Pine, Arizona to Flagstaff, 138 Miles

Day 1: New York City to Pine Arizona, 3 Miles

And we’re back. Back on the Arizona trail, aiming to complete the rest of what I could not complete on the trail in the Spring due to one of the heaviest snowfalls on record last winter.

This trip will be in 3 legs, each 7 days long.  First from Pine to Flagstaff, then to the Grand Canyon, and finally the northern terminus on the Arizona-Utah border.

In addition, I’m hiking with a partner this time. 

One of my closest friends, I met Riley back in college. And yes, he is out here of his own free will. 

On our first day, we fly out to Phoenix and catch a prescheduled shuttle to drop us off at the Pine Trailhead. From there, we set out to do as many miles as we can, time permitting. 

Riley’s flight is 3 hours late, but we luckily run in to no further issues.

It’s surreal to be back where I was just a few months ago. So much has changed in my life recently that it feels like a far greater length of time has passed. 

Beginning the trail, packs heavy with a week’s worth of food, 3 liters of water and all the gear we need, Riley and I begin to feel the altitude. We both woke up today at sea level, and now we are at more than 5,600 ft.  With one notable exception, this is likely to be lowest altitude of our hike. Acclimization to altitude takes time, often as much as 2 weeks for full adjustment to thinner air. 

I’m checking a few boxes for light altitude sickness: headache, thirst, sore muscles. Luckily, no nausea, which I commonly begin to feel above 6k.

After a few miles on trail, Riley and I talk about our expectations from this trip over dinner, set camp, and get rest to begin our trip tomorrow in earnest. 

Pine Arizona to Mail Creek, 18 Miles

The alarm on my watch wakes me at 5:30, we break down camp, and we are a go. We begin a long climb today to reach the Mogollon Rim, a plateau that encompasses most of northern Arizona. 

The heat and altitude make for tough terrain and slow miles. 

During the course of our day we spotted a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, crotalus atrox. Like most rattlers, they were kind enough to tell us to back off. 

We did, and they went on their way. Later we spotted a Desert Glossy Snake, arizona elegans. Nonvenomous, they basked right in the middle of the sunny trail and we could see the outlines of their recent meal. They were not in a hurry to move on our account, so we went around.

I love being back out here, and the views are well worth the effort.

Mail Creek to Hunter Tank, 20 Miles

“I sure hope you know going on here.” 

What a day. We wake up to smoke and haze, I check whether there are any wildfires in our area. None reported on any of our devices. I think, fire danger was yellow when we began two days ago, no storms have occurred, it must be a controlled burn. Sure enough…

We climb the Mogollon in earnest this morning. A tough 1,300 ft climb as we are still acclimating to the altitude, it brings us above 7,000 for the first time in our trip. Whenever a breeze carries the smoke away, we are treated to the cleanest air one can find in Arizona. Beautiful pine forests filling my lungs, we walk on. 

We stop, and note how sore we are. The altitude is hitting us flatlanders pretty hard. Riley and I discuss the elevation ahead, this is our last day of significant incline until we reach The Grand Canyon. If it is too much, we can reassess our plans. 

As evening dawns on us, we reach a sign informing of us of controlled burns in our area. We were both puzzled, as we were in the burn zone, and found no signs earlier, online or physical, to inform us of the burn. We redirect ourselves from the map provided and begin a begrudging 7 mile detour around the burn.

As we stop for dinner, a fire marshal drives up our road and says, “I sure hope you know going on here.” 

We explain we do and are walking out of the burn zone using the map they provided. He tells us that the map is in fact, wrong and to go back on trail in the morning.

We ask if it is safe to camp nearby and the marshal tells us yes, and to be out of the area by late morning tomorrow. Well, you ain’t hearing any objections from us.

We backtrack back near the trail, and camp in the haze.

Hunter Tank to Dave’s Tank 18 Miles

We wake up coughing at 5:30. We are out of camp quickly. An hour of quick hiking, and we are out of the haze for good.

Being a plateau, water is scarce on Mogollon Rim. Much of what we will find are “stock tanks,” glorified manmade ditches filled with water that we share with the local livestock. The water runs in varying shades from clear to chocolate milk. 

And we are doing well adjusting to the change as we purify our water to make it safe for consumption. The color remains on unchanged, but the chemical treatment I prefer removes any smell and bad taste.

Taking a break for lunch, I look at my partner and note that he is looking dog tired. I have been thinking about it the last few days, and propose that instead of our original plan to hike to the northern terminus in 3 weeks, we instead take a slower pace and aim for the Grand Canyon. After all, this is his first trip of this length and difficulty, and I want us both to get what we need out of it, for the good of our bodies and souls. 

We agree, and slow down our pace from 18-20 miles a day, to ~16. This will give us multiple days to explore the Grand Canyon when we reach it, and if I have time in this life, I can come back someday and finish that last 100 miles to Utah.

It’s so nice to be back out here. My body remembers what to do as we adjust to the rigors of the trail.

Dave’s Tank to Allan Lake Landing, 16 Miles

Flat miles make smiles. Though this is certainly an improvement over the last few days, steep elevation, we are exhausted. Still adjusting to the high altitude, we make slow progress towards Flagstaff. 

An elk catches sight of us about 200 yards ahead and deep into the thicket away from us. 

*KRAAK* I nearly hit the deck as I hear the unmistakeable blast of a high calibre rifle discharge, a hunter following the elk. Evidently, our presence made him have to take his shot sooner than he would’ve liked. We are both wearing bright clothing, so I feel little danger from hunters, but definitely made up for my lack of caffeine this morning. 

Later, we spot a Grand Canyon Black Tarantula, aphonopelma marxi. Beautiful to see one in person. And I am so fascinated to see one in broad daylight! I usually know tarantulas to be nocturnal ambush predators, rare to spot by daylight.

The slower pace is good on us, and it is nice to be hiking with a partner again. 

I was adjusted to being a soloist after this Spring’s hike, but you see and experience things differently with another set of friendly eyes and ears.

Allan Lake Landing to Navajo Spring, 15 Miles

5:30 again and we are off by 6. We stop today briefly in the small resort town of Mormon Lake for food and fresh laundry. The culture shock is alarming after being the wilderness for nigh on a week. The “saloon” we stop in is filled with rough talking hunters in camo, and we feel rather out of place. A few hours later, outfitted in fresh clothes we exit feeling renewed, ready for the last push to Flagstaff. 

We spot several southbound hikers today. The Arizona Trail has two seasons, Northbounders typically hike in the Spring, aiming to finish before the summer becomes too hot, and southbounders in the Autumn, looking to finish before the winter snows them out. 

Crossing paths, we give info on what is ahead for each of us, water, hazards, views, ect. 

The days are beautiful up here, and the nights carry the first taste of Winter.

Navajo Spring to Horse Lake, 17 Miles

Fast miles today followed by brutal trail.

We are hiking well enough today on the flat terrain to accomplish an informal goal for any thru hiker: 12 by 12, or hike 12 miles by noon. Seeing as we only need to hike about 16 miles in a day, we take a long rest during lunch. 

Unfortunately, nature has other plans for our remaining miles today, as she so often does. A thunderstorm comes in, and we set our tents to remain dry under it. 3 hours later, the heavy rain has turned the clay under our feet into a soup. This hellmud is one of the reasons I postponed the remainder of this hike until Autumn. The weight of the clay on our feet makes every step a trial, and oftentimes I find myself carrying more clay on my feet than shoe. 

The remaining 5 miles are a trial, many times more difficult than the 12 miles that began our day. To make matters more challenging, the trail follows a long dirt road for this section, so there is little respite from the mud, and few prospects to camp. 

We eventually improvise a campsite, make dinner and I sleep the hardest I have all week on this cold wet night.

Horse Lake to Sandy’s Canyon, 12 Miles

I wake to the condensation gathered in my tent. The humidity from the rainstorm outside and the moisture from my exhalations throughout the night leave my sleeping bag damp and my tent soaked. We break camp, and set on to Horse Lake just ahead. Our guides note that this water source is dry unless there was a very wet Winter. 

Everyone, this water source is in fact, a lake this year. I see the most waterfowl that I have in years and the water fills our bottles clear. It is a welcome and beautiful sight under the pink horizon. 

The hellmud dries and cracks quickly once the sun shines under it, I swear I can almost hear it. 

Catching a quick smell of myself, dear lord  am I ready for a shower. We will be in Flagstaff tomorrow, and I look forward to a shower and a hot bath. 

Sandy’s Canyon to Flagstaff, 9 Miles

The wilderness surrounding Flagstaff does not lend the impression that one is about to enter a city of 130k strong. The Arizona Trail follows 2 routes, and we take the “urban route” that cuts right into Flagstaff. I’m ready for a shower and a hot meal. 

We will take 2 days here, and next stop, the Grand Canyon.