Fire Detour

Day 16

The elk bugled all night, eventually I put in earplugs to sleep. Most mornings I wake pre-dawn and go back to sleep. Today I got up at 5 am and was packed before all the others. I gave Paul a goodbye hug and hit the trail. After an immediate uphill climb, I put on happy music that reminded me of family – Jimmy Buffett. Soon I was relishing my solo adventure. After all, I felt prepared for solitude when I began the trail.

Mid-morning I took a coffee and snack break, sitting on a wooden bench that I discovered in a trail-side campsite. Above me, a woodpecker made a tapping sound. Two miles before the water source, I came upon pools of water. They continued all the way to the source itself, General Springs. I’d only seen clear, moving water one other time since the Grand Canyon, it was a welcome sight. I ate lunch then gathered ~4.3 liters of water, the most that I’d carried all trail.

Only 1.5 miles later, I left the AZT behind and turned west on FR 300. For a couple miles, the road was humdrum, then it offered stunning views of the Mongollon Valley. Eventually it turned away from the rim and back into forest, going past a closed campground, where I found an open pit toilet. Off and on, I put up with strings of gravel trucks driving past and kicking up dust. One more time, I got a glimpse of the valley and saw a distant hillside, smoke rising up through the trees. The fire!

Between road miles 6 & 4 (measured towards Highway 87) and to my left, I saw occasional pockets of smoke, areas of burned ground, and twice campfire sized patches of flames. At times, the smoke was within 10-20 feet of the road. It was erie to see bits of unattended fire burning so close. I began to question my plan to camp along the road until, for a mile, pristine woods filled the left side and I regained confidence. Then, to my right, I saw a camping area and a couple with a car and huge tent. After chatting with the guy, I set up my tent nearby.

Day 17

Again there was a ton of elk bugling in the night. Continuing my walk on FR 300, I saw a herd of ~8 elk in the woods, later a few of them ran across the road. It was under three miles to Highway 87, which I hiked for the remainder of the detour route. The big highlight was when a bobcat ran across the road directly in front of me!! The second was when I passed the gravel pit at the 260/ 87 junction, no more rattling trucks driving by.

The miles of highway walking brought me to the small town of Strawberry. I sat on an abandoned motel porch and had a welcome snack. Then I continued three more miles to the larger town of Pine. It had a quiet library where I charged devices, worked through a list of internet tasks, and discretely ate lunch.

At THAT Brewery, I picked up a resupply box and got a table. It’s fun seeing what meals, snacks, and extras are in the box. My battery pack seemed awfully slow to charge, maybe I need a new one? I ordered kombucha, a large veggie salad with pecans, cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, & vinaigrette, then a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

As I was about to depart, a clean shaven thru hiker arrived and got a patio seat. I said hello on my way out. His name was Charlie, headed SoBo, with a guitar strapped to his pack. Unfortunately, it was nearly 6 pm. I hurriedly hiked two miles south from Pine, noting the terrain was rougher and more desert like than north of town. It was nearly dark when I pitched my tent.