Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most commonly asked questions by people we talk to about hiking the AZT
Molly's Pack sitting on the center line of Highway 67, heading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This road is closed to cars in winter, making for more choice hiking when compared to the 3+ feet of snow on the Arizona Trail. This picture was taken on the only 10 mile stretch where we didn't encounter snow on this Highway.
Where did you guys come from?
Utah.
Where are you going?
Mexico.
What's in Mexico?
Mexicans.
Where do you start?
We will be hiking the trail from the Utah/Arizona border to the Mexico/Arizona border. Both trailheads are in remote areas. A friend of ours will drive us to the start, and we will have to backtrack a few miles at the end to catch a shuttle near Nogales, AZ on the Mexican border.
When did you start?
We started hiking December 27th at the Utah border. We met Bob's brother Jesse at Phantom Ranch on January 7th. We had originally planned to see Mexico sometime at the end of March, we are now planning to push that back by a couple weeks (this leaves more time for exploration). So we don't expect to resurface until early April.
How will we know if you're okay?
We will be contacting family members at each resupply point. They have a copy of our itenerary, and if our contact is delayed, they know who to contact to start searching for us. It is always a good idea to have a group of people who know about where you are, and know what to do if it's been too long. You can check our progress on the map page as well.
Isn't it going to be cold?
Only if your a wussy. The temperature at the northern end can be highs in the 30s lows in the teens. It gets warmer as we head south, with temperatures in the sixties, lows in the mid-20s. But Arizona does receive an annual of 300 days of sunshine a year. Walking with a full pack can warm a person up quickly. There are several mountain ranges that we will cross, and these may be covered with snow. We will be taking snowshoes along.
Photo Above. A picture of our camp kitchen during a snow storm. It became necessary to cook inside our vestibule as we waited out a three day stom in the Matatzals of Central Arizona. One must excercise extreme caution when cooking inside a tent, and do so only when there are no other options than cooked food. Here, we propped up the wall of the tent to ensure it never came into contact with our stove or the heat it generated. We also made sure we had plenty of ventilation, and that our tent was stabble. We eventually began to prefer foods that required no cooking, and in the future will opt out of bringing our stove when possible.
What will you eat?
Breakfast will be oatmeal or grits. Lunch will be tuna wraps or salami, cheese, and crackers. Dinner will be rice or pasta with tuna, salmon, or dried beans. There is always room for dessert, a chocolate bar or cookies. And we will have lots of trail mix and dried fruit for snacking.
Where will you sleep?
On the ground. We will be taking goose down-filled sleeping bags rated to keep a person warm down to zero degrees. We will sleep on camping mattresses, Bob likes the foam kind, Molly prefers the inflatable type. For shelter we are taking a tarp. After many nights sleeping on the snow, Bob has finally upgraded to an inflatable air mattress as well. Also after many very chilly nights, we've opted for a tent insted of a tarp. Should prove warmer and quicker and easier set up.
ABOVE LEFT:Arizona free-range cattle are common sites along the Arizona Trail. It was often amazing where these guys would pop up, I assure you cattle are more agile than you think. They are also quite smart. While route-finding in the Mataztals, where there was extensive fire damage, we followed the tracks (in the snow) of a bull. We would leave his tracks, searching for the trail, and often join back with them later. We eventually stopped second guessing the animal, and when we came to a fork in the road, we would follow the bovine tracks.
ABOVE RIGHT: A bighorn sheep scaling a cliff along the Upper Miner's route in the Grand Canyon.
Are you carrying a gun?
No. We love experiencing wildlife, and are not scared of the animals. Many times seeing an animal is a rare treat, we have no desire to make it a lesser occuring event. The only real danger is other people with guns. We almost got shot once while hiking just south of Flagstaff, AZ. Some yahoo was target practicing near a trailhead, shooting into the open air (I guess it wasn't really "target" practice). As we got closer to our car, the shots became louder and louder, and before we knew it we could here the bullets piercing the vegetation around us. We started screaming and ducking and dodging. The man had no idea we were even there or that there was a hiking trail nearby. Our car was parked behind a large juniper just 50 yards from his. We were lucky then, so no, we won't be taking a gun. And it's extra weight. The only thing I'm even remotely scared of is the US border patrol near the Mexican border. Please note that we have nothing against responsible hunters who consume their game. Bob has purchased a hunting license for small game and is carrying a sling shot. Some fresh squirrel or rabbit on the trail will be a welcome addition to our diets. This also levels the playing field as rodents getting into food bags is always a problem, now I can add them to the food bag, Muah-ah-ah-ah!
Where do you shower?
At your house, baby! Where did the pioneers shower? a shower is a relatively new luxury for our society. You just need some water and a bit of soap (biodegradable soap so as not to hurt any wildlife).
Are you taking a cell phone?
No, there will only be few places that would have reception anyway. The point is to get away from civilization. Bob would just fling it anyway.
Are you guys crazy?!
Yes. But just wait till after we have spent 3 months in the wilderness.
