I was dropped off at Montezuma Pass on 3/31 with the goal of getting to Casa Blanca Canyon TH on 4/1 at 7pm. I started walking at 7:45am. 35 hours would be enough time for 52 miles, right?
The first 2 miles up to the juniper point reminded me why I go in from Miller Canyon for my Huachuca hiking if I can. Some blowdowns and snow between there and the Miller Peak turnoff. I've done Miller Peak several times, so I passed this time given the time constraints. About 3/4 of a mile of snow after Miller, and then a good stretch of mud.
Passed 2 thru-hikers, Bonnie and Clyde, at Bathtub Spring. The Crest Trail was scenic as always. A drainage just past the Ida Canyon trail junction had flowing water--never seen that before.
My memory from doing the whole AZT a decade ago was that Sunnyside was an immediate descent and quick stroll to the wilderness border. I award my memory half points. It's definitely a sharp drop, but a much longer walk along the canyon then I remembered. No complaints about that longer walk since there was flowing water from before the stone wall until the wilderness boundary. Very different than on my thru-hike (a few algae pools is all I recall seeing). I first passed another 2 thru-hikers, Regular Guy and Baby, in this stretch, and then we leap-frogged several times.
After the wilderness boundary, my memory was a long network of annoying dirt roads to get to Parker Canyon Lake TH. Zero points for my memory. I had no memory of Scotia Canyon, so I'm glad I did it again and got to enjoy it. Even with the controlled burns going on (a very good idea--so much fuel out there), it was a lovely walk. A bit of dirt roads (and a large, full-to-bursting windmill tank off to the left), and then I was at Parker Canyon Lake TH.
I met a couple there doing trail magic, and trail support for their daughter. They had all kinds of beverages and treats, but I limited myself to some water and a homemade snickers bar (although the canned iced coffee was so tempting). Very generous of them.
I made it to Parker Canyon (more flowing water) and then took a wrong turn down the creek to get some bonus miles. I figured out my error but decided to call it a day since there were good campsites and I knew any future campsites for the next few miles would be dry. I camped near another thru-hiker, Noah, but we didn't talk much. According to my old databook, I had done about 22 miles. Not a bad start.
I was rolling at 6am on 4/1. Perfect walking temperature before the sun was on me. My memory said AZT #2 was a never-ending series of hills, and it was correct this time. So many hills, and the climb to the high point was a hot one. A fast descent to the Canelo Hills TH, and AZT #2 was done. I had loaded up on water from Parker Canyon, but topped off a little from the TH cache.
I remembered the views along #3 being some of my favorite on the southern stretch of the trail, and they delivered again. Big sweeping views of grasslands + many mountains = perfect. It helped that all the grass and thorn brush had been thoroughly whacked away from the trail. Yay for trail crews.
I first passed an 83yo thru-hiker in this stretch (didn't get his name), and we leap-frogged for several hours. I hope I'm still out hiking like him at that age.
I remembered not being a big fan of the 4x4 road walking last time, but it was much improved this time by having water everywhere (to the point that some wash crossings were tricky). A totally different trail experience from a decade ago. People thru-hiking it this year are so lucky.
I stopped for more water at Red Bank Well. It no longer sprays out the side like it used to, but pressing the float on the trough worked. I probably could've made it to the end with what I had, but I didn't have the mileage numbers for the new trail stretch and decided to play it safe. Shortly after Red Bank, I saw a flock of 12 turkeys off to the side of the trail.
I left Red Bank around 2:30 and was feeling the time crunch, especially since I didn't know the exact distance to the end. I hit the sign where the old & new trail split, and was thrilled to discover it had zero mileage information on it (aside from a scale which was obviously inaccurate). I was also thrilled to discover the new trail appeared to have a bad case of the meanders.
Granted, I was trying to make miles, but I was less than impressed with the new stretch. Meandering, dry (a feat given all the water out there right now), and meandering. Not a section I'll feel the need to repeat soon.
I rolled into Casa Blanca Canyon TH at 6:45pm. I had enough time to rearrange my gear, drink some water, and then my ride was there at 7pm. About 30 miles in 13 hours for the second day, and 52 miles total in 35 hours. I can live with that.
Misc:
--I was surprised how big the packs were on the thru-hikers I saw. My gear isn't particularly small, but I was super-ultralight in comparison. Even if I had gear for a longer thru instead of an overnight, I would've only had another 1.5 pounds or so.
--a nice amount of poppies in the stretch between Red Bank and the trail split, but no mariposa lilies yet.
--so much water, and much better signage than a decade ago. It felt like easy mode compared to the AZT I remember.
). The next few miles between Miller and Carr were my favorite of the day: aspen grove, Bathtub Spring, big views of Miller and Carr along the crest, and even some early wildflowers. We didn't hang out on the top of Carr for long, as we still had ~9-10 miles to go. The hike down Miller Canyon and Hunter Canyon was pleasant and quick, except for the last mile or so when Chloe started feeling the heat and needed to take a few shade breaks. 
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