Pine to Roosevelt Archives - Yeti Hikes

Arizona Trail Day 24: Four Peaks Wilderness

Yeti — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:20:03 +0000

28.1 miles
444.6 AZT mile marker

I once again set an alarm so I could be on the trail at sunrise. Today was going to be a big day. I decided that I would hike into town today rather than spend another night on trail as planned since the last water source before town was only a few miles from where I camped and that means that I would have to carry a lot of water for most of the day if I wanted to camp again. I could do this, especially since my food load is light now just before town, but I decided it would just be simpler and easier to go to town, and I thought the mileage was feasible based on some other longer days out here.

I hit the trail at full steam, especially since it was on the 4×4 track it followed at the end of the day yesterday. It would follow this for several more easy miles. I enjoyed the sunrise while I was hiking, and soon I met a northbounder, Magician, who said his friend Mudhole was up ahead with his vehicle. I greeted Mudhole when I got to him, and he offered to top off my water and take my trash. There haven’t been any trash cans on this section of trail, and though it was my last day before town, I took him up on his offers. Hikers love getting rid of their trash instead of carrying the dead weight.

The trail was similar to yesterday in the beginning, with mountains covered in boulders, which continued when I got to actual trail after Pidgeon Spring where I filled up with 3 liters of water.

I was going strong and pushing hard today, but still stopping to take lots of pictures. I entered the Four Peaks Wilderness and the trail went around a large mountain which appeared to have four peaks, The mountain was more solid exposed rock with layers apparent, but it hosted a lot of vegetation which was changing colors for fall. I’m continuously hitting fall colors on the deciduous trees as I head south.

My motivation to keep hiking fast remained high throughout the day. Due to the limited daylight this time of the year, I knew that I would have to push hard to make it to town before dark. I only took a couple short breaks and went as fast as I could the rest of the day.

The trail wound through the mountains, staying mostly level or gradually descending throughout the day. There was good color from the trees and a constantly changing view of the mountains with the trail wrapping around them.

It got warmer as I descended and I started to wonder if I had gotten enough water at the last spring. Not much I could do about it now though.

As I descended, the alpine terrain changed to desert, and I came across my first saguaro cactus of the trip. They are so iconic in shape and easy to identify. I was happy to see this change in flora as yet another example of the land changing as I travel it.

I started to lose steam towards the end of the day since I was doing so many miles and it was getting warmer as I descended. The rocky ground was also getting to my feet, which are starting to get sore from all of the pounding. I had to whittle off a little bit of one of my insoles because I could tell a blister was coming on at the seam between the insole and shoe. It helped a bit.

At long last, I got down to the road where the trail crossed a bridge over the Roosevelt Lake dam. From here I could either take the road into town or continue on the slightly longer trail. I debated but opted for the trail since I still had enough daylight. I think that was ultimately the wrong decision as the trail did some more rocky climbing which made me thirsty for my dwindling water supply. It also passed a bunch of heavily used cow pasture which wasn’t that great. I did however steal some water from a cow trough surrounded by cows.

At long last I made it to town just before dark, and before the store which had my resupply package closed. Hiep was there, who I was not expecting to catch along with several other hikers. We all went for dinner at the restaurant where I got some charge on my devices. There is no place to stay in town, so hikers are allowed to stay in a hiker shed between a parking lot and the road, or set up tents nearby. There’s no power, showers, or laundry, so it is a limited town stop. I have worked up a pretty good stink from all of the warm hiking, but there is nothing to do about it except use my wet wipes.

Hiep bought us some beer and we worked our way through it while sitting in the hiker shed watching rain squalls roll through. I had gotten my tent up just in time to avoid the first one.

We stayed up late to finish the beer and it was a great time chatting and catching up.

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Arizona Trail Day 23: Bull Mountain

Yeti — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 19:20:03 +0000

23.3 miles
416.5 AZT mile marker

I set an alarm for the first time in a while because I had a big climb later in the day today and wanted to start it as early as possible and allow time since it was supposed to be almost 80 degrees and a dry climb. I hit the trail as soon as it was light enough, and enjoyed the sunrise while I was walking. There were some clouds in the sky so it was a great sunrise.

Around the time the sun was rising, I passed the halfway point of the trail which was uneventful. No marker or anything, and I was a couple tenths past when I even noticed. It’s not a big deal, just a milestone.

The trail wandered on an old road among hilltops. Each of the hills had a different geology which was interesting. Then the trail dropped on a rocky trail down a drainage where I got my first water of the day. Earlier in this trip I was carrying more water to avoid water stops, but I am now trying to carry less with more frequent stops when possible to avoid carrying the extra weight.

The trail transitioned from hills to flatter pasture land as I dropped and approached highway 87 to cross once again, this time in large tunnels

A short walk after the highway, I got to a creek with a pseudo beach where I had lunch and met some other hikers, Fungi and Mycelium. The water didn’t look the best with scum on top, but it’s what I had and what I took. I cut my lunch short and continued on because my hot climb was coming up and I didn’t know how long it would take.

The trail followed along dry creek beds and gradually climbed at first. The sun was out and bearing down making it quite warm. It was not the most scenic or enjoyable hiking, but I just had to plug away at it to get back into the mountains.

I established my slow, plodding hot weather pace. If you just keep moving at a steady pace, even slower than normal, you can still make good progress in the toughest terrain. I aimed to drink all of my 2.5 liters of water by the time I got to the top where there was another water source. I got a little dehydrated a couple days ago despite drinking a gallon of water during the day, so I’m trying to be more careful. I also pounded some electrolytes since I was sweating pretty good.

The trail was a bit overgrown with desert brush which was full of thorns and sharp leaves. It tore at my clothes constantly, and I got some new holes. This may be the last trip for my pants, we’ll see how it goes.

I took a break to regroup 600 feet from the top of the nearly 3000 foot climb and laid on a cold rock in the shade. That’s what I needed to rejuvenate myself, and I was able to charge up the rest no problem, although it also became less overgrown and way less rocky which also helped.

Then the trail picked up a rutted out road which I would follow for the rest of the day. The trail entered a mountainous landscape where there were large boulders littering the ground and even stacked on top of each other. Interesting change. I leapfrogged with the other hikers and grabbed some water at a wildlife waterer which I hadn’t seen for a while and hiked on down the road until I came to a nice pullout with a view. I set up camp just in time for the sunset which was as good as the sunrise this morning.

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Arizona Trail Day 22: Mazatzal Wilderness Continues

Yeti — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 19:20:03 +0000

20.5 miles
393.2 AZT mile marker

A javalina hung around camp during the night, but it didn’t cause me any trouble. They can get aggressive at times I’ve heard.

I haven’t been setting my alarm since I’ve been waking up naturally at close enough to the right time with the long nights. This morning I awoke right around sunrise which is later than usual. I rushed to pack up in about a half hour to hit the trail before it got too hot.

I topped off with water at the spring near camp and took off. The trail has been rocky, so it was a little slower going than normal, but I had plenty of time to hit my goal so it wasn’t a big deal. The trail followed the high ridge of the Mazatzal range, going over the shoulders of most of the mountains. The mountains got rugged and rocky with different stark colors of rock at times, and were very scenic to walk under. I took lots of pictures as I have through this entire area.

I refilled my water at Bear Spring. As I was approaching the spring, something big crashed through the woods. It had to have been a bear, and they were definitely in the area judging by the amount of scat on the trail. As typical the bear ran away, and I didn’t even see it.

The mountain range started to zig zag a bit, and the trail followed along, winding all over the place chasing the mountains. The surrounding mountains also got much lower so that I was following the most prominent ridge. That also opened up views of far distant mountains and ranges in layers of blue haze.

The day began to get warm around lunch time. I found a somewhat shaded spot to take a quick lunch. I didn’t want to stop too long today to allow more time for the temperature and the slower going through this area. Turns out that was a good plan.

My pace gets slower the warmer it gets. I can keep going, but I just can’t push as hard. My body isn’t built for heat. It was approaching 80 in the nearest town, but it was a little less at elevation. The sun was as relentless as usual out here with not a cloud in the sky. The trail descended when the range ended into an area of lower hills, and it was quite a bit warmer there. I had to slow more and take a couple breaks in the shade, but it was fine.

I got water for the night about 5 miles before the end of the day because there was only one report of water ahead. I later found a stagnant pool where I topped off at, but I learned last year not to play games with water. Always carry at least the minimum you need between water sources you are sure of.

I passed an old mine and then a couple of campsites I didn’t know about. However, I’m glad that I pushed on to the site I was targeting since it offered views of the surrounding mountains and has plenty of room. I again arrived with not too much daylight remaining, but that doesn’t bother me much anymore, especially since the nights are long this time of year.

I was feeling a little tightness in my left hamstring later in the day today, but it went away after I stopped at camp. I will have to keep an eye on that.

The moon is growing and with a half moon now it is fairly bright at night. It will be almost blinding in a few days when it’s full.

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Arizona Trail Day 21: Mezatals

Yeti — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 19:20:03 +0000

20.8 miles
372.7 AZT mile marker

It was a warm night relatively speaking. It definitely cooled off overnight, but nowhere near the other nights out here. After some last conversation with Rob and Jill, I set off towards the second river crossing of the entire trail, the East Verde River. Turns out the river wasn’t too big, and I barely managed to rock hop it and stay dry. I was assuming I would have to ford it, but it was nice not to first thing in the morning.

I then started my long climb of the day. The river was low, just over 3000 feet, and I had to climb to almost 6000. I was glad I was hitting the climb first thing in the morning when it was cooler, and some of it was even shaded since the sun wasn’t yet high enough in the sky. The climb was nicely graded, and I plugged away at it until I got to a pass that signaled the end of it. I took a nice break there and enjoyed the view of the trail behind, where I could trace my path over part of the last 4 days. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that I can see 4 days’ worth of progress; it seems like maybe I should have progressed further in that time, but the route was not in any way straight, and I had a town stop in there.

I turned my back on the trail behind and charged forward into the Mazatzals. At first the range was like high rolling mountains. The trail danced between peaks and passes and canyons, winding its way through the mountains. It was a wilderness area, and there were really no signs of man besides the cuts for the trails; I was surprised and expected to see more old roads or ranches or something. Maybe the area had never been that developed.

I took many pictures today since the terrain was constantly changing as I moved around and got different views of the area. The scenery was fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I haven’t actually done much research on the trail itself, so I don’t know what to expect when I’m coming to it, but this must be one of the trail’s highlights.

The day got warm and the trail was rocky, so my pace was slower than normal, but that was fine. I took plenty of stops for pictures, and a good lunch break next to a pool of water.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves, though the lighting was challenging at times. Truly fantastic trail.

I had a couple places I could stop for the day, and I opted for the furthest since that would set me up better in the long run. Since my progress was slower, I got water and to the nearby camp with not much daylight left. The camp is a nice spot with a great view of the iconic Mt. Mazatzal. It was perfectly lit in the last glow of the setting sun.

After it got dark when I was making dinner, I heard some hooved animal running; I presume a javalina (wild pig). I couldn’t see it, but it ran away quickly when I shone my light in its direction. Hopefully that is enough of a hint to stay away for the night. It was quite loud.

I didn’t see anyone today, apart from Rob and Jill in the morning. This was one of my best days on trail so far, and I still have a lot more of this wilderness area to traverse before I come to the end of it. I’m excited to see what else is in store.

It was a tiring day with more than 6000 feet total of climbing.

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Arizona Trail Day 20: Whiterock Mesa

Yeti — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 19:20:03 +0000

19.7 miles
351.9 AZT mile marker

It was nice to sleep indoors and not have to deal with the cold for once. Fire and I got back to the trail before 9. Breaks was spending more time in town and leaving later in the day.

The AZT has become more challenging to navigate the last couple days. They seem to have given up on trail markers. Many trail and road junctions have been completely unmarked, and that was the case this morning. We did a loop around the trailhead and arrived back at the parking lot since there were no markers. Shannon arrived with a couple more hikers and said to follow signs for Oak Springs. Turns out that didn’t help much since there were multiple junctions without signs. It took careful looking at the GPS to sort it out, but we were finally on our way. Fire immediately stopped for a smoke break and I continued on.

The day warmed up quickly, but I was also at lower elevation than I have been until now. The trail meandered a few ridges and mesas, going up and down and winding around. It is so great to have some relief in the landscape.

The flora was also dynamic as the trail traversed everything from cottonwoods in washes to juniper flats. The variety was great and really reminded me that I’m in the desert.

The trail seemed to be making its way towards some mountains in the distance; it was more or less a beeline for the day. I dropped down to several washes and climbed back up to mesas. The mesas varied in appearance from rocky to dirt to highly vegetated.

I entered the Mazatzal Wilderness, the first wilderness area of the trip. Bikes aren’t allowed here, so the trail is a bit more rugged and less graded than before. It’s also a bit more wild and obviously less well used. There is a long stretch of wilderness coming up, and I’m interested to see what it’s like.

I got onto Whiterock Mesa which was surprisingly mostly black rocks and red dirt at first. However, towards the end there was some sections of beautiful pure white rock that made me stop questioning its name. There was even some places where the white rock had apparently formed around the black porous rocks, filling in holes and cracks in the black rock; like good enveloping evil.

I had carried water for the day out of town since it didn’t sound like there was great water right on the trail, and sometimes it’s just easier to tank up at a good source. I had intended to stay near a water source 16 miles in, but it was still a bit early when I got there. I grabbed water for the night there and kept walking, unsure if I would make it to the next source or find a nice camp spot first. I ended up just going to the next water source with all of my carried water, and got there about 30 minutes before dark.

There were a couple of Aussies, Rob and Jill, camped at the spring and I joined them for dinner after setting up my tent. It’s always nice to have company.

The desert is normally dead quiet if it’s not windy. No insects, birds, or noises of any type. Since I’m near water tonight, there are plenty of insect noises which I think is a first for this trip.

Itts also quite warm tonight; I never had to put on my puffy. That’s a first for this trip as it’s usually been on before the sun even sets. I am at lower elevation now though, about 3000 feet which is a fraction of the elevation the trail was at on the plateau.

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