Miles Hiked: 30.1
AZT progress: 343.7
Today’s goal was to get to Roosevelt Lake before it started to precipitate predicted around 5pm as well as pick up my resupply box from my parents before the marina closed at 6pm. I started hiking at 5:10am continuing down the dirt road I camped off of last night. I had been awake since 2am trying to fall back asleep and finally it was time to go. I now like to start around 5am since the sun will be up around 6am. To start the day I ended up taking a wrong turn on the dirt road and gaining some steep elevation before I realized I went the wrong way, turning around, I found trail was hidden tucked away by a fallen tree. In the first mile I had already fallen straight over backwards on the slippery dirt road with my shoes that had very little traction. This quite literally looks and feels like I am a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel and landing straight on their back after a brief second of catching air.
After I was back on the trail it crossed several water sources as it ascended to Reavis Ranch. There were so many steep climbs today. At one point the trail dropped 800 feet straight down, crossed a stream and went 800 feet straight back up onto an incredibly windy ridge. It felt like my pack was going to help me blow over; the wind was so strong I was getting knocked off balance. After all the difficult climbing, the trail got on a very rocky dirt road. I fell down quite a few times on my way into Roosevelt. When I first saw the lake I was absolutely blown away that something like that could exist in Arizona. It is a human made lake via a dam and it provides water for the Phoenix area. It was so pretty. I thought the coolest part about it was that it is almost completely surrounded by the Tonto national forest so there is practically no development on it or very many boats on the lake at all. I successfully arrived at the Roosevelt Marina before the storm blew in. I stopped in at the store and picked up my box for $10. My family shipped me a classically great resupply mostly consisting of protein pucks, protein powder, my favorite snacks, and two backpacking meals for dinner. They know what I have consistently eaten on every trail over the years. It was the first box I received on the trail and I was so looking forward to it. Shipping a box there was a smart move as the only resupply option was the expensive marina store that was basically a gas station. I really appreciate having more substance to my diet than snickers bars. At the marina was a “hiker shed” with a massive hiker box, a place to charge things, and a picnic table with a few hikers hanging around. A man named “Merlin” was doing trail magic. I drank a PBR and absolutely destroyed a plate of homemade cookies that he made in his Van. I had such a weird craving for a homemade warm chocolate chip cookie yesterday and this trail magic provided exactly what I was wanting. I got a fish sandwich to go from the marina restaurant and Scott picked me up to go stay at his and Becky’s beautiful oasis of a house that they call “Rosie’s Place” after their rescue dog that lives there. Scott and Becky are two registered trail angels that live in Tonto basin and help hikers out with a place to stay, rides, and water caching. I had such a relaxing night getting clean and staying with them. I was warm, cozy, out of the storm and excited to sleep as the lack of no sleep lately has really been starting to impact me.
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
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