PCT Shakedown

With three months to go until my PCT start date and two friends eager to get on trail, I set out to backpack Arizona Trail Passages 18 and 19. To begin, we parked a car at Vineyard trailhead along Roosevelt Lake then drove the other vehicle to Picketpost trailhead, which I knew from hiking Passages 16 and 17 last March. My long-time backpacking partner and sister, Jenessa, was eager for her first Arizona trek. Our friend Amanda has been enjoying the state from the vantage of an RV for the past month.

Day 1

We started with plenty of water as FarOut had no current water reports for our mid-day source. The terrain undulated gently and it was warm… saguaro, prickly pear, and barrel cactus surrounded us on all sides. I felt entirely at peace being back in the desert. Also, my pack felt great, despite its four liters of water. For me it was an atypical pack… the 36 liter Osprey Kyte, which I use for long day outings. Since it was what I had on hand, I accepted the challenge and was excited to fit my gear, water, and food inside, only my heavy puffy and tent poles were strapped to the exterior.

Soon I saw one of my favorite cacti, the jumping cholla. To me it appears to glow when sunlight shines through its dense spines. Mid-day we chose to lunch on a rocky hill-cropping. It felt gourmet to have real food: a gluten free bagel, avocado, and fried egg sandwich.

It turned out that Whitford Canyon Creek did contain water, a clear shallow flow that I scooped up with my BeFree bladder. Timely too, there were several ATVs upstream that went past a couple minutes later, muddying the water. We took an impromptu snack break and sipped cool water. I had a plethora of new snacks and eagerly broke into some, sharing with my friends.

We were aiming for 9-10 miles, but stopped shy when we found a flat, vegetation-free spot next to a giant, grandmotherly saguaro. We changed out our top layers then did yoga. Adriene made Center: A 30 Day Yoga Journey available as downloads and prior to departure I put five sessions on my phone. Next we set up our three person tent and prepared dinner. All my meals were “no cook” as a test run for the PCT. I loved eating right away, no wait for water to boil or food to rehydrate. Later in the evening I got to test my new BioLite rechargeable LED headlamp and loved it as well. We slept with the tent fly off to enjoy the stars.

Day 2

Amanda was the first out of the tent and went to fetch water. I dreamed of tarantulas and when I woke to legs near my face I had a moment of apprehension… but they were the spindly legs of a stick bug. I relocated the friendly creature to a bush so that it wouldn’t get mushed when we disassembled our tent. As I ate cold-soaked granola combined with chia seeds and pecans, I was grateful for my puffy and thankful my sister convinced me to carry it. Sure, we were in the desert, but it was chilly until the sun hit us.

The day involved our biggest unbroken climb of the two passages. As we went up we met three men hiking down and our two groups stopped to chat about water. I enjoyed the climb, in general I prefer ups to downs. It was also interesting to observe the change in vegetation as we climbed to above 5,400 feet.

Near the top of the climb, I spotted two white tail deer which I pointed out to a younger man who was hiking quickly uphill. While refilling my water at the top, we chatted some more and it turned out he was hiking with Darwin, whom I soon got to meet. It was exciting! Really, I’ve only seen a couple of his videos, but one helped me choose the BeFree as my filter. Also, he is such a name in the thru-hiking community. Darwin was quite friendly and asked many questions about my AT trek and PCT plans. Later, he and his two friends saved us a detour, going the wrong way and returning when we were about to do the same.

As evening approached, I got chilled – changed from my hiking skirt to my fleece leggings and put on my puffy. I don’t usually layer up pre-camp, but I didn’t want the chill to set in. We camped downhill from Rogers Spring, once again doing yoga before we set up the tent. Since it was a colder night, we put on the tent fly. My core remained warm, though I regretted leaving my beanie and gloves at home. While hanging our food for the night, Amanda and I spotted a light at the top of the hill that became two glowing eyes. Later we realized it was likely some type of cat. The wind picked up in the night, but the three of us stayed cozy in the tent.

Day 3

The trail wound along the side of a canyon, back and forth across a dry creek, and then up a hillside. At times it was indistinct and hard to follow. Occasionally we got off track, but never where we had to backtrack. When we topped out we discovered a few patches of snow! First a couple and then more trees appeared until we were in a pinyon-juniper woodland. We ate lunch under a giant tree with bark that looked like scales. A couple deer ran through the woods. I enjoyed a delicious rehydrated “cowboy caviar,” assembled pre-trail by my sister.

We got limber in the afternoon, jumping back and forth across a creek, pushing through reeds, clambering over fallen trees. We met one other hiker, a lady who was pushing to reach a lower elevation as she had slept cold the night before. A short time later, the trail took us through the Reavis Ranch remnants. Then there was a hill topped with neat rock formations and a descent that brought us to Pine Creek. The creek was flowing well and had multiple campsites nearby, though many were filled. We decided to push another mile.

Our evening site was a flat spot on top of a hill with views in every direction. We once again put on the tent fly in order to block the chill breeze that gusted continuously. Unlike previous nights, there was no flowing creek nearby. Walnut Spring was a square trough set into the ground. I couldn’t tell the depth of the trough’s water, but it was easiest to scoop with my 1-liter bag, filling a larger 4-liter bladder. The water was green tinted and the plant matter slowed the gravity filter, but it came out clear and tasted fine. Veggie water! In order to escape the wind, we ate and did our evening chores quickly, though before climbing into the tent I admired the stars. The night sky was clear of clouds and the moon had not yet risen. The milky way and stars were brilliant.

Day 4

The wind gusted all night and on into the morning. I set up my new ultra-light solar panel while we filtered two more 4-liter bags of water. Far Out showed no water sources until our evening campsite. The path began with a gentle rise before descending steeply into and out of an 800 foot canyon. I took a break on the far rim, a rabbit bounded by as I snacked and waited for the others. Next was a ridge walk. At first chill blasts of wind kept me moving too quickly to admire the views, but eventually I warmed. To the right were the first glimpses of Roosevelt Lake and to the left a sea of hills, the closest capped by rocky cliffs.

On our next steep descent, Jenessa took a tumble. She got up with a little assistance and luckily appeared unhurt other than scrapes on both legs. We took a lunch break shortly after, sitting on flat rocks near a couple trees. Then came our last ascent for the day. I caught my bare leg on a stealthy prickly plant.

We descended to Roosevelt Lake in stages: via a gentle trail that wound across the hillsides, down a steeply pitched ATV road, along a faint path that carried the occasional dry prints of cattle, upon a distinct trail that followed and wove across the dry bed of Cottonwood Creek. Ultimately we arrived at an oasis in the desert, vibrant green grass and tall Cottonwood trees startled in their abruptness. We pitched our tent in a soft, flat spot under arching branches then edged through rose brambles to fetch water from the narrow channel formed by burbling Cottonwood Spring. It was warm, crystal clear, and delicious. After yoga, dinner, and hanging food bags & packs, we settled into our tent. The fly was off; stars twinkled amongst the branches while a gentle breeze stirred their leaves.

Day 5

I felt a mix of loss and curiosity as I welcomed the final day on trail. We continued alongside and zig-zagged across Cottonwood Creek for a ways, finding the creek running in spots. Our old friends the saguaro welcomed us and soon we were trudging ATV roads. I spotted a strange looking saguaro in the distance. Unlike the others with their singular shafts, this one had a crest at the top. Later I discovered that this is a rare variety and scientists have no consensus as to what causes the interesting growth.

As the marina got closer, our path returned to a trail that wound across hillsides. The marina itself had little activity due to the season. I saw how a thru-hiker could easily access the marina’s general store for a resupply or box pickup. We had lunch on one of the last hills out of sight of the highway, spreading our gear blanket in the sand. I soaked in the sun and cacti, reveling in my possibly last day of backpacking until the PCT.

We descended to Highway 188 and walked on the paved shoulder around a bend and over the impressive Theodore Roosevelt Lake bridge. There was my bright yellow car right where I had left it. It seemed an apt time to end our trek as dark clouds loomed in every direction; sure enough it rained later that evening.