Mar 4

Mar 4 AZT 2025, Day 1

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, Arizona Trail

“
Comfort never leads to excellence.
”

— Jeff Goins

Start: Mile 0, Southern Terminus

End: Mile 5.8, Stealth Site overlooking Sierra Vista

Miles Hiked: 5.8 (plus the mile down to the border)

Total Miles: 5.8

Let the “Making Peace with the Desert” Tour Begin!

I decided to try once more to make peace with the desert and to do it in Arizona after a miserable showing in the New Mexico desert on the CDT in 2023 and again in the California desert in 2024 (in all fairness, there was a heat dome, it was a furnace, I didn’t want to end up like so many cows out there).

I proved to myself in California that I could haul the water and that eased my biggest fear about tackling the AZT—long water carries.

So I got myself on the plane to Tucson. And I got myself to the Southern Terminus with the help of Finding True North shuttle service (Top 10, Five Stars, Highly Recommend), and started walking.

The first thing I noticed about the AZT is that it has a vibrant trail community reminiscent of the trail community on the Appalachian Trail.

I was afraid my long skirt would put people off and other hikers, thinking I was about to hand them a Jesus pamphlet, might avoid talking to me. Not true! Everyone I met was friendly and supportive and even curious about the skirt.

About the skirt…

I decided I’d rather wear a long skirt thinking it would provide sun protection and air flow, a combination not possible with pants, tights or shorts.

The skirt is by Macabi. The pockets are deep. You can hike it up on one side to show a little leg (if you’re worried about being pegged as a proselytizer). You can clip it up on both sides if there are rivers to ford (unlikely on the AZT, but never say never). And you can clip it between your legs to make “pants,” or just to wrangle it on a windy day.

It also makes a nice ground cloth when you have to hole up under a bush at snack time, so extra credit I didn’t plan for when I bought it.

I wear a pair of tight shorts underneath for days when I just want to look like a hiker and not like I’m looking for my horse and buggy.

It worked out well and I’ll give it a 9/10.

How the day went…Ball Buster

First you have to hike a mile down to the border to get the obligatory souther terminus photo and marvel at the 100 feet of border fence which is easy enough to step around if you fancy a side trip into Mexico. So dumb.

Then it’s a steady climb for the next eight miles to the first water source.

At the Coronado National Monument, where the shuttle left us, the trail magic started with gallons and gallons of water left in the little shed at the trail head.

A small group of hikers gathered for hydration and a meet & greet before we all trudged off (speaking for myself, I’m sure some people sprinted as evidenced by the fact that I never saw them again).

I’d hoped to get to Bathtub Springs, but I’d woken up with a headache and the altitude (8,000 feet) wasn’t helping, so I stopped two miles short of the spring and called it a day, pitching my tent in a small stealth site just off trail. Truth be told, I LOVE sleeping alone in the woods, or amongst the manzanitas and agave and cacti. So I was happy to be by myself, snuggled up in my quilt as the daylight waned and the stars emerged.