The Trek (April 10, 2025) by Finn Daugherty

Hello and welcome back to sunny, rocky, exposed Arizona. It’s been a minute since you’ve heard from me so we have a lot to cover. I’ve been battling some nasty blisters, hiked the GET alternate (it was fucking awesome), had an uncomfortable encounter with a “trail angel”, battled norovirus, used mayo where it shouldn’t be used, and have hiked to within 60 miles of the halfway point of the AZT.

Chicken pox party?

Morning came and we set out to hike into Superior. A few days ago I had reached out to a self proclaimed trail angel. (I’m gonna call them McJagger to avoid using their real name) I inquired about a place to stay and do laundry. I was told there wouldn’t be enough beds for us all, but we were welcome to sleep on the floor. However, since we had recently been warned of Kearny and Superior being hot spots for Noro, we decided to play it safe and get a motel in town. When I got service on the stretch into town I received a text from Joanne, the post office worker in Kearny, who was warning me that I had to pickup my package by 9am, so I hit up McJagger, asking them if there was anyway they could pick up my package for me. Thankfully they were able to pick up my package, and I asked when I could come by to pick it up. It seems there was a little confusion, as McJagger was under the impression we were going to stay with them. Once told we wanted to steer clear of Trail Angels for a minute due to concern for getting sick, McJagger seemed very offended that we didn’t want to stay, and sent a few passive aggressive texts that made me feel a little bitter. I avoided the topic, and picked up my package, thanking them for they’re help. Unfortunately the passive aggressive and guilt trip comments (claiming no hikers got sick at their place, that they had cleaned everything, that we were missing out) continued in person, and I left the place with quite a bitter taste in my mouth, feeling as though the AZT community were not taking this outbreak as serious as they should.

After this negative interaction with Superior’s finest, I reached out to a buddy of mine who stayed with McJagger in Superior. He told me that everyone in the house had gotten Noro, including McJagger, and my buddy had gotten it so bad he had to go to the ER and needed 5 IV bags to get him rehydrated. On top of that, McJagger charged him $20 for a pickup from the ER. Let me get one thing straight. Lying to hikers about something like Norovirus, which could potentially kill them in the desert, is not okay.

On a brighter note, we stayed at Copper Mountain Motel in Superior. Great location, right across the street from a Family Dollar and near a coffee shop as well as walking distance from a pizza place, and Mexican food. Not a bad price to split between a group either, and they had a good hiker box (It had hair clippers) and coin laundry for only $4 washed and dried with soap. Honestly I’d recommend staying at this place over McJagger’s, just due to overall vibes.

We left Superior the following morning, and hiked all day, camping in a wash near a spur trail that lead 2.5 miles down a canyon. While hiking I saw my first Gila Monster! It was over 1ft long and 3” in diameter.

 

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