AZT 2019 Day 25: Junction with Powerline Road (mile 450.6) to Pine Trailhead (mile 461.1)

10.5 miles

It was so cold this morning! I had so much condensation built on my rain fly that that it was soaked and dripping back down. I forced myself to get up and pack up, though I relegated the fly to the outside of my pack again for being wet.

I headed down the trail, which at this point followed a powerline road. Almost immediately, I saw a herd of elk. I could hear them both last night and this morning. I was also getting a wonderful aroma from the juniper trees surrounding me. I was glad that I could smell that instead of myself, as it had been 8/9 days since I had last showered or done laundry.

Sunrise on the powerline road.


Funny enough, I was actually meeting my parents at the Pine Trailhead today, and they had never seen me come off trail before. I was curious to see their reactions to how dirty I was.

I walked forest roads for a while, until the trail became single track again. The trail was similar to yesterday with the rocky landscape and the cairn spotting.

Follow the cairns.

A trail with a view.


Eventually the trail dipped down to a cute little meadow. When it ascended again I got my first views of the town of Pine. I followed the trail to the south of town, going through a pine forest before hitting the trailhead.


Gate leading to the Pine Trailhead. 

I had beat my parents there, so I ate the rest of my food bag and tried to organize things as much as possible. Finally, my parents drove up and my mom gave me some loaner clothes to wear.

We went to THAT Brewery & Pub, and I got a pint of the Arizona Trail Ale I had been thinking about for the past few days. I also got myself a decadent grilled cheese with bacon. I was incredibly hungry in the last few miles of the hike today, but was somehow full by the end of the meal. Impressive.


Then, my parents drove me back down to Mesa. It was a long drive and I was exhausted. I stayed awake enough to point out where I had previously crossed highway 87 near Sycamore Creek/Sunflower.

We got back to my parents townhouse and I finally got that shower I had been wanting for days. I also unpacked my bag a little and assessed my gear, drying out the wet tent/sleeping bag on the patio.

We then ate an extravagant dinner (with 2 margaritas) at a local Mexican restaurant and went to the grocery store for my resupply.




That evening, I tried to hang out and watch TV but I was just too tired and ended up crashing early. I ended the night in a real bed.

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