HikeArizona.COM

Class of 2013; let’s start a discussion…

Trail Name:
Estimated Start Date:
Additional information:

Pops C.
01-15.March, (Depending on snow in the mountains)

Additional information:
To quote Ice-axe, “Train, lose body weight, lose pack weight.”

pops c

Key preparation tasks:
Offer sacrifices to the weather gods for good rain over the winter.

Sredfield wrote:Key preparation tasks:
Offer sacrifices to the weather gods for good rain over the winter.

Shawn-
I first laughed at your comment (In a good way)… but with all the diversity "training" I have been subjected to over the last 30 years I had better not. I think you’re on to something…

This is a possibility that needs to be considered: Is there a percentage below normal winter precipitation that a thru hike may need to be aborted?

Working in the Graham Mts outside Safford years ago the SOP was to have the equipment moved down (To about 7k ft) by 15.Nov or risk having it snowed in for the winter. On the other hand one year I remember driving to Columbine (9,500 ft) in Jan w/ only an inch of snow on the ground.

I’ve seen several late winter storms (Mar – mid Apr) that dumped 4 ft of snow as low as 6k ft elevation in S East AZ. A key variable may be keeping thru-hike itineraries’ flexible; as the needed precipitation may come late in the winter rainy season…



Key preparation tasks:
Train, lose body weight, lose pack weight.
Keep the commandments so my Elohim will give the rain in its season, Deut 11:13-14.

I recently have had a very good success with the low carb Atkins Diet, when nothing else has worked at all for several years. I have been training (mostly riding a bicycle) and dieting and have lost 13 pounds over the past couple of months. Not a very "fast" rate of weight loss, but my metabolism is so low it is kind of astonishing, due to age, I suppose.

No other diets I have tried have worked at all over the past 6 or 7 years. I would work out and get very fit, but never lose a single pound, on "low fat" diets. Low carb is the way to go for me. Probably not for everyone, but works for me.

azbackpackr wrote:lost 13 pounds over the past couple of months

AZbkpkr-
Congrats on the wt loss!

I’ve hit a wall in the last 6 months in that category; but continue (slowly) to increase muscle and lose fat. Wanting to drop 20 more #s, need to see where carbs can be cut…

Key preparation tasks:
Train: Join ATA, Walking/hiking, Crunches
Lose body weight: Portion size, salads, cut back on carbs
Lose pack weight: A stronger core (crunches) allows one to sleep on their back using a lighter closed cell foam pad…


pops c
AZT Dreamer Class of 2013
Northward

Check out the Atkins Phase I list. It's free on the internet.

You'd be surprised where there are carbs. Phase I allows only about 15 grams of carbs per day. So, leafy green vegetables, and a few other veggies are the only carbs you will be eating. Supposedly even if you have a cholesterol problem, doing the Atkins Phase I for little while is not harmful, since they say it doesn't raise your cholesterol.

I have to take vitamins. I have had a problem with leg cramps due to not eating much fruit, so recently I have been eating a banana every few days. Since it is peach and apricot season, I eat several of those a week, since they are favorites of mine. But otherwise I eat no fruit, since it has sugar in it.

I eat eggs with cheese and green onions for breakfast, plus coffee with half and half and Splenda. No milk, it has carbs. Read the labels religiously!

Lunch is salad with either vinegar and oil or a dressing that reads less than 2 grams of carbs, such as Ken's Steakhouse Creamy Caesar. I put tuna or chicken or hardboiled egg on the salad for protein.

Dinner is a small piece of chicken, fish, pork or beef, with a veggie. Cheese or butter ok on the veggie. Certain veggies are okay, others are not. No potatoes or beans, no rice, bread or tortillas.

I use various seasonings to keep it from being boring. Since I live alone and there is no one to complain, I do fine on this. Midmorning and midafternoon snack is usually a hardboiled egg. I keep a bowl of those in the fridge.

Most people can lose about 10 pounds in a couple of weeks on this. Not me! It has taken me a couple of months, because I have unusually low metabolism. I need to exercise more than the 45 min bike ride, too. That would take it off faster. So, I think I'll join the local gym pretty soon, since I can go there when it's dark out.

Hope this is helpful, and GOOD LUCK on your hiking goals!!!

hey there! hoping to join you guys for a northbound attempt in spring '13.

i was wondering if there is some kickoff event or gathering place we would all want to meet mid-march before we all hit the trail. also, what resources do you guys use to judge water availability and snow levels before heading out? what about for weather so we can bring adequate layers and bedding?

there are only three policies on site and thus far you have knocked out 1 & 2 surely you're more excited and interested in hiking the AZT than causing trouble so let's start again...
-------------------------------

Here is where you asked before viewtopic.php?f=78&t=7265&p=85496#p85496
nonot gave you specific details on how to obtain historical data, if you don't understand I'd be happy to provide screenshots to assist you

I think historical data is also available to ATA members in the pdf http://www.aztrail.org/guidebook.php

You can sort of plan with the historical weather but you'll need to adjust as it gets closer.

i was wondering if there is some kickoff event or gathering place we would all want to meet mid-march before we all hit the trail.

perhaps others know better on this question, sounds like a good idea if others are interested

Watch out for multiple aliases, spam messages, etc. If this is something new to HAZ then it might be related to a similar problem lately on the BackpackingLight.com forums. That issue has actually gotten bad enough that they've had to limit the forums to paying members only (a trusted subset of their registered users). They're calling this a temporary fix until they can install new software - apparently the bots have gotten sophisticated enough to answer captchas and the like. Sure hope this isn't what's happening on HAZ here.

By the way, a kickoff party like the PCT (ADZPCTKO) would imply a mass exodus, which for now is unlikely. While the AZT is increasingly well-used it is still a relatively undiscovered gem among thru-hikers. This trail also has a bit of an adjustment curve that leads to a diversity of hiking paces and styles, such that a lock-step sallying forth could be a bad idea for the gander. If throwing such an event anyway, ideally the timing could coincide with favorable conditions for starting in a given year, meaning preferably no far-in-advance reservations that might boost attendance but limit the success rate if the event ultimately proves ill-timed for the season at hand.

Joe does a great job of keeping the site in order. However, I still can't believe he deleted the bus tour in India I commited to!

It's a team effort. I am responsible for canceling your bus tour. Sorry.

Bought the guide book about a week ago, and am seriously contemplating a 2013 NOBO. If I can get time off work, it will probably be a March 17 or 18 departure. By that time, I'll be tired of the snowy winter, so hopefully there won't be much more than a mile or two of snow at a time on the ridges.

If there are any members living near the trail and, in particular, near the sky islands, I'd love to see a periodic post about snow accumulation over the course of the winter.

Loup wrote:Bought the guide book about a week ago . . .

Check the online version of the guide book at the ATA website, the printed version is pretty dated and there have been many changes.

Sredfield wrote:

Loup wrote:Bought the guide book about a week ago . . .

Check the online version of the guide book at the ATA website, the printed version is pretty dated and there have been many changes.

Yes, that's exactly what I've done. The on-line version is excellent, and there's no hassle about waiting a week or two for snail-mail delivery. The GPS track is a particularly handy item, as I was able to download zoomable topo maps for the entire trail corridor and superimpose the track, which will enable me to have detailed maps with GPS capability on my Android phone.

Still need to figure out the water challenge...I like to hike with only one litre where water is plentiful, but in Colorado I've carried as much as 3.5 litres at a time on dry stretches of trail. I guess I'll need to be thinking about 5 or 6 litres on some parts of the AZ trail? The other consideration about water is that I usually use a "scoop and drink" approach to collecting water, but I wonder whether a pump/filter might be helpful for the shallow, marginal streams?

@Loup
Scooping and drinking Arizona water will result in squating and :yuck: very frequently.
Purchase and get familiar with a good filter now!

joe bartels wrote:there are only three policies on site and thus far you have knocked out 1 & 2

the only reason i made a new account was because you banned me for linking to a facebook group that i made for the AZT. the PCT and AT both have annual facebook groups that do a great job getting people together and discussing things. its not like i was spamming this place with amazon affiliate links. but rules are rules.

joe bartels wrote:asking about water again

i had forgotten, sorry.

at the top of every forum page

Linking offsite is considered spam if you are not a consistent contributing member or if it sends participation away.

you did not contact me, rather created a new account too

well isn't this just the friendliest forum on the planet

SuperstitionGuy wrote:@Loup
Scooping and drinking Arizona water will result in squating and :yuck: very frequently.
Purchase and get familiar with a good filter now!

think i could get away with a steripen? or am i going to be dealing with murky muck and such?

Several of the water sources are cattle tanks. Several are low volume springs that can be muddy. If it's a good or above average winter for precip then you might get by with a steripen. If you're looking for clear I'd take a filter.