The wind this morning kept me submerged in my sleeping bag. My quilt is rated for 20°F, but with the wind, even my totally enclosed feet were chilly. Since I skipped dinner last night, I supplemented this morning with many tablespoons of peanut butter. Until the AZT, I avoided peanut butter — I wasn’t a huge fan. But, I decided to give it a go, and I see why many hikers carry a jar Nutella or some sort of nut butter. With all the fat, sugar, and protein, it effectively serves as meal replacement.
| 🗓️ Date | November 10th |
| ⇢ Mileage | 32.1 |
| 📍 Trip Mileage | 575.0 |
| ⛅️ Weather | Windy morning, high of 70°F |
| 🏞️ Trail Conditions | Dirt roads and single track rolling through desert washes |
After a few miles of descent this morning, I tanked up for a water carry of 17 miles. I made the decision to push out lunch break from the typical 1pm or 15 miles. Instead, I wanted make 20 miles to the next water source; I had a bigger mileage day in mind.
Trail rolled through flatter desert today following a gentle incline towards the Tortilla Mountains (what a cute name). The Tortilla Mountains are sort of like our favorite floury burrito skins — flat with occasionally raised dark spot. The Santa Catalina Mountains of tomorrow loomed in the distance.
Following dirt road, power lines, and single track cut very much in favor of mountain bikers, I made the 20 miles to another rainwater collector. I skipped any form of purifying.
A couple miles past the rainwater collector, I crossed paths with a couple hiking the Grand Enchantment Trail (GET), which runs from Albuquerque to Phoenix and merged with the AZT en route to its termination in the Superstitions. We exchanged intel about our experiences and water sources. The GET is on my list, but not in the immediate near term. They graciously gave me their remaining Aquamira droplets since I was running low and they will be done in a few days. I picked up some iodine tablets in Kearny; I’ll switch between the chlorine dioxide and iodine to see if I have a preference.
Wrapping around the Tortilla Mountain, an elegant, southwestern sunset painted the sky with a gradient of color. I moved into the night, watering up at Beehive Well before pushing my camp to Camp Grant Wash.
Signing off,
Zeppelin
“Freak on a Leash”
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