19.9 miles
659.4 AZT mile marker
The wind gradually died overnight and it didn’t get that cold. I even had to take my socks off because I got too warm. I was out at sunrise to start the big climb and hopefully get the brunt of it done before the sun hit.
The climb was steep, about 1000 feet per mile for most of it which is probably the steepest sustained climb on this trail. I tore up it though in the cool weather; it reminded me of normal trail grades in the Pacific Northwest and I was at home on it.
The trail climbed through boulders and rock monoliths which were scenic with the changing light of the rising sun. It got quite a bit colder on the way up. We passed the hikers who had camped near the National Park boundary and it was definitely below freezing there. I think we made a good camp choice for last night.
The ground was hard frozen and there was quite a chill in the air by the time I entered Saguaro National Park. There were even some small, isolated patches of snow. I continued to climb hard because I had set a good pace for myself and it kept me warm with the light layer of clothing I was wearing.
It turns out I had plenty of water, though Kevin gave me some extra this morning. I was able to skip the first source. I get very thirsty overnight out here and have to drink a good amount of water during the night or I end up parched. I’m not sure why that is, but I also have to take that into account with the amount of water I bring to camp.
I reached the trail high point in ponderosa forest, and only 0.1 miles from the summit of the mountain I had been climbing. I made the qick jaunt to tag the summit since I could before returning to the trail for the long descent, losing all the 4,500 feet of elevation I gained between yesterday afternoon and this morning. I met up with Kevin and we ended up hiking together for a good part of the remaining day.
The trail gradually descended, going backwards through the climate zones from ponderosa to juniper and manzanita and back to the cactuses. I had done most of the distance through the park before I saw the first actual saguaro.
I’ve been getting the hiker hunger where the same amount of food I’m eating can no longer satisfy me. I could eat anything and everything; I’m just ravenous. My body knows I need it. Kevin and I decided to try prickly pear and barrel cactus fruits. The prickly pear were tricky and it took us a bit to figure out what the ripest ones looked like. They also have tons of small barbs so I took to only touching them with my knife. The barrel cactus fruits were easier since you could just twist them off and eat them. They weren’t quite fully ripe yet though.
It was nice to eat some fresh food from the trail and it helped satisfy my hunger a bit.
The trail wound forever down and took its time meandering at the lower elevations. I exited the park towards the end of the day which I needed to do since I didn’t have an overnight permit.
There was a nearby stream to fill up with water and camped about a mile further at the first reasonable spot I could find.
Kevin later joined me, but Hiep pushed on. He will be hiking into Vail tomorrow to resupply while I have a package waiting close to the trail.
The national park was nice but not earth shattering, and besides the better quality trail, it was hard to tell from the other areas we were passing through.