Arizona National Trail–Passage 1 and 2 Scouting Trip (April 6, 2016)

Scouting and Research Trip.

Leaving the Coronado National Forest where I spent two nights, I head out in search of the next trail heads. It’s confusing when you are first learning about the Trail and some of what I wrote here was actually in Passage 1.  I will correct it below.

And I found water along the way.

Maybe I am weird but I am fascinated by wild animal scat and their practice of pooping on top of rocks, and here, on top of a cow plop.  There are seeds and berries in the scat.

Checked out some of the side roads for possible future dispersed camping.  Lots of good spots.  I was fascinated by the large Sycamore to the right of my van.

Kept heading toward Parker Canyon Lake.  This is where Passage 1 ends and 2 begins.

This was interesting, a large fenced in area, with barbed wire to keep people out.  Maybe a place for a helicopter to land???  Nothing in there but this sign.

Saw this very large bird???  A hawk???

Not much of anything else out there… then suddenly, this… Lone Mountain Ranch.

Turning off on Sunnyside Road, I’m off to look for the Trail Head.  There was a black PVC piping along the road.  This is actually still Passage 1.

I tried to follow the directions in the trail guide, but came to a stop in the next photo and decided to go no farther.

From the guide book, page 55: The bottom of Sunnyside Canyon often contains flowing water during snowmelt.

Walking to the bottom of the rough road, I found good water, very clean looking.

NO, ol’ SwankieWheels is not driving down that hill.  Strictly a 4-wd road.

OK, I can not find it.  Also no place to turn around, so I backed up the road about .2 of a mile and managed to turn around.  And there it was, Sunnyside Canyon Trailhead.  Very nice by the way.

Didn’t hike there.  Felt the need to sleep… and had a very long well-deserved nap.  It was so very quiet there.  Not another soul.  But finally I woke and decided to drive on.  Thought of pitching my tent there and trying it out for a night, but didn’t.

I had trouble finding the above trailhead… but when I got back out to the highway, there was the sign for 228, I think it’s because my mileage does not match up with the trail book as I have oversized tires on my van and my gauge has not been reset to allow for that.  So many things to consider.

A little farther and another trailhead at Scotia Canyon, still in Passage 1.  Lots of room.  I did not stay.  Pushed on to the lake.

Finally, the end of Passage 1 and beginning of Passage 2, at Parker Canyon Lake.

It’s a very nice Trailhead.

A pair of birds (?). What kind?  This is the best I could zoom on them. The one on right looked like it had a white head.

Seniors with pass, only $5 a night.

Store was closed.

Parker Canyon Lake… pretty nice, but store was closed.  Another friend of mine was there but I didn’t know it until after I had left.  I’ll have to come back on day and kayak.

Canelo Hills East… missed it somehow????

Canelo Hills East… here’s the sign but I did not see more signs or a turnoff.

From the guidebook, page 59:  Very few outdoor enthusiasts explore the hills north of Parker Canyon Lake.  Because they don’t command the respect of higher mountain ranges nearby, the Canelo Hills go relatively unnoticed.  But as with many of Arizona’s natural wonders, careful examination reveals incredible beauty.  The trail follows a rolling path up and down hills and crosses many arroyos.  Although this is not designated wilderness area, there is little evidence of humans along the trail.

Suddenly the land becomes flat, open range… cattle and cowboy country.  I always like the look and feel of that.

From there, I found a wide place on the right side of the road to pull off and spend the night.  It was not a trailhead, but lots of camping has taken place there and I had a good strong 4G signal.  And it was very quiet that night.  Turns out that was actually in Passage 3.

Last: Passage 1 - In the beginning…

Next: Passage 3 - Canelo Hills West

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Arizona National Trail–Passage 1 Scouting Trip (April 5, 2016)

For more than 2 years I have been planning this hike, Arizona National Scenic Trail, or the AZT, and now it begins, well sort of… I still do not have the gear I need for an extended stay in the wilderness, but I have begun as of today, to explore the trail by road, visiting as many trail towns, trailheads, etc. as I can reach with my van. 

From guide book, p. 50:  A historic obelisk and simple barbed-wire fence at the Mexico-U.S. border mark the official start of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) from it’s southernmost point.  Here, before your eyes unfolds the expansive San Rafael Valley – a unique Sonoran grassland environment that is beautiful during all seasons.

Entering the Coronado National Monument, this sign was a disappointment, No Camping.

The Visitor Center.  They were friendly and has a few nice exhibits.

Today I began with Passage 1, a roundtrip hike from Montezuma Pass, in the Coronado National Monument to the Mexican border.  I was told by the Visitor Center that is was 3.7 miles round trip but that may not be correct.  Afterwards, my body felt like it was more like 37 miles. 

This is the hike I did 4/5/16.

Yes, I have some conditioning to do… and am going to do it… “on-the-trail” training (you know, like on-the-job training?).  As I travel by van to check out the locations, I will be going out on some overnights, camping out, testing my gear, and then returning to the van.  I will refine my body and my gear as I proceed northward to the UT border where I will begin the solo thru hike southward.  I pray, my gear and I will be ready for it by then, early Fall 2016.

From the guide book, page 53:  At the top of Coronado Peak, is where Flagstaff schoolteacher Dale Shewalter sat with friends on a clear, cool evening and presented the question of whether it would be possible to link a series of trails across the entire state.  (When I learned he had the same birthdate as me, I considered it a sign, that I should hike this trail.  May 16.)

A spur from the Joe’s Canyon Trail, the trail descends steeply to the US/Mexico border. Here you can view International Boundary Marker 102 located at the southwestern corner of the park. This trail marks the southern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, an 800+ mile diverse and scenic trail that extends from Mexico to Utah. For your safety, please do not cross over fence into Mexico.

There was a fire a few years back that killed many of the trees.

Joe's Canyon Trail and the Coronado Peak Trail are both part of the National Trails System and classified as National Recreational Trails. The Yaqui Ridge and Crest Trails are part of the larger Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) which stretches nearly 800 miles from the Arizona-Mexico border at Coronado National Memorial to the Arizona-Utah border.

My hike was surprisingly beautiful.  I didn’t expect that.

Trail markers, a rock cairn, and an AZT marker.

I thought I had to hike all the way down there, but then around the bend, there it was the border and the marker.

From the guide book, page 52:  After touching the monument and traveling north for almost 2 miles, you arrive at a trailhead at Montezuma Pass.  Getting there is worth the effort, as you will no doubt agree when the passage climbs onto the first of several landforms called sky islands, which are unique to Arizona.  These isolated mountain ranges rise several thousand feet above the surrounding desert, resulting in dramatically different life zones from those found at lower elevations only a few miles away.  These elevated biotic communities are evidence of what the Sonoran Desert climate was like 10,000-plus years ago and as the climate has warmed, the plants and animals have retreated higher into the hills.  Thus, these sky islands are surrounded by a sea – of desert.

The fence was cut open in a number of places.  That was my greatest fear, was running into Mexicans, but I saw none.  I saw no people until I was almost back at the parking lot.  Then I saw a female guide taking two people to this location.

Post put there after a Treaty between Mexico and America.

Well there it is, the beginning of Passage 1 of the AZ Trail.  Now that I have hiked it, I might not return in the Fall.  I forgot to take my photo at the monument, so who knows, I may come back just to do that.  I sure it will be easier to hike at the end of the 800 miles than at the beginning.

There were more trees along the trail than I expected, and they gave some welcomed shade. I rested under this one a long time, just to listen to the quiet. (my brain is making too much noise).  I felt very at home and at peace out there, alone in the wilderness.

Tiny tiny little flowers, smaller than a penny.

Ah ha, almost back to parking lot.  And as I got to the parking lot, there was a young lady seeing a male hiker off… his pack looked very very heavy and he was carrying at least 3 gallons of water.  I told him I thought he had enough water.  I don’t think I could have carried his pack.

I used 1 1/2 bottle of water, a few grapes, and a couple bites of a Payday candy bar (and had no breakfast).  I began at 7am and returned to the van at 11:30am.  And I was slow.

Yes, I am a happy camper, a tired and sore happy camper.

From there I went on to find two more trailheads, Sunnyside Canyon Trailhead and also Parker Canyon Lake Trailhead.  Parker Canyon is where Passage 1 ends and 2 begins.

More details on training and conditioning.

Next:  Passage 1 & 2 - Scouting and Research Trip.

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I still need gear.  Please donate to my equipment fund for the Arizona Trail hike, in the Fall 2016.  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. You can see a list of gear I need at http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/p/wish-list.html .

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Back to the Wilderness, Again.

My season in Quartzsite this year was about “regrouping.”

Before and after.  I think it looks better now.  I got ride of five large Rubbermaid tubs, and lots of other stuff.

 

Side door. Before and after.  I did not sell my passenger seat so I just loaded it up.  Maybe I can sell it next season?  I have very little I would have to move to actually get in there and sit at my desk and work.  Hooray.

Between that and building a new cabinet for my new batteries, it has been a busy and productive season, though NOT rock ways.

Before and after.

But now… I really must get me some wilderness.

Yesterday (4/3/16), I left Quartzsite and headed east.  Got to the outskirts of Tucson and could not bear the idea of driving in that traffic, so I found a sporting goods store and bought a cheap little pedometer.  I want to know how far I walk each day, so I can increase it each day.

Today, I woke in Tucson, in a Walgreen Parking lot and began thinking of things that needed to happen.  I tried to drive but rush hour traffic put me into a panic attack, so I found a place to park so I could work on those things.  Wanted to check the balance in my bank accounts, and I normally put it on a Sticky note on the card itself.  Wait, where are the other cards.  Whoops, cleaned out my desk drawer last thing before I left Q… and there they are, in the baggy, in my trailer, in Quartzsite.  OK, no worry, I’ll get on line and check things.  That was good, had a little more “rock” money left over than I remembered. 

Went to Auto Zone and yep, my Catalytic Converter is bad, Chevy said it probably would be.  May need that rock money to replace it.  Next, but a HOLD with my mail forwarding service and send me a list of any mail they get in.  Will visit a friend from high school when I go back through Tucson and hopefully she knows a mechanic who can do the work reasonably.  Hope hope.

Next, find my SPOT device.  Need to park so I can unload the back and get into my backpack and find it.  Whoops, it’s not in there!  It’s not in my desk.  It’s not in my glove box.  Where is it?  Think.  WAIT a minute, look in my day pack.  There you are you sneaky little think.  Got on line and updated my O.K. message.  Sent an email out to verify the people on my list want to remain on it.  Emailed my sons to verify their phone numbers for 911 notification, just in case.

Check maps and see how to get out of Tucson without killing myself or someone else.  A woman actually rear-ended me in front of Auto Zone… I had backed up and was taking up the whole driving space, and she ran right into me, but it only dinged the rubber coating on the hitch ball cover.  No problem.  She admitted she was looking down.  She did a lot more damage to her front end… and had many other dings on her car.  I told her to forget about it… and we went out own ways.

So made it all the way to Montezuma’s Pass.  Checked in at the Visitor Center and since it was already after 3pm, I will postpone my hike to the Mexican Border until tomorrow morning.  I drove down the road a bit to camp/park for the night.  Saw something going up the hill near my camp, probably deer.  It’s very quiet here and I don’t expect any cars tonight.  An elevation of over 5,000 ft., should be comfortable sleeping tonight, and no cell signal, so I can’t get online.  OK, my panic attack is over… I am back in the wilderness.  Phew!!!!

Trailhead going to Mexican border.  It’s downhill about 600 ft. drop in elevation, so not heavily used by anyone trying to run the boarder as they would have to make a steep 600ft climb in a short distance.  Makes no sense.  But two huge Border Patrol trucks are parked up there, looking down either side of the pass.  Impressive.

Much safe than I would have imagined.  Border patrol keeps going by.

(now for a good night’s sleep.)  (Next morning… or not.  They camp by all night long)

More tomorrow, about my first miles on the AZ Trail.

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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 Arizona Trail hike, in the Fall 2016.  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. You can see a list of gear I need at http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/p/wish-list.html .

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