Arizona Trail 2019

I am attempting another National Scenic Trail!  The Arizona Trail is a relatively new NST, designated in 2009 and completed in 2011. It stretches the length of Arizona from the state's borders with Mexico in the south, and Utah in the north.  The trail is listed as 800 miles in length, although the Guthook/Atlas Trail App lists the northern border at mile 788.7.

This will be my shortest NST to date, but I don't expect it to be easy.  I'm starting the trail a month later than planned due to a family matter, and a large storm hit Arizona on my original start date.  That storm, along with several previous storms dumped an impressive amount of snow throughout much of the trail.  Those who started around the time I had originally planned to start are still "surrounded by snow," despite being over half way through.  The last stretch to the Utah border still has enough snow right now that those moving through it should "expect to posthole."

So, maybe it is a good thing that I am starting late.  While I knew that snow occurs at higher elevations in Arizona, I honestly did not expect it to be such a big obstacle on the Arizona Trail.  Thankfully, the snow seems to be mostly melted from the southern part of the trail and will melt significantly before I reach the more northern sections.  I am, however; starting at the tail end of the traditional northbound hiking season, as lower elevations can reach 100 degrees F in May.  I will either be hitting the trail just at the right time for the snowmelt, or at the right time for really hot/dry conditions.  Knowing my luck with trail conditions, I will probably be moving through snow at higher elevations and really hot temperatures at the lower elevations. The trails like to make me work for those end terminuses (is that even a word?).

Check back in about a week or so for Day 1 of the AZT.  I am also keeping a video journal on the Susanne's Adventure Journal YouTube page (www.youtube.com/channel/UCjLhmxkYYPewXUDoO7WACFA).  For this trail, I will be doing one longer video per day instead of trying to break it up into bite-sized videos like I did on the Florida Trail.


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