Day 20, Foot in Tree Tank to Battleground Ridge

Almost immediately after I decided to quit, I had arranged a ride to the Phoenix airport. With that set, I thought about buying a plane ticket last night, but I didn’t. It felt too soon to do that, and I decided to wait.

Was an inner voice telling me to hold off so I could reconsider my decision? If so, it wasn’t loud enough to change my mind. Or perhaps I ignored the voice as I tried to convince myself I’d made the right decision.

I didn't walk far this morning before I arrived at a cow tank. As I approached, I saw two women on the other side. I didn’t need water, so I didn't stop. I waved hello, then continued a little farther until I found a log to sit on and eat breakfast.

While I was eating, one of the women approached me. She said her trail name was Tree Hugger, and that she had hiked many sections of the AZT. She was hiking with Amy, who didn’t have a trail name. Amy joined us a few minutes later.

When Tree Hugger happened to notice my feet, she asked if I was wearing Simblissity gaiters. She explained that her husband owned the company.

As our conversation continued, I told Tree Hugger that I planned to quit the trail and go home. She was sympathetic to the reasons I shared.

Then she said something that, because of her trail experience, sounded logical and convincing. The scenery will be changing soon, she told me. After the trail drops below the Mogollon Rim, the trail's character is much different from the monotonous flat terrain with mile after mile of Ponderosa pine trees. 

Tree Hugger added that water caches are maintained better farther south. The quality is generally better in that direction.

I couldn't help but wonder if Tree Hugger was trying to cheer me up. Still, her words landed with unexpected force. They struck in the same way as when I discovered yesterday that my shoes were worn out. Both moments caught me off guard. The first snapped my will to keep hiking. This one put it back.

I realized that until this moment, I still hadn’t gotten off the fence I’d been riding for several days. Despite making a firm decision to quit, I remained uncertain about it. Tree Hugger’s words helped me see I’d made a rash decision. It was probably boosted too much by a convenient opportunity for a ride to the airport.

After Tree Hugger and Amy left, I called Kim to tell her about my conversation. I had already decided to reverse course, but I still wanted to talk it over with her. Right away, she could hear a change in my mood.

We agreed there was no reason, at least for now, why I shouldn’t stay on the trail. I could give it a try for a few more days. In fact, I could still leave the trail anytime I wanted. It no longer felt like I had to quit right now.

Shannon was scheduled to pick me up in just a few hours, so I had to move quickly and send her a message. This one was easier to write than the text I sent her yesterday.

"I need to cancel the plan for today and tomorrow," I wrote. "I've decided to stay on the trail and continue hiking. Thanks for your offer to help."

Once I started hiking again, I didn’t get far before coming to a detour for another prescribed burn. A sign and map mounted to a barricade showed the route. It followed a gravel road and a paved, busy highway around the burn area.

I was glad to see the detour took me past the ranger station where I had planned to meet Shannon. I figured I could refill my water bottles there.

I didn’t see any Forest Service crews working on the fire, but several spots were still smoldering as I followed the detour. It was obvious the burn operation had taken place in the last 24 hours.

When I arrived at Mogollon Rim Ranger Station, the building was closed. After a minute or two, I remembered today was Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day, a federal holiday.

Thankfully, I found an outside water spigot and was able to fill two one-liter bottles and a two-liter collapsible bottle.

I decided to stay at the ranger station to eat an early lunch at a picnic table. Then, as I was leaving, a Forest Service firefighter arrived in a truck. He told me he was envious of my hike and hoped to do something like it in the future.

I confessed that I had been just hours away from quitting, but had just changed my mind.

Then I asked the firefighter if he had any information about the current status of the fire closure near Pine. He was reluctant to say directly that I could walk through the zone. Still, his words and manner implied I didn't have to follow the detour. Officially, he couldn’t tell me to do stay on the trail, but he also didn’t try to dissuade me from that.

After leaving the ranger station, I had to follow State Highway 87 for another 9/10 of a mile before the detour ended. The road had only a narrow shoulder, but it was enough for me to step out of the way when large logging trucks sped by. 

Near where I rejoined the trail, I found a water cache left by trail angels. Tree Hugger’s words about better water were already coming true. I didn't need to take any water from the cache. I had plenty now after my stop at the ranger station.

The trail next went through a National Forest campground. It was closed, though it looked similar to the two I stayed at recently.

At the top, the trail continued for three miles with several short ups and downs. There were even a few gaps between trees that were wide enough for a view.

The trail then made a sudden drop into a canyon, losing all 600 feet gained on the previous climb.

At the bottom was a dry wash of East Clear Creek. Continuing from there, the trail climbed 300 feet to Battleground Ridge.

The ridge got its name because the creek was the site of the Battle of Big Dry Wash, which was fought on July 17, 1882. Historians say it was the last major fight between regiments of the U.S. Cavalry and Apache warriors. 

Four cavalrymen were awarded the Medal of Honor following the battle.

A tarantula was the only wildlife I saw today. It was another Grand Canyon black tarantula. Despite its name, this species is often found far south of the canyon.

When the landscape began to flatten late in the day, walking through another Ponderosa forest didn't annoy me. I thought little about it. Instead, I felt happy I was still hiking.

I stopped to set up camp at 5:30 p.m., which was less than 25 minutes before sunset. While preparing my dinner, I sorted my food to calculate if I had enough to get me to Pine. My pace had been slower than I planned when I resupplied in Flagstaff. Still, it appeared that I could make it to Pine without starving. The town was now just two days away.

Once again, I had cell service, so I called Kim to let her know I was still feeling positive about my decision to stay on the trail.

Then I called the Beeline Guest House in Pine and booked a room for Wednesday. The owner, Cyndi, told me she could pick me up when I reached the main highway into town.

Cyndi also passed along some useful news. She said a hiker had recently walked through the fire closure and reported the route was passable. After my conversation with the Forest Service firefighter this morning, this news was all the confirmation I needed to hear. Now I knew for sure I didn't need to follow the road walk detour.

While making my food calculations, I was surprised to find I had walked more than 20 miles today. That included two lengthy breaks. This discovery was another boost to my morale. My hiking mojo was quickly returning.

Less than 30 miles of the trail remained before I would arrive in Pine. Just 24 hours ago, I thought I would ride there in a car, and it would be my last trail town before I headed home.

Already, Pine was feeling like just another of many town stops I’d make on my way to the Mexican border.

Besides "Don’t quit on a bad day," there is another popular thru-hiker axiom, and Tree Hugger proved its truth today.

"The trail provides."