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| Hiking | 15.64 Miles |
2,738 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.64 Miles | 5 Hrs 13 Mns | | 3.11 mph |
| 2,738 ft AEG | 11 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Hiked the National Trail Trek. This is my seventh time doing the Trek since 2019. I arrived at the South Mountain Activity Center at 5:15am. They were scheduled to open at 5:30am, but the doors were open and they had hot coffee, muffins, and fruit for the NTT hikers. I got a cup of coffee and headed out into the cold and dark to wait for the buses to the Pima trailhead which were scheduled to start at 6:05. I was about the 10th person in line which ensured a place on the first bus.
We got to the Pima trailhead at about 6:30 and started immediately. I had my headlamp, but ended up not needing it in the morning twilight. Usually the trek is held in January and it's pitch dark at the start. We beat most of the rest of the bus to the trail. A few people who were running the trail passed us, but otherwise we hiked by ourselves pretty much the whole way. In the past we were always in the middle of the pack with lots of people around, but this time we wouldn't have known that the trail trek was happening except for the water/snack station and porta-potties at Buena Vista. We got to Telegraph Pass for lunch/brunch at about 9:30am and rested on the bench while we ate.
After lunch we went down to short sleeves. When we got up the hill to the Gila trail junction the wind was blowing hard and it was cold! Luckily the wind died down once the trail turned westward. The second half of the trek went by quickly. In the past I have felt worn out on those last couple miles to the finish at San Juan, but this year I felt strong the whole way. I guess hiking more really does help. We finished before noon which is my earliest finish ever. Looking back at past triplogs for the NTT, this year was the shortest total time including breaks. Last year was a little faster, but that's because it says that we only took 11 minutes of break time which I don't believe. Edit: Garmin watch had the same total duration but 23 minutes of break time.
Sunny weather with cool air temperature made it a perfect day for hiking the National Trail. Thanks again to the City of Phoenix for putting on a great event. |
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