Remembered by Phyllis Ralley, Photo by Larry Snead Dale Shewalter once told me a story about how he was backpacking in Ponderosa pine country and hiked past a spot, under a beautiful Ponderosa, that was a perfect place to place his tent. It was still a bit early so he decided to keep hiking to another spot. That night there […]
Read moreFreehub Magazine Without an agenda, time becomes irrelevant. When it comes to bikepacking, this is the perfect mindset to have. Void of all expectations and obligations, Jackie Paaso and Stan Jorgensen set off on a three-day, 90-mile mission on the Arizona Trail, embracing the moment and abiding only by the rhythm of mother nature. Watch the 7-minute video here. […]
Read moreby Tom Coulson Dale was very active with the Arizona Trail in the early days when he was healthy. I only got to actually build trail with him one time. It was up near the Northern Terminus in the year 2002. Work crews were finishing up the final tread work a short distance south of the terminus and I was […]
Read moreThe Arizona Trail Association is proud to share our 2019 Annual Report with you. The Annual Report includes highlights of our most successful projects from throughout 2019 as well as our top priorities for 2020. The Annual Report was given to everyone who attended the Annual Members Meeting on February 1 at the Desert Botanical Garden, and it’s now available […]
Read morePayson Roundup (January 31, 2020) by Alexis Bechman On a sunny Sunday in January, I joined Mike Brandt, president of Pine Strawberry Fuel Reduction, Inc. (PSFR), at the Pine Trailhead. We took a leisurely three-mile hike, made possible because Brandt, the PSFR board and volunteers are diligent in educating the community about fire protection and fuel reduction, creating partnerships and […]
Read moreA hiker’s report of deadfall on the AZT / Cross F trailhead connector was sufficient excuse to get out for the day. We also wanted to check a gate location to see if the rock would allow us to dig in a steel gate and get the dimensions of the closure sign at Bushnell Tanks which we plan to replace. […]
Read moreOn January 29, 2020, 16 fifth graders from Ms. Maggie’s class at Mountain Charter School strapped on snowshoes for their first outing with Seeds of Stewardship. We shared a wintery day full of learning, ecology, and group-forming at the Flagstaff Nordic Village. Most students had never been snowshoeing before and were surprised to find that it was a lot like […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (January 26, 2020) by Anne McGuffey “Can I go to sleep now?” That’s what Helen Galerakis most wanted, after running the final stretch to the Mexico border. I was with Helen on that mild afternoon in early November, along with Rob Krar, her ultra-running coach. Bright sunshine and puffy clouds graced the Sonoran high desert landscape. She […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (January 19, 2020) by Anne McGuffey I woke at 4:30 a.m. to discover the bivvy sack was torn open down the side — no wonder I’d been feeling cold. After four hours of sleeping on the ground beside Helen Galerakis, it was clear the support crew wouldn’t reach us at this challenging access point near Superior in […]
Read moreThe Woodbury fire destroyed a great many things, some of which were the trail signs. Given the rapidly growing use of the AZT, the seriously altered landscape and the popularity of the AZT route through the Superstitions in general, replacing those signs is an Arizona Trail Association priority. Volunteers have been working on replacing the burned and deteriorated signs for […]
Read morePhoenix Magazine (October 2019) by Mare Czinar Following his May 2017 threat cancer diagnosis, Mesa resident Wyatt Roer resolved he wasn’t going to let the disease squash his plans to hike the entire 800-mile Arizona Trail. “My family and friends knew that this was a rehab goal,” the retired earth-moving operations supervisor says. “Even though the radiation treatment lasted for […]
Read moreSaddlebag Notes (December 27, 2019) by Seana Kobak Zach MacDonald, Assistant Trail Director for the Arizona Trail Association, had big plans for the work session on Wednesday, November 20. He was finally going to replace the rickety wire fence at the culvert where the AZT crosses under Oracle (route 77) at Tyger Mine Road. Zach told our Saddlebrooke crew, “I’ve […]
Read moreKJZZ (January 3, 2020) by Lauren Gilger LAUREN GILGER: 2019 was not the year of nuanced takes on life in Phoenix and Arizona in general. There were headlines like 100 Degrees For Days: The Looming Phoenix Heat Wave That Could Harm Thousands from Vox and As Phoenix Heats Up, The Night Comes Alive from the New York Times that, despite some lovely photography, really seemed […]
Read moreRalph Oscar “Roe” Erlandson, Jr, age 76, died November 15, 2019 in Tucson, AZ during an emergency surgery. Roe’s lifelong love of swimming, water skiing, and sailing began while growing up on a lake. He added to his outdoor activities with snow skiing, running, biking, and hiking. Roe accomplished many personal goals: completing the Boston Marathon, finishing the Hawaiian Ironman […]
Read more
