Nine Years of Sirena’s Wanderings

Happy nine-year anniversary to this blog! Thanks to all who have followed along, whether it was from the beginning or you found it more recently. I don’t post here as much as I used to, but head over to my personal Instagram at @desertsirena or the one for my consulting company, Trails Inspire at @trailsinspire for more frequent updates. For example – what I wore for Halloween this year on my bushwhack up Table Mountain for a solo overnight:

Table Mountain Halloween Costume

The way that Sirena’s Wanderings came about is that in 2008-09 I section-hiked the Arizona Trail to raise awareness for Fibromyalgia and kept a website for it. I enjoyed sharing my adventures so when that hike was over, I started this blog. Here’s a collection of my favorite photos from the last nine years. What fun to see the progression of my outdoor skills (and hiking fashion)! Grab a beverage, there’s about 50 photos, most of them have links back to the blog entry for more information.

When I started this blog, if you’d told me that in nine years I’d be working as a professional in the outdoor industry, canyoneering down waterfalls, scrambling and climbing peaks and retired from guiding on the river in Grand Canyon I’d have been incredulous. Who knows what the next nine years will bring?

This is the first photo I uploaded to this blog in 2009:

Double Rainbow and O’Neill Butte on the Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Service Project

I love sleeping under the stars! No tent for me unless there’s going to be rain or mosquitoes. 50-Year Trail to Sutherland Gap

 

Samaniego Ridge from the Baby Jesus Ridge Tr.

2010

My first scrambling hike: Ragged Top – Coming up the South Gully- Photo by Bill Bens

 

Elephant Head – Chino Canyon behind me

Me and the Weavers Needle – Superstition Mountains, Grand Enchantment Trail

Lost Dutchman State Park in bloom

Grand Enchantment Trail – Santa Teresa Wilderness -Holdout Canyon Overlook

Important piece of summer gear in Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness, Grand Enchantment Trail

Baldy Saddle, Mount Wrightson: My favorite of the evening- 7:34 pm

Who says the desert is a dry place? Photo by Bill Bens

Grand Enchantment Trail – Pinaleno Mountains -Sunset on The Pinnacles

Grand Canyon Service Project– Yummy fall foliage at Supai Tunnel

My most read post on the site: the tale of mishap and adventure known as the The Royal Arch Loop

2011

Rattlesnake on a night hike

Thimble Peak Summit

Free Rappel on the Weavers Needle

Weavers Needle – I climbed that!

The magic corridor at The Wave

Royal Arch Route – Mount Huethawali

Big smiles after Lava Falls on my life-changing trip on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon

Rockfellow Dome, Dragoon Mountains

Volunteers and agency partners finish up connecting the final piece of the Arizona Trail along the Gila River – Mike Bieke photo

Me and the Arizona Trail Bronco when I got my job as the Gateway Community Liaison for the Arizona Trail Association

2012

Sirena contemplating the desert splendor- photo by Wendy Lotze – Gila River Canyons, AZT

Micro Chicken and me in our first canyon – photo by Clint Poole

 

Bill meets Micro Chicken, my adventure companion since 2011, on Elephant Head

Clear Creek Waterfall  on my first river trip that I worked with Grand Canyon Whitewater as a river guide in Grand Canyon

Fall Colors in Ash Creek, Galiuro Mountains

View north from atop Table Mountain, photo by Wendy Lotze

2013

Palisades Canyon Rappel

Farewell to Zeus, the dog that helped me get into hiking and was my companion for many years

Festive hiking attire in Grand Canyon for Christmas

Happy New Year from Prominent Point!

2014

In 2014, I thru-hiked the AZT and developed the Arizona Trail Trek to promote the trail, the new AZT guidebook that I helped to write, and the Gateway Communities. For 2 1/2 months I hiked, held 12 fundraisers for the trail, took over 100 people on the trail with me on 5 backpacking trips and 7 dayhikes and raised almost $18,000 for the Arizona Trail Association. It was the trip of a lifetime. I’d hike the AZT a third time, it’s that good of a trail.

Arizona Trail Trek start at Montezuma Pass – my thru-hike of the Arizona Trail took 2 1/2 months from March 14 to May 31st

Shreve Saddle, Arizona Trail – one of the best views in all the Catalinas – India Hesse photo

My dad, Budh Rana: best support crew ever! – photo by Levi Davis

Happy to be in the cool pines! Mogollon Rim, Arizona Trail Trek

What a great group of ladies (and Jasmine the mini-donkey) on the Women’s Backpacking Trip, Arizona Trail Trek

Little Colorado Confluence with the Colorado River from guiding season with Arizona River Runners

Starting out at Temporal Gulch TH – Holiday backpacking trip in the Santa Rita Mountains, AZT

2015

Snowy start to the year – New Year’s Day at American Flag Trailhead, Arizona Trail

Loving exploring Canyonlands- I need to come backpacking here! Ambassador trip with Gossamer Gear

A perfect day with Warrior Hike, which helps veterans by putting them on the National Scenic Trails and waterways – 7 miles and 4700 ft. down the South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch

Tunnel Falls, Columbia River Gorge – a magnificent place to be!

Leading a hike to the Little Colorado River while working as a river guide in Grand Canyon

Hiking above last night’s lake in Olympic National Park

In 2015, I started working on my Grand Canyon Traverse, hiking the length of Grand Canyon in sections. I’d done sections of the Tonto Trail since 2009 but this meant I’d commit to traversing the whole 277-mile length of the Canyon. Still working on it and about a third of the way through. When I’m done it will be more like 600 miles of hiking.

Hiking to Cardenas on a six day solo trip from Tanner to Grandview, Grand Canyon

Headlamp Fun at Nevills Beach (75-Mile Canyon) Grand Canyon

Viewpoint on the ridgetop, Arizona Trail – photo Carrie Miracle-Jordan

Cheering at the end of Hermit Rapid at 22,000 cfs, the most fun on the whole river! My last trip as a river guide with Arizona River Runners

Willow Canyon rappel – photo by Russell James Newberg

2016

Birthday night fun on the Black Bridge, Grand Canyon

Tore my calf muscle and had to be evacuated by helicopter out of Grand Canyon

Relaxing on the Muav ledges in Kanab Creek, Grand Canyon (six months after my injury)

Sunset and Moonrise on The Dome, Grand Canyon

Happy to be in the maples! Ash Creek, Galiuro Mountains

2017

2017 brought a whole new adventure – starting my consulting company Trails Inspire, LLC! Trails Inspire promotes the outdoors via writing, public speaking, photography, and trail design and development.

Trails Inspire, LLC –  Logo design by Wendy Lotze

Dragoon Mountains, Sky Island Traverse

Escalante Route, Unkar Overlook with India – Photo Mark S.

Getting my first trail design, the Tusayan Trails Master Plan, approved at Town Council

While my hiking companions sleep, I play with lights – Horsethief Route, Grand Canyon

Looking back at Nankoweap Butte – Horsethief Route, Grand Canyon

2018

In 2018, I got my very first book deal with Wilderness Press to write Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail! It’s due out in Spring 2020 and I’m having the best time doing the research.

Hiking The Loop, and 80-mile hike on Pima County’s multi-user trail system

Doing book research for Dayhikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail for Wilderness Press near the Utah border

Presentation on Hiking the Arizona National Scenic Trail with the Arizona Office of Tourism at the REI Minneapolis, MN flagship store

Wow, that’s a lot of wandering – I so enjoy sharing my adventures with you, thanks for reading! And thanks to my sponsors: Gossamer Gear, Huppybar and Purple Rain Adventure Skirts for all the support over the years. And extra gratitude for my husband Brian – even though he’s not a hiker, he’s been an amazing support crew and partner through it all.

Brian and me at the Patagonia event, Arizona Trail Trek

And by the way, I am still a volunteer at Wildlife Rehabilitation in Northwest Tucson and still consider it to be one of the best ways to spend my time. So grateful to be able to do this work.

I’ll be doing my usual year-end wrap-up here next month. Here’s to the next nine years!

Training a Great Horned Owl at Wildlife Rehabilitation in Northwest Tucson

 

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Alamo Canyon Trail Maintenance Event

Alamo Canyon Trail Work

It takes a lot of work to maintain 800 miles of trail from Mexico to Utah!

The Arizona Trail is split into 43 passages, which are then subdivided into about 100 segments. Each segment has a trail steward- a person or organization that adopts the segment of trail and is responsible for answering questions about trail conditions and holding periodic work events. I am proud to be the steward of #16c- 5.5 miles that wind along the Gila River. Last weekend I helped my backpacking bestie Wendy on a work event on her segment, which is 7.5 miles south of Picketpost Trailhead near Superior.

ATA Tool Trailer

I was excited to be able to do some trail maintenance for a change- I am so busy these days promoting the AZT that I don’t get dirty as often as I used to!

Wendy, India and I drove up to Superior in the AZTmobile and loaded it up with tools and water for the weekend. Dropped Wendy off so she could meet with the hikers that were coming in at night. After getting Los Hermanos to go, we headed to FR 4, Telegraph Canyon Road. I had heard stories about how bad the road was and it lived up to its reputation. Had a run-in with a rock that made the back bumper unhappy . The worst part of the road is the Fissure of Death, where a big part of the road is gone and you have to go up on the hillside, the whole truck tilting toward the FOD.

Picketpost Mountain from FR 4

We made it to the campsite and watched a spectacular sunset and situated ourselves in a spot to catch the backpackers that were coming in. One of the crew, Marcos, came in on a mountain bike. This passage is also part of the Grand Enchantment Trail that goes from Phoenix to Albuquerque, so you get a long distance hiking twofer.

Classic AZ sunset Friday night

The group settled in and got their camps set up on a flat area a short distance from the trail on a side road off FR4. Some of the group had LED lights and we had an LED campfire and chatted while waiting for Wendy and her two hikers to get there. We could see the saddle and watched for Wendy’s light- finally at 10 pm we saw it and I could relax knowing that all had made it to camp safely. The only downside to camp was the amount of broken glass. I slept in the AZTmobile.

The morning was dewy and after breakfast we split up into three groups to work the trail. We had so many people that my group was able to work the next segment north of Wendy’s. It was a perfect day for trail work and we took revenge on many catclaw and other thorny plants. The rains of the summer had washed out several portions and we repaired the tread.

Breakfast at camp

Crew was larger than expected, so some of us worked north to the first saddle on #17b

Hikers coming up the trail

The only hikers we saw all day were a couple that were going to be doing a work event on the trail next weekend. There were quite a few bikes- there was a race called the Picketpost Punisher going on that had a 50-mile and an 81-mile loop that crossed our work area. The last guy that finished the 81 miler didn’t finish until 1:30 in the morning! Read John’s blog to hear the story of his 20-hour ride!

FR 4 and our camp below

Standing aside for mountain bikers

Tarantula

Bikepackers

A full day of trailwork got our appetite going and we returned to camp to find Wendy at the tail end of producing an incredible fajita feast! Wendy’s cooking never disappoints and we all gorged ourselves on the tasty meal.

Saturday night on the trail

Queen of the Campsite

Wendy’s fajita spread was delicious!

We sat around the fire, telling stories, making s’mores and passing Mango Tango around. Wendy graced us with some Irish ballads- it’s always such a treat to hear her beautiful voice. It was around 10:30 when two bikers from the race came into view and it was fun to cheer them on from our camp!

The next morning, the sky looked moody and ominous, but it was an empty threat and cleared up by the time we were ready to pack up and leave. We finished off the last of the trimming and tread work and the backpackers left to hike back to the trailhead.

Washout

Armoring the washout with rocks

Careful when flipping rocks!

Filling it in

Fixed!

Wendy, India, Stoic (Chris) and I packed up the tools and cached 27 gallons in the wash for public use. Chris was nice enough to do an ingenious fix in the field that included the use of zip ties to hold the droopy back corner up. It worked great for the drive out.

We made it back down the road to Superior without incident and stopped at Old Time Pizza for slices, salad and giant vats of the best iced tea in Kearny. Had a nice visit with Lorraine, who owns the place with her husband Gary- they are true friends of the AZT and avid hikers as well. It was a memorable work event made even better by the amount of work we were able to accomplish. Big kudos to Wendy for her impeccable planning skills!! She also writes a blog, Around the Corner with Wendy– check it out!

Nasty Telegraph Canyon Rd. on the way out

If you are interested in participating in a work event, check the ATA Calendar for upcoming dates. To find out more about being a part of the Trail Stewardship Program, visit http://www.aztrail.org/steward_information.html

In Wildlife Rehabilitation NW Tucson news, lots of the birds that came to the rehab as babies have been released back into the wild. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of rehab to see them grow up and become self-sufficient.

Baby Harris Hawk

Harris Hawk

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Arizona Trail Trek- Superstitions

April 16- 19The Arizona Trail Trek event in Superior at Porter’s Cafe had a great turnout and a good time was had by all! Michael Salerno and his guitar entertained folks out on the patio on a beautiful evening with a backdrop of mighty Picketpost Mountain and the Apache Leap. Even Mayor Jayme Valenzuela stopped in to say hi- I took him on his first hike last year during the Legends of Superior Eco-Festival.

Mayor Jayme Valenzuela and me share a laugh

The next morning, I was less than motivated to get on the trail. All I wanted to do was hang out with my husband and have a rest day where I didn’t have an event that night. Brian dropped me off at Picketpost Trailhead and I headed north. As soon as I was hiking, all was well and I was back to my energetic, happy self.

Starting at Picketpost Trailhead

I crossed under Highway 60 and hiked up an undulating ridge toward Whitford Canyon. The pointy top of Weavers Needle coming in and out of view reminded me of my friend John that I’d lost earlier this year. He was part of the group that climbed the Needle with me for my birthday in 2011 and had a fatal accident this spring when a boulder dislodged and fell on him as he was standing at the bottom of a climbing route. I’d been able to see the Needle since the Catalinas, many miles ago, and it always brought mixed feelings. Happiness at the fact that I’d stood on top of this Arizona landmark, but so sad that John wouldn’t be joining me on any hikes or events during my Trek.

We miss you John!

Whitford Canyon’s pink walls were as pretty as ever, but the dry year meant no pools to play in, just rocks in the streambed. I encountered a rattlesnake in the trail, all contorted and buzzing.I continued on to Reavis Trail Canyon and the trail meandered back and forth along the creekbed, this one also almost totally dry with small mucky pools. I met the first woman thru-hiker I’ve seen since I started the Trek, a woman named Marianne out hiking the Grand Enchantment Trail from Phoenix to Albuquerque.

Marianne, Grand Enchantment Trail thru-hiker

I wanted to set myself up for the climb up Montana Mountain early the next day, and found an attractive pink-rocked drainage for camp.

Within the first mile the next morning, I came upon the strangest thing. Right by the side of the trail was a rattlesnake, belly-up, stuck halfway out of a hole. Poor guy- I buried him under a pile of rocks. Wonder what happened?

Poor snake

The trail switchbacked up Montana Mountain and I was glad I was getting the climb over with in the cool morning. Unfortunately it was quite hazy from the high winds we’ve been having, but the views south of Picketpost, the Apache Leap and Superior, with the tiny bump of Antelope Peak and the hazy rounded shape of the Catalinas were still inspiring. So incredible to be able to see back to where I’ve walked from.

View south from Montana Mountain

At the saddle, the views got even better and the Superstition Ridgeline and 4 Peaks came into view. Too bad it was inundated with tiny gnats. I was at 5400 feet, the highest I’d been since descending into the low desert north of Oracle and the temps were so much cooler!

Superstition Ridgeline

There was a roadwalk to Roger’s Trough Trailhead and I passed a group heading out after having a picnic on the mountain. This area is very popular with off-road enthusiasts. They offered to fill my water and then gave me the most wonderful thing before driving off- a bag of grapes! Trail magic!

Good times!

I happily ate my grapes as I hiked along the road to the trailhead. Took a break at Roger’s Trough to peruse the trail register and see which of the other thru-hikers came by and when.

I hiked into the Superstition Wilderness and found running water in the canyon after a short distance. Break time again, even though I just took one! There is nothing better than a flowing creek with rockbound pools.

Pools by Roger’s Trough TH

Eventually, I moved on toward Reavis Ranch, my destination for the evening. I passed a family who had been out for a night at the ranch and a group of 10 ladies out to see the ruins in Roger’s Canyon. I just love answering the question “Where are you headed?” with  “Utah”. I told them about my hike and Indiegogo campaign to raise $20,000 for the Arizona Trail Association.

I visited Old Man Reavis’ grave before hiking up to Reavis Pass. Once at the pass, the ecosystem changes and giant pinyon and juniper trees replace the brush and catclaw of the lower elevations. It is such pleasant hiking through forests and the occasional grassy meadow. Closer to the ranch, flowing water appeared in the creek.

Reavis’ Grave

Hugging the giant Juniper

I reached the ruins of the ranch, unfortunately burned to the ground in 1991. Now all that remains is the concrete slab. Elisha Reavis moved to this valley in 1872 to raise vegetables to sell to the mining towns in the area. A great summary of his life can be found here.

One part of the ranch that still remains is the apple orchard, and that’s where I made my camp for the night, among the fragrant blooms.

Camp in the Reavis apple orchard

The next morning was the coldest I’d been in a while and I savored the feeling.  Spent the morning lounging in my sleeping bag, no need to beat the heat today. It was overcast and the forecast was for possible showers.

I turned onto the Reavis Gap Trail upon leaving the ranch and got great views as I gained elevation. There were parts of the trail that were exposed rock with small gravel, and at one point I thought to myself, “Someone could easily fall on that”. Immediately afterward, my foot shot out from under me and I ended up sprawled out on the trail.

Above Reavis Ranch on the Gap trail

Crap. I sat on the trail and surveyed my injuries. Skinned knee and elbow, nothing broken, ankle twisted a bit. Cleaned my wounds, collected myself and continued along the trail.

The Reavis Gap Trail is lined with attractive rock towers and boulder formations on the way to the Two Bar Ridge Trail. There was a big pool in Pine Creek where I (you guessed it) took a break.

Reavis Gap Trail

Reached the Two Bar Ridge turnoff and was surprised to see how green the start of the trail was even though it’s been such a dry year. I got to Walnut Spring to refill my water bottles and was met with a surprise guest- a rattlesnake between me and the spring!

Guardian of Walnut Spring

It was a black-tailed rattler, making all sorts of noise to keep me away. It wasn’t going to work, I needed the water! So I went around it and gave it the speech from Pulp Fiction about us being cool like little Fonzies while keeping a watchful eye.

The Two Bar Ridge Trail has tremendous views of the 4 Peaks and Superstitions as well as Apache Lake. Too bad there’s no chance to look around while walking because this is one of the rockiest trails I’ve ever encountered. Rocky and loose with never-ending ups and downs.

Two Bar Ridge Trail

4 Peaks

It started sprinkling while I was on Two Bar Ridge and I was thankful that it was overcast and cool. I had one last climb to contour around Pinyon Mountain before leaving the wilderness boundary. One more loose and rocky descent down FR 83 and I reached my camp for the night.

Roosevelt Lake comes into view

View toward the Pinals

The next morning I set out for the Cottonwood Canyon Trail. I remembered it as having a gorgeous area near the spring. What I didn’t remember is that it is even more loose and rocky than Two Bar Ridge. The trail is right in the creekbed at times and my body was getting tired from trying to keep from turning my already-sore ankle.

The spring area is really something to behold, though- it goes from dry, rocky creekbed to lush, green and inviting with a running creek.

Cottonwood Canyon without water

Cottonwood Canyon with water

The trail ended at a forest road that took me up and down through the hills toward Roosevelt Lake. I could hear the noise from the boat engines from far away.

Lined with wildflowers!

Finally I could see the marina, but skipped the chance to go there and continued on toward the Roosevelt Bridge. There is the most wonderful view of the bridge and surrounding areas from the trail.

Looking down on the marina and the lake

I reached the pavement and had an enjoyable walk across the bridge, knowing that I had walked here all the way from Mexico. Clouds were building on both sides and I’d heard thunder all day, but didn’t get rained on at all.

Roosevelt Lake and Bridge Panorama

Micro Chicken crosses the Roosevelt Bridge

My friend Bob was taking his hiking class to the Angel Wings in the Sierra Ancha across the lake and came to get me. He took me to his place in Globe, where I spent Easter with his family and a well-deserved day off. My dad came back from Chicago to run support for the remainder of the AZT Trek, so glad to have him back!

To all those who have donated to my campaign to raise $20,000- a heartfelt thank you! Check out all the fantastic incentives available when you support the Arizona Trail Association!

Joanne, Bob, me and my Dad on Easter

Roosevelt Bridge

 

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Arizona Trail Trek- Oracle to the Gila River

I was so excited to have hiked into the American Flag Trailhead at the end of our hike down Oracle Ridge! You see, this is the very spot in 2007 where I got the idea to hike the whole Arizona Trail. I went on a hike and at the trailhead was a sign with a trail connecting all these fantastic places I’d dreamed of hiking- Saguaro NP, the Superstitions, San Francisco Peaks and Grand Canyon. It was the hike that got me involved volunteering to help build the trail and since then I’d dreamed of the day I’d get to hike from Mexico to Utah.

The Oracle Gateway Community event at El Rancho Robles Guest Ranch was a blast! Diane and Mark Davis provided the tunes, the Oracle Patio Cafe provided delicious food and people chatted the night away around a fire. The ranch was kind enough to put me and my husband Brian up in one of their gorgeous rooms for the night.

Gathering around the fire at El Rancho Robles

Diane Davis

The next day, to be honest, I really wanted to pull the covers over my head and take another day off. But I have a strict schedule to follow because of all my events and public hikes, so I begrudgingly got on the trail. I said goodbye to Brian and headed north across the desert toward the Gila River for the next four days. Once moving, all was well and I was back to my happy hiking self.

Taking off from American Flag Trailhead

These three passages are known as the hottest, driest, lowest part of the entire AZT. And I was hiking it in the middle of a heat wave. The last time I hiked this was during my 2008 section hike and it was snowing in March as Brian dropped me off. No snow this time, just heat and wind and lots of it. Time for the umbrella.

I hiked through Oracle State Park and under Highway 77 to the Tiger Mine Trailhead and stared at the expanse of desert stretching out before me with lone Antelope Peak in the distance. My pack heavy with seven liters of water and food for four days of my ever-increasing appetite, I hiked for a while and met another thru hiker, Sunnydaze, taking a break under a bush.

Kannally Ranch Windmill (dry), Oracle State Park

Highway 77

Tiger Mine Trailhead

This passage used to have a nine-mile pipeline roadwalk that was one of the worst parts of the trail when I hiked it in ’08. Thankfully, the Arizona Trail Association won a grant in 2010 from Redwood Creek Winery to build new singletrack to replace the old route. I was in charge of the crew that built the first piece of the reroute and it was fun to revisit this piece I’d built with the help of many volunteers. This is exactly the type of project that the ATA needs funds for, taking the current route off of undesirable roads and building trail worthy of our National Scenic Trail status. Please visit the fundraising page http://igg.me/at/azttrek for the Arizona Trail Trek if you haven’t already, as of today we’re up to $3,300 0ut of $20,000 raised with a little over 40 days left in the campaign!

I hiked on the new ridgeline trail for a while and found myself a nice spot for camp about 16 miles from Oracle with a great sunset view of the Catalinas.

Sunset on the Rincons and Catalinas from my camp

The next morning, I got on the trail early as I could to beat the heat. More ridgeline walking, inching toward Antelope Peak. It was going to be a hot one, and I was under the umbrella by 8am. A friend of mine had been kind enough to drive out two water caches in the middle of each of the two passages. I reached the first cache in Bloodsucker Wash and took a long break under the shade of a mesquite tree.

My water cache, jugs buried in the sand to keep it cool!

I decided against a siesta and hiked toward my next objective, Beehive Well. The umbrella shaded everything except my legs, where it felt like someone was following me around with a heat lamp. I was happy not to have to drink the scummy water from the cattle tank, but used it to wet myself down to cool off. I talked with a section-hiker from Alaska who was probably doing a lot worse with the heat than I was. Beehive Well also marks the point where the Grand Enchantment Trail, a 750-mile route from Phoenix to Albuquerque, joins the AZT for about 70 miles.

Beehive Well

Bird skull at Beehive Well

Antelope Peak was finally getting closer as I hiked into the evening. Saw my first rattlesnake of the trip, a good-sized one hiding in the shade of a barrel cactus next to the trail. I considered pushing on to Freeman Road and night hiking a bit, but decided against it when I found a camp with a good view of the peak and the Catalinas in the distance.

1st snake of the Trek

The next morning, I packed up in the dark and was on the trail by 5:45 am. I enjoyed the chilly morning air in the washes, savoring the sensation and storing it in my head for later, when it would become blazing hot. Hiked several miles to the end of the passage at Freeman Road and took a long break at the public cache. This cache is of utmost importance to Arizona Trail users and I thank all who maintain it.

Sunrise light on Antelope Peak

Freeman Road Cache

Passage 15 follows a road for a while, then turns into singletrack through yuccas, prickly pear and the occasional juniper. Junipers are my favorite tree and I took every opportunity for shade breaks underneath. The wind never stopped blowing.

Love this little bridge at the beginning of the passage

Looking back at Antelope and the Catalinas

Micro Chicken and I enjoy a shade break under a juniper

I could see the Superstitions in the distance and even the Four Peaks at times. Even caught a long-distance view of Baboquivari Peak. As I walked past yet another nondescript knee-high bush, I heard the spine-tingling rattle again. Two in two days! It’s definitely warming up out here.

After hiking for a couple of hours, I reached a very attractive area called The Boulders and took some time to scramble around and explore the formations.

Boulders

Boulders!

Though it was hot, I hiked all day long under my umbrella. The AZT follows a combination of two-track roads and trail and was thankfully more or less flat. I was able to hike 20 miles before finding a great camp overlooking Ripsey Wash and the Big Hill with panoramic views in all directions for an epic sunset. My body felt tired but good- the only thing really bothering me was one toe on my right foot.

Cookies

Sunset on the Big Hill

Sunset and Agave

The next morning I enjoyed the sunrise before getting moving. I descended into Ripsey Wash where another delicious cache of water was waiting for me. The climb up the Big Hill is not bad at all, gentle switchbacks up the wildflower-lined slopes. Not that I wasn’t sweating- the heat and wind combination of the last four days created a crust of salt and dust on everything.

Tan hands

Ripsey Wash

The Big Hill

Hot and sweaty!

I took a break at the “chair” at the top of the climb and watched a couple push their bikes up the switchbacks. The trail follows a ridgeline for miles and miles, swooping up and down with incredible views. One of the views was of the town of Kearny, my next event stop on the Arizona Trail Trek. I could see the whole town, but all I could think about was Old Time Pizza. Since week 2 of the Trek I have been insatiably hungry because my body uses up so many calories on the trail. I could almost smell the pizza from up on the ridgeline and couldn’t wait for an iced tea.

Mountain Bikers going up the Big Hill

Ripsey Ridgeline

Ripsey Ridgeline

The Gateway Community of Kearny

I got a great view of the Gila River and one of my favorite peaks, Battle Axe Butte, which I summited for my birthday last year. The trail descended quickly on the north side of the mountain to the Florence-Kelvin Highway Trailhead. I had another two hot miles of trail to the bridge over the Gila River where the passage ends. I made a call to Old Time Pizza, who’s owners Gary and Loraine offered to come get me and take me to Kearny. Loraine said she’d come get me and I asked her if she could bring me an iced tea.

Gila River and Battle Axe Butte

Alaskan bikepackers doing a long section from Tucson to the Grand Canyon

Gila River

Bridge over the Gila River

Soon after, she whisked me off to her pizza place and fed me until I couldn’t eat anymore. I think they were a little surprised by how much I was able to put away. I gave Loraine and Gary the update on the AZT Trek so far and they offered to get me a room at the General Kearny Inn. I had been planning on camping nearby but was so thankful for the hot shower and a chance to get out of the heat and sun.

The next day was my event in Kearny and they went all out to welcome me! Mayor Sam Hosler was in attendance and we enjoyed music by Neil Wood while munching on slices from Old Time Pizza. These Gateway Community events have been so much fun, talking trail with lots of new people as well as those who have been into the AZT for a long time.

Music by Neil Wood

Owners of Old Time Pizza Gary and Loraine with their new banner for all Arizona Trail users to sign

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Battle Axe Butte

Battle Axe Butte- Arizona Trail 2008

Every year for my birthday, I like to go on an adventure to a place I’ve wanted to go for a long time. Recent birthday events have included climbing Weaver’s Needle and visiting The Wave. Earlier this year when Wendy and I spent a night on The Spine, we visited the artesian well and I looked up at Battle Axe and knew that this would be my birthday present to myself.

Sunrise on Battle Axe from The Spine

I had to work at the Superior Eco-Tourism Fest on my actual birthday, so I planned on hiking it sometime the week before. I contacted John to see if he was interested, and we found a day that worked for both of us. I thought it would be a good idea for him to get a preview of the Grand Enchantment Trail and was excited when he said he’d never seen the area before. John and I hadn’t met before, but I have exchanged messages with him on HikeArizona.com. Last year, he hiked the entire Arizona Trail as dayhikes from south to north. Then he hiked it all again from north to south! Incredible. Some days he hiked over 30 miles- the speed required to cover that kind of terrain that fast boggles my mind.

This is one of my favorite places in all of Arizona, the striped cliffs, the artesian well, and the toothy ridge of Battle Axe. I have admired it for years and have countless pictures of it from all directions. It is on the old Arizona Trail route and when I hiked through here in 2008, it was covered with so many wildflowers that they completely covered the trail.

Up the ridge

We parked at a spot that I’d camped in 2008 and made our way up the ridge. I told John that it was going to be a little different pace than he was used to because I require silly things like breaks and water. He was more than gracious and patient. As we neared the first scramble, the scenery got ever more interesting.

John waits patiently

John sped through the scramble, I went a little too far right and had to backtrack. There are plenty of ledges to hike up and the brush isn’t too bad. We saw the spire from the description and headed for the chute to the right of it. The slickrock chute was great and then we followed along the wall toward the saddle. The whole route was a lot more stable than I’d expected.

Juniper!

We reached the saddle with great views to the south and took a minute to look at the route. John was able to scramble straight up from the saddle on the ridgeline and I followed. I carefully picked my way along the jumble of white rock. To my left was a massive sheer drop, so I tried not to look that way. We reached a spot that gave me pause. To get across it, I had to climb up over one of the ridgeline rocks and lower myself down onto a small catwalk to get across. Fortunately, John found a way to lessen the exposure by climbing down and around instead of all the way across. Still a move that got my heart moving.

Looking at the lower summit

John right before the catwalk

Summit Ridge of Battle Axe Butte- photo by John

Once past the catwalk, it was smooth sailing to the summit. We signed in the small, rarely used register and took what was probably John’s longest break ever. The views from the top were spectacular! I was so excited to be atop Battle Axe- something I never thought I would do 5 years ago, looking up at it from my campsite on the AZT. I showed John where the GET route he would be hiking went and eyed up peaks to hike in the future.

Summit view to the southeast

The Spine

Pinals and Battle Axe Rd.

The scramble down was no problem at all and we went back through the chute near the spire and down to the ledges. We stuck to the ridgeline on the way back and found two large cairns. In no time at all we were back to the trailhead. Afterward we drove up Battle Axe Rd for a bit. Never get tired of this area, always more to explore!

View of our route

In Wildlife Rehabilitation news, baby bunny season has started and we rescued a Great Snowy Egret who had been caught in a fishing line. They had to go out with a boat and cut it out. Poor thing. Here’s Janet Miller, founder of Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson giving it some food. This year’s Birds, Blues, and Bellydance fundraiser will be on April 20th 7-10 pm at Sky Bar- 536 N.4th Ave in Tucson. Mark your calendars, it’s going to be a great time!

Janet feeds a Great Snowy Egret

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