AZT Day 4 – Santa Rita Foothills

by

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

32.2 miles

Mile 108.9

I woke with the sun around 6:00 AM, setting off down into the Santa Rita foothills.

I followed the trail north up and down rolling hills of grass.

I found a few gallons of water left by a trail angel under an old oak near a dirt road junction. I was thirsty, so it was a good find.

I spent the next few hours making my way out of the hills heading towards the desert flat between the Santa Rita and Rincon mountain ranges.

Around 3:00 PM I reached a stock tank that I’d camped at last year when I hiked this section. I stopped there to grab some water, and found two hikers hanging out in the shade of a tree. One of them ended up being Natty, a hiker I’d met last year on the PCT.

After chatting for a bit, I set out once again to polish off the last of the days miles.

When I reached the Sahuarita Trailhead I was jazzed to find a large stash of water and snacks! Thank you AZT trail angels!

I topped off my water, grabbed a Nutter Butter and pushed on another few miles.

I chose to make camp in a dried up creek bed. I’m a big fan of sleeping on soft sand.

P.s. Exactly one year ago today I set out for my first day on the PCT! What a year!

Cheers!

10 thoughts on “AZT Day 4 – Santa Rita Foothills”

  1. Great to see you on another epic journey! The Te Araroa looked beautiful. You’ve done more in the past year than the rest of us 9-to-5ers hope to do in a lifetime. Do you have to go back to work some time to fund your epic adventures?!

    As a mostly-armchair long-distance hiking enthusiast (furthest I’ve hiked is ~ a month on the JMT) — I’m curious about whether you do anything specific to avoid overuse injuries — it seems like a lot of long-distance hiking bloggers, especially people pushing big days, eventually get foot or ankle or knee problems.

    The AZT looks beautiful, and glad to see there’s some clean water out there from trail angels. The water sources on the AZT sometimes look a little….. sketchy? Have a blast out there, and I look forward to following along!

    • Hi Caroline! The TA was incredible, but it’s good to be back in the states! I was a 9-to-5er for few years, and it just wasn’t for me! When the money runs out I’ll have to go back to work, but luckily hiking is a cheap hobby.

      That’s awesome that you’ve hiked the JMT. Out of everything I’ve done, that’s still my favorite trail by a large margin. Somehow I’ve managed to stay injury free (knocks on wood). I just listen to my body, eat lots and get plenty of rest, and somehow I can just keep going.

      Haha the AZT is notorious for sub par water sources. Lots of cow ponds and tanks. Fortunately between the amazing trail angels and snow melt there’s been plenty of good sources.

      Cheers!

  2. Congrats on your 1 year (at least) anniversary of continuous thru hiking! Great pics, especially the skies, and dry high desert grasslands. Have a great day today!

  4. I’ve been following your story since you left Campo. I love your pics and narratives Austin. Thanks for being so diligent to share your treks with those of us unable to hike and taking us to see such wild and beautiful places.

    • I’m glad to hear it Denise! Thanks for following along. It’s been a fun project sharing my treks with everyone. Cheers!

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