Santa Rita

Passage Five: Mile 75.1 Gardner Canyon Road to Mile 88.6 Oak Tree Canyon

Day 10 con't: As I reach the trailhead to Passage 5, the angry mama cow veers off my path and towards her babies. I relaxed a little at the sign and studied the map of the passage to come. The cow in distress is still moaning, but as I leave the area, the sound gets fainter. 

The trail immediately goes uphill for a short distance and I could see where I've traveled in the Santa Rita Mountains behind me. I took it in and felt accomplished to have finished yet another strenuous passage. It's high noon now and I feel close to the sun. 

For a while, the trail zigs and zags alongside an old aqueduct that miners built to transport water from far off places like Tunnel and Bear Springs behind me through eight miles of pipe to Kentucky Camp - the main mining operation - ahead of me. 

My anticipation to experience Kentucky Camp builds as I hit a long, straight dirt road. I commend the US Forest Service here. They did a great job in setting up the history of the area and I enjoyed learning something more than how much pain or discomfort I could withstand. I recognize they're both important lessons as a little history grows my intellect and world view but a fair amount of miserable, that grows my resolve. These are good, important things to cultivate. 

It's midday and I'm frying. No one should do anything midday in Arizona; there's not enough sunscreen in the world. I'd sit under the shade of a nice big tree if there were any around...I opened up my little pink umbrella and it gave me some respite from sunbeams so intense they could fry an egg. I stop frequently, I drink liters of water. 

The view is expansive on the road. I can see far off mountains that hint to passages to come. Nearby, it's more desert grassland, land made for cattle. I melt ever closer towards Kentucky Camp and am paying close attention to my water supply. I'll make it for sure, but I'll definitely need to fill up at the rate I'm going. 

The trail does a bit of a U-turn as I get to Boston Gulch, where placer gold was found. Soon, I reach the gate of Kentucky Camp at mile 78.8 and sign the trail register. I'm not officially sure of how the place got its name, but it could very well be because it looks like a country house down somewhere in the south, like  old Kentuck. Tall trees offer amble shade and their leaves gracefully wave in the wind. It's serene among the tall grass and I think of iced tea and creaky rocking chairs.  

Approaching the caretaker's RV near the main house, I realize that this is much more than a historic building, it's an old-timey mining compound. There's an assay office, a main building and a couple of other miscellaneous cabins. The main building is by far the most impressive with is wonderful, wrap-around porch. 

There are large wooden chairs on the porch for lazing about and visitors are welcome to go inside and look around. 

The floorboards bend under my weight as I enter the office and they make a slow crrrrrreeeeaaak as I investigate the living room. With its tall ceilings, sparse decor and tendency to spookily echo, I'm sure this place would be an excellent setting for a Nancy Drew mystery. I dig it. 

I wanted to stay longer, but I figured I should keep on trekking. Thus is the life a thru-hiker...you see a little bit of everything. I fill up my water vessels and eat a quick snack before I depart. 

The camp is currently being restored by volunteers. I'll come back with my nerdy friends in a few years and we'll rent out an old-timey cabin, eat old-timey Ranch Style Beans and talk like old-timey ornery prospectors... Well, that is at least what I hope as I make my way up the hill to the road. More dirt road walking. Gradually headed uphill. It's still very hot and I miss the blissful shade of that delightful porch.

I make it up the first hill and then it's back down to start another climb.

The grass, remarkably, gets even taller. I appreciate how it looks in the late afternoon light and enjoy more expansive views.

I get to the high point for the passage and not far after I find a nice flat place to camp. I set up my tent and enjoy the mellow sunset while eating dinner. It's been a decent day and I fall asleep happy. 

Day 11: It's 8am but the sun and the heat make it feel like noon. I'm sweating in my sleeping bag. I kick off the covers and immediately take off all my layers. It's so hot, I was going to melt into a puddle of goo right there. 

I layer on the sunscreen, eat breakfast and get slowly moving. The biggest climb for the passage is over and now it's many many little ups and downs in the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains. 

It's pretty, but I'm getting sick of cows and grass. This isn't really what I had in mind for my trip in Arizona. I guess I (like most of the country I assume) pictured Arizona as half Sagauro National Park and half Grand Canyon. I wasn't expecting so much cow shit. I keep moving, hoping for a little change in scenery. Maybe, I was a little grumps on account of the heat.  

The best part of the morning was when I saw a large red truck next to a baby red truck. I don't know why, but I thought it was funny and cute.

It's about noon when I get to the metal cattle trough water source at mile 88.1. There's a spigot there that works splendidly and I fill up 6L worth because I haven't filled up since Kentucky Camp and the next water source sounded kind of iffy. 

I appreciate the spigot in the middle of nowhere. It is always nice to have the spigot because it's much easier and faster than scooping water out from the edge of a cattle pond. Ah, it's amazing the things you begin to appreciate after you spend some time as trail trash...

All filled up, thirst quenched and ready for anything, I motor on down the trail.  I blaze through Oak Tree Canyon and because there is no sign, I don't even realize when I've finished the passage. (To be continued...)