Spring 2017 Thru Hikers

[Trew]

Wondering who is looking at hiking the AZT in 2017 NOBO.

This year I made it past Saguaro NP to the road that runs up to Oracle. This year I am considering returning to that point and continuing nobo. That would take me over Mt Lemon area and on into Oracle and then off to the Superstitions.

Then again, I may start at Pickpost and go north from there.

Wonder what water conditions will be like in 2017. Such an original thought.

[steveandjen]

My wife and I are thru-hiking NOBO starting in early march. Looking forward to crossing paths with fellow trail and nature lovers!

[oldmanonthetrail]

Last March when we arrived in Sierra Vista our shuttle bus driver informed us he couldn't drive the extra few miles up the hill to the staring point. He dropped us off at the park office .As we already had a late start 10am it was nearly noon by the time we got up there. Just a heads up for any slow pokes you may want to get a much earlier start if possible. I don't remember the name of the shuttle co. but he picked us up at enterprise car rental with a 10 seat tourist bus. Maybe one of the locals knows more about this.
The road up seemed fine and had lots of traffic....

[rcorfman]

@rcorfman Sorry for the confusion. I thought I saw somewhere that you started at Mexican border and camped at Sunnyside Canyon the 1st night. Just wondering if I can do 14 (16) miles my first day in that terrain. I'd rather not camp at mile 6(10) if there is snow up there.

Ah, I'm sorry I completely missed that. Yes, I camped the first night at about mile 16.2 along the creek. So that would have been 16.2 miles + 1.9 miles from Montezuma pass to the border +1 mile diversion to the Miller Peak summit and back for a total of about 19.1 miles. I started at quarter past seven and finished up in twilight. That was Sept 26, 2015.

I really recommend summiting Miller Peak. The views are amazing from up there and shouldn't be missed.

[KateWalker]

@rcorfman
Perfect. Thanks!!!

[HappyHour]

Planning on a Mar 21 start at the border and hiking up to Sunflower or Pine by mid April. Hope to see you all out there.

[manymilesago]

Two of us are heading out Saint Patty's Day, the 17th. We'll meet up with one more hiker at Roosevelt Lake in April. Water reports trickling in are looking promising! Wildflowers should be really good this spring! See all and anyone on the trail!...

[DATA]

DATA and Southern are Going NOBO! We are looking to Start somewhere around 4/2-4/7. Just out of curiosity, what would be the latest reasonable start date for a nobo hike given the current water/snow year? I was thinking about 4/7? We are both triple crowners so we have a lot of hiking experience and are looking to complete the hike in 45 days. Thank you for your feedback and cant wait to meet all of the hikers out there!

[sandyfortner]

Snow won't be an issue except one never knows about the North Rim / Jacob Lake area. They could get snow / slush into the end of May. It's been a wet spring and water is pretty reliable right now. Should help but by April it will be drying up on the lower / warmer regions. Since you can probably cover some ground each day, you should have water every day to day and 1/2 I'm guessing. And, as heat comes on, you'll also sit out mid-day and hike into the evening in the lower regions.

[Michtanger]

My wife and I are looking at doing a section hike of the AZT the first week of May. We would start at the Mexican Board and plan to do a little over 100 miles in 7 days. We are looking for a little help from the more experienced AZT'ers out there. We are relatively new to hiking, but have done a few section hikes of this length on the Ozark Trail and the Appalachian Trail. We are planning a 2018 PCT Thru and wanted to get some experience with desert hiking and thought a section of the AZT would be perfect. Reading the posts here, I don't see anyone starting as late in the season as we have planned (cant change do to work schedule). Is it reasonable to hike the first 100 or so miles of the trail from a water/heat perspective in early May or would you advise against it? Also, does anyone recommend a good takeout point where we can park our car (we are driving in from Texas), get shuttle service down to the border? Any advice is much appreciated. Good Luck to everyone starting your thru in March/April!

[ttretta]

@Michtanger
Would you consider doing the mid section of the Arizona Trail for your hike? Sections 20 and up are doable in May for sure. No shuttle required for many of those, and usually good water sources. Just a suggestion!

[Michtanger]

@Michtanger
Would you consider doing the mid section of the Arizona Trail for your hike? Sections 20 and up are doable in May for sure. No shuttle required for many of those, and usually good water sources. Just a suggestion!

@ttretta Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't really looked at other sections of the trail. Are section 20 and above still indicative of a desert hike experience? Also, you mentioned no need for a shuttle from our car to a start point. Could you tell me what alternative transportation is available in that area of the trail? Thanks again for you input.

[rcorfman]

@Michtanger
If you want to start at the Mexican border, I'd suggest going to Gabe Zimmerman trailhead. That would be to mile 115 and there is good parking. It's probably a good location to get shuttled to the start from too. Not sure I'd want to hike that portion in May, but it should be doable.

[ttretta]

@Michtanger
So far my only experience is sections 17 - 32, so I'm sure everyone else has more info than I. But Sections 20 - 25 are mostly high desert, with some nice juniper and pinyon trees as you get to the higher sections. 25 on up to the low 30's is mostly pine trees and higher, cooler elevations. The lower sections are doable in May, but I'd recommend a trekking umbrella and ensure you have plenty of water planned.
There is easy parking at the starts of Sections 20, 21 and 22, then again at sections 25 - 32. Easy meaning most 2WD vehicles can make it. Good luck!

[Michtanger]

@ttretta
Thanks, Tretta. Very helpful. Anybody else have any thoughts on the heat and water situation being manageable in the lower sections from the Mexican Border for hiking the first part of May?

[Michtanger]

@rcorfman
Got it. The distance you recommend is just perfect, but it sounds like water and heat may be a bit unforgiving. Thanks.

[sandyfortner]

@ttretta
Thanks, Tretta. Very helpful. Anybody else have any thoughts on the heat and water situation being manageable in the lower sections from the Mexican Border for hiking the first part of May?

As stated, May is not the best time to be in the desert trekking, especially when the trail offers such a variety of experiences that are more suited for the heat. IF you do decide to try it, umbrella and lots of water as mentioned. Electrolytes for sure, but also salt - just plenty of salt each day so that you don't experience hyponatremia. Also, you'll be hiking early - on the trail by 4-5am. Sit out the heat of the day by creating shade with umbrella, mylar blanket - what ever you have, then hike in the evening til dark. Passage 1 will start out hot but then you'll quickly get up in the sky island. 2 and 3 will be pretty warm as will be both ends of 4 - you'll get some elevation in the middle. 5, 6, 7 offer great views but little shade. Passages 6 and 7 you will be leaving the grasslands and entering cactus and desert flora. As far as shuttle in that area, Ken's shuttle service, listed in Resources on the ATA site, may be able to help. Final thought - May can be fickled. Some years the heat doesn't come til mid-May. Other years - WHEW! As always, Mother Nature is unpredictable.

[Michtanger]

@sandyfortner

Thanks a million, Sandy. We wanted the desert hike experience to prep for our PCT thru hike in 2018. I really appreciate the detail that you provided on the different sections and the suggestions for staying hydrated. It looks like we will get all of that starting at the Mexican border and hiking the lower sections. I think we are going to go for it.

Thanks again to everyone for your tips and recommendations! Much appreciated.

[jc2014]

This is JC2014, been a while since I posted. Had a huge set back since the last post, back problems keeping me from carrying the weight required for a thru hike. I have been looking at trying to coordinate dropping a vehicle at the start and finish of passages but it doesn't look to be too promising. Has anybody done something like this. Wife and I have been planning this hike for a year now and are really disappointed.

[CannondaleKid]

@jc2014
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