Musing about center-Section hike of the GET #3 (and unsolicited trail maint)

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

Am thinking aloud to flesh out a Plan, and to listen to your input if you're inclined.

Am thinking about backpacking from White Canyon to the Water Collector (end of AZT 16, beginning AZT 17) and return. Two days next week.

(Why? I dunno. Because it's there?)

Or, if someone partners, could return to Picketpost and drive back to first vehicle from there.

This is the middle Section of the GET #3, a.k.a. "The Old Arizona Trail." (Although some maps show two slightly different Old AZT's in places.)

(Some call it a "Route," as opposed to a Trail. Rated 2 out of 5 on HAZ for Route Finding. (I read that there are still old AZT markers in some places. Photos if I see markers.))

I had planned to backpack this center Section a few weeks ago. But chose a Plan D instead.

This time I'm thinking of driving in from Rt 177 to near White Canyon on Sunday afternoon. I would either park in a camping pad off of Battle Axe Road about two miles away from White Canyon proper and enjoy a luxurious evening of car camping. (Fire wood, chair, larger tent, etc.) The 4x4'ers should have it out of their system by then. And then start the hike proper early Monday morning.

Or I could start down to White Canyon Sunday evening and camp out by water there and be a little further along for Monday.

Or drive in early Monday morning and save the hassle of setting up/tearing down camp Sunday night.

(Forecast as of this writing is for rain there a few days before.)

It's a "short" 6 miles from White Canyon to the junction of the new AZT. But I expect to travel at 1 mph, given the Route Finding difficulty.

I plan to bring a small hand clipper to clear some of the trail if I can.

Then to the Water Collector for overnight.

Or, if it goes faster than I expect, after replenishing water, I could start back eastbound Monday afternoon and camp eastbound along the GET. (Would have seen some potential campsites along the way westbound.)

If it's too difficult before reaching the AZT, I will turn around early and head back to White Canyon, water and my vehicle. (If I punted at 5 miles westbound, that makes it a 10 mile trip back to White Canyon. Which should be safe, water-wise.)

Seem reasonable? Much of the trail seems discernable from satellite.

Shouldn't need as much food and warm clothes as I brought last time. So should be able to shave a couple pounds from my back.

[xsproutx]

Cooler weather backpacking time is limited here so it wouldn't be my personal choice to repeat so much of something you did recently but your decision obviously. The trek through there is in pretty good shape, honestly, and not too overgrown so I wouldn't be worried about that. It sees more traffic than you'd think between some AZT hikers who choose to take the route, the GET, and random hikers.

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

Glad to hear that the trail is in pretty good shape. Dr. Pizza (Gary, from Kearny) told me that Brett does all the GET maintenance himself.

As for temps - yeah, I figure that I had better do this now or wait until next year. (And I don't mean to presume that I'll be able to backpack next year.)

Currently, temps are forecast next week for highs in the (update:) barely 70's low-70's there.

Tnx.

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

... and I hated it because it was steep, slippery walking with fine gravel like ball bearings. I slipped once and went down pretty hard.

Rats.

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

I have completed my Trip Report and added captions to my Photoset.