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| Hiking | 37.50 Miles |
8,769 AEG |
| | Hiking | 37.50 Miles | 12 Hrs 24 Mns | | 3.09 mph |
| 8,769 ft AEG | 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I have been waiting for the Mesa Ranger District to open up the gate for FR627 so I could finish up the Arizona Trail. I don't really know exactly what is going on since all closure orders for the area have either been terminated or are now expired. Either way it was time for me to complete the AZT from South to North once and for all. I needed half of AZT 22 and from Mt. Peeley TH to the Y-Bar trail on AZT 23. The combined total needed to finish up was about 19 miles.
The best option I could come up with was for me to simply hike the road into the area and up to the Mormon Grove Trailhead. From there I would complete the second half of passage 22 and then on to the needed part of passage 23. After that I continued on the Mazzy Divide Trail and down the Barnhardt trail. I had a shuttle set up with Pam (Outdoor Lover) who had gone on to do another hike up in Payson today and then came and picked me up. This worked out Great for both of us! Thanks for the assist Pam!
The Arizona Trail is something I have wanted to do ever since I did my first Mount Peeley hike. It was there at the Trailhead that I saw the Arizona Trail sign. I can remember looking at it thinking to myself how cool that was to be able to hike from Mexico to Utah or visa-a-versa. I just didn't think I would be hiking it less than two years later.
The Arizona Trail is many things to many people. For Dale Shewalter it was a vision turned to reality. For me it was an accomplishment that I wanted to achieve. It wasn't about the individual sections and if they were pretty or not. Or if they were difficult hikes or not. It was a culmination of efforts to accomplish something much larger than the individual pieces that make up the AZT.
They say that anything worth doing usually doesn't come easy and the Arizona Trail is no exception. Putting boots or shoes to a trail and adding up a large sum of miles is only half the battle. In fact that is the easy part. Figuring how to actually get it done logistically is in my mind the monumental task at hand. It is simply something that is almost impossible to achieve alone. It requires the assistance of others to help "you" achieve "your" goal. Shuttle rides, motels, car repair shops, hiking buddies, you name it, it all comes into play. Often times these are people you have just met. Asking for help from strangers isn't an easy thing to do but as they say a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Along my journey I made several new friends and was blessed to have some old ones either help me achieve the goal or join me for parts of the experience. In a word the contributions were Incredible! A huge thanks goes out to each and every one of the contributors as without your help my mission would not have been possible. Thank you so much!
Below is a list of some of the many people who helped me along the way:
Fricknaley (Nick) HAZ hiking buddy
RLRJAMY (Bob) HAZ hiking buddy and help with trail guidance
JohnLP (John) HAZ hiking buddy
Uphilljunkie (Amy) HAZ hiking buddy
Coanbru (Bruce) HAZ hiking buddy and trail guidance
Joe Bartels (Joe) HAZ hiking buddy
Tortisehiker (Denny) HAZ hiking buddy and help with shuttling
Berkforbes (Berk) HAZ hiking buddy
WallyFrack (Wally) HAZ hiking buddy and help with shuttling
AZDesert Father (Dave) HAZ hiking buddy
Laurabalaura (Laura) HAZ hiking buddy
Ben-Bob's friend hiking buddy and shuttle help
Rebecca-Ranch by Red Butte-help with flat tires and shuttling
Redroxx44 (Letty) help with shuttling
Craig Erickson-help with shuttling
Eric Simpson-help with shuttling
Gerry from Patagonia Stage Stop Inn-help with shuttling and place to stay
Mary Ann-LF Ranch-place on trail to stay and meals
Gary-Rancher at Freeman Road-help with shuttling
Geno-Guy at Parker Canyon Lake-help with shuttling
Outdoor Lover (Pam) help with shuttling
As for today's hike it was difficult. There were downed trees, heavy overgrowth, tons of burned areas and debris everywhere. Additionally, I took a couple spills that didn't make things any easier. The way I did this final stretch was less than ideal but then again, that's just how it goes sometimes. It was a great ride all along the way! |
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