What goes up, must come down. Wildflower and I had left before Turtle to begin the descent from Manning Camp, signing the register before we left as 'The Tortoise and the Hares' knowing he would catch up soon enough. The AZT gets major trail props for how well marked it is, but the top of Mica Mountain is a maze of trails and ended up being the first time we got 'lost' since starting our hike. We found ourselves wandering through beautiful Mica Meadow and thought that getting lost had its payoffs. It was a hilarious moment when we finally crested a hill that would bring us back to the AZT junction and were met, face to face, with a confused Turtle who had managed to stay on trail. The three of us made our way down. And down. And down. I now longed for the challenging up the day before as my knees struggled on the steep descent.
The views descending Mica Peak were some of the most impressive of our journey this far
It was an overcast day and as we headed down from the Rincons and into the foothills that would transition us into the Santa Catalinas the winds began to pick up. I'd never experienced winds like this; even Wildflower commented it was in her top 5 windiest conditions - an impressive ranking considering she's summited 2 of the 7 tallest mountain peaks in the world.
The windblown grasses of the Redington Pass trail Passage
We tag-teamed with Turtle again throughout the day, knowing we would make camp together - our last night before splitting up as Wildflower and I would be taking a rest day, or a 'Zero' as its referred to in Thru-hiking, in Tucson with Mama K and Papa Miguel.
We ended our nearly 18 mile day at Agua Caliente drainage - a stream turned slow trickle - where the three of us made camp under a canopy of mesquite trees and debated on setting up our tarps as we looked to the cloudy skies. Our final night camping as The Tortoise and Hares was filled with conversation over the day's events:
"Did you guys have crazy winds today too?"
"I saw a Gila Monster!"
"Look at this new blister..."
We'd found some entertainment through a mantra book Wildflower was carrying and every night we would get a new mantra based on that particular days ailments. After a few days of this, it had become a running joke that regardless of Turtle's ailment, his mantra always included the phrase 'I am safe.'
Wildflower's mantra book and the source of many camp conversations
Some of my favorites:
Body Odor: I love and approve myself. I am safe.
Feet: My understanding is clear. I am safe.
Loss of Appetite: I love and approve myself. I am safe. Life is safe and joyous.
Even when we'd make up ailments, his mantra was very clear:
Anxiety: I love and approve myself and I trust the process of life. I am safe.
Narcilepsy: I rely on divine wisdom end guidance to protect me at all times. I am safe.
It didn't take long before 'Turtle' became 'Safety Turtle'. The evolution of a trail name.
The sky did open up just enough to let a few raindrops through that night, but we all decided (at 3am) that it wasn't tarp-worthy rain and fell back into a symphony of snoring.
The next day took us into the Santa Catalina mountain range, which still holds as one of our favorite sections of the trail.
This rock was made for yoga. Looking towards the Santa Catalinas
One of the most interesting elements to the Arizona Trail is the diversity of the landscape. I started this hike thinking I'd be spending 2 months in the desert, and after only 2 weeks we'd gone through 3 mountain ranges! Our arrival to the Santa Catalinas started with a descent into Sycamore Canyon Reservoir. Both Wildflower and I stopped in our tracks as we looked down into a lush valley - green grass was not something we'd seen since leaving Seattle weeks ago!
The beauty of Sycamore Canyon and the Santa Catalinas
Soon after we began descending into the canyon we saw a hiker with a couple of teenagers behind him. As per trail etiquette, we moved to the side to allow those hiking UP to pass. He called to us, "I have about 20 behind me - just so you know!" Soon, an entire class of students emerged behind him. Upon learning we were Thru-hikers, he stopped his class to give an impromptu lesson on the AZT and what it means to Thru-hike. The kids were impressed, shocked that we'd walked to this point from Mexico, and immediately began offering water and twizzlers as their teacher asked us questions about our gear, our clothes, our food and our planning.
Photo opp with Arizona students
As the group passed us the teacher called back to the two adults picking up the rear, "her name is Yogabird!" He called back. He looked at me, "she teaches yoga - she'll love that name." We stopped for a moment to talk to the yoga teacher who, of course, taught at the same studio as Linda's son, our Vail trail angel. She knew him (of course) and agreed to tell him how wonderful his mother was. The smallness of our world no longer seemed surprising, but instead it was becoming a familiar comfort.
Seeing the class of kids brought new energy and was a sweet reminder of the YETI kids that we are raising money for on this hike. Being outside and experiencing our natural environment is so important and is all too often missing among our future generations. Knowing that our fundraiser will aide in the effort to get more young people to challenge themselves with outdoor adventures was exactly the push we needed to make the final miles towards Sabino Canyon, where we would leave the AZT temporarily for the comforts of Tucson.
We made one final stop for a snack break and to wait for Turtle so we could say our goodbyes - this time it would likely be for awhile. If we did meet up with him again we knew it wouldn't be until the end of our hike. As we hugged and said our goodbyes, we were all a bit emotional. It's hard to describe the inherent bond that exists amongst thru-hikers - but I can assure you it will not surprise me at all if we keep in touch with Turtle for the rest of our lives. We etched our parting words to him in the sand at our junction to Sabino Canyon.
"Stay Safe."