This next backpacking trip will be the end
May 19, 2020 20:47:26 GMT -8
zeke, reuben, and 14 more like this
Post by desert dweller on May 19, 2020 20:47:26 GMT -8
The end of the Arizona Trail, that is. After over 20 years, I finally will have reached the northern terminus of the 820 mile trek. It started on the Mexican border in southern Arizona and it will end at the Utah state line. Section hiking the whole distance has allowed me to experience new trails. Every year my boots treaded through deserts and mountains and all the terrains in between. Almost half of the hike was completely solo. Later Larry, a friend who was helping with logistics (primarily transportation) geared up and joined the fun. Larry is more of a hunter and had never really distanced backpacked. But, his outdoor lore was deep and he made the transition quickly.
If everything works out, we will be hiking the Kaibab Plateau for 70 miles going from the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Utah. It will take six hours to drive to Jacob’s Lake this Friday, May 22nd. The hike will start on Saturday at the Grand Canyon Park’s northern boundary. The trails are rated easy to moderate and I’m figuring 10 to 12 miles a day. We will have a cache set up halfway at Jacob’s Lake. One of the vehicles will be parked there and, of course, the other one will be parked at the park boundary. Then, when we get to Jacob’s Lake, we’ll drive south to pick up the vehicle there and drive it to Utah and drive back to Jacob’s Lake to hike north and finish the hike.
If everything works out, we will be hiking the Kaibab Plateau for 70 miles going from the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Utah. It will take six hours to drive to Jacob’s Lake this Friday, May 22nd. The hike will start on Saturday at the Grand Canyon Park’s northern boundary. The trails are rated easy to moderate and I’m figuring 10 to 12 miles a day. We will have a cache set up halfway at Jacob’s Lake. One of the vehicles will be parked there and, of course, the other one will be parked at the park boundary. Then, when we get to Jacob’s Lake, we’ll drive south to pick up the vehicle there and drive it to Utah and drive back to Jacob’s Lake to hike north and finish the hike.
Full disclosure: There are a couple of sections I will need to go back and fill in. One is the Rim-to-Rim inner gorge of the Grand Canyon. I’m not doing that now because I’ve always wanted to stay at Phantom Ranch and recently they started a lottery system to stay the night there. Hopefully, I’ll get a permit at a time period I can deal with. The other large hike I need to fill in is the Mazatzal Mountains. When I was going to do that area, a few years ago, the range and roads were closed due to recent fires. It’s one of the toughest parts of AzTrail. These seventy miles coming up will be my longest given go and at 65 years old, it will, if anything, set how I hope to spend the rest of my days. Camping, hiking and living the nomad life. After a few more years of working, that is.
Here is the entire trail. We will be hiking sections 40 through 43.