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| Backpack | 22.70 Miles |
4,159 AEG |
| | Backpack | 22.70 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 4,159 ft AEG | | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | This was my first official passage of the AZT, which I decided to start working on after completing the John Muir Trail this summer as a way to keep in shape. I joined a fellow member of the Arizona Hiking Group (FB) who kindly extended the invite to join him on this section. We started at 7:30am on 9/9/17 at the Doll Baby Ranch trailhead, which added an additional 4 miles to this passage heading northbound. Our plan was to camp that night after 16 miles and finish the last 11 miles down to Pine on 9/10/17 for a celebratory beer at That Brewery. We staged one vehicle at the Pine trailhead and drove the other down to the Doll Baby trailhead to come back and get it the next day. The last 2 miles of the road from Payson to Doll Baby trailhead was easily accessible by small passenger car without issue. Just pay attention to a little bit of wash-out but it's nothing to worry about as of the time of this report.
Water was my biggest concern on this trip because I had been spoiled with continuous water this summer in the Sierra Nevada, where I never had to carry more than 2 liters. My research on #25 showed that there would be reliable water in the East Verde River, and probable water at Polk Spring and at Whiterock Spring, as well as the occasional cattle stock tanks along the route. It was going to be a warm couple of days, topping out in the high 80's at the lower elevations where we started but likely dropping to nice cool temps at the 6200' high spot where we planned to camp. I brought my usual 2-2 liter Smartwater bottles, my Sawyer Squeeze filter, and also a 2 liter and a 3 liter Platypus Big Zip for water portage across the dry sections on the mesas. I sweat a lot, and I know that a surplus of water is important for keeping me alert, so I was prepared to load up after the first 2 springs in case the cattle tanks were empty or too nasty to want to filter from
The 4 mile approach to the AZT junction goes right uphill on an old 2-track road up to LF Ranch and where the East Verde crossing is. You grind right away, getting the heart rate up quickly. The uphill felt great though, and I was glad that we were going to get a big climb out of the way while it was still relatively cool out.
We reached LF Ranch, and the East Verde had a decent moderate flow but it was very silty however there was a clear runoff coming down a rocky wash just on the north side of the crossing which had much cleaner water to fill up for filtering later. I topped off my 2 bottles at this spot and proceeded on to the springs, hoping they had more water with which to stock up some water for the long haul the rest of the day, and potentially for our overnight water.
Polk Spring had a great flow bubbling up from the main seep pool. Clear water and it was flowing downhill. I figure that was the water that was creating the runoff down the hill by the East Verde Crossing. There was a very visible sign leading to the spring just north of the trail via a very small detour. You can see the greenery from a distance, and the fig trees were pretty cool. I still had plenty of water from the fill at the Verde so we just continued uphill to Whiterock Spring.
Whiterock Spring came up just in time because the sun was high in the sky and my bottles were almost empty. Another quick shuffle down a very visible side trail to the north took us right to the steel stock tank where the water was bubbling up from. The tank was full and clear, with the exception of some green algae floaties here and there. I carefully filled my bottles and both of my spare bladders at this spring, because water availability after this point was a total gamble. Better to be safe than sorry. Off we go up onto the mesa for the long trek across to the Mazatzal Wilderness boundary and beyond.
We trekked through desert on the way up that morning, which quickly turned into a rocky Juniper biome. The trail was very faint in many places, but the large cairns along the way kept us right on track. An occasional peek at the GPS confirmed that we never got off trail at any point. There were a handful of gates to pass through - some left open, some closed - so we did our best to close all gates behind us. The odd rock formations along the way were very interesting - some of it looking like a boneyard of skulls which turned out to be just a light colored either eroded limestone or some sort of pale lace rock. Very alien-like, to say the least.
To my relief, nearly all of the cattle tanks that we passed all had water in them. Not desirable water, but life-saving water nonetheless. We held out on filling up at any of them as we still had a few liters left apiece, which was enough to camp with that night. We held out on filling up for the rest of the day, leaving me with a good 2 liters that night for making a hot dinner and getting rehydrated.
We camped at just over the 17 mile mark for our day, meaning we only had just under 11 miles to go the next morning. With the very high lava rock content in the ground all over the plateau, we had to really look around for even a tiny spot that would fit 2 very small tents. We searched by headlamp for a bit and finally settled on a suitable spot in the Junipers just off the powerline service road. The temps were fantastic that night, and I was a bit glad that I had the down quilt. The elk were bugling into the evening and woke us up with the sun the next morning.
Day 2 was a piece of cake, except for my IT band insertion on my right knee started acting up with that familiar sharp pain. I didn't stretch it at all that morning, and I paid the price. IT band strains are a killer and their most painful on downhills, so I hobbled to Pine as best as I could and probably cost us about 2 extra hours of walking time. My partner was very kind and never once made me feel guilty about having to take those extra rest breaks to stretch. Luckily we found actual clear water in a stock tank that was not marked on the AZT app. It was only about 1.5 miles along the powerline road, 1/4 mile to our north (later figured out that this is Grasshopper Tank  ). There was a usage trail there that is also an old 2 track, so it was easy to find. The water in the main body of the tank was murky, but it drained into a grassy meadow which prefiltered the water virtually clear. I topped off a couple liters here to filter, and we got moving.
We arrived at the Pine trailhead and got our butts over to That Brewery with haste to enjoy that cold Arizona Trail Ale and a nice big burger. A drive down the hill to Payson to get my truck went quickly, and I was home in Phoenix by 5pm that day. |
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Bradshaw Tank |
76-100% full |
76-100% full |
| | | Almost full. Didn't need to fill here, but water could be obtained with filter easily. |
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Grasshopper Tank |
26-50% full |
26-50% full |
| | | About half full with murky water, however if you walk around to the west side by the meadow, the water is filtered clear by the grasses |
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Polk Spring |
Gallon per minute |
Gallon per minute |
| | | Great flow coming out of the seep in the main pool. Water clear, with fresh grass growing around the edges. |
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Red Saddle Tank |
26-50% full |
26-50% full |
| | | Half full of murky water. Would work in a pinch if you can filter. |
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Saddle Ridge Pasture Tank |
76-100% full |
76-100% full |
| | | Almost completely, water mostly murky but filterable. Not as bad as the other tanks in the area. |
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Whiterock Spring |
Quart per minute |
Quart per minute |
| | | Steel tank was full, so could not tell the flow rate for sure. Water was clear, with some chunks of green algae floating around. Easy to fill bottles and bladders here. Watch for the bees! | | _____________________
| "Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clean away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir |
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