Colossal Cave to Summerhaven, 65 Miles.

Day 9: La Posta Quemada to Rincon Creek, 9 Miles. 

A shorter day today, and I am thankful for the rest. I am camping tonight at the border of Saguaro National Park. Saguaro is has 2 official campsites over its 17 mile range of the Arizona Trail. Issue is, these have to be reserved in advance, and were booked out for weeks before I started this endeavor. 

So, I will instead cross the park in one day. Just one additional wrinkle to this plan is the requires me to climb Mt. Mica, where I will begin tomorrow at 3,000 ft and over 15 miles climb to 8,500. 

Going to enjoy camping by a running creek(a rare gift in the desert) and start early tomorrow for a challenging day.

Day 10: Rincon Creek to Italian Spring, 20 Miles

One of the hardest days hiking, snow, varied ecosystems, descent, last view of miller peak

Today was hard! One of the single hardest days of backpacking in my life thus far. But I did it. 6,500 of elevation gain, 4,000 ft of elevation loss. As I ascended Mt. Mica, looking back, I could see snow covered Miller Peak one last time in the distance. It felt poetic to see where I began this hike as I ascended the next big challenge along its route.

Crossing over such vast changes in elevation I began in low riparian area reached a saguaro and wildflower covered topography and graduated to subalpine pine forest, and then back down again.

17 miles in, after crossing the summit I had to cross about 2 miles of snowpack on the north facing slopes of Mt. Mica. Snow will melt the latest on north facing slopes due to the earth’s curvature along its axis directing the sun’s rays less intensely to the north. This is the same reason why a south facing window of your house is best for growing plants on.

With great luck, even though I hit the snowpack late in the day, it had not semi melted into slush, the kind of snow you sink into and have to dig yourself out of with every step. 

This was ice, hard and relatively easy to traverse, but I have to be very careful with my footing as it can be unpredictably slippery. Many hikers have come before me so there is a relatively well outlined idea of where the trail is supposed to go. 

Overall, it is slow going, but uneventful. Joyfully, I even got found a hill to glissade down to save me the time. About an hour later, I reach the northern terminus of Saguaro National Park. I can say this is the first time I have gone through the boundaries of a National Park in a single day. 

Day 11: Italian Spring to Milano Basin, 16 Miles.

Today, I am going through a landscape that reminds me of an old western. Columns of bare volcanic dot the landscape and during a challenging climb today, my mind was locked in that mode replaying music from movies scored by Ennio Morricone. 

Though it is only a short climb today, it is challenging in the heat and full sun exposure. It is even more challenging knowing that on the other side of this climb is a ride waiting for me that will take me to an airbnb in Tucson for the night. 

A couple of hours later, I am up and over, and manage to hitch a ride to Tucson. A shower and laundered clothes does good for the soul after a week in the sun.

Day 12: Milano Basin to Cathedral Rock Junction, 13 Miles

A late start coming out of my Tucson Airbnb. The same kind mother and her two children who took me as a hitchhiker into town yesterday gave me her number and drove me back up. 

Today begins the second of the big climbs for this section of trail: 8,000 ft Mt. Lemmon. One of my fellow hikers said that while Mt. Mica made us work longer, Mt. Lemmon will make us work harder. 

I can begin to see what they mean already, as the trail in this section is…maintained to a lesser degree than everything thus far. Blazes and posts marking the Arizona Trail have given way to cairns and rock scrambles, combed trail to overgrown with thornscrub and foxtails. 

Camping tonight at 5,200 ft, and I have my sights set on three things tomorrow: getting over this mountain, getting into town early enough to pick up my next resupply package, and ordering a pizza sized cookie from the Mt. Lemmon Cookie Cabin in town. Nothing can stop me.

Day 13: Cathedral Rock to Summerhaven, 11 miles.

What a day! Crack of dawn, and a step, scramble and climb 3,000 ft. Once at the top, I see a hiker I met a few days ago climbing Mt. Mica: he goes by the trail name The Accountant.

I say, “I wonder how you got that name?”

He says: “Need your taxes done?”

Born in NYC, we quickly get along despite our disparities in age. This is good, as the trail has some fun in store for us today. 

You see, a fire happened here a few years ago and burned away much of the recognizable trail. Where there were once signs and blazes, there are now cairns. Cairns that can be hard to spot alongside constant mountain stream crossings. 

The elevation climbs and dips in this scarred landscape, and makes for a very slow 10 miles into town. Not my hardest day of hiking, but certainly up there. These were hard earned miles, and I’m glad that I did not do them alone. 

Splitting a room in Summerhaven, The Accountant and I set out for the next 5 days to Kearny AZ.

Total Miles: 190.