We have had a mild winter in SE Arizona, enough so that I think why don’t I just start this hike now? I can clearly see the Rincons, Catalinas and the Santa Ritas from my house and there is snow. I also know to expect early spring cold weather on all the mountain ranges. My first high Sky Island on the second half will be near Mt Graham at 10,714 ft elevation. I encountered some snow and cold nights there…
I got a good start on the 500-mile Sky Islands Traverse (SKIT) late last fall in SE Arizona. I got about halfway before the holidays caught up with me and had to get off trail. Briefly, I started in the Dragoon Mountains and hiked in a clockwise fashion over the Dragoons, south down the San Pedro River, west and up over the Huachuca Mountains, met the AZT and continued north to Patagonia and the Santa Rita Mountains, up and over…
Daily Miles: 11.0, Total Miles: 255.9 I reluctantly left the SKIT last month for a Thanksgiving trip to see family near Charleston, SC. But so good to see family and took the opportunity to explore a few other coastal towns in SC and Georgia. We gorged ourselves on southern cooking, lots of seafood and oysters, live music and culture/history. In terms of hiking, I thought that might be it for the year, with holiday preparations and winter setting in. Well,…
Daily Miles: 5.3, Total Miles: 233.9 I woke up way too early, probably because I was cold and wanted to put on my jacket. Using my sleeping bag as a quilt only works well for warmer nights. I finished my book, Hail Mary by Andy Weir (recommended) and even had two cups of coffee. I was still starting up the pass above Molino Basin in the dark – well, I was using a headlamp. It wasn’t very long before I…
Daily Miles: 18.6, Total Miles: 228.6 A surprisingly quiet and still night – usually the wind is blowing up here. I waited until the sun was almost upon me before getting dressed and packing up. I finally got to use my gloves on a brisk morning. A bit more of a climb towards Mica Mountain warmed me up, then over the top and down the north slope of the Rincons with the Catalinas in full view. I hiked this section…
Daily Miles: 14.0, Total Miles: 210.0 After a couple of zero days, some good meals, catching up with Mrs. Haze and Ellie, and watching my grandson’s last baseball game of the season, Mrs. Haze drove me back to Loma Alta TH and walked with me for a few miles. I re-joined the SKIT/AZT at the Quilter Trail junction and immediately started gaining elevation into the Rincons. I’ve always liked this trail for good views of Rincon Peak and back towards…
Daily Miles: 7.2, Total Miles: 196.0 Only a short distance to the boundary of Saguaro National Park East but first had to deal with a stubborn, coiled rattlesnake smack dab in the middle of the trail. With a few well-placed pebbles, I encouraged the rattler to exit well off the trail. The next hiker or biker that came along may not get a warning. Once inside the Park, I crossed usually dry Rincon Creek and found it trickling along. At…
Daily Miles: 20.4, Total Miles: 188.8 Beautiful sunrise from my tent on a small hill. A little cloud cover gave the skies some color as well as cooling the morning a bit. In the short section to Sahuarita Road, I met two AZT hikers and one group of 20 mountain bikers. There was a bear box full of water jugs at the road crossing which was much appreciated. With the Rincon Mountains looming larger and larger, I continued on through…
Daily Miles: 14.6, Total Miles: 168.4 My Zpacks sleeping bag zipper completely broke (again) while I was attempting a short-term fix. I once again will use the bag as a quilt – works OK until it gets real cold. Pretty much all day heading north along the Santa Rita foothills on a warm, sunny day. The terrain changing more to desert by the end. Found a nice cache of water jugs at Helvita Road and stopped for a long break…
Daily Miles: 16.5, Total Miles: 153.8 I awoke to the sound of truck engines. Then a few minutes later, a couple of headlamps bobbing up the trail. A few deer hunters wanting to get into position before daylight. They walked within 15 feet of me and never saw me – maybe the deer are safe. A combination of old mining roads and trails got me to Kentucky Camp, an old mining camp converted again to cabins rented out by the…
