Thruhiking the Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail: MM 274.5-MM 286.7 SOBO

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles every day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico
-“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R. Shewalter

Another brutally cold morning, much like yesterday. The low last night was projected to be 12º, the coldest night yet on the trail, and I would say that may well have been accurate. Fortunately I came prepared for such conditions. Today I mostly packed up inside the tent, only heating my breakfast outside, which combined helped retain some heat while doing so. Of course, I would like to have been off the Mogollon by now and not having to deal with this at all.

Still, seeing the game last night gives me a little extra energy, as does the knowledge that it is likely I am one of the first hikers to traverse the new reroute on this stretch of the AZT. Soon enough, I am back on trail, rolling through the pines once again. The trail leads to Bargaman Park, a wide open meadow area among the pines, and then curves around Pine Mountain to reach Wild Horse Tank.

Arizona Trail: Bargaman Park-Foot In Tree Tank

From here on, the guidebook and Guthook is out of date and I am one of the first hikers to traverse the new Happy Jack Passage. I will be merely following the trail ahead of me and relying only on the Coconino National Forest map I downloaded to identify potential water sources. To make matters worse, none in this area are reliable. It is going to be a challenging run to the finish of this passage, but I have confidence that I am up to the task. Following the trail from Wild Horse, more wildlife impacts are evident, including bones scattered around as well as tracks. Most seem again to be either mule deer or elk.

Despite the continued elevation, evidence of local climates emerges, possibly as a result of slightly lower elevations in places, or changes in aspect (the orientation of the land relative to the sun) – small cacti appear in places, and pinyon/juniper forest replaces the pines. It doesnt last, though, as soon enough the pines return as the trail rolls along the sides of hills and ridges once again to blend with the PJ scrubland, skirting the flank of formations like Turkey Mountain. Further proof that even when on plateaus around here, very little is truly flat. Still, it is downhill for most of the day, with only a couple climbs. Probably a good thing, given the limited water available in the area.

Foot-in-Tree Tank – Mile

I pass Foot in Tree tank toward the end of the day, the first potential water source on-trail since Wild Horse Tank and Pine Spring. I am starting to run low, so I will probably have to return here to filter some water once I find a place to camp. This water wont be easy to filter, though – it is quite muddy. I set the tent up again tonight; it will only be slightly warmer at 19º tonight than it was last night at 12º. The day ends with a beautiful sunset, though, which helps prepare me for those temperatures.

The new routing seems great, it is certainly nicer to be on singletrack rather than the combination of USFS roads that made up the prior routing, but one should be aware of the difference in water availability until source listings are updated. Tomorrow I will include a listing of which sources have been added on the new routing, which stayed the same, and which on the prior routing are no longer directly on the current routing.