A few of us have been doing some AZT passages and decided to get the #1 section done. Nick was nice enough to join us and even help with the shuttle. The dirt road in had some muddy spots and creek crossings so we parked the car a little short of the trailhead and figured we would worry about driving back to our shttle car later. We checked with one of the many Border Patrol we went buy to make sure we were going to Montezuma Pass to start. I've never been in this area before and I was impressed throughout the day with how green and diverse the Flora was. FRom Banana Yucca's to Juniper,Pines,Aspen,Manzanita, many flowers and even a couple waterfalls and creeks. All these years just thinking down south was dry and cacti. OK I was wrong. This hike is quite a workout but one I really enjoyed. The drive back to the shuttle car was tricky but with the blindfold I couldn't see what I was driving through so I didn't chicken out and we made it back to Nick's car. Thanks to Joe,Dave,Bruce,Nick for getting up a little early so we could get an early start. Always a pleasure to hike with you guys.