by how much the small community of Summerhaven packed a punch and how close everything was. The post office, general store, inn, and family stores were all within a stone’s throw of each other, and the people were nice!
The staff at the inn let me check the hiker box where other AZT hikers left excess snacks or things they were tired of carrying. I got some items and walked across the street to the general store to pick up my resupply box and load up on junk food for the night. Life was good.
Next: Hijinks Ranch, meeting a PCT legend, Kearny, drinking from the Gila River and Picketpost Mountain.
