[Day 21] Picketpost

I made my exit from the Superstition Wilderness, and I knew I was in for a slow day despite the terrain primarily descending. I put the transmission in low gear, took my foot off the pedals, and coasted.

I overshot my primary water source by a mile — quite an expensive mistake. The indefinite next water was a cache box at Highway 60, or I hitchhike into the town of Superior.

After 18 miles of weaving canyons and washes down to the highway, I pushed a half mile passed the road praying on the cache box. Other than people’s private gallons, the cache was dry. I walked a few steps further south to the Picketpost Trailhead, full expecting to turn back to the highway. As I was signing the trail register, a trail angel pulled up to drop off a hiker. She immediately, graciously, and happily offered to top my supplies off. As I rehydrated, I calmed the fears of spiders, snakes, and, oddly, bears of the new arrival, heading out on his first extended trip. He planned to haul two gallons of water from the trailhead — heavy, but at least he won’t go thirsty like I just did.

Heading into dusk, I am setting myself in position to walk most of tomorrow’s miles along the Gila River. My left shoe’s fabric has blown out too. Fortunately, these shoes only need to survive 40 moderate miles to Kearny — this won’t be the on-river walk of the Gila like New Mexico’s CDT.

Over the past couple days, my bathroom breaks became — let’s just say — spicier. There isn’t the particular smell and increase in frequency that accompanies giardia. I diagnose that my intake of chlorinated water has killed much of the good bacteria in my digestive tract.

The day ended into the dark as I wrapped my way around Picketpost Mountain. The west Superstitions were irritatingly captivating through the end day. Why didn’t they route the AZT through them? I settled up alongside Arizona Forest Service Road 4 for the night with a belly full from a meal of yellow chicken curry.

Signing off,

Zeppelin

“Freak on a Leash”