Day 36: Trail detour!

If you ever wondered where water comes from,
now you know! It grows on trees. Harvest
what you need, leave what you don't! At least
that was the lesson I learned from this unexpected
water cache! =)

May 18: These blog entries are getting to be easy to write. Nothing much happened, so I don't have much to write. =)

Today was yet another largely uneventful day. The Arizona Trail crossed Highway 3 which had the first water cache (which actually had water) in probably over 100 miles. I grabbed the little water there was since it had to be better than the muddy water from the stock tanks, but the water must have sat there for a long time because it tasted thick with plastic. The muddy stuff, after treating, actually tasted better, but I figured the bottled water was probably better for my health.

Navajo Spring--the last water source on the trail for the day--was absolutely wonderful and was in such a remote area, I felt safe enough to drink without treating it. Not having to treat water is a real treat!

From Navajo Spring, one can hike downhill towards Mormon Lake, but from what my data book describes, it didn't interest me. Who wants to go a mile off trail anyhow?

My goal for the day was to hike 20 miles, but I was cut a bit short because of a trail detour. The powers-that-be are "thinning" the forest, cutting down a lot of trees so, in theory, forest fires in the future won't be as bad or as intense. Because of the logging, a couple of miles of the trail had been closed. A detour had also been provided, but I didn't want to do the detour today. It headed down a gravel road to a paved road by Mormon Lake before following another gravel road back to the trail.

So I set up camp within spitting distance of where the trail detour started and called it a day. It was a good day too!

Hiking by some powerlines

If I had to guess, I'd guess elk scat!

Another coyote sighting! I saw it leaving Shuffs Tank.

Not only do coyotes drink from stock tanks, but so do hikers! =)

I bet this kind of view isn't what you think of when you think "Arizona." =)

It's a tree house! (I suspect it might be for hunters.)

These must be the animals that left the elk poop! Or are they deer....? Hmm...

This is what happens when they finally notice me taking photos--STAMPEDE!!!!!!

An ant's-eye view of a pine cone.

An ant's-eye view of Highway 3.

These large boulders were put on the trail to discourage
folks in ATVs from driving on the trail.

I'm betting this Alvin guy liked horses. =)

This "wanted" poster was quite amusing (even if it was almost impossible
to read through the plastic panel it was behind). The Leafy Spurge was
"Wanted--dead, not alive" since it's an invasive species. Crimes committed include:

* choking and the deliberate takeover of native plants
* stealing land, homes and food from wildlife
* corrupting and invading open lands, roadsides and recreation areas
* costing a bundle for taxpayers to control
* wrecking havoc and mayhem on innocent, unsuspecting ecosystems

Obviously, I'll have to keep my eyes out for this dangerous desperado!

That's never a good sign to see....

That's not a good sign to see either.... although it looks kind of old and
no longer relevant.

Navajo Spring was so wonderful, I didn't even bother to treat it. =)

"Forest Stewardship Activity" is a euphemism for "logging." =)

But it's a good place to stop for the night. Rest those poor, tired feet....