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Catching some views on a shady break
Day 5: Patagonia was brilliant, but it felt good to get back on trail the next day. We caught a lift up to the trailhead on 82 and stepped off north.
The trail was much nicer a starting out than the southern segments, with good grade and following contours for nice easy climbs. The contouring got vigorous for the first half of the day as we zigzagged along a series of hills. At the top of that we went in search of water at CCC Lakes, but it wasn’t easy. We had to hike up an unmarked hillside, then wander around until we spotted an old road down to the right which finally brought two small reservoirs into view, tucked away. They looked well used by cattle but smelled clean and filtered almost clear.
El Pilar was peak for a water source/camp
The pool at the base of El Pilar was th best quality
Our camp destination was El Pilar Tank which turned out really well: the two rock pillars standing watch over excellent water springing from the cliff were dramatic. Above the spring was a flat area of soft soil, easy pitching and tons of room to share with other hikers. Because all this was down in a bowl, we were sheltered from wind and shaded.
Day 6: at this point we began to be very careful about water sources, and planning our where we could get it. I also got my trail name! So I have been dubbed “Chuckles”. Something about *mumble mumble positivity something…*
The Dude on horseback was actually a passage steward for the AZT!
We reached Apache Springs Trailhead and lo and behold the same guy who gave us trail magic near Parker Lake was here too! His son is solo hiking the AZT and he is supporting him. We chatted for a bit more and then watched as a quintessential Arizonan Cowboy rode by in chaps, on his horse, with two dogs moving about 20 head up to a range. What a moment.
If you’re coming through, stop at Kentucky Camp. Worth it. Free oranges for thruhikers!
We stopped for lunch at Kentucky Camp, and enjoyed the many historic signs leading up to it explaining the hydrological processes used to mine gold in the area at the turn of the 20th Century. The camp itself was very welcoming to hikers, offering pit toilets, sheltered furniture on a covered veranda, garbage, and tap water. Even a bucket of free oranges! They also have antique houses as BnBs if one was poshly inclined.
The fateful night…
We pushed up to Box Canyon trailhead, where we topped up on water and looked for a campsite. The stuff closest to the cache weren’t very hospitable, so we kept going another 0.7 miles to a Ridgeline. Pitched up and tried to sleep but at 1am the wind picked up hard and rattled my tent until morning.
Day 7: On half a night’s rest we set out for our longest push yet: 20 miles plus to Sahuarita Trailhead. Water was even more scarce, we tried to rely on caches because the cattle ponds were low and actively used by cattle.
The brutal winds continued all day, slamming us around on the trail. On the bright side they were cool winds for most of the day, so that was welcome. But they never quit, gusts smacking us and steady blowing the rest of the time.
The trail was downhill most of the day, and after lunch as we got down onto flatter terrain and we began to see houses dotting hillsides, indicating we were entering suburbia, the trail began to get… Illogical. It wound back and forth in silly S curves, doubling back on itself for no obvious reason. At one point I nearly walked into someone with their cathole who thought they had gone off trail for privacy but really were only a few feet off the next loop.
Quintessential AZT
In this same section we made the transition to full desert. Few trees left, and multiple varieties of cacti. The Ocotillos were in bloom which were very pretty. But we kept pounding the miles, knowing we would not see more water until Sahuarita Trailhead and the cache. We thought this would set us up for an easy 5 miles on day 8 and an Uber ride from Gabe Zimmerman trailhead.
But once we finally reached the trailhead at Sahuarita at 5pm, the winds were unabated and we realized with the flattening of terrain there would be no shelter from them or from the noise of traffic from the roads around. We were spent, and decided to call an Uber from here, into a Zero in Tucson early. What this will do to our plan is make our day on Thursday about 12 miles from Sahuarita to Colossal Caves, where there is a nice camp at the base of the hill. Then we will punch up to Grass Shack in Saguaro National Park on Friday. Should be a good plan. We will see if the plan holds up to reality!
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