A Look Back at 2014

It’s that time of year again for a retrospective of where I’ve wandered- and this one has been busier than most! You have been warned- it’s pretty heavy on the pictures. Grab a beverage.

When the year began, I was already neck-deep in planning my Arizona Trail Trek. It was a logistical Hydra coordinating the two and a half month schedule with 13 fundraisers, all the public hikes and backpacking trips, shuttles, media contacts, and a million little details. It didn’t leave a whole lot of time for hiking.

I did manage a Sabino-Bear loop and a trip up Agua Caliente Hill, always good choices for the colder months.

Umbrella weather in January on Agua Caliente Hill

In February, I hiked the Romero Trail to Romero Pass, a good workout along a gorgeous canyon.

Comfy seat at the waterfall campsite

Sunset lights up Samaniego Ridge

I also turned 40 in February and celebrated with a visit from my friend Kristin. We’ve been friends since I was 4 and lived two doors down. She still lives in the Chicago suburbs and I was so happy to get to spend some time with her at the High Jinks Ranch and in Oracle.

Me and Kristin

Out for my 40th!

On March 14th, I started my Arizona Trail Trek with a hike to the Mexican border and the kickoff event in Sierra Vista with food, music, and Arizona Trail Ale. A great beginning to an incredible experience.

Arizona Trail Trek Start

Mexican Border on the Arizona Trail

The rest of March was spent hiking north toward Tucson, with events in Patagonia, Arizona Trail Day at Colossal Cave Mountain Park and I even held and performed at a Belly Dance event at Sky Bar in Tucson. That’s got to be a long-distance hiking first!

Santa Ritas

Terry with River taking a rest on Katie

Wildflowers!!

Jess Walker from Belly Dance Tucson

Arizona Trail Day hikers at the first big saguaros headed northbound on the AZT

My Arizona Trail Trek continued through April and May- it was quite a challenge and I am surprised that I stayed on schedule or early throughout the trip. I was so fortunate that I and everyone with me stayed healthy and safe throughout. I became a Trail Ambassador for Gossamer Gear this year, and was really happy with the way my Mariposa pack performed throughout my hike.

Rincon Sunset

Boulders along AZT/Cody Trail

Ripsey Ridgeline

Camp above Ripsey Wash

Lovin’ the pass!

Roosevelt Bridge

Micro Chicken crosses the Roosevelt Bridge

What a place!!

Peacocks!

Just me and my llama

Happy to be in the cool pines!

What a great group!

View from the Dale Shewalter Memorial at Buffalo Park

Swooping singletrack through the aspen

Cedar Ridge with O’Neill Butte to the left

Ribbon Falls

What a trail!

Tater Canyon, Kaibab Plateau

Tantalizing glimpses of Utah sandstone

Arizona Trail at Stateline Trailhead, Arizona/Utah border

It had been a dream of mine to thru-hike the Arizona Trail since I learned about it in 2007 and I’m so glad that my hike was able to bring wider recognition to the trail I love so much. I raised almost $18,000 for the Arizona Trail Association and I’ll be doing a series of talks in the new year, check out my Speaking page to find one near you!

I was pretty tired after my thru-hike, but I had less than three weeks left until I had to start my season working on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon with Arizona River Runners and Grand Canyon Whitewater. I had an incredible season- met a lot of wonderful people, hiked them all over the place, and told a million stories.

Comanche Point and Palisades

Incredible double rainbow over Diamond Creek Rapid

On the Arizona Trail on a boat!

Little Colorado Confluence

In case you haven’t heard, the Little Colorado River Confluence pictured above is threatened by a possible development with a tram and a restaurant right at the river’s edge- please visit Save the Confluence to learn more and sign the petition!

After my river season ended in mid-September, the inevitable crash came. I am usually pretty wiped out after river season anyway, but combined with the thru-hike my body and mind were exhausted. It was not a fun time and I couldn’t even bring myself to write about how depressed and tired I was. I didn’t feel up to doing anything, I just rested and wondered if I’d ever feel like myself again. The worst part of it all was that the fatigue reminded me of all those years ago when I was sick with Fibromyalgia and I was even concerned for a while that I was having a flare-up.

I had anticipated the crash, having done other extended trips, but this one knocked me down for two months. I still managed to get out a bit, and that helped to keep me going, although it was also a reminder of how incredibly tired I was.

Maples on Mount Lemmon

Windy Point Sunset

Whitmore Overlook

Finally, I started to get my energy back and the feeling of emptiness that depression brings waned. It felt great to be enthusiastic about the days ahead again. I traveled to Page for work and took a drive into the Grand Staircase-Escalante up Cottonwood Road. All sorts of great stuff to explore in that area. I hiked a peak I can see out of my backyard, Peak 3263 (or the southern end of the “Sombrero”, just to see what was up there. And then I did the classic Aspen to Saguaro hike from Mount Lemmon to Catalina State Park. Over 6000 feet of elevation loss through an array of different life zones. It felt great to be able to hike all day again.

Thousand Pockets

Grosvenor Arch, GSEM

Sombrero and Panther Peaks from Peak 3263

Lemmon Rock Lookout

Looking out toward the West Fork and the Rincons

December brought a trip to the Cienega for fall colors and a backpacking trip in the Santa Ritas with some lovely ladies and Jasmine the Mini-donkey!

Cienega Creek Fall Colors

Antelope at Empire Ranch

Starting out at Temporal Gulch TH

Jasmine on the Arizona Trail

Mustangs in the Morning

Grassy trail with Josephine Peak and Wrightson

There was a winter storm in mid-December and I went out to play in the icy waters of Montrose Canyon with some friends.

Montrose Canyon 1st Rappel- Photo by Dan Kinler

Montrose Canyon- Photo by Dan Kinler

Montrose Canyon- Photo by Dan Kinler

I spent Christmas backpacking in the Tortolita Mountains, it was a great getaway close to home.

Christmas in the Tortolitas

Christmas Camp

I rounded out the year with a tough and spiny bushwhack to Bighorn Mountain, the last of the Pusch Ridge Peaks for me to summit. I’m going to be picking out spines for days, but it was well worth it.

Grassy shindagger and cactus-filled slope to the summit

Bighorn Summit- finally I’ve stood atop all four of the Pusch Ridge Peaks!

Well, that was quite a year! Thanks for reading- it’s always fun to share stories of my wanderings with others. I kept track of all my hikes on HikeArizona.com and my year-end stats are 1,021 miles hiked with 150,775 feet of elevation gain- that’s equivalent to 5 Mount Everests stacked on each other. No wonder this post is so long!

Here’s to a fantastic 2015- I’m not exactly sure what it will bring but I’ve got a feeling I’ll be exploring fantastic new places. Happy New Year!!

Thanks to all who donated to the Arizona Trail Association or to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson this year!!

Donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation NW Tucson

Baby Great Horned Owls

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Happy 5th Anniversary!

Today is the fifth anniversary of Sirena’s Wanderings- big thanks to all my readers!! It’s been great to share my adventures with you and I am always happy when I hear that the information in my blog helps people to plan their own hikes. It’s been almost seven years since I started my first blog on my Arizona Trail for Fibromyalgia website, when I hiked the Arizona Trail the first time. So thanks again for indulging my penchance for long-winded triplogs and for taking the time to follow along. I’m going to break with tradition and keep this entry short.

I have gone on a couple of small hikes since I’ve been back from the river, still taking it kind of easy. Soon enough I’ll be back doing crazy, all-day bushwhacks and backpacking trips.

Wendy and I went hiking in the rain in the Tortolitas on the Wild Mustang-Wild Burro loop. It was really green and lush from our ample monsoon season. The trails out there are so nice, I’ll have to do a longer trip sometime and check out the new Ridgeline Trail.

Jackrabbit

Tucson Mountains

Tiny toad

Wendy in the mist

Desert Cotton

Today, I went up to Mt. Lemmon to do a presentation on my Arizona Trail Trek thru-hike in Summerhaven, but first I met with some of the ladies from the Women’s Backpacking Trip for a fall color hike. I am so fortunate to have such great friends to enjoy the outdoors with. Jasmine the mini-donkey and Dr. Otis the Goldendoodle therapy dog were along too!

Jasmine, Leigh Anne, Silver, India, Lynn, Bonnie, and Dr. Otis

Leigh Anne and Jasmine

Maples on Mount Lemmon

Micro Chicken ran into some friends in the forest

Loving the leaves!

It was so wonderful to be among the leaves and running creeks on the mountain. There was a good turnout for my talk and on the way down the mountain I stopped at Windy Point to watch the sunset. It was outrageously good. So glad to be back home in Tucson among the mountains I love so much.

Looking south at the Santa Ritas from Windy Point

Windy Point Sunset

In wildlife rehab news, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my videos from 2011 made it onto a blog I love called Cute Overload. It’s an adorable video of a baby ringtail cat. Enjoy! Hopefully people will donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson as a result. You can donate to help this entirely self-supported facility by clicking below:

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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.

Donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson

Peregrine Falcon

Yawning Baby Ringtail

Harris’ Antelope Squirrel munching on kale

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Arizona Trail Trek – Hiking to the Utah Border!

May 31st

I woke up underneath my juniper tree at my last camp of the Arizona Trail Trek, glad that I had a little time to myself before everyone arrived to hike the last 11 miles to the Utah border with me. I wrote in my journal, something I’d done very little of this hike. Sure, I’d jotted down notes and things to remember, but not the kind of writing outdoors that feeds my soul.

Last camp on the Arizona Trail Trek

Scott, who had been on several of my other hikes along the way, popped out at Winter Road around 8:30 am. He’d started in the dark at Jacob Lake and had already hiked 17 miles. He was glad he’d caught me for the final hike into Utah.

Around 9 am, my dad arrived with my mom and other hikers Anne and Steve and my husband Brian came with Levi, the videographer.

Levi, Steve, me, my mom Anna. Anne, and Scott

The trail rolled through the sagebrush and in and out of several canyons. It was a gorgeous day with big fluffy clouds and a nice breeze to keep the temperatures down.

Through the sagebrush

The trail went into Larkum Canyon and strange rocks appeared. There are baseball to softball sized round inclusions pitting the rock faces along the trail, I would love to know what causes this.

Larkum Canyon

Round inclusions in the rock

A big horned lizard joined the group for a break

The trail climbed out of the canyon and wound through the junipers before coming to a spectacular overlook where we took our lunch break. You could see all the way into Utah, colorful sandstone and rock formations and the Coyote Valley below.

Tantalizing glimpses of Utah sandstone

The Stateline Trailhead became visible in the valley and I knew my journey was soon coming to an end. We hiked the 22 switchbacks into the Coyote Valley and then through the sagebrush.

Stateline Trailhead below

Micro Chicken getting close to traversing the whole state!

Makes me want to keep hiking into Utah

I could see my husband Brian in the distance and he yelled “Arizona Trail!!!” I yelled it back, feeling triumphant. I had just hiked here all the way from Mexico!! I stopped for a picture at my favorite hole in the rock near the trailhead before continuing the rest of the way to the Utah border.

Hole in the rock near the state line

My dad was there to welcome me and Brian had put the Arizona Trail Trek banner up on the gazebo at the Stateline Trailhead. We all cheered as I reached the border and Brian had set up a celebration with champagne and cupcakes to toast the succesful completion of the Arizona Trail Trek.

Arizona Trail at Stateline Trailhead, AZ/UT border

Such a bummer- an empty register!

Don’t make me leave!

I didn’t have a lot of time to savor the moment, because we were on a schedule to be back in the Gateway Community of Page for the big finale celebration. It was bittersweet leaving the state line- I was so proud of what I’d accomplished with the hike, the events, and raising awareness for the trail, yet now it was over.

The finale was hosted by Sanderson’s Into the Grand, a museum dedicated to the history of commercial river rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Hoss and Karen Sanderson were incredible hosts and cooked up a delicious dutch oven meal and Bob Paluzzi provided the entertainment. It was a fitting place to end the hike, as I will be starting my season as a guide on the river at the end of June.

Bob “The Musician” Paluzzi

Hoss Sanderson

Feel right at home- this is a boat my company donated to the museum

It was a most jovial atmosphere, with people coming up to congratulate me left and right. I got to tell a bunch of stories and celebrate the realization of a dream I have had since 2007. Seven years since I’d first had the inspiration to thru-hike the Arizona Trail and it was totally worth the wait.

After the event, we went to Antelope Point Marina, who was kind enough to donate a houseboat for the evening. We stargazed on the top deck and saw many shooting stars. It was a fantastic way to end the hike!

Hanging out on the houseboat

A great way to end a fantastic journey!

What an experience. It has been three weeks since I finished the trail and it’s something that I’m going to be processing for a long time.

I wouldn’t have been able to hike across the state without the help of many wonderful people who volunteered their time and talents to make this happen. A million thanks to the following:

• My sponsors- Arizona Highways Photo Workshops, That Brewery, Peace Surplus, and Summit Hut!!
  

  Wonderful Sponsors!

• All the folks who donated through the Indiegogo campaign or at the events- the Arizona Trail Trek raised $17,800 for the Arizona Trail Association!
• All the businesses that hosted and the musicians that provided the entertainment at the 13 Gateway Community events- thanks for creating a space for people to enjoy themselves while talking trail!
• Folks that helped with shuttles and vital water caches up and down the state, volunteering their time and gas money to make the public hikes and backpacking trips happen
• People that hosted me and my dad in the Gateway communities- thank you for opening your homes to us!
• My backpacking bestie Wendy Lotze for helping with planning, logistics and food
  

  Sirena & Wendy at Oracle Ridge Trailhead

• Ambika B. for her help with the Indiegogo campaign
  

  Me and Ambika

• Sarae Hoff, for designing my sweet Arizona Trail Trek logo
  

  Sarae made me vacuum-sealed cookies for my hike!

• Leigh Anne Thrasher and Jasmine the mini-donkey for being so supportive and a delight to hike with!
  

  Leigh Anne and Jasmine

• Christy Snow and Jeff Harris for all the wonderful things you do
• The Arizona Trail Association for being composed of the nicest and most supportive people you could hope to meet- I have made countless friends through the ATA, people who are willing to go the extra mile to support the trail they love so much.
• My fantastic husband Brian for supporting my dreams and helping at the events when he came to visit me.
  

  Me and Brian at the Patagonia event

• Saving the biggest thanks for last- my dad came out from Chicago for two months to support me on my journey, driving countless miles and running supplies. It was always such a treat to see him waiting for me at the trailhead and I cherish the time we were able to spend together.
  

  Me and my Dad at the Grand Canyon

Amazing that it all came together as well as it did. There were so many different pieces that had to work properly and I consider myself very fortunate that everyone involved stayed safe and healthy.

So now I’ve hiked the Arizona Trail twice, and am proud to be part of a pretty short list of repeaters. I’d hike it a third time, that’s how spectacular this trail is. Next time it will be southbound in the fall to see a different perspective. Who knows when that will be, for now I’ve got to shift my focus to my upcoming season as a guide on the Colorado River. The only thing keeping me sane after my hike is that I know that I’ll be spending my summer in my favorite place, the Grand Canyon.

Wading in Deer Creek near the Patio

Incredible light on Conquistador Aisle

Whether you came to the events and hikes or virtually followed along, it was great to share this incredible journey with you. Thanks for being a part of it!

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Arizona Trail Trek – Kaibab Plateau

May 27-30

After over two months of hiking, the Utah border was now only 5 days away! I left the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and hiked north through the large pines, fir, and aspen. The weather on the Kaibab Plateau, at 9000 ft., was nice and cool and perfect for hiking. I was delighted to find that the horned lizards were all micro-chicken sized! It was so cute!!

Trail north of the Grand Canyon

Tiny little horned lizard

Micro-chicken sized horned lizard

The trail took me to the North Rim Entrance Station, where someone had kindly put out water for hikers. Near the beginning of the Kaibab #101 Trail, there was a fire lookout just a short walk from the trail. It was totally worth the trip and gave me one last view of my beloved Grand Canyon and the San Francisco Peaks.

Thanks for the water and the report!

Fire Lookout

Grand Canyon from the Fire Lookout

The #101 is a unique experience on the Arizona Trail- traveling through broad, grassy meadows ringed by aspen and fir. There are many small lakes and the hiking is easy. I found a clearing, made dinner, and called it a night. One thing that made my dinners amazing on the AZT was that I added Rising Hy Habanero Olive Oil to each of my meals. It added calories and fat while giving my dinners a kick to keep them from being boring.

Little hiker guy

 

Kaibab Plateau Camp

The next morning, two hikers passed me as I was packing up. It was Free and EZgoing, who are completing the trail by doing big sections at a time. Had a nice chat with them before heading to my next objective: East Rim View.

Free and EZgoing

Lovely!

I got a little water at Crystal Spring and played with my self-timer while waiting for the gravity filter to do its thing.

Killing time while my water filters

Soon, I caught a view of Marble Canyon, the northern part of the Grand Canyon and House Rock Valley below. This was what I’d been waiting for! The sky was a bit hazy because of fire in the area, but it was spectacular nonetheless. Stopped short of the parking lot at East Rim View and took a long break to enjoy the scenery.

East Rim View of Marble Canyon

Eventually, I had to continue northward. I met some guys doing trail maintenance and they congratulated me for being almost done. Such a strange feeling to know it will all be over soon. The trail meandered through meadows and entered Tater Canyon.

Dog Lake

Tater Canyon

A gorgeous day!

I had a great time, traveling through cool meadows while the rest of the state was boiling hot. The trail left Tater Canyon and traveled through an aisle of aspen. I’d love to come back and hike this when the fall colors are happening!

The sky darkened, but I didn’t get rained on, though I could smell it in the air. I stopped at Crane Lake for some water and didn’t tighten one of my containers all the way and it leaked into my pack. Thankfully my sleeping bag didn’t get wet.  This part of the trail was closed and rerouted onto the highway when I hiked in 2008, and I was looking forward to seeing a piece of trail I hadn’t seen before. It was getting dark as I ascended Telephone Hill in the burn area. The sunset was interesting with all the burnt silhouettes.

Telephone Hill Sunset

I camped near the trailhead and managed to find an area cleared of burned trees. There were tons of deer running around as I set up camp.

The next morning, I was woken up by deer bouncing past my campsite. My mom flew in from Chicago to join me and my dad, who’d been helping me the whole hike. My parents came out to the trailhead in the morning to visit me and they brought hot coffee and cookies from Jacob Lake. Sweet!

I was not too impressed with the trail north of Telephone Hill- besides being completely burned, it was an old road that often was right beneath Highway 67. It was hazy, but I caught a glimpse of the Vermilion Cliffs in the distance.

Vermilion Cliffs in the distance

Finally, the trail exited the burn area and was back in the pines again. It entered a canyon and traveled along the bottom. This was where I met two Hayduke Trail hikers in 2008, one of which would go on to save one of my dear friend’s Kimberlie’s life when she had a stroke while on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012. Crazy how life works sometimes. She went on to make a complete recovery and thru-hiked the whole PCT in 2013. Visit her blog to read about it!

As I was getting closer to Jacob Lake, I realized it was still early and I didn’t want to be done for the day. Found a great grassy spot and relaxed for a while. I took out my camera and looked at pictures from earlier in the Trek- I saw so many wonderful things and met so many fantastic people. What an experience.

Eventually, hunger won over and I hiked the rest of the way to the trailhead, where my parents met me and took me to Jacob Lake.

Getting closer to Utah!

The next morning, I got ready for my last backpacking trip on the Arizona Trail Trek. I planned on hiking to Winter Road, where a group of people would meet me in the morning to hike the final 11 miles to the Utah border. I was pretty sad at the fact that my journey was coming to an end, when I mentioned it to my husband he laughed. Of course you’re sad, he said- your fantasy life where you get to hike all day and get to meet awesome people is almost over.

I met some of the trail stewards for the passage north of Jacob Lake and they joined me for a couple of miles. The terrain changed as I descended, from pine forest into pinyon-juniper. I had followed spring all the way up the state and wildflowers began to appear.

Trail stewards in their natural environment

Skyrocket

Delphinium

Mariposa Lily

And then it happened. I turned the corner and there it was through the sagebrush flat- my first glimpse of Utah! Colorful cliffs and mountains to the north stopped me in my tracks and I had a little celebration.

Look- it’s Utah!!

The trail traveled through sagebrush, the dirt underfoot was red, and Utah popped in and out of view. Too soon, I was at Winter Road and my day of hiking was over. I found a spot under a juniper with a view of the red domes of Coyote Buttes. I savored every moment of the last sunset of the trail.

Trail through the sagebrush

Yay! Thanks to all the folks who put water out for me!

Last sunset of the Arizona Trail Trek

Next up: my last miles into Utah and the completion of the Arizona Trail Trek!

 

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