New Arizona Trail Promo Video!

Last year, the Grand Canyon National Geographic Visitor Center installed an Arizona Trail display in the interior courtyard sponsored by Nature Valley. It’s a fantastic display and the Arizona Trail Association was invited to create a promo for the trail that would run in the previews before the Grand Canyon IMAX movie.

Arizona Trail Courtyard Display

I worked with the extremely talented videographer Levi Davis and a whole cast of hikers, bikers, equestrians and runners all over the state to get just the right shots to exemplify the trail’s beauty and biodiversity. Levi also used footage that he had from my Arizona Trail Trek. London-based musician Jonathan Wright generously donated the use of his epic piece of music Undiscovered World to set the mood. Then we were lucky enough to get Tucson radio talent Cathy Rivers from KXCI to record her beautiful voice for the narration. The result is a two-minute tour of the Arizona Trail that will hopefully inspire many journeys. I couldn’t wait to see it on the big screen, so when I was planning on traveling to Page for presentations at the Glen Canyon Visitor Center and the City Council I dropped by to take a look. Here’s the video:

It was amazing to see on the IMAX screen and know that thousands of people a year will be learning about the Arizona Trail. It was also a momentous occasion for me- twenty years ago when I moved to Arizona from the Chicago suburbs, my first stop was the Grand Canyon. But when I arrived it was raining, so I went and saw the IMAX movie while I waited for the storm to clear up. Now I was the one on the big screen! I am so pleased with the way the project turned out. Levi is an amazing artist and really captured the essence of the trail.

We also produced a general version without the bit about the courtyard display that can be used for all sorts of promotions and websites that feature information about the trail.

Pretty fantastic stuff- my presentations in Page went really well and now I’m headed to Moab for a Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador weekend. I can’t wait to meet the other Trail Ambassadors- we’re going to be doing dayhikes in the area and I’m sure it will be a blast!

In Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson news, we’ve got a beautiful Ferruginous Hawk, which is the largest American hawk. Here’s a pic of it and for comparison, a Swainson’s Hawk and a Red-Tailed Hawk.

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Ferruginous Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk

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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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Back to Tucson

I’m back! After I finished my Arizona Trail Trek at the end of May, I had a mere three weeks to rest up before starting my season as a guide on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. I worked five trips this summer and have finally returned back home to Tucson.

Haven’t seen much of this place this year- it was six months and a day from the start of my thru-hike to the end of the season. Needless to say I was exhausted by the end, but after a couple of weeks of rest I am starting to feel like myself again.

Comanche Point and Palisades

On the Arizona Trail on a boat!

Incredible double rainbow over Diamond Creek Rapid

I am very excited to share with you a short film made by the very talented Levi Davis about the Arizona Trail and the Arizona Trail Trek. It is so much fun to look back on the incredible experience I had this spring- please share it with folks you think might like it!

A million thanks again to all who made this trek possible, I couldn’t have done it without all the wonderful businesses and people who came together to help me achieve my dream of thru-hiking the Arizona Trail.

I’m looking forward to being back volunteering at Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson it’s such a treat to be able to work with these fantastic birds and animals. My blog is also going back to raising money for Wildlife Rehab.

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Peregrine Falcon

Yawning Baby Ringtail

Harris’ Antelope Squirrel munching on kale

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Arizona Trail Trek – AmAZing Mazatzals Part 2

Spectacular overlook in the Mazatzal Wilderness

April 30 – May 3

Just four days left to raise $20,000 for the Arizona Trail Association through our Indiegogo campaign- if you’ve been waiting to donate, now’s the time! There’s special Arizona Trail pint glasses, signed art prints of Arizona Trail: Journey to Center, even a chance to help brew Arizona Trail Ale with Steve Morken from That Brewery- Click here to check out the incentives!

Arizona Trail Pint Glass

 

Arizona Trail: Journey to Center

After a night at Horse Camp Seep, me and my four hiking companions packed up and headed up the hill toward a rocky outcrop above the camp. As we got closer, I could tell that the view was going to be spectacular. Even though it was a hazy day the 360-degree views are some of the best on the entire AZT. Saw a shadowy figure of the San Francisco Peaks still looking very far away. Incredible that I’m going to walk there.

The trail to The Park was in good shape, and we took a lunch break in a beautiful stand of pines. Next up was the aptly named Red Hills passage. Beautiful red rock canyons and hills, up and down, up and down.

The Park with North Peak above

There were pools in the drainages from the storm that happened right before our trip and we found a nice place to camp with a sunset view and a sliver of moon.

The next day we hiked to the Brush Spring Trail and were passed by a very fast thru-hiker from Oklahoma. He was amazed by the beauty of the state- I feel so lucky to call Arizona my home, all these incredible landscapes available to me whenever I want.

Brush Spring Trail went through hills thick with green vegetation, thankfully the brush wasn’t encroaching onto the trail. The whole trail through the Mazzies was in much better condition than I had expected, it was nice to not have to climb over burnt trees or get scratched by thorny bushes. After a break at a nice campsite near Brush Spring, we climbed to a saddle overlooking our descent to the East Verde River.

Climbing to the saddle

The trail follows an old road that plummets thousands of feet down to the LF Ranch. Temperatures got hotter and the umbrellas came out for shade.

Hazy view from the saddle of the East Verde below

Old road down to LF Ranch

It seemed like it took forever to descend to the ranch. We heard the ranch before we saw it- the sounds of peacocks calling, cows mooing, and dogs barking. The LF Ranch is a working cattle ranch run by Maryann Pratt, completely surrounded by the Mazatzal Wilderness. Maryann also welcomes weary hikers with a bunkhouse to stay in and home-cooked meals. I had heard about the ranch for years and was super-excited for my stay.

LF Ranch welcomes hikers!

The ranch is on the banks of the East Verde River and we went to check it out. There was a great swimming hole and nearby the cool waters of Rock Creek joined the East Verde. What a place!

East Verde River

Standing in Rock Creek

Unfortunately for my travel companions, their trip was at an end and they hiked out the rough four-mile access road to their cars. It was a great group and I really enjoyed their company.

I went back to the river for a swim and relaxed until Maryann brought out the most amazing dinner- vegetarian lasagna, a giant salad, bread and pie for dessert! She knows the way to a thru-hiker’s heart for sure!

Yum!

Sunset at the LF Ranch

I had an enjoyable stay in the bunkhouse and then Maryann fed me again, a wonderful breakfast to start my day. It was so hard to leave this sanctuary, I could have stayed for weeks, chatting with Maryann, swimming in the river, watching the peacocks, staring at the beautiful surroundings. If you’re coming through the area, plan an extra day, you’ll be glad you did. Visit www.lfranch.com for details and reservations.

Peacocks!

Maryann Pratt

I hiked back to the East Verde crossing and spent way too much time lounging around on the banks, enjoying the river. I had a full day of climbing ahead of me and it was going to get hot.

The Arizona Trail uses an old, steep, nasty road filled with softball-sized loose rock for it’s ascent from the river. It would be so nice to have new singletrack built, but projects like that cost money and for now, the road is the trail.

Ugh.

I ascended to Polles Mesa and hiked from cairn to cairn across the plateau. Then the trail came to Whiterock Spring, where I refilled my water. Whiterock Mesa is my favorite part of this passage, it has wildly shaped rocks that look like dinosaur bones contrasting with the red dirt. I found a cairn that I had built with a flower-holder rock from back when I hiked this in 2009.

Flower holder cairn

After Whiterock Mesa came Saddle Ridge, another field of rocks to navigate. I climbed to the wilderness boundary and had a little celebration- I had just finished the last wilderness area on the Arizona Trail! Miller Peak, Mount Wrightson, Rincon, Pusch Ridge, Superstition, Four Peaks, and now the Mazatzals.

Looking back at North Peak

Wilderness Boundary

My dad met me at the Twin Buttes Trailhead and took me into Pine, where I feasted on artichoke and spinach pizza from That Brewery. The Mazatzal Wilderness is a true gem of the Arizona Trail and I’ll be back to explore more for sure!

The next day I hiked from Twin Buttes into Pine, stopping at beautiful Oak Spring for a break by the water. It was exciting for me to hike into the Pine Trailhead and connect my steps from Mexico to Pine. Love this little town nestled under the Mogollon Rim!

 

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Arizona Trail- Gila River Canyons Work Event

A great crew! Sasha the dog, Kris, Steve, Francisco, Al, Rob, David, Tom, Joe, Lee, Max, and Shawn

I have been building and maintaining the Arizona Trail with the Arizona Trail Association since 2007. I love being a part of creating and maintaining the trail for generations to come. Several months ago, I became a trail steward for segment 16c and am in charge of maintaining 5.1 miles from Spine Canyon to Walnut Canyon in the Gila River Canyons passage. I chose this passage to adopt for a couple of reasons:

• I have seen this area covered in wildflowers in the spring and it is amazing, there are also fall colors along the Gila River.
• I have great memories of my Night on The Spine and the hike I did on Passage 16 & 17 the first three days of the year.
• I wanted a remote segment that would require overnight trail events.
• To drive in, you go past the Artesian Well on the old Arizona Trail route, one of my favorite water sources.
• It is also a part of the Grand Enchantment Trail from Phoenix to Albuquerque- bonus stewardship!

I had my first work event on December 7th & 8th to put in a gate in Walnut Canyon and an OHV barrier about a mile east. Ten of us assembled at Battle Axe Road and AZ 177 and prepared a precarious load on the Bureau of Land Managment (BLM) truck.

We met at Battle Axe Road and loaded up the BLM truck with the gate and the ATV barrier.

The drive out to the site was slow, bumpy and very scenic. We took another road that led down toward the Gila River and arrived in Walnut Canyon just north of the river around lunchtime.

Driving Battle Axe Road with the White Canyon Wilderness in the background

Adjusting the rigging after a couple of miles of the rough road

We dropped a crew to begin the gate and drove a mile east to the OHV barrier site.  The barrier was an interesting modular design that required no welding in the field. Just a lot of postholes and concrete. Thankfully the BLM provided a power auger and jackhammer. We ran into some caliche that would have taken forever to dig with just a rock bar.

Pieces of the OHV barrier, concrete, and plenty of tools. Rob (in red) is the one who designed and welded the pieces to be assembled in the field.

Power auger for the holes

Max works the jackhammer

Holes are dug and the big barrier piece is in

Joe and Tom mixing concrete

It had taken a long time to get out to the site, so we worked until the last light getting the gate and barrier set in concrete so that it could cure overnight. The unseasonably mild evening was spent by the fire swapping stories and listening to music courtesy of Max and his guitar.

Continuing to work until the last light is gone

Looking north toward The Spine at sunset

The next day, we finished up the gate and OHV barriers and then constructed a small reroute that helped avoid an unnecessary roadwalk up the canyon and back. We brushed the route back and then built three-foot cairns to lead the way.

Building the reroute

Kris shows the test of a well-built cairn

“Laddie-sized” cairns three feet high lead the way

Short reroute with new cairns and carsonites

Here’s the finished gate and OHV barrier:

Finished OHV barrier in the unnamed canyon one mile east of Walnut Canyon

Joe, Tom, Kris, Max, Steve, David, Sirena, Shawn, and Lee at the fancy new gate

New gate in Walnut Canyon

I was glad that my work event was a success, most of my crew were from the Crazies and their expertise certainly helped. A big thanks to the BLM and the crew!  Before we could relax, we had the long, slow, bumpy drive back out to AZ 177. This has always been one of my favorite parts of the Arizona Trail and I am excited to be a steward for many years to come. There’s always trailwork to be done, so if you’re interested in volunteering on an event, check out the Arizona Trail Association event calendar.

In Wildlife Rehab news, I have been taking quite a few birds out to test their flight capabilities to see if they are ready for release. It is exhilarating and more than a little scary taking the larger birds. I got a talon to the finger through my gloves this summer and it was extremely painful. I have taken Great Horned Owls, Red Tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, and the other day I took a Turkey Vulture out to see what it could do. Click the button below to donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson!

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