[montezumaswell]

This is the Topic wherein to connect with kindred souls, arrange shuttles, plot stretches, etc.

[youngboy]

has anyone on HAZ hiked the AZT? or familiar with most of it? me and jonnycake are looking for any kinds of tips and hints that anyone has to offer thx

[arizonaheat]

http://www.pr.state.az.us/partnerships/aztrail/aztrail.html

u probably already have looked at this for info, but in case u haven't...

[youngboy]

here's another one for all you experienced ones,

what about cacheing water? would 2 liter soda bottles do the trick? maybe reinforce them with some duct tape? all knowledge is appreciated.

[matt gilbert]

Regular old houshold bleach bottles are great. Now I know this sound unapealling but bear with me. The jugs are thick, the lids fit really tight (and you can still wrap them in duct tape for extra strength) and the very small amount of bleach left in the bottle keeps mildew, fungus and bacteria from growing, but has no adverse effects on humans. The moulded handles also makes it easy to tie them to the outside of your pack. All you have to do is stop at a couple local resteraunts and ask them to save the bottles for you, so you don't even have to buy anything. After you have your bottles, rinse them out really good with hot water and let them dry out completely, bleach will evaporate almost completely off a non-porous surface. Fill them, cap them, and tote them to your cache site. The best way to find your cache site is to find the general area where you will need to resupply. Hike there with your cache and mark an easily identifiable landmark on your map or build a small cairn (also marked on the map). Pick a bearing on the compass and walk, as best you can for at least 150 paces (the further the better). Wrap the water and anything else in the thickest plastic bag you can get your hands on (resteraunts are a good place to find these for free also). Bury this at least 18 inches (this means 18 inches of dirt on top of the bag) Then pile the extra dirt somewhere nearby and try to hide the evidence as well as you can, spread leaves, twigs, rocks etc.. around. Follow your bearing back to the trail and mark the direction on the map near the landmark or cairn. You should be set, but remember animals can be persistent and very clever, and humans can be inconsiderate, NEVER rely solely on your cache, you should carry enough water to make it well past your resupply point. When you return to collect your supplies, take the same pains to hide the spot again. Fill it in with the dirt pile you saved and cover it all up again. Remove the cairn after it has served its purpose, try to leave no trace. Keep us posted how your plans are going, I am also thinking of hiking the AZ trail and its nice to hear how others are dealing with planning dynamics.
Good luck.

[youngboy]

Keep us posted how your plans are going, I am also thinking of hiking the AZ trail and its nice to hear how others are dealing with planning dynamics.

just out of curiosity, when are you planing on going, and thanks for the tip

[matt gilbert]

So far all I know is, in the future. its hard for me to get time off during the months I want to go (somewhere between february and april) but I am trying to go next year. Of course I said that last year also...

[desertgirl]

Does anyone on have the AZT laid out on a TOPO! map ? I trolled through mapeXchange but could not locate one...

Care to share ???

[matt gilbert]

Last I heard they (The AZT association) was still in the process of mapping the actual trail as it runs, there are maps available of the proposed and theoretical routes of those trails not already established.

[Rodney]

In response to matt gilbert's reply:

They do have 19 passages done that are GPS'ed on topo maps and are available at the Public Lands Information Office.

[fairweather8588]

at one point in time the entire AZT was outlined on http://www.topo.com but the last time i checked it was not on there.

[joe bartels]

In response to matt gilbert's reply:

They do have 19 passages done that are GPS'ed on topo maps and are available at the Public Lands Information Office.

is that on-line or something you buy on a CD in the office?

at one point in time the entire AZT was outlined on http://www.topo.com but the last time i checked it was not on there.

that's odd, it was there not too long ago

I'm adding the file below in this post
the extension is renamed to .tp2 so you might need to adjust for use

I don't know if it's very accurate as some of the passages changed since original plans
NOTE: viewing the entire state might slow down or lockup your computer, view at closer ranges for best functionality

I should note... this isn't my file, I assume it's free to trade as is it was freely traded when I recieved it

[Rodney]

In response to matt gilbert's reply:

They do have 19 passages done that are GPS'ed on topo maps and are available at the Public Lands Information Office.

is that on-line or something you buy on a CD in the office?

It looks like they might only be available in 36"x36" paper topo maps.

What program will that .tp2 file work in?

[joe bartels]

Ahhhh! should of known, thx

----------------------

the file is for TOPO!
can't remember if it's Regional or State but it converts

it's the old pre 3.3 format
but when you open old files with 3.3 it converts them and changes the name to tp2 for version 2