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| 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! =) |
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!
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| Hiking by some powerlines |
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| If I had to guess, I'd guess elk scat! |
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| Another coyote sighting! I saw it leaving Shuffs Tank. |
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| Not only do coyotes drink from stock tanks, but so do hikers! =) |
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| I bet this kind of view isn't what you think of when you think "Arizona." =) |
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| It's a tree house! (I suspect it might be for hunters.) |
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| These must be the animals that left the elk poop! Or are they deer....? Hmm... |
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| This is what happens when they finally notice me taking photos--STAMPEDE!!!!!! |
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| An ant's-eye view of a pine cone. |
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| An ant's-eye view of Highway 3. |
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| These large boulders were put on the trail to discourage folks in ATVs from driving on the trail. |
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| I'm betting this Alvin guy liked horses. =) |
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| 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! |
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| That's never a good sign to see.... |
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| That's not a good sign to see either.... although it looks kind of old and no longer relevant. |
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| Navajo Spring was so wonderful, I didn't even bother to treat it. =) |
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| "Forest Stewardship Activity" is a euphemism for "logging." =) |
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| But it's a good place to stop for the night. Rest those poor, tired feet.... |
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