DWTH Day 11: Leaving Arizona City

Daily Miles: 20.7, Total Miles: 150.3

Mrs Haze and Ellie walked aways with me on a cool, clear morning with a little breeze. Back on the trail and Buckeye bound!

I headed west for the first 15 miles next to a large irrigation canal and some scrub desert but mostly agricultural use, primarily cotton and some vegetables, obviously tapping into the canal. The canal carries Central Arizona Project water from the Colorado River and maybe some treated Salt/Verde River water.

After leaving the canal, I continued north following the northern border of the Tohono O’Odham Nation until reaching a powerline corridor and finding my first water cache. I knew I hid it underneath a mesquite/creosote thicket but which one? I suppose I could have treated the canal water but fortunately had the luxury of choosing.

After a long drink and filling up my water bottles I got about another mile before finding a nice, shaded spot behind a mesquite tree.

As usual for me, my feet are very sore on the first day back on the trail. I had also tweaked tendons below my left ankle a few weeks ago playing pickleball but so far, so good. While whining, my only other issue I also experience early on long hikes is diaphragm cramps/spasms while getting undressed in my tent. Wow, I felt like I was having an alien baby!

What else did I see today? One dog, a motorgrader operator and two guys burning tumbleweeds no doubt retrieved from the canal.