Bushcamp to Bushcamp
27.4 miles
Mile 234.2
I set off from Tiger Mine Road Trailhead around 6:30 AM, topping off my bottles at the water cache before leaving.
I spent the day hiking along rolling desert hills sprinkled with blooming purple and orange wildflowers.
This section of trail was especially hot, dry and exposed, and the water sources were pretty gnarly…
For a bit I walked with a group of four hikers named Gusha, Micro, Bigfoot and Hi-Robics, who’d completed their triple crown together last year on the CDT. I pushed on when they stopped for lunch, passing another five hikers throughout the day.
I saw my first rattlesnake on the AZT today. He was big and mad, coiled up right off trail shaking his rattler furiously.
Around 3:30 PM I rolled up to Freeman Road Trailhead, where I found a trail angel named Sequoia relaxing in the shade of his camper with another hiker named Stretch. When Sequoia offered me food and beer, it was an easy decision to make camp there for the night.
The four hikers I’d hiked with earlier rolled up an hour later, along with another hiker named Happy Joe. We spent the evening hanging out, and for dinner Sequoia made us some killer pasta! Thanks man!
Cheers!
So great, there’s trail angels, friends, and other hikers on the AZT! That helps the miles go by 🙂 Will you be taking zeros or neros on this trip in towns, or are you on a super fast schedule where you have to finish by a certain date?
It sure does! I don’t have a deadline, so I’m just kinda going with the flow. I’m in Superior now taking a nero. After 12 days on trail I was in dire need of a shower!
Holy crap! You move too fast, I wouldn’t have guessed you’d be that far so quickly. And you’re probably long gone by now!