AZT 2019 Day 24: Campsite near Brush Springs (mile 432.0) to Junction with Powerline Road (mile 450.6)

18.6 miles

The storm definitely came last night. As the sun was setting, there was some rain and thunder, but I was nothing like what happened at 10 PM. There was heavy rain and blinding lightning, followed immediately by a loud crack of thunder. It definitely kept me awake during the night. Even around 4 AM, I was still hearing rain coming down.

I woke up for good when there was light in the sky and the birds in the trees around me were being very noisy. While the tent itself had kept me dry, the tent walls were cold and damp to the touch. The outside of my sleeping bag was also damp from the condensation. All together, it didn't make for a comfortable place to hang out. I packed everything in my bag except for my tent fly, which I attached to the outside of my bag, and headed out.

I was still heading through rolling hills with shrubby vegetation. The vegetation was wet and my clothes became damp quickly. With the cooler temperatures the storm had brought, I was almost cold. This trail is weird.

Leaving the campsite.

There were still plenty of lingering clouds from the storm. The sun was doing it's best to poke through, which made for some cool lighting.

Cool lighting on the hills.

Finally, I saw the valley that contained the East Verde River. I was excited to get through this section as it is the last time the trail dips to low elevation until the Grand Canyon. After today, hiking temperatures should be more reasonable, and less dangerous.

The East Verde River Valley.

I descended to the valley, stopping at a stream about 2 miles out to eat breakfast and partially dry out my gear. When I got to the bottom, I made sure to follow the cairns that marked the trail. Apparently, people get lost or take wrong turns at the bottom. I found it pretty easy to follow.

I reached the river and was surprised when it looked like I would have to ford it, something I really haven't had to do on this trail. There was a section where it narrowed which it looked like I could rock hop. It turned out that I couldn't and my feet got wet anyway.

The East Verde River. 

The river was such a lovely spot, especially with the cooler temperatures, so I hung out for a little while on the bank. Just as I was packing up, Hayley reached the river. I thought she might be able to rock hop since she was taller, but she ended up getting her feet wet too.

Next, I started my long ascent out of the valley. It started with climbing a mesa. The nice thing about the mesa was that you did a short amount of steep climbing and then it was a very gradual ascent on the “flat” part.

Climbing up the mesa.

I started to see why people were complaining of rocks and cairns while on the mesa. The path itself was subtle, so you had to pay attention. The cairns were fairly regular, so I didn't have a hard time with following the trail. The mesa itself was covered in fairly small, uneven rocks. Again, I did not have an issue stepping over them.

The trail.

Right before climbing the next mesa, Whiterock Mesa, I stopped at Whiterock Spring for lunch. The past couple springboxes/troughs I encountered had been pretty dirty, but this one was beautifully clear. Hayley joined me for a long lunch at the spring.

Whiterock Spring.

After the second mesa, the hills started again. They were different than the hills south of the river. While it was mostly sharp little shrubs before, it was now dominated by juniper trees. There wasn't a whole lot of sun, but if there was I would imagine there would be some lovely shade amongst those trees.

Following the AZT.

A different landscape. 

This section had a lot more of those uneven rocks, and cairns lining the path. I can imagine how it would have made people angry, especially if they were not expecting it. If you add in a warm day climbing out of the river, I can really imagine people being angry. Personally,  I found it kind of fun. You had to pay attention to where you stepped and time where the next cairn was. It was more entertaining than zoning out while hiking.

Follow the cairns.

Once I finished the majority of the climb, I headed for a stock pond to fill up on water. I wasn't excited about doing so after being spoiled by all those clear streams and springs. I passed several cows on the way to the pond, and had some join me while filtering water.

Cows at the stock pond.

When I saw the cows all look up, I turned to what they were staring at and saw several elk. The elk, in turn, saw me and bolted away. This scared the cows who then started running themselves.  This all seemed unnecessary. All 3 of us species could have shared the water.

With enough water for the rest of the day, I took the trail until it became a road, then followed that to the junction with another road. I saw a flat, rock free space tucked into a couple of juniper trees that would act as a wind block. It was too good to pass up so I set up camp there.

My camping spot among the junipers.

The temperature was nice and cool, almost cold. My sleeping is rated to 10 degrees, so I have been way too hot on most nights. I'm hoping tonight I will be cozy and get a good nights sleep.