November 10th
Brian:
We left Patagonia
in the early afternoon and headed east along Harsaw Rd. Our gaits
were a bit off pace and we were both a little bit burpy from
our last two meals, but we made due.
Leaving the pavement after a few miles, we walked along undulating,
well marked trail for a couple of hours until reaching Red Canyon
Rd. The afternoon initially felt hot, but as the day progressed
the temperatures were quite pleasant.
After crossing the dirt road, the AZT changed slightly in its
appearance...namely in the amount of litter with Spanish labels
that seemed to line the trail. Amity and I had kind of forgotten
about the immigration issues in these parts during the last few
days. As evening was approaching, we became a little concerned
as the trail had a number of northbound footprints and was tending
towards a heavily vegetated creekbed. With a few minutes of light
remaining in the sky, we bushwacked through the catclaw and assorted
thorn-laden plants until discovering a stealthy low spot on a
ridge above the AZT. The only negative is that we are surrounded
by masses of prickly plants, which I anticipate will make any
late night `calls-of-nature' an exciting process.
Anyway, the sense of trail closure really hit me today in Patagonia.
I know we've been hiking the last month+ with the intention of
working towards Mexico each day, but it seems like the trip is
coming to an abrupt end.
November 11th
Amity:
One of the great perks of
walking a trail shaped like a "C" for 125 miles is
that when one reaches the southwestern portion one can look back
and see the fantastic swath of land covered. The view back was
spectacular and satisfying while the view of the route ahead
of us from Mescal seemed thoroughly circuitous.
The weather was clear and we could see Rincon Peak, the Whetstone
Mountains south of Mescal, Mt. Wrightson and the Santa Rita Range
and the Huachuca Mountains with Miller Peak, our last mountain
range to traverse this jaunt. I finally understand the term "sky islands" often
used to refer to Arizona, mountain ranges rising out of grasslands
and desert.
The trail has been in rather exceptional shape since Patagonia, making for good
mileage and a relaxed state of being, which is just what I wanted for these last
days. It's great to be able to scoot along taking in the views and enjoying the
scenery without being on high alert for a hidden cairn, a faded piece of flagging
or an unmarked obscure trail junction.
The trail has been remarkably garbage free as well, so while we have been alert
for folks coming across the border I haven't felt as if we might be surrounded
by them everytime we pass into a vegetated drainage.
Tonight's camp is on a ridge well above the trail. Use trails are everywhere
and they don't look like cow paths, some trash (from various productos mexicanos)
is littered about. I know I'll be sleeping in alert mode tonight. A visit from
Border Patrol folks doesn't seem like the most unlikely possibility, and of all
the possible visitors, that doesn't sound so bad.
Brian:
Another cool morning...frost on the sleeping bags. It
seems the 2.5 months of winter that southern Arizona experiences
is approaching.
We bushwacked back down to the trail and headed pretty much easterly
along excellent trail. Although a bit obscure in spots due to
tall grasses, overall it was pleasant hiking and the morning
passed quickly as we made good time, hiking further into the
Canelo Hills.
Eventually we crossed Canelo Pass Rd, where the trail then began
an undulating series of ascents and descents, all mostly well
graded and easy to find energy for. The occasional views south
to Mexico were nice...nothing spectacular, but large open grassland
which oddly reminded me of parts of Montana.
Continuing
onward towards Parker Lake we crossed FR 48 and left the AZT
to find some water for the evenings meal and for our drinking
needs the following day, which would be our last on the trail.
The first cabin door knocked upon yielded us each 1.5 gallons,
which put our minds at ease. Pushing off again, we backtracked
to FR 48 to the AZT trailhead. Finding a cairn in the tall grass
got us pointed in the right direction as we headed into a drainage
as evening approached.
Somehow we always manage to be in canyon or drainage bottoms
when evening is fast approaching. Certainly not ideal given the
illegal travelers in these parts. Anyhow, as usual we left the
drainage with a few minutes of light remaining and headed cross
country towards a ridge to find a suitable camp.
The going was easy, primarily due to the series of use-paths
heading off the ridge and going towards the drainage that we
had just left. It seems we had stumbled upon a popular route.
It seemed each juniper tree we looked beneath for possible shelter
had some sign of previous use --- discarded clothing, blankets,
or the standard pile of empty plastic bottles. Our search continued
until finding a protected grassy spot nestled between a cluster
of juniper slightly down from the ridge. The evening has been
a bit tense as our imaginations seem to get the better of us
at times. Hopefully we will find some way to relax through the
night.
Tomorrow we climb into the Miller Peak Wilderness and the Huachuca
Mountains before descending to the Coronado National Monument
and the end of the Arizona Trail.
November
12th
Amity:
I am sandwiched
between clean sheets, myself better scrubbed that I have been
in 12 days. The walk which has consumed every day for the last
36 is over, just like that. It surprises me how something that
passes at a pace of maybe 3 miles per hour for days ends so suddenly.
Reaching Monument 102 brought the trip to an end. The silver,
pointed monument was striking, on the north side, "Boundary of the United States of America",
and on the south side, reached by climbing through a barbed wire fence, "Limite
de La Republica Mexicana". The location was striking, the San Pedro river
valley and San Jose peak to the east, path of Coronado's journey into what is
now the state of Arizona. To the south and the west, more sky islands, ranges
rising out of desert grasslands. Geographically there was no real reason why
the trip would be ending, the landscape was continuous.
Brian's uncle picked us up at the Coronado National Memorial Visitor's Center
and brought us home to Tucson. It's great to be able to relax in such comfort,
with such extraordinary hospitality, before heading back to Logan.
Brian:
After a fitful nights sleep, we arose and hit the trail
for our last day of hiking, slowly climbing into the Miller Peak
Wilderness and the Huachuca Mountains. The trail was fantastic
as it switchbacked upward through the desert zones until reaching
a high ridgeline after a few thousand feet of climbing. It seemed
every saddle we came to had an intersecting maze of trails, the
bulk of which were strewn with trash...the apparent dumping grounds
of our southern friends. It was quite disappointing, and certainly
detracted from the general loveliness of the place. Regardless,
the hiking was good, and it was nice to have the chance to hike
in some mountains that were not charred. The views in all directions
through the morning were wide ranging as the skies were crisp
and clear. The afternoon brought clouds and cooler temps as we
descended from the Miller Peak Wilderness towards Montezuma Pass,
the Coronado National Monument, and the end of the Arizona Trail.
It seems most southern or northern termini are generally non-descript...often
just a barbwire fence or cut swath of vegetation to demark a
drawn line on a map. The AZT's southern terminus is certainly
no exception --- a beat up barb wire fence in the middle of a
strong southern sloping ridgeline. Although the descending ridge
drew us into Mexico and the San Pedro River Valley, the trail
abruptly ended at Monument 102, as did our hike. Thanks for reading.
In the next few days Amity and I plan to post our collective
conclusions about the trail: our gear, our strategy, and our
insights into the AZT.
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