Arizona Adventures: my first backpacking experience!
Every travel has a why behind it. The reason for traveling to that particular place during that particular time. Why Arizona? Why February? Why backpacking!? Each February, the National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association (NLOMA) holds a conference where Lutheran camping professionals come together for renewal, fellowship, and professional development. This year it was held in "sunny" (I'll get to that) Tucson, Arizona; we would simply tack on a few extra days after the conference for our trip. That covers the why behind the place and time but backpacking? Carrying days worth of gear and food on your back, hiking hours on end, going to the bathroom outside, and the likelihood of getting blisters may not appeal to many. So why backpacking?
Day 1
The morning of our trip came and the painstakingly planned trip that Kardia had put together went out the window. The trailhead we were supposed to start out on was expected to be washed-out with all the coming rain and we didn't want to get stranded with our rental vehicle, so a new plan was formed. We drove to Lost Dutchman State Park, got an overnight parking pass, rain-geared up, and started out. By the time we entered the park, it had started raining and it rained all day. We hiked about 3 miles of trail and gravel road before we hit the actual trail, Dutchman Trail, and the Superstition Mountains.
Places that would normally be dry (called "washes" in Arizona because they nearly never have water in the them) were fairly deep creeks with strong currents. I never expected to learn how to cross backcountry creeks in Arizona, but boy did I learn - and got pretty good at it by the end of this trip! Three times we unbuckled our packs, rolled up our pants under our rain pants and waded through ice cold, nearly knee-high water. We got to the fourth - and widest so far - creek and it was decided it would be safer to turn around and camp at Lost Dutchman. The water was continuing to rise and it would have been terribly dangerous to get stuck out there.
On the way back, parts of the trail that had been dry just an hour or so earlier were now full, flowing creeks. We were living and hiking through actual flash flooding! Of course, it was cold along with the rain and my toes and fingers were absolutely froze. I couldn't move my thumb for a good portion of the hike! When we made it back to our car, we blasted the heat to warm up and dry out. We got a campsite, set up camp in the rain and took turns setting our stuff up in the tent and sitting in the car to warm up. Hot dogs, apples, and sweet potato chips for supper under our tarp lean-to structure, then back to the car to warm up and plan our next day before heading to bed.
Day 1 total miles hiked: roughly 10
Day 2
We hiked part of Treasure Loop, up part of a mountain then took Jacob's Crosscut over to Siphon Draw Pass for our real goal: hiking Flat Iron! We made it to the Basin where the trail got significantly harder with a steeper grade and smoother rock that had a dusting of snow and water running down the middle like a mini waterslide. We made it to a waterfall (again, didn't think that'd be a thing in Arizona) and tried going further up, but the trail was so slippery we decided it was safer to turn around and head back down. Ellie and I both fell and went sliding into the mini waterfall. Honestly, at that point, I felt pretty defeated. But when you're backpacking you trek on (you kind of have no other choice) and that's what we did.
When we reached the head of Siphon Draw Pass again, we turned on Cross Cut Trail and hiked the curving, rolling trail around the base of Flat Iron, which included a cactus forest. The sun came out during our hike, giving us hope, but when we stopped for our hummus and pita chip lunch, it started raining - again. The rain cleared on our way back to our car and while we set up at our new campsite, but started again before supper, so we once again took turns getting our sleep stuff set in the tent and sitting in the car warming up/drying off. We did manage to eat our chicken and rice supper without rain though!
Day 2 total miles hiked: about 12
Day 3
I got cold this night, so added my down jacket, but was still cold for a while before falling back asleep. In the morning, I found out why I was so cold - we woke up to our tent being frosted over and ice on our vehicle! It must have gotten down in the upper 20's that night!
We took down camp, packed our backpacks and were off for the real deal - an overnight in the Superstition Mountains! It felt like everything leading up to this was practice and now we were doing it for real. We drove to the Peralta Trailhead, where we were originally going to start and began our hike. No rain today - finally sunshine!! Around every curve or turn in the trail there opened up a new view, each just as breathtaking as the last
We hiked Dutchmans and Terrapin trails, making our way around Miners Needle, gaining elevation via switchbacks. There was still water on the trail and small creek crossings, but not nearly as bad as our first day. However, today we encountered snow and quite a bit of it! At the top of some passes there was probably 8-12 inches of snow! We hiked in T-shirts and snow for a majority of the day. Lunch was pepperoni, cheese, and wheat thins eaten atop a bluff overlooking mountains and valleys. Seriously majestic.
Around 3:30pm we came upon a clearing in the midst of mountains with a small rock fire ring - a 5 star campsite! We dropped our packs and headed down to a nearby creek to get water for filtering. They told me it'd taste just like regular water after we filtered it, but I was still surprised at just how delicious it was! We set up camp and laid shoes, socks, and our tarp out in the sun to dry. It was kind of nice, but also felt a little weird, to walk around camp in just socks for a while. When it was time to explore our little bluff and collect firewood for the night, it was back to the now slightly less wet shoes.
Protein pancakes with freeze-dried fruit, syrup, and bacon for supper - SO GOOD! We ended the evening with a fire and drying our wet socks over it. With a clear sky and the stars shining so brightly, the night couldn't have been much better. Not much else about this trip seemed like we were in Arizona, but that sky! So big, so clear, so bright, so Arizona.
Day 3 Total miles hiked: roughly 9
Day 4
Because it was so cold the night before, we took extra precautions to stay warm this night, but all of us ended up waking up hot! We quickly packed up camp and were on the trail by 8:00am. Around 9:00am, we stopped to have breakfast on a rock outcropping facing Weaver's Needle, one of the most famous landmarks of the Superstitions. This ended up being my favorite meal of the whole trip: powdered milk that we added water to to make milk, dehydrated raspberries, granola, and coconut shavings - DELICIOUS!
Today we hiked Terrapin and Peralta Trails, seeing Black Top Mesa and making our way around Weaver's Needle. There was no snow to start out with, but we soon found ourselves hiking in it again - at some points we were trekking through two feet of it! But like yesterday it was sunny all day, so more T-shirt backpacking! We hiked up to Fremont Saddle, took a snack break, then navigated the often slippery with snow trail back to where we started the day before.
Fremont Saddle is a popular destination for day hikers, and when we made it to the top we met our first big group of people in days. We had met people on the trails before, but they were more spread out, smaller groups, and were at least fairly prepared for mountain hiking. At Fremont Saddle and the hike down to the trailhead, the people were generally louder and did not appear prepared at all. A couple people were listening to music and one guy was attempting the climb in flip-flops! I can't make this stuff up. I was surprised at how disappointed I was to see people after being relatively alone the past couple of days.
Back at the car we unpacked our packs, repacked for the airport, changed, then headed to a car wash and vacuumed out the rental car after all the sand and wet and living-out-of we had put it through. Our post trip meal was delicious pizza at a local place in Phoenix and frozen custard at "Andy's". Both the pizza and the custard really hit the spot to end our trip before heading to the airport.
Day 4 total miles hiked: about 7
Reflections
There was no "easing into" backpacking with this trip! I was baptized by fire - err flash flooding. But it didn't scare me away. The Lutz twins made a backpacker out of me despite nature's trials! I found that backpacking gives you a new appreciation of nature. You feel like you've really been to the place you hiked, like you know that place. I've always appreciated nature, but there's something about really being a part of a place and toiling in it that makes you stand in awe and wonder of it, that I think you can only get with backpacking.
- I appreciate opportunities to try new things, challenge myself, and grow
- one of my coworkers (who has become a great friend) is a backpacking pro and her stories (while many detail the struggle and not-at-all glamorous parts of backpacking) give glimpses of this other life that you just need to experience yourself
- I couldn't pass up an opportunity to spend four days in the wilderness with the Lutz twins! (my aforementioned friend and her sister)
Day 1
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| Heading out for my first backpacking trip! (I'm extremely nervous in this picture and doing my best not to show it.) |
The morning of our trip came and the painstakingly planned trip that Kardia had put together went out the window. The trailhead we were supposed to start out on was expected to be washed-out with all the coming rain and we didn't want to get stranded with our rental vehicle, so a new plan was formed. We drove to Lost Dutchman State Park, got an overnight parking pass, rain-geared up, and started out. By the time we entered the park, it had started raining and it rained all day. We hiked about 3 miles of trail and gravel road before we hit the actual trail, Dutchman Trail, and the Superstition Mountains.
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| Day 1: we're soaked, but alive! |
Places that would normally be dry (called "washes" in Arizona because they nearly never have water in the them) were fairly deep creeks with strong currents. I never expected to learn how to cross backcountry creeks in Arizona, but boy did I learn - and got pretty good at it by the end of this trip! Three times we unbuckled our packs, rolled up our pants under our rain pants and waded through ice cold, nearly knee-high water. We got to the fourth - and widest so far - creek and it was decided it would be safer to turn around and camp at Lost Dutchman. The water was continuing to rise and it would have been terribly dangerous to get stuck out there.
 |
| Seeking warmth and dryness in the car |
On the way back, parts of the trail that had been dry just an hour or so earlier were now full, flowing creeks. We were living and hiking through actual flash flooding! Of course, it was cold along with the rain and my toes and fingers were absolutely froze. I couldn't move my thumb for a good portion of the hike! When we made it back to our car, we blasted the heat to warm up and dry out. We got a campsite, set up camp in the rain and took turns setting our stuff up in the tent and sitting in the car to warm up. Hot dogs, apples, and sweet potato chips for supper under our tarp lean-to structure, then back to the car to warm up and plan our next day before heading to bed.
Day 1 total miles hiked: roughly 10
Day 2
I was surprised and oh so grateful that I stayed warm all night! Usually I get cold when camping in summer, so I was worried about our nights getting into the 30's, but it's true that the right gear makes all the difference! Our breakfast of peanut butter, chocolate granola, chocolate chips, and banana chips tortillas were delicious and gave us fuel for our second day of rain hiking. We knew with the continued rain, trails weren't going to be much better, so we planned a day hike around the Park. We packed up camp, got day packs ready and drove to a new trail.
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| Starting out on our quest to hike Flat Iron. It rained off and on all day. |
We hiked part of Treasure Loop, up part of a mountain then took Jacob's Crosscut over to Siphon Draw Pass for our real goal: hiking Flat Iron! We made it to the Basin where the trail got significantly harder with a steeper grade and smoother rock that had a dusting of snow and water running down the middle like a mini waterslide. We made it to a waterfall (again, didn't think that'd be a thing in Arizona) and tried going further up, but the trail was so slippery we decided it was safer to turn around and head back down. Ellie and I both fell and went sliding into the mini waterfall. Honestly, at that point, I felt pretty defeated. But when you're backpacking you trek on (you kind of have no other choice) and that's what we did.
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| With all the rain, we saw numerous waterfalls throughout our Arizona hike |
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| Mini waterslide at the Siphon Draw Basin |
When we reached the head of Siphon Draw Pass again, we turned on Cross Cut Trail and hiked the curving, rolling trail around the base of Flat Iron, which included a cactus forest. The sun came out during our hike, giving us hope, but when we stopped for our hummus and pita chip lunch, it started raining - again. The rain cleared on our way back to our car and while we set up at our new campsite, but started again before supper, so we once again took turns getting our sleep stuff set in the tent and sitting in the car warming up/drying off. We did manage to eat our chicken and rice supper without rain though!
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| Yeah, we climbed that. No rain hood up!? And is that...sun!? |
Day 2 total miles hiked: about 12
Day 3
I got cold this night, so added my down jacket, but was still cold for a while before falling back asleep. In the morning, I found out why I was so cold - we woke up to our tent being frosted over and ice on our vehicle! It must have gotten down in the upper 20's that night!
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| Finally hiking in T-shirts in Arizona!! |
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| On Day 3 we hiked in 8-12 inches of snow. On Day 4 we hiked in 2 feet of it! |
We hiked Dutchmans and Terrapin trails, making our way around Miners Needle, gaining elevation via switchbacks. There was still water on the trail and small creek crossings, but not nearly as bad as our first day. However, today we encountered snow and quite a bit of it! At the top of some passes there was probably 8-12 inches of snow! We hiked in T-shirts and snow for a majority of the day. Lunch was pepperoni, cheese, and wheat thins eaten atop a bluff overlooking mountains and valleys. Seriously majestic.
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| Our lunchtime view. Unreal. |
Around 3:30pm we came upon a clearing in the midst of mountains with a small rock fire ring - a 5 star campsite! We dropped our packs and headed down to a nearby creek to get water for filtering. They told me it'd taste just like regular water after we filtered it, but I was still surprised at just how delicious it was! We set up camp and laid shoes, socks, and our tarp out in the sun to dry. It was kind of nice, but also felt a little weird, to walk around camp in just socks for a while. When it was time to explore our little bluff and collect firewood for the night, it was back to the now slightly less wet shoes.
 |
| Our 5-star campsite. Note the drying clothes on the left and Weaver's Needle in the background on the right |
Protein pancakes with freeze-dried fruit, syrup, and bacon for supper - SO GOOD! We ended the evening with a fire and drying our wet socks over it. With a clear sky and the stars shining so brightly, the night couldn't have been much better. Not much else about this trip seemed like we were in Arizona, but that sky! So big, so clear, so bright, so Arizona.
Day 3 Total miles hiked: roughly 9
Day 4
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| Not a bad breakfast view |
Today we hiked Terrapin and Peralta Trails, seeing Black Top Mesa and making our way around Weaver's Needle. There was no snow to start out with, but we soon found ourselves hiking in it again - at some points we were trekking through two feet of it! But like yesterday it was sunny all day, so more T-shirt backpacking! We hiked up to Fremont Saddle, took a snack break, then navigated the often slippery with snow trail back to where we started the day before.
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| Weaver's Needle |
Fremont Saddle is a popular destination for day hikers, and when we made it to the top we met our first big group of people in days. We had met people on the trails before, but they were more spread out, smaller groups, and were at least fairly prepared for mountain hiking. At Fremont Saddle and the hike down to the trailhead, the people were generally louder and did not appear prepared at all. A couple people were listening to music and one guy was attempting the climb in flip-flops! I can't make this stuff up. I was surprised at how disappointed I was to see people after being relatively alone the past couple of days.
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| We made it! Back at the Peralta Trailhead where we started. |
Back at the car we unpacked our packs, repacked for the airport, changed, then headed to a car wash and vacuumed out the rental car after all the sand and wet and living-out-of we had put it through. Our post trip meal was delicious pizza at a local place in Phoenix and frozen custard at "Andy's". Both the pizza and the custard really hit the spot to end our trip before heading to the airport.
Day 4 total miles hiked: about 7
Reflections
There was no "easing into" backpacking with this trip! I was baptized by fire - err flash flooding. But it didn't scare me away. The Lutz twins made a backpacker out of me despite nature's trials! I found that backpacking gives you a new appreciation of nature. You feel like you've really been to the place you hiked, like you know that place. I've always appreciated nature, but there's something about really being a part of a place and toiling in it that makes you stand in awe and wonder of it, that I think you can only get with backpacking.
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