Miles Hiked: 22.6
AZT Progress: 135.4
Gabe Zimmerman TH to Grass Shack
I woke up to the sunrise and a soaking wet sleeping bag at the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead this morning. I was in no rush to leave as Colossal Cave Gift Shop (my next resupply stop) only 5 miles away doesn’t open until 9am. I considered ordering Uber eats or getting a ride to the nearby town and back to eat some food but decided to save my money and time. I started hiking at 7am which is relatively late for me but I was happy. It was a long day yesterday. I wasn’t feeling anywhere near as stiff as I was expecting to. Once on trail I dipped down to a beautiful creek known as Parker Canyon. The train that I could hear all night long went right over it on a bridge. Coming out of the creek and ascending towards Collosal Cave I ran into three other hikers names Doug, Ben, and Mike as well as my first Saguaro Cactuses. The guys were all hiking much faster than me so I let them pass by. The sauguros totally grabbed my attention. There were so many and they were all different. I have waited so long to see these cactuses and I must admit that getting to hike thru Sauguro National Park played a big role in my decision to hike the AZT. I took so many pictures. Eventually I ran in to Doug again and we hiked the last mile to Colossal Cave together. We got pictures of each other in the Sauguros as well.
At Collosal Cave I resupplied completely from the hiker box which I heard was loaded. So many people sent themselves boxes of too much food here. The shop had it all organized for us which was amazing. A free resupply? And good food? Yes please! I got to charge my things and sort through my food bag while I waited for the concession stand to open. I heard they had a prickly pear margarita and I had been thinking about it since I got on trail. At 11 am I was all set with my Margarita, a corn dog, and some tater tots. Unfortunately they didn’t sell a salad or any vegetables. I need to eat a vegetable so bad! I had a blast hanging out with the three guys I met this morning while I was waiting on my food. The first time I’ve gotten to have fun with other hikers. Unfortunately they are all getting off trail for four days. Oh well.
After three hours of killing time at Colossal Cave I was back on trail in the heat of the day. Honestly it hasn’t really been that hot yet. Just enough to make me sweat and a little chilly when I stop moving. I loved it. I went through so many more sauguro cactuses on my way to Sauguro National Park. I paid $15 to walk through the park and $8 for a camp spot ahead of time on the rec.gov website. AZT hikers can camp at either Grass Shack or Manning Camp. I chose Grass Shack since it was the closest. The border of Sauguro National Park marks the start of the hardest climb on the whole trail. I was so glad I was getting to break it up in to two days and I really wanted to sleep inside the park.
The park was absolutely amazing. I think it might be my new favorite National Park. The climb up to Grass Shack Camp was so hard. It was completely exposed to the sun with only cactuses and big rocks around me. Also the terrain was very rocky and often had big rocks steps up to my hip. I was going slow. My favorite part about the hike was the amazing water sources on the way. There were so many little water falls everywhere and beautiful flowing creeks. I was not expecting that at all. I stopped to soak my feet in a few. I talked to my dad on the phone the last few miles to camp before I lost service. It was so good to talk to my family. Honestly I’ve been really lonely on this hike. I haven’t found anyone really going the same pace as me yet. I’ve spent a lot of time on trails alone before but I think this one has been a little more difficult because I feel like I have less things that I am looking forward to on this hike. Sauguro National Park felt like the best day ever. I had to end the day in the dark unfortunately but only for two miles. I was so happy when I got to Grass Shack and I saw the sign for the AZT thru hiker campsite. I quietly set up my tent since the other four tents seemed like they were all sleeping. I made a spaghetti dinner from the hiker box for dinner and it was the best thing I’ve eaten in trail so far, also the first time I’ve gotten to use my cook stove. By 8:30 pm I was asleep and I also got the best night of sleep that I’ve had on the whole trail so far. What a great day!
Happy Trails,
-Early Bird
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