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	Pine to Roosevelt Lake
	October 22nd Pining to Leave Pine We left Pine after finally finding an operational payphone, and regretfully not making another stop at the Bakery. We hiked out Hardscrabble Rd to avoid a shoulderless 2.5 mile walk along the highway. Eventually we rejoined the AZT and followed a utility road beneath some powerlines slipping and sliding along for a few muddy miles. Along the way we saw ~20 elk grazing...a few big bucks and their respective harems. We watched them for awhile before pushing on into the evening and finding camp beneath a lovely Ponderosa. Brian October 23rd Brian: The night was pretty mild, but the morning broke with a slight crispness to the air as we packed up and headed out along another dirt road. The going was a bit slow as the road was quite muddy...a thick pasty goop that eventually built up a good 3 inch layer on my shoe soles. The road turned into a decent cairned single track trail as we passed a lone carsonite post with a Wilderness Area sticker...the beginning of the Mazatzal Wilderness. We hiked on, steadily descending along White Rocks Mesa, until dropping down through a small cliffband to White Rocks Spring which was full and running. Some ocotillo cactus nearby were blooming which was an unexpected treat. Continuing our descent we dropped onto Polles Mesa, through some cow-burnt country, down a very steep 4wd road, through a lovely cottonwood tree gallery, until finally reaching Rock Creek and the East Verde River. Rock Creek was absolutely exquisite and was a welcome spot for a lunch break, a refreshing rinse, and of course a good spot to filter water. LF Ranch is just across the river and is still an active ranch, although it is situated in the wilderness area. After filtering 2.5 gallons apiece, we heaved our packs on, crossed the murky East Verde River, and began our 2,700 ft climb into the Mazatzal Mountains from the river bottom. Much of this wilderness area was charred last year in a large forest fire, and our route up was not spared from the flames. Although burnt, the landscape was still quite interesting and had an intriguing raw quality. Unfortunately my camera did not fair well from its apparent dowsing from a few nights back and I was therefore unable to capture any images of the stark beauty which we hiked through. It felt great to have a steady, continuous climbing effort and we made good time to the saddle despite our heavy loads. The recent rains had washed out the trail wherever it crossed a drainage which made for tricky footing. After reaching the saddle we contoured around through some small forested areas that did not get torched, eventually hiking through more burned areas before dropping into a drainage with a spring, and some still standing trees and understory vegetation. Climbing out of the drainage we quickly gained a saddle and decided to make camp for the night among the charred skeletons of Ponderosa and Juniper. The views were quite stunning: 6 distinct individual mountain range ridgelines fading in tones of gray on the westward horizon, and a snow capped Mt Humphrey's to the north. Amity: If I could choose any place to live, for at least part of the year, it might just be the LF Ranch. Situated near the confluences of Rock Creek and the East Verde River, surrounded by the peaks of the Mazatzals, it is absolutely idyllic. The desert landscape, red-toned and warm with cacti, particularly the Prickly Pear, suddenly gives way to a riparian oasis, leafy green and cool. A good day on the trail, a great climb with the afternoon, interesting to be walking through an area so recently affected by such a severe fire. October 24th Amity: A day of outstanding walking and the kind of scenery that draws me on step after step effortlessly. Even though much of this wilderness (at least 95% in this northern portion of the range, from appearance) was completely and thoroughly toasted to a crisp in last year's fire, this place has a good vibe, a positive energy, if you will. The Divide Trail is fantastic, even though quite obliterated by the fire, subsequent erosion (another heavy rain and I wonder if stretches will exist at all), and blowdowns. The trail is a masterpiece of fine trail construction, a relic from the days when trail architects walked and took the time to feel the land before cutting into it. Long contours, gentle arcs up and over, into and out of drainages. Plenty of climbing throughout the day, but none of it silly or superfluous. While traversing the western flank of Mazatzal Peak, the view of the trail north was a perfect testament to the quality of trail - three rolling ridges, each traversed by a length of trail completely parallel to the one on the next ridge, three lines in perfect unison, exactly the same grade, completely consistent one to the next. My shirt sleeves and legs are streaked with black, the result of climbing around all the charred remnants of trees. I feel as if I had a run-in with a crazy charcoal artist. The look is kind of appealing. Brian: A brief climb to a ridgeline got the legs warmed up and the day started today as we hiked further into the Mazatzal Wilderness. Early in the day we came to realize that the recent storm activity has left the area much more moist then normal. Nearly every drainage head that we came to and crossed had a small rivulet. These normally dry, narrow creekbeds are now broad with sediment and choked with boulders and uprooted vegetation, evidence of the infrequent yet intense flash flooding that this desert environment can be subject to. The trail today was absolutely fantastic. A contouring beauty of classic trail construction. We are about half way finished with the hike, and incredibly, this was our first day without setting foot on a road. I think this fact played a role in one of the most relaxing and peaceful days on the AZT for me thus far. The day was truly timeless and I enjoyed every minute of hiking through the charred landscape. This place has a good sense to it, even in its current barbequed state. I think we are incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to hike this wilderness as I cannot imagine the condition of the trail in the near future, particularly after another major rain, and intense vegetative re-growth post burn that will undoubtedly take place. Much of the trail is already eroded from the hillsides, and downed timber has made the going slow at times. Regardless, I would encourage hearty AZT hikers to tackle the future challenges the Northern Mazatzal Wilderness will pose for their respective hikes. Maybe the AZTA will have the foresight to plan accordingly and come up with an alternative route besides a road walk along the highway to Payson as a bypass. Despite that the day consisted largely of walking through burned forest, occasionally we would enter pockets of forest that were miraculously spared from the flames. Signs of wildlife was abundant, as if the animals had consolidated themselves to the remaining habitable lands. We saw 3 sets of individual bear tracks, cat prints, horned lizards, a rattlesnake, and tarantulas throughout the day as we hiked through these oases of habitat. We are camped tonight on a high saddle just down trail from the turnoff for Bear Springs. Thankfully we are in a small grove of live trees which are doing a wonderful job at breaking the wind, and shading us from the glow of a near full moon. October 25th Brian: I slept fitfully most of night, but regardless we got going at a reasonable hour with the intention of hiking ~25 miles to Sycamore Creek, just past HWY 87. Just after Bear Spring, the destruction of the fire seemed to taper off. The trail was pretty overgrown in spots and numerous blowdowns made the going tedious at times. After a few miles of this, the trail cleared up all the way to the Mt Peeley trailhead. Along the route in the morning we saw tons of bear scat and a few prints, but no views of the actual critter. We descended from Mt Peeley into a maze of drainages and gullys, often on uncomfortably steep and eroding sections of trail. Apparently the trail crew boss responsible for the beautiful contours of the northern Mazatzal had retired before this section was worked. Anyway, we eventually climbed to the saddle of Saddle Mountain, and began a slow descent towards Hwy 87 through some very nice drainages where we noticed our first Barrel Cacti of the trip. Upon reaching HWY 87, we crossed beneath it and headed towards Sycamore Creek and began filtering water for the next day and a half until we reach Roosevelt Lake, ~37 miles away. Camp tonight is highly urban as we are quite close to the HWY, in the flight path for aircraft landing in Phoenix, and apparently close to someone's private shooting range. Glad I brought the earplugs... Amity: Another day of good walking and the first with the feeling of truly being in a different climatic zone of Arizona than what we have been in thus far. Even the temperatures, daytime and night, feel a few degrees warmer. The scenery is outstanding and I have to say that I had no idea Arizona was so mountainous, this being my first time through the state. October 26th Amity: I'm impressed with our forward effort today, good progress towards Roosevelt Lake, which has been visible since early in the day. We are in the Four Peaks Wilderness and it is truly spectacular. Craggy peaks and sparse rocky landscape. The views east and west are phenomenal, ridges, prominence's and jagged protrusions. This section has been amazing in the variety of ground covered and well worth the effort. Getting into Roosevelt tomorrow will feel good. I've been spending way too much time thinking about food and just a night ago dreamt I was eating a barbecue sandwich. I was mightily disappointed not to find the real deal when I awoke. Showers. There was a shower at the North Rim, another on the South, one in Flagstaff, for a total of three. Mormon Lake had showers but we passed, having just bathed in Flagstaff. Pine did not have showers. Depending on the shower situation in Roosevelt, I may be close to breaking my personal record of 10 full days without a good soapy cleaning. Brian: Camping close by to a water source or related low spot is never a good idea. Limited options last night left us no choice, so when we awoke with soggy sleeping bags, we were not surprised, just disappointed. Heading off towards the Four Peaks Wilderness and hopeful of getting in as many miles as possible, we began our climb from Sycamore Creek to Boulder Creek. Although faint in places, much of the route was in good shape up to Boulder Creek. Just about every carsonite AZT post was blown off at about knee height...surely the enthusiasm of some local gunslinger tired of shooting at cans or discarded refrigerators by the HWY. Anyway, the trail along side Boulder Creek was a bushwhacking adventure as much of the trail was steep, eroded, and overgrown. There did appear to be some new trail tread at one point heading upwards to a ridgeline, but since it was unblazed, we stuck to the original route until reaching a Forest Service Rd on the ridge above us, slightly battered, bloody, and bruised from our vegetative encounters. We followed the Forest Rd for about 9 miles, and it was certainly a welcome break from the mornings bushwhack. We made good time along the road, counting tarantulas and looking east and west at the distant views. Eventually we came to the Pigeon Springs Trailhead where we turned off the road and shortly passed a group of women day hikers. They were the first folks since the Grand Canyon we have seen on the trail. In a short time we entered the Four Peaks Wilderness, named for the 4 jutting, rocky escarpments that rise above us on the horizon. The trail contoured nicely throughout the afternoon, and it appears to have been worked fairly recently. We had heard this section had some overgrown Burmese-Jungle type spots, but thus far it has been smooth sailing. Camp tonight is in a small grove of trees, a few hundred yards above the trail. The lights of massive, sprawling Phoenix can be seen below to the west. Tomorrow should find us in Roosevelt for a quick re-supply and hopeful shower. Although my personal record of 14 days with no shower is not yet in jeopardy, I see no reason to set a new personal best, as I am beginning to stick to myself. Thanks for reading. October 27th Roosevelt Lake: Arizona's Eden Brian: Shower! Laundry! Food! Friendly Folks! Welcome to Roosevelt, AZ. We hiked in this morning after a very productive visit with the Tonto Ranger District and Quentin, the regions trails coordinator. He was the first truly helpful ranger we've encountered and had pretty up to date info. The trail out of the Four Peaks Wilderness was pretty nice. Nice grade, not too much wandering as we descended to Roosevelt Lake. A bit of spitting rain last night and this morning, with more in the forecast. Very windy. First Saguaro Cacti of the trip along the trail today. Heading out this afternoon to climb into the Superstition Wilderness. Amity: Roosevelt is definitely an A+ for trail stops. The people here have been outstanding in terms of helpfulness and reaching out to two very grimy hikers. The RV Park happily opened their "tenants only" shower and laundry to us, providing each of us with a new little bar of soap and a big fluffy hotel style towel. What a treat! The views this morning were exceptional, interesting play of light as the night's dark misty clouds retreated and reappeared. Roosevelt Lake looks like a neat place to spend some time poking around and Tonto National Monument would be nice to visit were there more time.
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