Miles Hiked: 22
AZT Progress: 570
I woke up completely exhausted this morning. Last night was cold once again and I didn’t sleepy very well. I wanted to get moving relatively early since I was so looking forward to getting to town but it was 6am by the time I started hiking. I made it to Horse Lake where I planned on filling up water but I decided not to because I would have been covered in mud if I did. I could see an awesome view of Humphreys Peak (the highest peak in AZ) from the lake and I took a break to eat some snacks even though I was only three miles in to the day. I was just so tired that I was taking breaks every three miles. After Horse Lake the trail went over a very rocky Anderson Mesa with lots of Juniper trees. I said Hi to Late Start as she was just waking up from her late night and continued on in search of water. I accidentally walked off the trail and into a whole bunch of mud around another “tank”. Wet feet and still no water. Eventually I came to yet another tank where I tried carefully scooping water from the shallows while standing on the edge of all the mud. It wasn’t very successful but I did get a half liter of water from it at least. I ended up being able to get a whole liter of water from a much more easier access and cleaner looking puddle near a trailhead. It’s kind of funny that the puddle was a much better water source than any of the tanks.
The trail meandered all the way to Flagstaff through the ponderosa pine forest. There were many switch backs and I could tell this part of the trail was made for mountain bikers vs hikers. Late Start caught up to me while I was taking a break and we walked the last ten miles to town together. Both of us were dehydrated and without enough water but she was even worse than me since she missed the puddle and thought town was closer than it actually was. I shared my water and chewing gum to get us by. Eventually we split off from the AZT and on to the Flagstaff Urban trail that most hikers take into town. I’ve heard that for the most part only equestrians use the actual AZT around Flagstaff since it’s way easier for hikers to reach their resupply options via the urban route. We passed quite a few runners as we got closer to Flagstaff. Eventually the trail joined a paved bike trail and then a sidewalk that went to a Taco Bell where I was scheduled to be picked up by Melody. While I was waiting I got three tacos, fiesta potatoes, a soda and the cinnamon treats for desert. Melody was there within 30 minutes to get me. I was surprised! She drove me back to her and Rims house stopping at the grocery store on the way to grab some food so I got some ice cream, a protein shake, and part of a resupply while we were there. Melody chatted to me about Ultra Running and her and Tims many trips to the Grand Canyon on the way to their house. When I got there Tim was extremely welcoming showing me all around the house including the little cabin where I was able to stay in the back yard. It was so cute! I took a shower, got my laundry done, and ate some snacks. Melody made a salad and lasagna for dinner for everyone including me and two other hikers staying with them named Morgan aka “High Life” and Martin aka “Pistachio”. We had so much fun eating dinner together. Everyone cleaned up and we were all in bed by 8pm. I love the hiker sleep schedule. Early to bed, early to rise. I was so happy curled up in my cozy bed in the loft of the cabin.
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 