AZT300 DNF

 The AZT300, a 300 mile self-supported bikepacking race along the Arizona Trail, AZT, from Parker Canyon Lake to Picketpost trailhead. 2020 would be the 4th time I've lined up for the challenge. My first attempt was back in 2012 - a freak snow storm did us in that year, bailed in Tucson as I wasn't prepared for the cold. I came back in 2013 determined and finished it. *I did finish it in 2016 as part of the AZTR750 and that gave me extra confidence in 2017, big mistake as I became dehydrated early and couldn't recover, out again. I skipped 2014, then 2015, 2018 & 2019 I was sidelined with various injuries. As you can see, simply getting to the start line is a challenge all unto itself!!

George & Jalene got me south to Parker Canyon Lake, and Wendi & Andy offered to host me the night before and get me to the start the next morning. Talk about great friends!! Thank you!!

My original plan was to roll out at 7a, then ride the almost brand new (1/4 mile still under construction) singletrack in the Canelo Hills West passage, thus skipping Patagonia. I'd then also take the recently re-opened Sunset trail atop Mt. Lemmon to keep Summerhaven on route. Finally, after reaching Picketpost, I'd ride home. Sounded like a good plan to me. Oh, and I was also trying to lower my fastest finish time by about 10 hours with a stretch goal of 3d 12h.

So, right on queue, I lollygagged enough at Wendi's and missed my 7a start. Whatevs, 7:30 will have to do. One other note, this was the first time I was attempting this route in the fall, so roughly two hours less daylight to work with. I was also setting out solo as an ITT, Individual Time Trial. The forecast was looking great through the weekend, so cowboy camping it would be. No tent, no bivy, no stove and only a 1 sq. ft. foam pad to sleep on for my hip. Let's go!!

Start line at Parker Canyon Lake trailhead, going thataway. Photo by Wendi.

If you've been on Trackleaders, you know what this means. Let the dot stalking commence.

My actual start photo, it was a bit chillier than the afternoon prior. Once again, I'd be riding George's Binary Bicycles SuperB. Photo by Wendi.

A quick glimpse of Parker Canyon Lake.

Into the Canelo Hills!! Photo by Wendi.

Bombing down Gear Check Hill, all systems go. Photo by Wendi.

The Canelo Hills get a bad rap IMO, lots of good trail in there.

Granted, there's quite a bit of hike-a-bike, HAB, too. Just keep moving.

Lots of visible peaks south of the border. PeakFinder app.

Such a cool looking cactus, reminded me of Christmas.

Not-so-new any more, but new-to-me!! This was after the first major climb of the morning.

This reroute has been on the ground for a few years now, it's rides fantastic. I was surprised how long it was, almost 3 miles.

The Canelo Hills aren't short on views, that's for sure.

A break in the trees looking north.

The second major climb is a bit more unforgiving. Push, push, push.

Cresting the top, I knew I was close to Canelo Pass Rd. signaling the end of the tougher east section.

The start of the west side. So far I had only seen a few hikers.

The first mile of the west hills climbs to this saddle.

I like finding the slight variations in the metal gates along the AZT. Not many have a solo state shape cutout.

In the spring, this area is often green-ish and choked with catclaw. Today: brown and mostly clear.

One of a few water sources in the Canelos. I didn't need any as I planned to carry enough until Sonoita.

The trail follows a few miles of jeep road, then drops into the wash bed. It's rideable, but not ideal.

The 2-track finally gives way back to singletrack here, Red Bank Well.

I knew I wasn't too far from the new section of trail. I thought it was only 2 miles beyond Red Bank Well, but it was closer to 4 and there were a couple other new-to-me sections in between.

I saw the hard right on my GPS approaching, then I spotted the orange flags. New dirt near the treeline.

The gate is so new, it's still silver!!

Considering it was freshly constructed trail, it was packed in nicely. I followed Zach's tire tracks from his ride a few days prior. Pretty sure I was the second person to ride it through.

The Canelos provide ample opportunity for contoured trail.

Future gate location. Thankfully, it was easy to hop over.

Slowly making my way up the main climb of the area and minimal hike-a-bike!!

There were a small handful of steeper grades, I rode most, but the few I didn't were mostly because of the soft tread.

Riding to the sky.

This section is going to be a real hit with anyone who passes through.

I topped out on the climb and soon found soft, unfinished trail. Beyond the dozer was about a 1/4 mile of pristine, angled, lava rock hillside decked out with trail flagging.

I made my way across the rock landmines.

For all I know, the trail may be complete as of this writing. The crew was back at it the following day. Kudos to everyone involved.

The end of the flag following and return to singletrack!! Cue the downhill!!

Mt. Wrightson suddenly seems closer.

The trail wound around and down, dropping me out onto a dirt road after 6 1/2 glorious new miles. I had loaded the next bit of singletrack onto my GPS & not the route Zach rode earlier in the week. My mistake, as the next section of trail had yet to be flagged. Oops. There was a jeep road that generally followed the GPS line, so I followed it...up a short steep hill at first, then it opened up. One mile later I could see the traffic on AZ82, my destination, but I couldn't see a direct link to it. I was at a fork in the road. I needed to head north towards Sonoita, so I took the well traveled 2-track to the right. A short ways up the road I spotted a cut through, it deadended after a few hundred feet. Drat. Back heading north there was a clear route across, but a ranch gate had an intricate couple of knots indicating to me, they didn't want it open. I continued north figuring at some point this road would connect to 82.

Looks well traveled enough, surely it connects to 82.

Eventually, I came to another ranch gate and hoped it wasn't locked. No signs, and only a simple chain hook. I'm in business. The dirt road bent towards 82, then I passed by some ranch structures where I could now see a clear path to 82 on the other side on one final gate. This time, the gate did have a thick chain and padlock with a sign facing 82, Private property, No trespassing!!! Ugh. Well, I came in from the unsigned entrance. I hopped the gate and rode off towards Sonoita. So, don't use my route!!!

I stopped for a roadside Coke & beef stick break when a pack of Javelina crossed the road. Must've been 7 or 8 total.

Linking up to 82 where I did meant I only had 6 miles or so of shoulder riding before Sonoita.

I took inventory of my drink situation and refilled everything. Chugged a chocolate milk while I topped off some electronics by the exterior outlet. I knew it would be getting chilly soon enough, so another chocolate milk for the road. I left Sonoita around 3:45p, roughly two hours of daylight remaining. I knew I wouldn't make Kentucky Camp by nightfall, but perhaps the AZT?

I was glad to leave AZ82 behind me for the solitude of Santa Rita Rd.

Friendly reminder from over the years.

Stunning golden hour show as I made my way towards Gardner Canyon.

I use an older model Garmin GPS, an Edge705. It has an internal battery and I can charge it on the fly with the dynamo hub. It had beeped at me, 'low battery'. I had been giving it juice since I reached the paved 82. Thing is, when it's powered from the dynamo any time you drop below 2.6mph or so, it beeps signaling a loss of external power. When you speed up, it beeps again indicating external power has been restored. Now, toss in some hike-a-bike. Any guesses as to my average HAB speed? Yep, 2.6 - 2.8 mph. Beep...beep....beep....beep....etc. You get the point. At first I tried to keep it over 2.8, but the rugged terrain was making that difficult, so I slowed down on purpose to not lose my mind over all the beeps!! I could turn off the sound, but the GPS also beeps at me if I'm off-route, a very handy tool when you're tired.

Something else happened here. I began to feel some discomfort in my left knee and right ankle. Nothing alarming or painful really, just a dull annoyance. I didn't think much of either. It'll work itself out.

The sun set as I neared the final descent to Gardner Canyon and out here of all places & times, I ran into my first mountain biker. Some dude out for a short ride with his dog. Not sure where they were heading as he didn't have a lot of gear, but he did have lights. We chatted briefly about what I was up to, then I had to get moving.

I flipped on the lights as I began the Flume trail. Let the night riding commence. It was now 6p.

I arrived at Kentucky Camp around 7:00p, the entire valley leading there had a distinct chill that required my puffy jacket to come out early. I figured I could shed it once again on my way to Melendrez Pass.

I ate my sandwich I picked up in Sonoita, topped off water and was on my way after a short stop. I was really making an effort to keep my breaks purposeful and brief.

Leaving Kentucky Camp.

My plan was the same as always: ride until exhaustion. I wanted to clear Las Colinas at the very least, maybe push on to Sahaurita Rd.? Down near Morning Star Mine as I made the hard left to begin the short climb up a dirt road, I noticed my GPS track was shifted off by 200' or so. That's odd, I thought, there's no other option here and I know the track is good.

I mostly walked to the high point of singletrack after Kentucky Camp, knee becoming a bit more irritable. The GPS track was all over the place!! WTH. It was beginning to consume me. This section of trail it wasn't needed, I know it like my local trails. I began to wonder if I had screwed something up with the track & didn't realize it or was my GPS going haywire. Every now & again the pink line would come back on screen and I was 'on route' for a bit, then it would disappear, shifting 500'+ away. Odd. This went on for the better part of an hour, all the way through Box Canyon Rd and beyond.

Finally, my GPS began to behave and I could stop trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I could focus on enjoying the cool night air. I really love riding solo at night in the backcountry, there's something liberating about it. I wasn't even spooked by the constant branch breaking in the dark hillsides, cows are everywhere!! Maybe it's the heightened awareness your senses have at night or the zoned in focus on the trail without the peripheral distractions.

I reached Helvetia Rd around 10:30p. I was still wide awake, but the hiking had become a bit laborious with my now tender knee. My right ankle really wasn't an issue, but every once in a while it too gave me pause.

My pace slowed considerably after entering Las Colinas. Sometime around 11:30 or so the sleep monster crept in. I was still 3 miles or so from the magic green gate signaling the end of the rough stuff. I kept pushing, but barely 15 minutes later I needed a break. I stopped on the trail, leaned against my bike and closed my eyes. Ten minutes...twenty minutes?? I don't know, I didn't look at the time, but I needed to get moving and make camp. I had now settled on a camp target: same location I used in 2017 about a mile or so beyond the green gate. Now armed with a goal, I made steady progress over the final hike-a-bikes.

I arrived at camp at 1:45a, over 18 hours of riding, pushing today. I thought about setting an alarm, then opted against it, content with getting the rest my body needed. It was a beautifully cool night, dark, millions upon millions of stars to drift off to sleep under. It was a good day.

I first woke at daybreak, but wasn't ready to get moving. I think I sunk into my sleeping bag for another 30 minutes before finally breaking camp. It wasn't the fastest morning. I didn't leave camp until 8:20a!! That was fine though, the upcoming trail was relatively easy, fast and a bunch of downhill grades approaching I-10.

The mighty Santa Catalinas begin to dominate the view.

Down at Sahaurita Rd. some encouragement in the ledger from the Red Rock Chica!! Thanks!!

No water needed here.

Flowy goodness for miles and no complaints from my knee or ankle. Things were looking up.

I began to thing about how the day was going to unfold. How far could I get? I decided that Prison Camp would be the absolute target, but if I felt good and it wasn't too late, I'd make the push up the highway and descend the Control Rd. before camp. All that was still a long ways in front of me.

The semi's cut through the hills on I-10.

I-10 underpass.

Is this not the coolest culvert artwork evah??

I stopped at the Gabe Z. trailhead for a second breakfast. Another cyclist, from nearby Vail, joined me. He was very interested in my ride and all the stuff I was carrying. He practically apologized for doing such a short ride himself!!

Cienega Creek - bone dry.

The AZT after Three Bridges twists and turns through a quick series of rocky wash crossings. I was on/off the bike quite a bit here and the 'ol left knee began to flare up again. Hmmm. This isn't going away. I kept riding, the pedaling wasn't the issue, but I could feel it. Later on the trail gets more rugged. I was off walking again and the discomfort level kept increasing. I stopped and sent K a text telling her my current situation. I wasn't bailing, but she may want to be ready just in case. Well, that lasted about 30 minutes. Some more on/off/on areas confirmed the worst, it wasn't going away or getting better. I thought ahead, there's great trail coming up, but then the 4x4 extravaganza and the monster hike-a-bike up Molino Basin. Nope. That was it. Done. Again.

This fella crossed my path while I sent up the rescue signal to K.

This was the exact spot on the trail where I made the call to end it.

I gave K a call, she was at work and had to square away a few things. I told her I could ride and would meet her at the Rocking K market. I figured I had about two more hours until I arrived there. Her drive down was about the same, so it seemed a logical place to get extracted.

La Posta Quemada Ranch. They used to have burritos!! Only water these days.

Ran into this fella at the ranch split. He was touring the ATA bike route south. I wasn't too pleased to learn he went through a series a closed areas in the burned portions of our state. Not cool dude.

Allow me a minute to get on my soapbox. If you're reading this and have a desire to ride the 300, 800 or 1000 routes. Obey the law. If a trail is closed, stay off of it. No exceptions. Yeah, I wish I could ride Oracle Ridge now too or the trail by Sunflower, but they are closed for a reason. It doesn't help the biking community whatsoever when you decide the rules don't apply to you because you made these plans last year. Tough shit. Go around.

While I'm at it, let's talk about the Grand Canyon and bike access. It's really simple. Here you go: Disassemble your bike. Strap it to your back. Hike along the S. Kaibab & N. Kaibab trails until the opposite rim is attained. Be nice & yield to ALL other trail users. The wheels can not touch the ground. Period. No rolling. That's it. This simple set of instructions will hopefully allow us continued access through the Grand Canyon. Now, I'm not saying the guy above did any of this, it's more of a general PSA. There's also no napping on the trail. If you don't think you can make the full rim-to-rim in one single push, get a camping permit for either Bright Angel or Cottonwood campgrounds at the backcountry office. Again, simple. Don't be the person who jeopardizes future bike access. There are NO EXCEPTIONS here. Help spread the word. /rant.

There are now a bunch of side trails near Colossal Cave to explore, but the AZT is well signed.

This dude has probably been around since the Civil War. Think about it.

Fast sweeping turns in a sea of prickly pear.

Hope Camp area.

Almost to the end of the AZT as you approach Tucson.

Loma Alta trailhead.

As I approached the Old Spanish Trail, my phone rings. It's K, 'We have a problem, the Old Spanish Trail is closed due to road construction and I can't get to the market!!' We try to figure out exactly where she is, but I don't know the roads in this area real well. I have her Google Saguaro Corners and head over there while I make my way to the market to see if I can figure out what's going on.

While on the phone, a Tucson buddy, Will, rides up and says hello. Now, this is really odd because he was out riding with his wife and we happened to bump into each other. Where it gets odd is this, we also bumped into each other in almost the exact same spot three years ago when I DNF'd in 2017!! Anyway, Will informed me about the construction up ahead and I figured I could probably ride through and meet K on the other side.

I took off from the market and made my way to the construction zone. I gave the scenario to a couple of workers: My wife drove down from Phoenix to pick me up, she's over there - pointing through the construction zone, how do I get there quickly from here? They laughed a bit, and said it was fine if I walked along the dirt shoulder, just be careful they don't run you over!! As I walked through I could then really see what was going on. Valencia Rd. was being extended, realigning Old Spanish Trail to create a new intersection while plowing under a short bit of Old Spanish Trail. It'll require a small tweak to the gpx track going forward, but will barely be noticeable.

Nothing cures the DNF blues like a meal at Seis Kitchen!! Mmmm, fish tacos & horchata.

By the next day, my knee was fine and has been since. I think it may have come down to the bike not being my permanent ride since I've been on an extended demo with it. COVID restrictions had prevented me from getting my normal professional fit from Kaolin at Flat Tire Bikes. I know too well that the tiniest of adjustment could be the difference. I didn't really put two & two together during the ride. I'm happy with the pace I was on and I plan to come back in the spring for another crack. As I've proved over the years, the 300 is one tough route and so much has to go right for a successful outing.

Thanks again to George & Jalene for driving me south and the endless support in the form of bikes and gear. Wendi & Andy for hosting me prior to the ride, and getting me to the start. And of course, K, for once again coming to my rescue. I really need to break this string of DNF's.

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