My AZT Thru Hike Day 1 : What Did I Get Myself Into?

The first day of any thru-hike is the toughest. The Arizona Trail raised that up a notch. THIS IS TOUGH!

Welcome, I’m Allie.  I’ve been living full time on the road since 2020. These are my memories as I travel.

Conquering the Arizona Trail : AZT NOBO Miles 0-8

That desperate, nervous feeling I get when I hit higher elevations didn’t hit me until we started to climb the side of the mountain on our very first accent on the AZT.

I didn’t know we’d be on the SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN. Why was I so naïve? I’m an avid hiker, for heaven’s sake, I’ve climbed before. But never over 3000′ in the first 9 miles!

Am I Ready to Hike the AZT?

That morning I felt ready for a long hike. We had been hunkering down for 3 days in Tucson waiting for a storm to pass. What torture! Yet during that time Janice, David and I (my tramily, aka trail family) became acquainted with each other. I was relieved and excited to be in the company of such kind and adventurous people!

We stuffed ourselves and 3 backpacks in the car. Two hours or so later we arrived at the trailhead. Hopping out we stretched, took in the scenery and headed down to the Southern Terminus at the Mexican/US border.

Heading south I couldn’t get over how vast Mexico is, and beautiful! This just raised my excitement level as I envisioned the AZT’s passages.

At the terminus we took the obligatory photos of us all on the obelisk and headed back up.

I was really pumped now!

Was Climbing the First Day of the AZT as Part of the Plan?

I awkwardly lifted my backpack over my shoulders and on to my back, loosened and tightened where needed and waited for my partners to do the same. Yet they didn’t seem so awkward. Oh well, rookie moves. (I’ll get the hang of getting that red titan on my back by day 3.)

We said goodbye to Jan’s husband, who graciously drove us to the trail head and started heading up.

And up. And up.

Up.

UP.

UP!

I knew there was a climb in the beginning of the AZT, I did a bit of research on what to expect the first 5 days or so. Yet I must have made yet another rookie move in underestimating what a 3000′ climb looks and feels like.

It’s tough.

As we walked our pace slowed and we stopped more often. At times my quads tightened and spasmed, making my legs weak and almost unwilling to move. I stopped to stretch, drink water and Jan gave me an electrolyte tablet.

We marched on.

There was no turning back so we inched our way up. Backpackers that carried less weight and/or were more fit passed us, smiling and wishing us the best.

I’m certain at times I looked scared. I’m not a fan of being up high. Add the side of a mountain to complicate that fear and I’m not a happy hiker. I truly thought to myself “what the hell did I get myself into?”

What the hell did I get myself into?

Quietly I followed Jan zig zagging our way along the dirt path. David, who had hiked the John Muir Trail as well as Machu Picchu in Peru, hiked ahead at a quicker pace.

Finally we reached Miller Peak Junction, the highest point for the day.

Whew! What an exhilarating feeling it was to know what my body and mind were capable of doing!

There was no time to lolligag, it was cold and windy at the top and, frankly, I wanted down off this mountain.

We meandered another 2 miles or so to a location called Bathtub Springs where we walked down a bit more to make camp.

We set up our tents and hunkered down for a night of chills and wind but we were dry and feeling accomplished, and that’s good enough for the first 8.5 miles of 800.

More of My AZT Adventure

Below is the video of day 1 to accompany this post. I mention things in there that I don’t in writing, including the fact that I needed help the first day to set up my tent. I think that was rookie move #3 for me that day. The first 3 of many I’m sure happened along the way.

Thanks for reading and stay tune for so much more, we stayed on trail for 8 days!

Arizona Trail Thru Hike Day 1

More about the AZT:

• Arizona Trail
• Guthooks Guide for AZT – App we used to navigate
• All AZT posts on AllieRambles

Thanks for stopping by!

~Allie