Water skills on the Arizona Trail

Water was a challenge on the Arizona Trail.  Jan and I developed skills in finding and planning for water, and learned to appreciate water in a new way.   Water sources included natural springs, seeps, streams, and rivers, or man-made tanks, faucets, or troughs.  Water came in all colors and aromas, with algae and cowpies, with floating dead things.  But we drank up.  What choice did we have?

Yes, I'm drinking this water from a cowpie-lined stream.

Finding water

Water Report
The water report for the Arizona Trail, maintained by Fred Gaudet, was our main source of information.  Similar to the Pacific Crest Trail water report for Southern California, it lists mileages, type of water source, and the name and date of the last hiker to report on each source.

Water report for Passage 14.  We were there in March 2015.  Can you believe no one had updated most of them for so long?

Water sources are rated 0-4 for reliability.  If you hike in a dry year, only the 3s and 4s will have water.  Last year my friend Brian (Arizona) said many sources were dry—he hiked for miles without water.  But in a wet year, like we had all the 1s had water.  But I never did trust the 1s and always carried enough water so that if a source rated 1 ended up not having water, I would have enough water to get to the next source. 

Think we should drink this, or go to the next water source?

When we started our hike, most of the water sources on the water report hadn’t been updated for over 6 months!  Even after the southbounders started hiking, the vast majority still hadn’t provided updates.  Perhaps this lack of reporting was because it was a high rain year.  But information about water clarity and flow is useful for other hikers, so please do your part to keep the water report current.   Sending in reports is easy-all you have to do is email Fred at fwgaz@yahoo.com.   Special thanks to Fred for maintaining the water report!

Example of a dirt tank.

Word of mouth
We were always really happy to cross northbound backpackers, because they were reliable source of water source information.  Other hikers took the time to explain how the stock tanks and systems of pipes worked, and how the float balls functioned.  We learned which sources to skip because they were really disgusting, and which had clear water.

A natural water source with clear water.

Once we started getting water information from the northbound hikers, Jan and I could carry significantly less water because we knew which sources we could count on.  We we thrilled when other hikers started updating the water report too.  Thank you!

Other information sources
The Grand Enchantment Trail and Sky Islands Traverse both run concurrent with the Arizona Trail for large stretches, and the water source descriptions for these routes are really helpful. 

Topo maps
Water sources including springs and stock tanks are shown on the topo maps I downloaded on my iphone using Gaia GPS.  It was really helpful to have these on my GPS for locating off-trail sources.

Topo maps downloaded onto my smartphone using Gaia GPS show wells, tanks, and springs..

Keeping your eyes peeled
Ephemeral water sources like potholes are not listed.  But you can spot them once you know where to look.  You’ll develop a keen search image for water.  You’ll spot the bright green of cottonwoods from miles away, see the rock formations that tend to gather pothole water, and even start to believe you can smell the scent of water. 

Potential water source?

Water caches

While it is best to use natural water sources, the reality on the Arizona Trail is that there are long stretches without water where caches are important.  There are several established metal, public cache boxes, and people also do their own water caches before they hike, especially in Passages 6, 7 and 14 and 15.

Retrieving water I'd cached before the trip.

The rule of thumb is to never rely on water caches.  Public water caches are unreliable because they could easily and quickly be emptied out by other people.  A good practice is to arrive at the caches with enough water so that you wouldn’t die if they were empty and had to hike to the next water source.

Public water cache.

The three public water caches (called “resupply box” on the databook and water reports)
are all in Passage 14 and 15.  These were at the Florence-Kelvin Road Trailhead, Freeman Road, Tiger Mine Road Trailhead.  These metal containers with locks were located down the trail but close to trailheads.  You can put your own water in the boxes (label them with your name and date), and we also found that there were several gallons available for public use.  Whoever maintains these caches provides an incredible service!

Some people cache their own water in areas besides the metal boxes, either by leaving it near trailheads or burying their water jugs.  If you do this, please label your bottles with your name and expected date of use, and clean up your caches after your hike.  Follow leave no trace and either pack out your bottles or pick them up quickly after your hike!

Digging up my water cache.

Packing out the empties.

Cattle troughs and stock tanks
When there are no natural water sources, ranches use wells and windmills to bring water to the surface for their cattle.  Backpackers can get water from these sources too, as long as they are respectful and take only what they need.   

Climbing the ladder of a stock tank...

...to get water strait from the pipe.

At troughs, we'd follow the pipes to the water source to see if we could find cleaner water.

I was apprehensive when we saw these signs at the trailheads warning us about taking water on private property, but we were told we could get water as long as we only took what we needed and followed good Leave No Trace practices.

These signs are meant to remind hikers to be respectful.

Water management
Carrying larger quantities of water required a different system than what I’ve used on trails where I only have to carry a liter or two.  With so much water, you could easily get confused which water is clean and which is dirty. Water processing efficiency also needs to be considered, and it all must be able to fit into your pack. 

My water system- 2 L dirty bag, water scoop, two clean bags, sawyer squeeze and aquamira.

I have higher capacity for clean water and only one 2 L bottle for dirty water.  We frequently filled up with clean water for long water carries, like when we headed out from a trailhead, town, or cache. 

Filling up with water at a spigot.

I drink most of my water from my platypus hose, so I carry two 3 Liter platypus bottles, and usually only fill them partially full.  As I empty one, I can easily switch out to the other.

Powered drink mixes masks the taste of gross water sources.  A gatorade bottle has a slightly larger opening for mixing drink powders.  When I used my sawyer squeeze, it was much easier to squeeze water into the gatorade bottle and it didn’t tip over.  Then I would pour the filtered water from the gatorade bottle into the platypus 3 liter bottles (with their small openings, and soft sides, they were more difficult to squeeze into.)

Water purification
A prefilter in the water scoop gets the floaties and chunks out, and helped prevent the water filter from clogging up.

Did you bring your pre-filter?

For really fowl water, I treated with both a sawyer squeeze and aquamira drops.  I switched from the sawyer mini to the regular sized sawyer for this trip after finding that the mini clogged easily and the flow was slow.

Scooping water from a shallow source.

Conclusions

Time spent developing water skills pays off.  Finding and carrying water on Arizona Trail is challenging, but it's worth it to traverse these incredible landscapes.  We really learned to appreciate that “water is life. 

Precious water down a wash.

For more information

Fred Gaudet's Water Report
Grand Enchantment Trail's Water Charts

Never fear! We've got UMBRELLAS!

Jan and I had a lot of fears going into our hike of the Arizona Trail.  We worried about border problems and drug runners, angry bulls, mountain lions, spiny vegetation, and ranches who didn’t want us on their land.  We started out feeling scared and vulnerable.

However, during our hike, we discovered we had powerful defense of our own.  There was no need to fear, because we wielded CHROME DOME UMBRELLAS!

I am a powerful warrior, with my trusty umbrella at my side. Photo by Jan.

In all circumstances, our umbrellas provided us the protection we needed to safely traverse the Arizona Trail unharmed.  When deployed, the shiny, silver reflective properties of the umbrella and it’s unique-deflecting dome shape shielded us from harm.

No mountain lions would dare attack us when we had giant chrome dome sized heads.

I can safely take a rest break under the protection of my umbrella.  Plus my knees won't get sunburned.

When rolled up, the chrome dome umbrella turns into a magical sword that can slay any foe, animal or vegetable.

Fighting the fierce jumping cholla cactus. Photo by Jan.

Slashing my way through thick vegetation that fought back with vicious spines.

Water tanks would sometimes spray us with water when we ventured too close.  But we survived the attacks with our umbrellas.

I slept soundly knowing my trusty umbrella was within easy reach under my hammock.

If any situation got out of control, we knew we could always use the umbrella’s capacities for flight to escape just like Mary Poppins.

Just about ready to take off. Photo by Jan.

Our umbrellas were by far our most important gear items on the Arizona Trail.  We never would have made it through alive if it weren't for our chrome domes.

***Several alert readers have written to me and suggested that our success on the Arizona Trail was because the trail is actually quite safe, and our fears were overblown.  While this is a viable hypothesis, I still wouldn't recommend hiking the Arizona Trail without an umbrella.***

For more information

Umbrella rigging- how to rig your umbrella hands-free to your pack

Golite no longer sells umbrellas, but Gossamer Gear does here.

(Disclaimer- I am a Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador.  But I bought this umbrella from Golite).

Only Fools Hammock the Arizona Trail

No!

That’s the answer I got when I asked other hammock enthusiasts if I should bring my hammock on the Arizona Trail.  You’ll only be able to hang 50%, maybe 80%, of the time.  I ignored this advice.  If you saw the photos on my blog, you'll already know that I slept in my hammock every night on my 300 mile section hike of the southernmost part of the Arizona Trail (southbound from Superior to Mexico, Passages 1-17, in March 2015).

Hanging on the Arizona Trail.

But if asked that same question by someone thinking of hiking the Arizona Trail, I would give the same recommendation:  You’d be a fool to bring a hammock.

Here, I'll attempt to convince you NOT to bring a hammock on the Arizona Trail.  I'll explain why I brought my hammock.  And for other hammock-hanging fools, I'll give some tips for hanging in Arizona.

Why hammocking is impractical on the Arizona Trail
There are long stretches at low elevation with vegetation not conducive to hanging- cactus, ocotillo, palo verde.  Sure you go up into forested higher elevations, but not for long before going back down again into the desert sea.  Fierce winds will steal the warmth right out of your hammock.  Trees you do find are too widely spaced to hang- you wouldn’t be able to get your tree straps high enough to not be dragging your butt on the ground.  Spine-covered undergrowth and cactus further limit available hang sites.

Scrub and cactus— this why you don’t want to hang on the Arizona Trail.

My advice is to stick with a tent or tarp, and try cowboy camping on the Arizona Trail.  You, dear readers, should embrace the challenge of learning to be a more versatile backpacker by learning to sleep on the ground.

Jan and Farwalker made smart shelter choices.  Be like them.  Sleep on the ground.

But, I'm a hammock-lovin’ fool!  
Are you an avid hammock hanger who wouldn't think of going backpacking if you had to sleep on the ground?  Have you already spent hundreds of dollars on customizing your lightweight hammock setup and sewing your own hammock gear?  Do you not even own a tent?  Are you a creative hammock hanger with desert experience?  Do you have a keen ability to “see” unusual hang sites and to spatially visualize the shape of your setup?  Do you have a go-to-ground option for your rig?

I answered "yes" to all of the above.  Last year, I hammocked the southernmost 1500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail though Southern California and the Sierra.  I've done desert hanging in Utah.  I can't sleep if I’m not in my hammock, and I really value the ability to sleep.  I am willing to make sacrifices to hang and I don't mind letting the hammock dictate my hike.  I am OK paying the steep price in time and energy and getting poked with spines to sleep in my hammock.

If that sounds like you, then keep reading...

Chillin' in my hammock while Jan sets up her tent.

My experience on this section of the Arizona Trail was that finding sites was difficult but not impossible.  It was more difficult than hanging on the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California.  But if I were to do this Arizona Trail section again, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring my hammock.  The costs in extra time to find a site were far outweighed by the benefits of a good nights sleep for me.

TIPS FOR HAMMOCKING FOOLS

Know your elevation
The hardest places to find hang sites were at low elevations and anywhere water was scarce.  Higher elevations have trees, but can be prohibitively steep.  Use your topo map.

High elevation hang near Summerhaven.

Develop spatial skills
Learn how to judge the negative space required for your hammock.  You should be able to pick out a hang site far in the distance, and see hang sites from the corner of your eye.

How many hang sites can you spot?

Know how low your hammock will stretch, and have a sense of how much tiny branches will bend under your weight before your butt lands on the ground.  Know how to measure the minimum spacing required for your hammock (I hold out my hiking poles to judge exact distance- if the tips of my poles barely touch while my arms are fully extended, I know I can hang there).

These cholla are the perfect distance apart for my hammock!  Too bad they bend prohibitively.  Not to mention the spines.

Creative hangs
Be creative in finding anchor points. Practice one-tree hangs, gully hangs, and hangs from fences or corrals.

I've done lots of creative hangs, but still can't always judge if a hang will work (i.e. if my butt will end up on the ground).  Even with all my experience, several times I'd set up my hammock unsuccessfully, and then had to find another spot and move.

Do you want to be spending your backpacking trip with this type of nightly hassle?  Or does that sound like your idea of fun?

Embrace mesquite
Mesquite trees (shrubs?) provided me frequent hangs.  They are surprisingly sturdy for being such small trees and didn’t bend much.  Most important, they were present down at lower elevations, where there is NOTHING else but cactus.  Mesquite were sharp and scrubby with lots of low hanging branches.  They will poke you with spines when you set up and when you get out of your hammock to pee.  I went in early spring before the mesquite leaf out, and I've heard the new growth has needle sharp thorns which are probably even more vicious.  Cows love mesquite, so you will hang over cowpies, and you will get poked and scraped up.  But to hang on the AZT, you will learn to love mesquite and when you cross the cactus-dominated landscapes and see will see the shadows of mesquites in the distance, your heart will sing with joy.

I'm taller than this mesquite tree, but look I can still hang from it!

Find a wash
Hang sites can be found in washes.  I virtually “scout” ahead to find washes using the topo maps I’d downloaded to my iphone using Gaia GPS.  I'd often have to hike for several miles to find a possible hang site.

A rare good hang in Sabino Canyon.

Washes sometimes have cottonwoods, sycamores, or other trees.  Sometimes, vegetation isn’t tall enough to hang from, but you can try for a gully hang.  Gully hangs are when you anchor off small bushes across a gully, and then span the gully.

Gully hang over an animal path.

The downside of being in a wash is that cold air sinks, and these places are wet so you risk being covered in condensation and freezing in the cold damp air.   Animals frequent gullies and use them as paths, so you also risk having critters running around your campsite.  Sounds fun, right?

Trees near water sources
Many beautiful trees are found near water sources, and you will see lovely hangs near water.  Do NOT hang near water sources (especially springs and potholes).  I repeat DO NOT HANG NEAR WATER SOURCES.  Animals and other wildlife rely on these scare sources and come and drink at night.  If you hang there you could prevent them from accessing water.  This is their home.  You are just a guest.  Act with respect.  Find another place to hang.

Escape the wind
The wind is a huge problem because it will suck the warmth from you in a hammock.  Wind on the Arizona Trail is fierce and unrelenting.  Learn to find sites that are sheltered from the wind in the lee of a hillside.  Or you will spend sleepless nights getting shaken and listening to the roar of your tarp flapping in the wind while you freeze to death.

This site ended up being too windy, and I had to move my hammock further down the hillside.

Go-to ground setup
Carry a ground setup so that you will be able to sleep on the ground when you do not find a suitable hang site.  I carry a polycro ground cloth and torso pad that I use as insulation under my legs in my hammock.  Know how to set up your tarp on the ground (in high winds, in rock-hard soil).

Spine management practices
If you aren’t careful, it would be really easy to get spines in your hammock.  Always check yourself for burrs, briars, and spines before getting into your hammock. I lay out a ground cloth under my hammock as an extra layer of protection. 

Shrubs and bushes will tear you up when you go scouting for hang sites off the trail and when you go to set up your hammock.  I wore tall gaiters and long sleeved shirt to protect myself and kept my sunglasses on to protect my eyes.

Practice leave-no-trace
Leave No Trace guidelines say to not break branches or clear away undergrowth to make a place for your hammock.  This can be nearly impossible, but try your best to avoid harming trees and killing vegetation.  I tied back branches with rope to make space for my hammock.  When I left my campsite, I tried to make it look like no one had been there.

Conclusions
I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: you’d be foolish to hammock on the Arizona Trail.  But if you are a highly experience hammocker, it can be done and you will learn more skills than you could ever imagine about finding trees and hang sites.  You will annoy those around you by taking photos of all the trees and gleefully shouting “oh look at that gorgeous hang site” as you hike down the trail.  You will hug trees and touch their bark and they will poke you back and scrape you arms and legs.  But it will all be worth it, when you climb into your hammock for the night and quickly drift off to sleep.

After the sun sets, where do you want to be sleeping?

Further information
I wrote a detailed review of hanging on the PCT in Southern California where I go into more detail on certain hammock-related topics.

I used the same hammock gear as I did on the PCT.

If you have any questions about hanging on this part of the Arizona Trail, please ask away!  I’d be delighted to talk to you!

Celebrating another hang the last night of my section hike.

What to expect on the Arizona Trail

The Arizona Trail was not what I’d expected.  As a relatively new national scenic trail, there are fewer articles and trail journals about it.  I had quite a few misconceptions about Arizona and what the trail would be like before I started.

This is Arizona Trail I expected.

I was delighted to find that the Arizona Trail is also like this!

And it was also like this!

Here are several of the ways that the Arizona Trail surprised me on my 300 mile section hike on the southernmost part of the trail (Passages 1-17).  I hope this helps give those of you who are thinking of hiking this trail a better sense of what to expect:

Diversity of the Sky Islands

Nothing could have prepared me for the diversity of the sky islands.  Traveling between the mountain “islands” and then dropping down into the sea of lower elevation desert provided incredible contrasts.  We passed through many ecological zones and temperatures even within a single day.  The desert wasn’t what you’d think either- there were washes and the green oasis around streams and rivers.  Totally varied and interesting!

Oasis of green at Cienega Creek.

Climbing up and down the Sky Islands was an unforgettable hiking experience.   I’m not gonna lie trudging through the lower elevations was tough, energy-sapping, and sometimes totally miserable.

Is this really a national scenic trail?

But the expansiveness had a stark beauty that we grew to love.  And experiencing these low points really made me appreciate it when we got to the shade of washes, and made my heart leap for joy when we climbed up into the trees.  Having these contrasts gave a unique perspective to appreciation constant change.

Seeing the beauty of cactus and scrub at lower elevations.

Magnificent high elevation forests in Saguaro National Park.

Spines everywhere

All along the trail, cactus spines and spiny bushes would embed in flesh and clothes.  The trail is overgrown in places so we contended with vicious plants that scratched us up.  Abrasion-resistant clothing and long sleeves and pants, and gaiters, provided some protection but we still got stuck.

Battling overgrown trail. Photo by Jan.

Be careful of the spines.  They will attack sooner or later.

The Arizona Trail is not the AT or PCT

The Arizona Trail provided a different experience compared to my section hikes of other long trails like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail.  It felt more wild and was definitely less crowded.  Navigation and water were more difficult, there were fewer planning resources, and not the network of trail angels/trail magic.  All of this, for me, provided a more desirable experience—I loved the challenge and character of this trail.  The fact that fewer people have hiked it and that it's not all trampled to death made if feel quite precious. 

Because there are fewer long-distance hikers, we didn’t see other hikers in towns or camp with other hikers.  It would have been difficult to find new hiking partners on the trail, which was something that is easy on the AT and PCT.  If you are looking for a social experience, this would not be the trail for you.

Section hiking the Arizona Trail rocks

A wonderful thing about the Arizona Trail is that it is a section hikers’ paradise.  The planning resources are designed to encourage section hiking, with lots of information about how to get to the trailheads, best times of year to hike each section, and mileages are given section by section.  We found section hiking to be a wonderful way to experience this diverse trail.

Water sources are highly variable

Water sources along the Arizona Trail varied in reliability, palatability, and difficulty.  Sources included natural springs, seeps, streams, and rivers, or man-made tanks, faucets, or troughs.  I’ve never seen such diversity in water color and aroma, or seen so much water with algae and cowpies, and floating dead things.  You will drink water that you’d previously never consider letting touch your skin.  You will learn to appreciate water in a deep way.

Excited about water.

We're suppose to drink that?

Border issues weren't an issue for us

I was apprehensive about border problems, but we did not see any illegals or drug runners.  Border patrol was highly visible presence south of I-10, and especially south of Patagonia.  On the trail we stayed visible, didn’t hike in the dark, and hiked together as a group of three.  I spent a lot of time feeling apprehensive and scared.  The northbound hikers, including several solo women, hadn't any problems either, but some of them felt scared too.  I still don't know what to think about how safe it was for us to hike there, but I was relieved we didn't have trouble.

It’s way more beautiful that you can imagine

The stereotype for Arizona is cactus and sand.  But the real Arizona is wildly diverse and the variety of plants, trees, insects, birds, animals and rocks is astounding.  We saw hillsides carpeted in wildflowers, walked through towering pine forest, and found deep swimming holes in huge canyons.  You will be amazed by the ever-changing beauty of the Arizona Trail.

Hillsides of wildflowers.

Another colorful Arizona Trail sunrise.

Conclusions
I hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect on the Arizona Trail.  It’s a wonderful trail that seems to be gaining more popularity, and rightly so.  It will provide you with an unforgettable experience if you rise to meet the challenges it presents.

Spines

For more information

The Arizona Trail Association's website has planning info and everything you need to get started.

Jan "Beekeeper" also has photos, videos, and more about our trip here.