Arizona National Scenic Trail Hike Training–Began July 13, 2015

What is the Arizona Trail?

The Arizona Trail is an 800+ mile recreation trail from Mexico to Utah that connects mountain ranges, canyons, deserts, forests, wilderness areas, historic sites, trail systems, points of interest, communities, and people. It serves dayhikers, backpackers, equestrians, mountain bicyclists, trail runners, nature enthusiasts, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and mule and llama packers.
The trail can also be described in two other ways; for its features, and for the experience it provides.   (From:  http://www.aztrail.org/at_about.html)

I will be doing this as a solo hike.  I would also like to raise money for some worthy cause by doing the hike, but have not yet selected a cause.  I am open to suggestions.

Training Day One

I have never been thin and am genetically a hefty woman, my bones are not petite.  I can’t change any of that, but I can become more fit, and therefore, more healthy.  My mother died in her 50s, I believe, from messing around with all kinds of diets in an effort to be thin and attractive to “other” people.  I thought she was the most beautiful woman on earth, but she ruined all that by being obsessed with weight.  So, I made up my mind long ago, that I would not take that same path.  I will NOT diet.   I’m gonna be happy first, and give happiness to those I love.  She became so vain about her appearance that she was miserable and lost track of what was really important.

How the heck could she look any better?  Why did she feel so inferior? Well, I can’t change any of that either.

For several years now I have wanted to train to hike the AZ Trail (820 miles). Ironically, it was a let-down to complete my goal of kayaking all 50 states and I immediately felt the need to find a new challenge.  A friend of mine had talked about hiking the AZ Trail and my son had hiked both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, and so I thought, that’s it… I will hike the AZ Trail.  It is as if, having a big, almost impossible goal in front of me gives me purpose and a reason to go on living (a promise I made to David Swankie on his death bed).  Trust me, I’d trade the dream in for the chance to be the Grandma, like the kind of grandma my Grandma was to me, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.  I decided after kayaking my 50th state, Hawaii, that I would hike the AZ Trail in spring of 2015.  But, last year family health issues prevented me from beginning my training, however, today, July 13, 2015, I began.

There are four main components  preparing for the hike: 1) get fit, food wise, 2) get fit, fitness wise, 3) learn how to ward off biting bugs, 4) get the equipment I need. I have read a 2002 book on the hike written by a guy from Ireland.  The Trail was not even completed until 2012.  I have the new book.  I will join the Arizona Trail Association.   I will be studying what is needed, like GPS device, boots, etc. and making a wish list to add to my Training Updates.  These items will be made available on my Amazon Store as well. 

I should also add that I am not new to backpacking or hiking.  I hiked and trained with Paul Petzoldt, founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School.  We were actually camp-mates (sharing tent, meals, supplies) in 1977, and I learned so much from him.  This was the pilot class for his plan to develop a nation-wide training for outdoor leaders.  He set the standards for “leave no trace” and responsible use of the outdoors.  I hiked with him for three weeks once, with all supplies needed for the whole time period, on MY back, and in fact all his food was on my back too (“the leader doesn’t carry the food or cook”).   In 1978, I worked with him in establishing the Wilderness Use Education Association, I was his administrative assistant. I organized a nation-wide tour for him to travel and speak at all the major outdoor recreation colleges in the country, about the need for responsible outdoor leaders and the leave no trace philosophy.  The name has since been shortened to Wilderness Education Association and some of the people I hiked and trained with in 1977 are still with the Association, although Paul is now deceased.

Paul Petzoldt, and one of the camp meals I prepared for us.  He was a legend in his own time.  So, I know stuff… he taught me stuff. Lots of stuff.

Our camp in the high Tetons.  I CAN do this.  I am not new to all this, but I AM really out of shape.

But for today, 48 years later, July 13, 2015 this is what I did to get started:

1) I hiked up and down mountain terrain for about 3 hrs.,

Left: 2015,  Right: Me in the Tetons 1977.

2) I only bought 1 soda at fast food and no other junk, 3) I traded in my change for a $10.48 Coinstar coupon and bought $6 worth of fresh veggies, 4) I made and ate a very yummy, very healthy salad (have enough greens for one tomorrow also). And finally, 5) I'm pretty proud of all that.  It’s a good beginning.

Oh, and I forgot one thing, I bought fresh garlic, and added a whole clove to my salad. It burned my mouth, but lots of people said it would help with skeeter bites.  I will add a clove of garlic to everything I cook or eat.   If I'm gonna do 820 miles of walking in the great outdoors, I have to be less of a magnet for biting bugs. Time will tell. Today I hiked using bug spray, and a head net and hat.

OK, full disclosure is required: (my aim is not to loose weight, it will be what it will be) Weight today: (ugh) 240 lbs.

I will end my updates with full disclosure confessions like my weight above and anything I goofed up on: The coke was the only bad thing today.

Lastly: face shot of me today, full-body shot to be included when someone is around to take one.

Always hated photos of myself... but the only way to succeed is to be open and honest.

I lost weight before… but gained most of it back.  It is not my goal to loose weight, but to challenge myself beyond what I think I can do.  To become better than I have ever been before. 

Left taken about 2009, and Right taken May 2014, the year I turned 70.  Unfortunately, I have regained some of the weight due to inactivity.

Who knows what I will look like or feel like at the end of the trail.  I will begin the hike as one person, and come out the end of the trail as someone I have never met before.  Boy, I hope that will be a good thing?!  I am not doing it to make David Swankie or Paul Petzoldt proud of me, they are dead.  I am doing it all for me!!!  (But if you want to learn more about my mentor, Paul Petzoldt… see his publications on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=paul+petzoldt&tag=mh0b-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=1695751562&hvqmt=p&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_35flig7dba_p .)

Training Day Two:  Today I was lazy, but ate right and bought no fast food.  One step at a time.  Wrote this blog.

---

Thank you for doing your usual Amazon shopping using my affiliate link.

Help me a little if you can by donating to my equipment fund for the hike.  I promise to pay it forward.  There is a PayPal donation button in the top right corner, but I realize people using phone may not see that so I am repeating the button below.

---

Contribute to Equipment for the Trail Hike:

50th State: Hawaii–Swankie’s Final State to Paddle

Photo by Richard Bailey

This is a long post with lots of photos, so give it time to load.  I felt that my readers deserve to know what Hawaii was like for me. Thank you all for your support.

Took an airbus shuttle from Monterey, CA to the San Jose, CA airport at 4am on 5/13.  Flight left at 8:30am and I arrived in Maui midday.  Took six local buses to the timeshare my friends Matt and Cherrish Beals would be staying in that night, they would be arriving later in the evening.  I made myself comfortable in a recreation area and watched t.v. until they arrived.  First two nights I would be staying with them.  The next evening my son would arrive and I stayed in his hotel that night. 

Rich checking out the view from our timeshare.
Rich said: “This does not suck.”

The next three nights we stayed in another timeshare provided as a gift to me, by Matt and Cherrish.  Last night I was on Maui, I stayed with Matt and Cherrish again… and they took me back to the airport the next day.  Kinda a crazy schedule, but it was the only way I could have afforded the trip and reached my goal to kayak Hawaii this year.

Saw some interesting things while waiting for others to arrive.  This dog had just jumped from the empty surf board to the one he is on in the photo.  No fear.

I had finally come to the end of my Kayak America Adventure… Hawaii, my 50th state to kayak.  Although we talked about renting gear and kayaks and doing our own thing, I decided I wanted to use Maui Kayaks and do a tour to make sure I got to see interesting stuff.  I decided on their Makena/Wailea Explorer Tour.

Photo by Matt Beals.

May 16, 2014 – Charlene’s 70th Birthday.

From their brochure:  Our Signature Trip!  This South Maui kayak and snorkel eco-adventure is no ka oi!  Enjoy the calm, clear waters of Turtle Town where you will encounter an abundance of Hawaiian green sea turtles, occasional dolphin sightings, as well as dozens of vibrant tropical species of fish.  Experience snorkeling at Five Graves, where you can look into the skylight cave from the water’s surface or swim down and get a closer look!  Explore the historic Pu’uolai coastline.  We finish our adventure with a delicious buffet-style picnic lunch on the beach.

We arrived at the appointed spot at 7am and got our gear, kayaks, and instructions.  As luck would have it, at least from my point of view, another woman was suppose to be in our group, but had sprained her ankle and cancelled.  We had our guide all to ourselves.

Our guide, John Sheppell.

As soon as we reached the area… we saw turtles.  The one below is heading straight toward my kayak (that’s the tip of my kayak) and that is Cherrish in the other kayak.

I love the next photo, as I am not zoomed in… he was really that close.

He dove below the surface right next to me and though my camera is good down to 5’ underwater, I just didn’t want to risk it.  However Rich had a GoPro with him and got underwater photos of this one and others after we were all in the water.

I have only once before gotten off my kayak in deep water, and when I did it was extremely difficult to get back onboard (a supervised self rescue in the Monterey Bay, with instructors of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary standing by and advising me).  A self-rescue is mandatory in becoming a volunteer for the group.  So I was concerned about throwing myself out of the boat with only a snorkel mask, leaving the life vest in the boat.  But off I went.  I tend to panic when I try to use a snorkel, so I didn’t put the mouthpiece in my mouth until I was in the water and comfortable bobbing around.

My son and I kayaking Hawaii together.  His birthday is a week before mine.  What a hoot.

Finally we were all in the water and swimming with the sea turtles. 

Photo by Matt Beals

Very large Green Hawaiian Sea Turtle, me behind it, and my son with his GoPro camera on the right.  This was the highlight of my Hawaiian experience.

After our paddle and swim with the turtles, we returned to the beach to a wonderful lunch that John (guide) had prepared for us.

He was a wonderful guide, and knowledgeable about all the wildlife and sea creatures and a funny funny guy.  John Sheppell (I think that is his last name but can’t find his card right now).  He wanted me to share a link to his photography which supplements his income.  I will add it when I find the card.

It was a grand birthday and I just don’t see how any birthday can get any better than this one.

That evening we all went to dinner together at Mala’s on the shore.  It was a wonderful meal and the boys picked up the tab.  Very good food and sea turtles swimming in the water right beside us.  So many sea turtles.

Next morning my son Richard treated me to breakfast as Slappy Cakes.  They have griddles build right into your table… I ordered a gluten free batter and cooked my own pancakes loaded with fruit right at the table.  I had never heard of anything like that before.

Another day, my son, Richard Bailey and I decided it would be fun to dive in a submarine and so when out on the Atlantis Submarine based in Lahaina, Maui. 

There I go, down the hatch. Photo by son Richard Bailey. 

A shuttle boat is used to transfer passengers from the dock to the sub.

The “Roxi” is the pilot boat that keeps an eye on the surface and communicates with the sub about surfacing, etc.  It also tows the sub back into port each night. 

Can you see the Puffer fish on the left?

Our Captain at the helm

The submarine was much roomier than I expected and I didn’t have any sense of fear or impending panic attack.  I highly recommend this adventure.

Richard took me to dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp place.  The restaurant  was built around this very large Monkey Pod Tree.  The trunk of the tree is inside the restaurant.  The branches span beyond the walls of the restaurant.  Wild tree.

We walked around town a bit and noted the wonderful plants and interesting sites.

In the local park near the boat dock, there was a local surfboarding competition going on.  This young boy was practicing moves on a skate board.  Can’t you just see this boy out on a great pipe wave?

And then, as if my birthday could get any better, I get a surprise call from my sister-in-law, Ruth Sosa Bailey, who just flew in to Maui with her mother, to help celebrate my birthday.  We met them at Mixed Plates dinner for drinks.  Later that day we all went for pizza.

We watched a sunset together and Richard showed/introduced Senora Sosa to his ball… and did contact juggling for her.  She was fascinated and she adored Richard (who doesn’t?).  She loved the juggling as well.  And I loved her to pieces.  What a neat, happy, crazy lady.  And of course, my sister-in-law is also a jewel.  Thank you both for celebrating this special time with me.

And we spent some time walking around town, peaking in shops, eating ice cream and admiring the giant Banyan tree.

And then there were the sunsets and more contact juggling by Richard.

Thank you Richard and Matt for my wonderful and awesome birthday.

Hau’oli la Hanau to everyone else having birthdays.  Mahala and Aloha.

What’s Up Next? 
Hiking the 820-mile long Arizona Trail in 2015.

Summary of the Kayaking Adventure