Obstacles

We woke up in the morning and got ready to leave. There was coffee and oatmeal provided by the Airbnb host, we were pretty stoked. We woke up our host around 8 am and asked if we could get a ride to the trailhead.

He was ready in 10 minutes and we were on our way. He dropped us off and we headed up the trail.

The next few days would be serious elevation climbs. The weather was perfect, not too hot, white puffy clouds dotted the sky. Off in the distance we could see clouds building. A strong wind picked up part way through the day and the sky got cloudier. Our packs were very heavy due to the amount of food we were carrying for the 117 mile jump to Pine and all the water we needed for the day.

It was kind of slow going due to the steep grade. Around 4:30pm we made it to our water source and campsite for the evening.

Beautiful little spot with a fast, flowing, babbling creek. We put up our tent and then noticed a small scorpion making its way to our shelter. We dealt with that and kept our eyes peeled for more. It was a chilly night, we waited for the sun to peak over the ridge before we got up in the morning. The sun was short lived as big dark clouds began to fill the sky. The forecast called for clouds but these clouds looked like a storm.

I saw a post that a huge snowstorm/ rainstorm was hitting the Flagstaff and Grand Canyon area with multiple inches expected in some places.

We were right on the edge of that system. It was cold enough that we started hiking in our down jackets and we never took them off the rest of the day. It was around 44 degrees with the wind chill factor according to the weather report.

This day was again full of steep elevation gains, you are cold and need your jacket but then you are sweaty. The cold wind can be dangerous when your clothes are wet with perspiration. Hypothermia when you stop is a concern. We kept warm the best we could and kept moving.

The trail was absolutely gorgeous, high altitude flowers everywhere, oak, pine and other large trees. Flowering manzanita were everywhere along the trail. The high elevation provided breathtaking vistas of the lake and landscape below. A really incredible day to be on the trail.

I’ll take the cold and clouds over triple digits full sun any day.

We did have to pull out our rain jackets as it started to rain late in the afternoon. We arrived at our camp spot around 4:30pm and quickly got camp set up. A storm was coming and we did not want to be caught unprepared. We ate dinner and were in the tent laying down by 6:30pm. I was asleep before 7 and awoke to the sound of rain and wind raging outside. It rained hard all night and in the early morning the rain turned to snow.

We normally get up between 4:45-6:00am depending on the trail ahead but we had to wait for the rain to stop before we could get out of the tent. Around 7am the rain stopped and the sun peeked through once in awhile. The sky was still full of clouds,it was extremely cold and windy so we had to put our hiking clothes over our wool base layers we slept in. On top of that we needed our down jackets, wool gloves and hat. We have never started out a morning so bundled up. We had a late start and then we had to stop and filter enough water for the entire day.

We made our way along a ridge line battled by a strong, gusty wind the entire time.

We stopped for a rest and snack break around 2pm and took off our wool leggings but left the wool tops on. The trail was many miles of Forest Service roads that went up and down the ridge line. Around 3pm the clouds burned off and s solid blue sky appeared. We arrived at camp around 4:30pm, a small creek was still barely flowing and we got to work setting up camp and filtering water.

Same drill as the day before, I had dinner and was laying flat by 6:30pm.

The sky was completely clear and the half moon shone brightly. The cloud cover was gone and it was bitterly cold and in addition to that the condensation was the worst it has been this whole trip.

The inside of the tent dripped, our sleeping bags were covered in a film of water.

I got up at 6 am to find the logs and rocks were covered in frost.

We moved our sleeping bags to a patch of early morning sunlight to try and dry them off.

We dressed for the day leaving our leggings on and set out with our down jackets and gloves on.

There was not a cloud in the sky and the forecast said it would be about 77, a perfect temperature.

We shed our coats and wool a few hours in. We also decided to try something different by not eating a hot breakfast when we first got up but when we stopped for water around 11am.

We made a meal of brown rice, raisin cinnamon oatmeal, a turmeric ginger coconut milk latte mix and cranberries.

It is surprisingly delicious and powered us up. We cruised at a good rate on the pretty flat trail that afternoon.

We stopped for water at a large, fast creek where we took a few hour siesta during the heat of the day.

When it was time to continue I had to put my water/camp shoes on to cross the creek. We hiked the last 4.6 miles to the stock tank that was our camp site and next water source. Uneventful night sleeping in a cow area.

The water was pretty thick with mud so we decided to get water further up the trail that morning.

We found some wonderful, clean creeks flowing for many miles of this section.

The next few days were in the 70’s as we went up and down the Superstition Mountains.

It was incredibly beautiful with all the trees and flowers.

At one point there was a forest fire in one of the sections, the scorched pines were everywhere. In place of pines trees oaks had taken over the landscape. It was interesting to see the forest transformation as the opportunistic oaks claimed there spot.

I really enjoy this trail because of all the many birds you get to see and hear. I wish I knew my bird calls better so I could identify what I’m hearing. One thing I thought was really great were the numerous hummingbirds I encountered daily on the trail. Whenever I stopped for a rest a hummingbird always came to investigate my bright red backpack. They would check it out and then go land on a branch to study it longer.

Quite the variety of hummingbirds on this trail.

After the Superstitions we entered the Mazatzal Wilderness which was pretty much more of the same, up and down mountains, rocky terrain and beautiful scenery. During this section we woke up to some freezing temperatures and were bundled up the entire day even when the clouds went away it was still in the 30’s with a strong wind.

It did seem like these 117 miles dragged on especially when you run out of bars, almonds and pepperoni. I did pack freeze dried peas, broccoli, cauliflower and brown rice so we did have food just not quite enough calories. Hiking with a full pack all days burns about 5000 calories a day. You can only carry so much food so we get between 800-1750 calories a day depending on what’s left in our food bag.

The last part into Pine was complete madness as far as the trail was concerned. I’ve already mentioned how rocky and steep the whole trail has been. This section cranked it up to level 11😊. Slow and torturous is a good way to describe it with pretty much an empty food bag.

Towards the end of the section with town within striking distance by body started to rebel. My eyesight started wavering, I was literally on the verge of passing out. We made the last of our brown rice and sat for a bit then continued the remaining 2 miles into Pine.

I had a room I reserved and packages I had mailed to That! Brewery. Lucky for us the Brewery was just off the trail about .5 miles and on our way to our Cabin.

We sat outside and were happy to find out they had gluten free bread options. I was so hungry I ordered a nacho with no cheese, shared that with Jamey. Followed by a French dip with an order of tater tots, pickled vegetables and 2 glasses of house brewed kombucha.

After that gut bomb I was freezing and feverish.

I was not doing so great. We walked to our cabin and were delighted to find a jacuzzi tub in our room! Jamey went back out to get some supplies at the store, I quickly took a shower to get the grime off and then filled the tub with hot water. By the time Jamey returned I was soaking with the jets blasting.

I stayed in that blissed out state for as long as possible.

We slept well and in the morning actually found an almond milk latte. We took our lattes to go, picked up some more packages at the post office and then did laundry. We had breakfast after that, bacon, sausage, hash browns and fruit. I was pretty happy with the food options in this cute town.The little town of Pine looked like something you would find in Oregon. Not a cactus to be seen to give away the location as Arizona.

We enjoyed soaking more in the tub, found BBQ take out for dinner, organized our supplies and then vegged out watching the Food Network the rest of the evening

We left Pine on Friday, May 31 to start making the 75 mile trek to Mormon Lake.

The first day we took it easy and hiked about 13.5 miles that day.

I had run out of the dinners I prepped before I left. So I ordered some prepackaged vegan and gluten free meals, some had textured soy protein in them. I usually avoid that because I often have a reaction.

But I thought “Well it can’t be that bad, I’ll be ok if I eat those meals.”

WRONG- why I can never fully remember hard earned lessons is beyond me.

So for dinner we ate the meals with the textured soy protein and by 3 am I awoke with a completely splitting migraine, cluster headache, vomiting nightmare.

I usually keep Excedrin on hand, not that it stops the head trauma ,it just helps a little. I had run out and forgot to get more when I was in town.

The sun came up and I was in bad shape, I rested as long as possible and then got up to get ready.

I managed to walk close to 10,000 steps but had to have Jamey find a place to put the tent up so I could go back to bed.

Luckily there was a creek with a wonky spot big enough for the tent. The ground was uneven but I could have cared less.

I quickly got out my bedding and tried to wait out the horrid nightmare my body had become.

I was hoping I could get up later in the afternoon and move but that was not the case.

I was knocked down all day and could barely function.

I could not eat, I tried electrolytes in my water and managed to keep that down.

I got up around 5pm for some more water and to try and sit up, Jamey had been sitting by the creek pondering life all day.

“Hey, maybe we should stop hiking and fly out of Flagstaff ASAP” he said.

“Just because my head hurts? I’ll be better soon.” I answered

He said that was not the reason and had a list he rattled off.

This trail is tough, we are sore, he is a thin man to begin with and this trail has caused him to lose way too much weight.

The list went on.

My head was still broken and I could not really respond except for “ If that’s what you feel we need to do.”

My head actually hurt worse then earlier and was not easing up it was just growing more monstrous.

I went back to bed for the rest of the night whimpering and beside myself in pain.

Around 3am by head eased up a little, by morning it was still bad but I could stand up.

We packed up camp and headed out. Jamey was silent most of the morning, he was not feeling well. He suffers from Celiacs Disease and was reacting to something he ate. Somehow gluten made its way into his system.

It was a rough morning for both of us, neither of us felt well, we had miles to go to Mormon Lake and last I knew Jamey wanted to tap out.

I was texting my mom very bummed out that my hike might be over and I had yet to make it to the Grand Canyon. We had come so far and overcome so many challenges I did not want to stop the process. Not only did I not want to stop hiking, trying to get an affordable airline ticket out of the area we were in was quite expensive. The most affordable way home was to get to the end of the trail and fly to Portland from Las Vegas.

We arrived at a forest road and a place called Washington Park, still in the middle of nowhere but we knew people came there to hike and we could catch a ride somewhere if we wanted.

We sat down and assessed the situation. My headache was gone, Jamey was feeling better and we both wanted to continue hiking the trail.

We made the decision to keep going and see this trail to the end. We both felt better with that decision and hiked a 21 mile day to make up for my “sick day”.

This section of trail was high pine forest, open meadows, smoother paths and lots of forest roads. According to a local hiker we met it is the largest, continuous stand of Ponderosa pine trees in the world.

It was pretty flat compared to what we have been dealing with and we were able to go much faster. According to the map all the really difficult stuff is behind us except the hike up and down the Grand Canyon.

We made it to Blue Ridge Camp ground just before dark.

A real campground with graded, flat spot for the tent, a picnic table, pit toilet and clean water we did not have to filter.

It was very nice and welcoming.

We were on the trail by 6am and did about 23 miles that day. We put out headlamps on and walked into the night through a pretty scary forest with unfamiliar animal sounds. Mountain lions, bears and other things lurk in these parts so we moved as fast as we could through that area. As soon as the landscape opened up and we found a flat spot we made camp.

It was clear and cold that night with lots of condensation happening. I felt damp and cold all night. One of my worst night sleeps on the trail.

We were on the trail by 5:30am as we really wanted to make it to Mormon Lake before the scheduled thunder stormed arrived around 11am.

We made the 9 miles to Mormon Lake where we had resupply items sent before 11am. It is still early in the season so the restaurant was not open. We did find some snacks at the store which was similar to what we eat on the trail. All I can say is I am about done with Cliff bars and hiking with food allergies is far from easy.

Our food pack was really light and we were literally out of food since we were not able to eat many of the dinners I packed because of the soy textured protein. Jamey had “hiker hunger” that day we stopped early due to my head. He had eaten most of his food and I shared the rest of mine. We had oatmeal and ate that the last few days and I was grateful we had that.

After we got our packages, bought snacks and ate like wild animals I got us a basic cabin room. We did laundry, took showers and rested our tired, broken feeling bodies.

Since we decided to finish the trail we needed to come up with a plan to get home. Not an easy task when the trail ends in the middle of no where.

Kanab, Utah is 25 miles from the end of the trail.

I found a bus from there to Las Vegas and then flights to Portland for $66 each!

So now we have an extraction date, we need to be in Kanab by 4pm June 25 and fly home June 26.

We did not take a “zero” day in Mormon Lake. We got up, organized our packs, waited for the post office to open at 9am and mailed some food to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

That morning the little store for the first time stocked almond milk lattes from Starbucks. Needless to say we were very excited and bought 2 each. Caffeinated and happy we set off.

We paced ourselves the first day as there is a prescribed burn near one of the trail sections on Thursday and we didn’t want to breathe all the smoke.

The hike from Mormon Lake to Flagstaff was pretty great. The pine forest were full of elk and ravens. For much of the hike we followed an old railroad track build in the 1920’s. They hastily built it to remove the pine trees they were harvesting. Interesting signs along the trail explained the process. We work hard hiking but the lumberjacks needed 6000-9000 calories a day to do that kind of work. The food they needed each week to feed 30 men was staggering.

We arrived in Flagstaff on Friday, June 7th. It was not that easy finding a room as there were multiple events going on. I did find us a room at the Budget Host Inn. All the prices in town were jacked up due to the events. The room was recently updated and much nicer than I expected. We hit the Safeway and were surprised to find they did not have gluten free bread all the other Safeway carry. So we had to get corn chips, another item I’m pretty tired of eating.

We are heading out in the morning. The ground is pretty flat and “cruisy” from what we hear. We plan to cover about 100 miles in 4 days. When we get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon we will probably have to wait a day or two to get a permit to camp at the bottom of the canyon before we climb up the north rim. It’s about 33 miles to hike rim to rim and then about 66 miles to complete the trail.

We are in the home stretch!

This trail is tough, demanding, challenging and makes you doubt your abilities and sanity at many levels. It is also breathtaking, gorgeous, spectacular and wonderfully special.

I would not change a thing about this entire process. The weather even though cold at times has worked into our favor.

Everyone tells us we are “late on the trail” starting in early April is considered “late”

But we knew it was an especially cold, wintery season before we arrived and we were hoping and praying the weather would be manageable.

We should be hiking in triple digits most of the time. It has usually been in the 70s with a few 80 degree days scattered about. Once it was almost 90, that the hottest we have encountered. A small miracle some would say. I would like to think it’s because I’m on the trail and I don’t do well in the heat.I would like to believe that I brought my Oregon weather to the Arizona Trail. A stretch of the imagination for sure, but so far so good😊

We are going to make it to the Grand Canyon and we are going to complete this journey.

I can’t believe we have already hiked almost 600 miles. It was hard to imagine reaching this point.

I’m very excited to see the Grand Canyon. Neither Jamey or I have been there before. What a way to experience it together by hiking the Arizona Trail. I feel very humbled by this entire process we have been able to do together.

I am equally excited to be returning to my home state of Oregon with the man I love.

Life is a grand adventure and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Assumptions, Adjustments, Acclimation & Awe

On April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 By GoldenAnnaIn arizona trail, arizona trail 2019, eating well on the trail, Hiking, life begins at 50, naturopathic medicine, never slow down never grow old, thru hiking, thru hiking with food allergies, trail food, women hiking, z packs5 Comments

Leaving the house to begin this journey I hoisted my backpack on to my shoulders and attempted to get it in a comfortable position, I quickly realized that was not going to happen. Panic started to rise up, what am I thinking?! I can’t carry this pack a few hundred yards let alone 800 miles. I was filled with dread. I just”assumed” the pack I was using for overnight hikes would work for a long thru hike. I had a ULA Catalyst, a very wonderful pack.

I was mad at myself for making such an unfounded conclusion and not really walking around with it fully loaded until I was headed out the door. Jamey assessed the situation and assured me I would be ok.

“When we reach LA we will find a sporting good store and I will buy you a new pack. I think yours is too small for your long back and you need a better hip belt so the weight will be better distributed.”

That made me feel better, I enjoyed the rest of the train ride. We had a nearly 10 hour wait before our evening train. Plenty of time to find a pack.

We arrived in LA around 12:30 pm and ordered a Lyft to take us the sporting goods store. It was vast and had a large assortment of packs. A helpful salesman measured my back and picked out one he thought would work.

I transferred all of my gear into the new pack and put it on. Immediately I could feel the difference of a well fitted pack, no pain anywhere and the hip belt was spectacular and the weight was not all on my shoulders.

My backpack- I’ve nicknamed “Pinchy La Rue” because it’s lobster red, and the hip belt is like a claw. Reminded me of a particular Simpson Episode

With my new backpack we took a Lyft to the Hollywood area and walked around, ate food, had coffee and people watched. My backpack was like magic and I could not help but beam while we walked around.

We boarded our overnight train to Tucson around 9:30pm. We had a sleeper car and quickly put our beds down, we were tired.

We slept well and noticed in the middle of the night that the train stopped for a long while, we did not think anything of it.

Our sleeper before we made the beds

We woke up about 6am and slowly started getting ready. We were scheduled to arrive in Tucson around 7:30.

I received a phone call from Scott, an Arizona Trail Angel who was picking us up at the train station to take us to the trail. He wanted to know if the train was on time. I said I would check in with the conductor and let him know.

Moments later the conductor walked passed and informed me we were about an hour and a half late. I informed Scott.

Jamey returned from getting water and overheard another passenger say that the train was delayed because there was a stabbing in coach! It took a while for the police to come and arrested the perpetrator, the victim escaped with slashed hands and was taken to a local hospital. I’ve been on numerous Amtraks and always felt safe.

This time I was very grateful we had a sleeper car and were able to rest and not be involved with the craziness in coach.

Scott picked us up and took us to his truck. I climbed in the backseat and Jamey took the front.

“Hope you guys like George Clinton because I’m going to blast it.”

We do and he did, while driving fast and getting upset at fellow drivers.

“Hey do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?” He said

Jamey and I paused, we both dislike smoke and it makes my allergies act up and they were already wrecking havoc on me.

“ I guess you can do whatever you feel you need to do.” I replied

He decided not smoke in the truck thankfully.

Scott was a colorful character and shared about his life and hiking adventures. He had retired from the military 2 years ago when he was 40, he completed the AZT in 38 days he said when he left the Army.

Impressive.

We had to pick up one more person, an older gentleman who at 62 was going to bike the AZT.

With us all in the truck we made a stop at a local Mexican food place Scott really liked.

We needed a good luck burrito he said, he takes all AZT thru hikers he picks up there to start the journey.

We are allergies to flour so we went with tacos.

“ Everyone that has stopped for a burrito is still on the trail. Those that did not have one have quit the trail.” He told us.

He did not look so sure about our taco choice, but we were happy with the meal.

With full bellies we loaded back into the truck.

It was about another 20 minutes to where he was dropping us off.

We arrived at the Coronado Visitor Center,got out of the truck and grabbed our backpacks. I gave him over $60 as a donation for gas and his time

Coronado Memorial Visitor Center

He pointed down a path across from the parking lot.

“You two go that way to the trail head,” he pointed to another path for the biker.

Jamey filled up 4 liters of water each. The sky looked like rain and it was kind of chilly.

We went into the Coronado Visitor Center, the lady at the counter asked if we were hiking the AZT, we confirmed we were and she handed us a cute colorful souvenir map of the route.

In the back of my mind I was beginning to wonder if this was where we should start our hike.

I thought we started at the Montezuma Monument, we are suppose to walk down the trail 0.9 miles and take our “start of the trail” photo and then hike back, cross the road and continue on the AZT.

We had not factored hiking “Joe’s Canyon Trail” to get to the AZT trail head.

As soon as we started hiking it began to rain so we pulled out our rain jackets and continued on. Then it started to hail and the wind picked up. It was an uphill trail with 1360 feet of elevation change.

We stopped,had a snack and continued on.

View of visitor center from high up on Joe’s Trail

The afternoon was slipping by, not the early start we had hoped for.

We finally reached the parking lot for Montezuma’s Monument and I was really wondering why our “Trail Angel” did not just take us here, it was not that much further up the road from where he dropped us.

It was a beautiful trail, and the hike was not the problem. The problem was the late start to begin with and the fact that it was 8 difficult miles to the next water source. Our plan was to make it to Bathtub Springs the first day. Now there was no way that was going to happen.

Joe’s Canyon Trail

We hiked down toward the very steep trail to the monument.

Jamey suggested we leave our packs on the side of the trail and do a quick up and back.

We did take our I.D & money with us.

We made it down and took our photos. The vista was impressive at the Mexico/Arizona border. Only a small barbed wire fence separated the 2 countries. Not a soul to be seen anywhere.

The beginning of the AZT- Mexico/Arizona border

We walked back up the trail and retrieved our undisturbed packs.

By this time it was late afternoon and the sun was low on the horizon. A woman who was just starting out with her husband on bikes offered to take our photo before we started our hike.

The beginning of the AZT goes up to Miller’s Peak. It is a 3500 ft elevation change in 4 miles. The uphill starts as soon as you put your foot on the trail.

Warning Indeed! Miller’s Peak is a beast

We quickly realized there was no way we could make it to Bathtub Springs that evening. We were hoping to make it to a flat spot we saw on the map to make camp for the night but the fading light was making that difficult. With the light almost gone and huge rocks on the steep path the going was slow.

I was starting to panic as there was no place to stop and put up our tent and it was past dusk.

We rounded a bend and just in the nick of time the trail gave way to a flat spot, still on the trail but big enough to camp for the evening.

I was relieved and grateful.

I was really having a hard time adjusting to the quick altitude change since we just came from sea level. My head was pounding, I was nauseated and my heart rate would not settle down.

Lucky for me my love and hiking partner is a medical doctor and veteran hiker.

He quickly got the tent up, my bed ready and got me out of the wind. I drank water and had to fight to keep it down. Jamey was prepared for altitude sickness on my part and gave me some supplements he packed.

We did not feel like cooking a hot meal and I was still struggling to keep water down.

Jamey prepped our cold soak chia seed breakfast so we would have food in the morning.

As darkness spread across the sky the stars came out and we could see the lights in the valley below from a little Mexican town.

It was a gorgeous view.

I feel into a restless sleep with my head pounding, heart racing and stomach churning.

We woke with the sun, packed up camp and continued up the steep trail.

We stopped about a mile up and sat down for our chia seed breakfast (chia seed, hemp seed, freeze dried berries, coconut milk and protein powder) I created this nutritional dense breakfast so we would be powered up for the day. It has over 800 calories, plenty of protein, carbs and fat.

We ate our breakfast and drank the rest of our remaining water, assuming it would not take us that long to reach Bathtub Springs to refill our water supply.

Stopping for breakfast on Miller’s Peak Trail

Miller’s Peak Trail is no joke and we soon realized the elevation gain and very rocky path made us slow down in order to prevent injury. We picked our way over rocks, ankle biters and scaled large boulders.

The Rocky Miller’s Peak Trail

We passed a few day hikers huffing up the trail, nobody stopped to chat. We were all focused on the trail. We did run into another thru hiker and we exchanged trail names and kept moving.

Hours later we reached the summit of over 9090 ft.

No water for hours but thankfully the chia seed breakfast was slowly releasing water and we still felt pretty good.

We started our descent to Bathtub Springs, the trail was slow going in parts because there was still snow on the path along with huge rocks. I carefully placed one foot in front of the other grateful for my sturdy hiking poles and well fitted back pack. I was starting to adjust to the altitude and going down in elevation was helpful.

Making my way to Bathtub Springs

We had been hiking for 5 strenuous hours with no water and then Bathtub Springs came into view around 2 pm. I have never been so grateful to see a bathtub!

A fresh spring was piped to fill the tub. We put our packs down and Jamey quickly began filtering our water.

Bathtub Springs- first water source on the AZT

It was rest and lunch time.

The Thru hiker we met earlier showed up along with a day hiker. We chatted a bit and then they both moved on.

After the other hikers left Jamey noticed a gigantic, colorful moth on the ground warming up in a small patch of sunlight. It was not concerned when we took pictures and admired it’s beauty. It hung out on the ground for about 10 minutes and then fluttered up to a pine tree. We had never seen anything like it so I googled it.

It was a Cecropia Silk Moth, the largest silk moth in North America. They have no mandibles and only live 1-3 weeks just enough time to mate.

Incredible to see such a beauty.

Cecropia Silk Moth

We knew there was a camp site a few hundred meters away and we decided to stay for the night.

Around 4 pm we packed up and walked the short distance to the camp site.

It was really lovely and picturesque.

We made camp, there was a fire ring and lots of dried wood so I made a fire while Jamey completed our tent set up.

I brought a string of blue lights weighing(2oz) and strung them on our tent. The steady blue glow gave a homey feel in the middle of the remote wilderness. We both quickly agreed we should put them up every night. We have battery packs with us to charge our electronics and the blue lights plug into a USB port.

Perfect!

Our campsite near Bathtub Springs

We drank as much water as we could and had our first hot meal.

Black bean, sweet potato, brown rice stew that I put together.

We prepped our cold soak breakfast for the morning and then crashed out and slept solid until the sun came up.

We packed up camp and walked back to the spring to filter more water, eat breakfast and have coffee.

Once we were sorted we put our packs on and headed down the trail. Slight uphill and then it was a descent of extremely steep switchbacks littered with ankle breaking rocks as we went down 3000 ft in at a pace of 550 ft a mile.

Working my way down Miller’s Peak Trail

Uphills are one thing, steep descents are a completely different animal. With every step my toes were smashed into the front of my shoes. My toes started to scream in protest.

I began to think maybe my shoes were not big enough to handle the stress of big down hills.

We made it down to the next water source called “Cement Trough”. There was no water in the trough but plenty in the flowing creek.

We set up camp, filtered water and had a great dinner, cheesy potato broccoli soup and went to bed.

We awoke in the morning by the sound of wild turkeys, we could not see them but enjoyed waking up to the sounds of nature.

As we were breaking camp we met a day hiker making his way up to Bathtub Springs and a thru hiker names “Honey Legs”

Honey Legs told us he had a late start the day before and did Miller’s Peak with only one liter of water in the heat of the day! The website about Miller’s Peak trail says you should have at least 3 liters per person. He was happy that was behind him and he continued down the trail.

We loaded up our packs and set out. It was a flatter trail and we made good time, we were heading towards the Parker Canyon Creek to rest and resupply our water. On our way there we ran into armed border patrol packing a semi automatic rifle in his arms and a pistol on his belt. We chatted for a few minutes and he told us the water was up ahead.

We made it to the creek, flung our packs off and sat in the shade. It was sunny with no tree cover the entire hike that day. We even broke out our sun umbrellas to use. I was happy to discover I could tuck the handle under my chest straps leaving my hands free for my poles.

My sun umbrella-One of my best investments

I took off my shoes and soaked my feet in the cool water. My shoes were definitely not big enough now and they were not happy. We took a few hours to sit in the shade, drink water, started our cold soaks and made our dinner to eat. We knew we would be dry camping that night with no water source around for miles so we utilized our time and water wisely.

Parker Canyon Creek- such a delightful afternoon

The afternoon hike was beautiful with side light filtering through the trees as we climbed up the hill. We made camp off the trail when we came to a flat spot around 7pm, we hiked 16 miles that day. We were glad we had already had dinner and had filtered water. We had 30 minutes of light to complete our camp set up and get situated.

The blue lights are like magic and provide us with a sense of security.

We arose with the sun, packed up, ate our chia seed breakfast and headed out. We hiked 18 miles that day, beautiful scenery and not overly hot. The uphills were getting easier as we we’re lower in elevation but the down hills made me wince with pain as I could feel my feet swelling inside my shoes and my toes bearing the brunt of the impact with no extra wiggle room.

We made it to the Down Under Tank to camp for the night and refill our water. We arrived 15 minutes before it was dark.

We were with striking distance of our first town stop and resupply box which we mailed ahead to the post office. Our food rationing was off due to the delayed start of the trail. I was running low of the important chia seed breakfast meal.

The day before we just split one and I had another for our last day before town.

When we stopped for the night my feet were howling in pain and I forgot to prep our breakfast for the morning or to remind Jamey I still had one in my food bag.

I slept hard that night and we got up early so we could make it to Patagonia for our resupply. I also reserved a room for Thursday and Friday at the Stage Stop Inn so we could shower and change clothes, it had been 6 days since I had done either.

With no chia seed breakfast I ate a few bars, I was already tired of them and also realized I no longer wanted the coffee mochas I had packed. My taste was already changing and I was finding it difficult to eat the bars I brought . I started out with a calorie deficit and had not yet realized the important role that chia seed breakfast had on me successfully completing each day.

My feet were very uncomfortable at this point as I shoved them into my too small shoes. The day was full of climbs and rocky steep descents, each step painful and I whimpered under my breath with each tortured step.

Every time I stopped I had to take my shoes off

I was anxious to reach town and we did not stop during the heat of the day. An important part of our success so far. My lunch supplies were light and I ran out of meat sticks and nuts. Leaving only bars. I should have eaten more, forced them down, but I could not bring myself to do it. Already my thinking was faulty and I was making bad decisions.

We reached the end of the trail and the trail became the road to Patagonia still over 3 miles away.

I was suffering, low blood sugar and out in the strong high noon sun too long with no rest.

It was not a good combination.

I have “camp shoes” light weight Viva barefoot( not the kind with individual toes) I took off my trail shoes and slipped those on. My toes were relived but the bottoms of the shoes makes me feel any rocks. We had to walk on the rocky shoulder of the road as dozens of border patrol vehicles and huge mining equipment trucks roared by.

I was on the verge of a complete meltdown, I could feel it coming.

Jamey said I should eat and rest.

That did not sound good to me, and I refused. The side of the road was hot and I just wanted to check in to our room. Town was close but it seemed so far. I pressed on slowly on my protesting feet.

Jamey again suggested I should stop and again I refused. I was not thinking clearly and choked back a sob.

This time he insisted, took off my pack and set it against the guard rail. Pulled out a bar and told me to eat it.

Just as I started to unwrap it a car pulled over.

An elderly couple in hiking clothes said they saw us earlier when they were going the other way. They asked us if we were ok, we asked if they could give us a ride to town, about a mile.

They were happy to help, loaded our packs in the car and in a blink of an eye we were at the Stage Stop Inn.

We quickly checked in, made our way to the room.

Stripped and jumped in the shower.

I have one pair of light weight clothes for town and doing trail laundry.

I put that on and with a damp head of hair hobbled to the restaurant next door for food.

The place was empty because it was in between lunch and dinner time, around 3:30pm.

I was happy to see they had food I could eat. I ordered beef faitas, chips with guacamole and a hard ginger brew.

Wild Horse restaurant with food we could eat

With a belly full of food I hobbled back to the room.

I knew I needed new shoes, I was going to get them in Tucson after another 5 days on the trail but that was no longer possible.

It is cost prohibitive to get a shuttle to Tucson and back to Patagonia. Jamey suggested that I look online to find shoes and have them mailed here to the post office in Patagonia

I found a pair on Amazon, I wear a women’s 10 so it’s hard to find shoes that are 1-1.5 sizes bigger.

I looked at the conversion for men’s shoes and found the type that Jamey is wearing, Solomons, and ordered a pair of those. They will arrive on Monday. We have this room until tomorrow and then we are going to a more affordable Airbnb that is right down the road.

Everything is working out and lessons have been learned.

Having a good breakfast to start the day for one, eating even if you don’t like it, stopping during the heat of the day even if you want to get to town ”fast”.

This little, quaint mountain town is welcoming, with food I can eat, almond milk for my latte and I even found my favorite Yerba Mate drink at the small market.

I love the raven icon for the town paper

We picked up our resupply boxes at the post office, did laundry, bought some postcards and are snuggled in our room. It’s cold out today with rain in the forecast. Great night to be inside and not on the trail.

The town laundry mat- Tiny Bubbles

I have plenty of time to prepare and process the last week while I wait for my new shoes to arrive.

I am thankful, blessed and happy!

My feet feel better after a good night rest and I’m excited about the rest of the adventure.

It most definitely has been a week of adjustments and dealing with the consequences of assuming. The biggest lesson is not assuming anything and adjusting as things change. Even with the difficulties of the slow start and shoes that are too small it has been an absolutely wonderful, beautiful, glorious week.

My week was made even better after I got a phone call from my daughter that our dog babies have adjusted and have found their place in the household.

Wiener dogs love being in bed with their pack

You never know how things are going to shake out and I’m grateful I have such a loving and supportive partner to help me along on this journey.

I also have to add that the only discomfort I have had was a result of my ill fitting shoes. Jamey is a very talented Naturopathic Doctor and created a custom supplement protocol for me for this hike. Anti inflammatory, gut health, blood builders and so on. I know a large part of my success so far is because we are so pro active with our health.

I’m in complete awe of this trail, scenery and the process of hiking it. I am far from done but so excited to continue.

As soon as my shoes arrive 🥾

Assembling my “Home” on the Trail

On March 6, 2019March 7, 2019 By GoldenAnnaIn arizona trail, Hiking, life begins at 50, thru hiking, ultra light hiking, women hiking, z packsLeave a comment

Our Z-Pack Duplex Tent weighing 19 ounces

I leave for the Arizona Trail in exactly one month from today! I have been busy collecting my gear and I am happy to say that I am just about done. Part of the fun of assembling a light weight pack is the research and gear comparison, every gram and ounce matters. My light weight pack base weight with everything I need (not including food, water & the clothes I will be wearing) weights a little over 13 pounds! (That includes my backpack)

Z-packs has been a great source for so many needed items at incredibly low weights, they use Dyneema (formerly know as Cuban Fiber) to make everything from clothes to shelters. We ordered all of our stuff sacks, umbrellas, seats, emergency sewing kit, toothbrushes, eye glasses/wallet pouch and duplex tent from Z-Packs

I replaced longer cords with really short cords to shave off ounces. My trail running shoes, clothes, stove and cook wear are some of the lightest on the market. I feel like the seemingly, endless hours researching has paid off. I am happy with the “home” I have assembled for myself, including a few luxury items like a pillow, power bank, one pair of extra clothes and comfy camp shoes. My luxury items are what makes my pack “light weight” and not “Ultra Light Weight”(ULW is base weight of 10 pounds and under)

I plan on carrying 5 days of food at a time, rule of thumb is 2 pounds of food per day.

10 pounds of food to start out and I would like to have the ability to carry 4 liters of water if I am feeling insecure about water sources.

I did download the Guthook App, it will help us navigate the trail, find water sources, know what businesses are in each town and provide other useful information.

Now that I have my pack under control my next project is planning and creating our meals for each day. Our food allergies prevent us from being able to buy many premade backpacking meals or other quick food options. After weeks or research and finding what I need I am almost ready to tackle the food portion of this adventure. More of that in detail in the next post, below is the breakdown of my current pack.

ANNA’S LIGHT WEIGHT PACK BREAKDOWN

Each item is listed including brand name and weight. If you have any questions about any of my gear please contact me