March 13-15 2010  Pinal County, Tiger Mine Rd TH to the Florence/Kelvin Hwy TH (about 55 miles)

This is really the beginning of my AZT adventure.  A little insight.  Other than a few hikes in the Grand Canyon over the years, the majority of the hikes I had done were day hikes.  This trip starts a pretty steep learning curve for me on backpacking in remote settings and by myself.  As I outline some of my trips you will notice I'm not the quickest learner.  I am getting better though, but I'm still a slow learner.

The one common theme in all my trips is that there is always something unexpected, sometimes several of them.

I love this part of Pinal County and this hike was particularly enjoyable because I got to hike on many portions of the trail that Jarred, Erin, Caitlen and I got to build.  Looking back on this hike it highlighted many of the challenges to come, water management, route finding, isolation ( I only saw three people in the three days), weather changes, blisters.

Memories that stand out from this hike were:
1)  Water management is critical, I didn't plan too well on day one and had a long dry morning hike to get to where I had water stashed.
2)  GPS technology is a good thing.  I didn't have a gps, I lost the trail on the third day and had to bushwack for a few miles to get back to the trail.
3)  What is really important to pack and what is not.  I carried too much on this trip.  I now have a better idea of what I can live without, although there are certain things I won't hike without, tent, sleeping bag, pillow.  I keep trying to get it lighter, but then I find myself packing something I just have to have.

 This is the section called the "Boulders"  There were many boulder outcroppings just like this one.

This is called the "big hill".  If you think the desert is flat, this is just one of many hills I will encounter in the desert.  This one is kind of like the Grand Canyon, switchback after switchback.  Lot's of four letter words flying, nobody there to listen or care.