A Little Taste of the AZT
Four days on the Arizona Trail. What a tease! I joined my friend Katie, trail name Raven, for part of her thru-hike starting in the teeny town of Patagonia, AZ which I instantly fell in love with. A quick bit of history: the land was originally inhabited mainly by the Sobaipuri and Papago (Tohono O'odhama) tribes. In the mid-19th century the town was developed as a trading and supply center for nearby mines and ranches. Now it is a haven for artists, outdoor lovers (hikers, cyclists, birders, botanists), and retirees with a population just under 900. Our host Kathy took us around to see the downtown–blink and you’ll miss it–and the small opera house. I learned that opera houses played an important role in the formation of the West. They were established in isolated rural mining towns as a way for residents to hear world-class musicians on tour, provide much needed entertainment, and serve as a place for women to socialize as saloons were deemed too inappropriate. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll return to Patagonia as a pianist!
Katie had already hiked around 50 miles of the trail before meeting me in Patagonia. After getting to shower, reorganize, and have a delicious hot breakfast provided by Kathy, we were dropped off at the nearest trailhead and off we went.
The next four days were filled with all kinds of stories and adventures, beautiful sights, all kinds of weather, and a spooky nighttime encounter which I chronicled on Instagram and Facebook. It was my first desert hike and as a result my pack was the heaviest it’s ever been–mainly because of the extra layers (it gets very cold at night), my microspikes in case we hit snow on the mountains, and carrying extra water at all times in case any of the known water sources were unexpectedly dry. I’m sure with the food and water it was well over 20 pounds.
Because of our particular timing (her start date and my free time over spring break), I ended up joining Katie for about 80 miles essentially between mountain ranges. We didn't have an exact plan for daily stopping points so I was prepared for pretty much anything. Before we met up, she had just gone up and over Miller Peak and postholed through waist-deep snow on her way down. The four days we spent together ended up being on mostly rolling meadowy hills and relatively low elevation before we said our goodbyes at Colossal Cave Park (just north of Vail). Then she continued on and went up and over the snow-covered Mica Mountain the very next day.
We kept joking during our time together that I’m going to go home and tell everyone how easy the Arizona Trail is. Of course it’s absolutely not, but coincidentally I ended up joining her for one of the less-challenging bits. While I was sad not to join her at greater heights and have a reason to bust out my spikes, I wasn’t mad to be treated to nice walking filled with beautiful flora and fauna and wonderful conversations with one of my closest friends.
New experiences always come with lessons learned. I’m preparing to hike the Colorado Trail this summer, and while it won’t be the desert, it will certainly come with similar obstacles like sun and weather exposure. Some of my personal takeaways from desert hiking:
- The hot is HOT and the cold is COLD. Be prepared for both extremes! I knew this going in, but it’s quite another thing to experience firsthand
- Everything is spiky and pointy. Be careful where you walk, squat, set your things down, anything really!
- Have leukotape on hand for unexpected water bottle/bladder leaks (works better than duct tape); hard plastic (like Smartwater bottles) or Nalgene bottles are generally better than soft flasks
- Consider lightweight pants vs. shorts, helps to protect from sun and cuts/scratches
- Cover as much skin as possible, reapply sunscreen often
- Keep a rain layer somewhere easy to grab, since it can rain at a moment’s notice (my Tracksmith Rain Jacket was perfect in a pinch).
- Have gloves and hand warmers somewhere easy to grab, since your hands might be numb by the time you need them (speaking from experience!)
Getting “out there” for just a handful of days was total bliss, just getting to be in my element and not think about much other than moving forward, plus quality time with a dear friend. It was also of course, as I said, a total tease. I felt like I was just finding my stride, and was very curious to see what would come next on the trail, but I guess I’ll just have to come back one day and find out! For now, I’ll be living vicariously through updates on Katie’s thru-hike provided by her husband Stephen (trail name Fanny) on their Instagram page @ravenandfanny.
Between now and this summer, my main focus will be A) finishing up my second semester at Longy School of Music and preparing for a bunch of upcoming performances, some of which are listed on my website (I’ll keep adding more as I have more info) and B) training and getting excited for the Colorado Trail!
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