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Backpacking the Arizona Trail

April 11-18, 2021
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AZT Day 4 16.4 miles today 66 miles total Conquer AZT Day 4 16.4 miles today 66 miles total Conquered mountains today! I woke up at 3am and quickly realized everyone had a rough, cold night sleep. But that cold made it our quickest camp breakdown yet 😂 Started morning with a 4.5 mile climb. Everyone was freezing, but we were determined to push through! At times we went 100 steps between quick breath breaks, but... WE PUSHED THROUGH!! The sun came up just as we were getting to the top. The views were spectacular, but the wind was howling! We had to find shelter from the wind so we could have breakfast and hot coffee. We did another 5 miles with our second climb all before lunch! 💪 As always the last part of the day is the toughest. At first the landscape changed from desert to grassy forests which was a beautiful sight. But then we entered rockie terrain which tested our patience and ankle strength. Slow and steady we made it through to camp with no injuries! Camp was full of laughter and fun tonight, but in the back of my mind I'm sad that this is our last night together. To be around such amazing women it's truly a gift. ♥️
AZT Day 3 16.1 miles today 49.6 miles total HUMP AZT Day 3 16.1 miles today 49.6 miles total HUMP DAY! Smack dab in the middle of our trip. Today we passed our halfway point AND this is officially the longest hike we've been on together 💪 It was probably our easiest day. Less miles and less elevation changes. But mentally the midway point can be tough, especially since we knew the next two days were going to be our most difficult. We felt accomplished but also laser focused on getting our bodies through to the end! We can do it!!!
AZT Day 2 17.2 miles today 33.5 miles total Afte AZT Day 2 17.2 miles today 33.5 miles total After our intense introduction to the Arizona heat yesterday, we decided to adjust our schedule to start really early and take a long break in the middle of the day. Luckily our bodies are still functioning on east coast time, so waking up early hasn't been too difficult. We hiked in darkness for 2 hours as mountains and cacti sillouettes slowly came into view. This was the ladies' first taste of backpacking with real elevation gain, going from 1,600ft to 3,700ft before lunchtime. At around the 10 mile mark we took our long break under a rainwater collector provided by the @aztassociation (to whom we are eternally grateful 🙏). Our thru-hiking friend, Rance was wrapping up his break when we arrived and stayed to chat for a bit. We met him yesterday within our first 10 minutes on trail and continued to see him off and on throughout our entire hike. He would always leave us encouraging notes along the way! I just love the hiking community 😊 After we bid farewell to Rance, we settled in for our break. We filtered water, made some lunch, and started some pretty vulnerable conversations. It was a beautiful moment where we all felt comfortable enough to truly open up to each other. The last 7+ miles were a mental game. We were pretty tired from the day, but we were also emotionally raw from everything we shared at lunch. There were a couple moments where some just needed an emotional release and positive affirmations from the group. For the last 2 miles the phrase "I am strong!" was repeated over and over to get us through. "I am strong!" "My knees are strong!" "My ankles are strong!" "My feet are strong!" "My mind is strong!" "My smell is strong!" 🤣 We yelled it out. We yelled it together. We made it to camp. Sunset welcomed us as we finished for the day completely exhausted and ready for sleep.
AZT Day 1 16.3 miles Ooof. Arizona is hot. You c AZT Day 1 16.3 miles Ooof. Arizona is hot. You could get feel the jitters in the car ride to the trailhead, but spirits were up. We started at 6am with cool breezes and shade from the canyon. We marvel at the sheer quantity of saguaros and other desert plants that these Florida women aren't used to seeing. It was a beautiful start to our adventure. After about 7 miles or so I feel like we began to get our trail legs, but that's when the heat really started to set in. The last 3 miles to our lunch spot took some real will-power but we made it through and took a long lunch by the river to refresh and regain or strength. After lunch we decided to tackle the next 3 miles and take another break by the river. Y'all, I'm serious, it's freaking hot here! We spent another hour or so here, cooling off and getting to learn about each other on whole new level 😉 Once we felt refreshed, we conquered the last 3 miles of the day, grateful for afternoon clouds and a few more breeding to get us through. Today we learned to be mentally flexible and ready for plans and rhythm to change. All we have to do is keep moving forward. It doesn't matter how long in the day it takes. Just put one foot in front of the other and you will get there ♥️
Day 3 ⫸ Wrapped up our final test hike with 10 m Day 3 ⫸ Wrapped up our final test hike with 10 miles by 9:30am! Night hiked for a couple hours. Dodged an alligator. Made a bridge. And found our trail names. You could say it was a pretty good day. Thanks @floridatrail for the memories ♥️
Day 2 ⫸ Sunrise on the prairie. Determined to do Day 2 ⫸ Sunrise on the prairie. Determined to do a 10x10 (10 miles by 10am) we woke up early and headed out of camp before 6am. 🌝 Hiked under the bright moon 🌄 Watched the sunrise 💪 Completed their first 10x10 ⛺ And finished our 14 mile day with plenty of time to enjoy their first primitive campsite right on the Kissimmee River.
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