AZT Day 20 – Tall Pines Cafe

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

24.4 miles

Mile 500.5

It had sprinkled a bit throughout the night, but thankfully only clouds remained when I left my tent in the morning.

From where I’d camped the trail led me through Washington Park Trailhead and over a couple bridges before beginning a quick ascent up to 7000 ft. From here on out the trail remains mostly above 7000 ft and is relatively flat, other than Mt. Humphreys and the Grand Canyon.

After the climb I passed by General Springs Cabin, where I took a short break before pushing on into the forest.

For the next couple hours I wandered through a gorgeous forest heavy with the scent of pine.

This made me laugh…

I had to get my feet wet at this creek crossing, but that’s only the second or third time I’ve had to do that on the AZT, so no complaints!

A short time later I captured a horny toad!

I reached Highway 87 around 2:00 PM, and decided I’d grab a hitch down the road to grab some grub at Tall Pines Cafe. I lucked out and scored a ride in minutes from a family who’d just dropped their daughter off on the AZT.

At the cafe I ordered two breakfast burritos. One I scarfed down there, while the other went in my pack for dinner. The hitch back to the trail took some patience, but after about an hour of waiting I scored a ride back to the trail.

I walked for another two hours before ending the day at a nice spot near a creek.

Cheers!