Another week on the old AZT
The Picket Post Mountain to Kearney stretch marked a dramatic shift in the landscape from previous segments of the AZT. The first half of this segment passes through rolling hills cloaked with unadulterated Sonoran desert: sahuaro, ocotillo, fish hook barrel, cholla, jojoba, brittlebush, palo verde, and mesquite. There, on the night of the 31st of October, I was treated to about an hour of rain just after midnight.
The second half follows the lush ribbon of green that comprises the Gila River valley and feels almost tropical compared to what precedes it. Just before I got to the latter I met two folks thru-hiking the Grand Enchantment Trail (GET), which is coincident with the AZT for some 60 miles in this part of the world. We traded notes on water sources, always the number one AZT topic, then I asked them about the GET, which they described as less travelled and more challenging to navigate than the AZT, but with more reliable water sources. I'm intrigued and may try it next.
The Gila, like most southwestern rivers, has been degraded by invasive species, specifically the cursed tamarisk and, to some extent, by cattle mucking up the banks. However it is still beautiful and surprisingly wild here. A branch of the Union Pacific railroad follows the river, but seems to be little used. During the day-and-a-half I was walking it, only one train went by. I loved being able to spend my breaks basking on sand bars like a giant skinny lizard, filling water bottles and listening to the sounds of the river. Birdlife is abundant and varied, with lots of quail and the occasional Arizona cardinal.
I spent the night of November 1st on the river, walked to SR 177, then down it toward Kearney. I got a ride for about the last 3 miles into town from a guy who lives in Kelvin who told me to eat at the General Kearny Inn, which I did, feasting on a generous green chile cheese burger. The waitress told me how to get to the library and on the way there I met the guy who owns the pizza joint in town, famous for actually delivering his product to the AZT trailhead at Kelvin! The staff at the library was great and helped me search out answers to some questions that had been bugging me for weeks...the perennial nagging one being how to pronounce "Mazatzal". Well, according to Arizona Place Names by Will C. Barnes, published in 1979 by the University of Arizona Press, it is pronounced as spelled, but with the accent on the first syllable. So all of this noise about it sounding like matzo ball or mad-as-hell may be just that...noise. The first recorded use of the name was in 1867, when army records list a skirmish with Indians in these mountains. So there you have it, at least for now!
