A Journey of a 1000 800 miles…

…begins with a single blog post. 

The Hiker

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mike and I am currently preparing for a NOBO thru hike of the AZT which should be starting in just a few short weeks. My decision to make a major career transition this year opened up the possibility of taking 60 days of paid leave from work, allowing me to do something as irrational, irresponsible, and irresistible as hiking the 800 mile Arizona National Scenic Trail in one shot.

My previous backpacking experience has all been focused on preparing for a thru hike, all starting back in 2018 when I discovered the likes of Darwin and Dixie and their outstanding vlogs/documentaries chronicling their thru hikes and growth as outdoor industry spokespeople. Since that first introduction to the thru hiking world I have gone on a few overnight backpacking trips, numerous high-mileage day hikes (including 4x R2Rs in a day), and a 160-mile/9-day backpacking trip around on the Collegiate Loop (CDT West + CT East) trail in Colorado. These trips have allowed me to dial in my gear, resupply strategy, and overall mental resilience in the face of what can only be described as quintessential Type 2 fun.

But enough about me, let’s get to what everyone cares about: the gear list!

The Gear

My gear will read like a nauseating regurgitation of every other “quasi-ultralight” hiker’s typical gear list.

Big 3

The Big 3 are typically the 3 heaviest/most impactful items in a backpacker’s loadout – the tent, the sleeping bag, and the pack to carry it all.

The tent I will be using on the AZT is the same one I used on my 160-mile hike on the Collegiate Loop in CO, the Durston Drop X-Mid 1 trekking pole tent. It’s a remarkably light, roomy, and forgiving trekking pole tent and I had zero complaints over the past 2 years of owning it.

My sleeping bag is actually a quilt to take advantage of the weight savings/packability they provide vs. a traditional sleeping bag. The AZT can present some remarkable temperature swings, and I will be compounding that issue by electing to start my hike fairly early in the season. As such, I chose the Katabic Sawatch 15 for its remarkable warmth/weight ratio (and their pad attachment system is pretty ingenious too!)

For this hike I have forgone my typical frameless 40L pack and instead went with the Durston Kakwa 40 to help make the long water carries of the AZT more comfortable.

Clothing/Layers

I will be bringing a fairly minimal amount of clothing on this hike. Aside from the workout shorts and wool sun hoodie I will be wearing every day, I will also be bringing Polartec Alpha Direct Fleece tops and bottoms (primarily to be used as PJs, but can also be used on exceptionally cold days). I will be carrying 3x pairs of Darn Tough socks (2x for hiking and 1x pair dedicated for sleeping only). Like all aspiring hiker trash, I will be using Dirty Girl gaiters, but in a surprising plot twist pairing them with Topo Pursuit trail runners (rather than the classic Altra Lone Peaks). I have found the Altras don’t last me very long (3-4 months max), and that’s without even thru hiking in them.

My jackets are the OR Helium Down hoodie and OR Helium Rain Jacket. For leg protection I will be using the Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants (and hoping to not need them much as I doubt they’ll play nice with all the prickly stuff on the AZT).

Food/Water/Safety

I have not reached the lofty peaks of self-loathing that would allow me to forgo a stove on this hike, so I will be using a Toaks 700mL pot and MSR PocketRocket 2 for the entirety of this journey. My food is primarily Knorr sides and Complete Cookies (haven’t met a flavor I don’t like and the protein content is to die for), along with the typical assortment of bars/nuts/random snacks. I will be shipping resupply boxes to Patagonia, Colossal Cave, Summerhaven, Kearny, Roosevelt Lake Marina, Sunflower (getting dropped off by my family), and Pine. Flagstaff and onwards I will be resupplying with whatever the towns have available (which should have pretty solid options, at least until I get on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and switch exclusively to chips/candy bars).

My water filter of choice is the Platypus Quickdraw, paired with a CNOC Vecto 2L bag for my dirty water collecting needs. My clean water capacity is 3.5L, with 1x 0.5L random plastic bottle (great for electrolytes/morning coffee), 2x 1L Smartwater bottles, and 1x 1L collapsible bottle from CNOC. My total capacity is 5.5L, which I hope to very rarely need (since that’s going to be a pretty heavy load). I’ll plan on “cameling up” (drinking my fill) at every natural source I come across since water in your body is more useful than water in your pack.

Safety. It can’t be understated that undertaking something like an AZT thru-hike demands a deliberate approach to your personal safety in all aspects. It is unreasonable to expect to be self-reliant in all instances, but going out with the 10 Essentials (and knowing how to use them!) is an excellent start. Being able to get assistance for when a situation is threatening to spiral out beyond your limited abilities is almost equally as important – hence my use of the Garmin Inreach Mini GPS messenger. I have used the SOS for another hiker before and it blew me away with how well/quickly it worked, and more importantly how quickly the other hiker received help. Newer iPhones are capable of sending satellite texts and SOS messages, which I plan to use as a backup option in the event my Inreach stops working. All of my electronics will be charged off of 2x 10,000mAh battery banks, which I have personally tested as being able to provide me with ~8 days of trail time before I need to recharge everything.

Odds and Ends

Without getting super into the weeds on the rest of my pack, here’s a quick summary of everything else I plan to carry across the great state of Arizona:

Phone: iPhone 14 Pro w/ tripod

Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Alpine Cork

Headlamp: Nitecore NU25

Sleeping Pad: Thermarest Neolite

Pad Inflator: Flextail ZERO

Foam Pad: random foam off of Wish.com

Fanny Pack: Hyperlite Versa

Traction: Snowline Chainsen Microspikes

Poop Trowel: The Deuce

The Itinerary

Getting to the southern terminus of the AZT is remarkable straightforward. My current plan is to fly into Tucson the day before my start, spend the night in a nearby hotel/motel/Holiday Inn, and in the morning catch one of the many hiker shuttles that will drive hikers all the way to Montezuma Pass.

From there the plan is to walk, eat, sleep, rinse, and repeat for about 800 miles. For the first half of the trail (Mexico-Pine), I’m planning around doing 15 miles/day due to the significant elevation and relatively rough tread of the trail. North of Pine the trail flattens out considerably and I’m planning on 20 miles/day from there all the way to Utah. There’s a very good chance my average mileage will be higher than these numbers once I get my trail legs and have everything dialed in, but planning for conservative mileage will keep me from running out of food (which is absolutely no fun).

Once all of that’s done, getting back from the northern terminus is a bit trickier. There is a shuttle that will take hikers from Stateline Campground to Page, AZ. From there, it appears my easiest/cheapest option will be to rent a Uhaul (yup!) and drive it to Flagstaff, allowing me to hop on the Amtrak and head home in the finest (stinky) fashion.

But enough about me, my gear, and my silly plans. Hope to see ya’ll out on trail!

-Mike