2011 AZTR and 300 planning thread

[AZTtripper]

There have been a couple of threads asking ? figured it was a good time to start an official planning thread. The start date is about 8 weeks away. Who's in?


Here's the link to my pictorial post from last year to get folks psyched up. http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,611.0.html

Edited to add.
Seems like this one is the place to talk about planning for on the trail water and the like.

I am going to change the other one to a shuttle planning thread.

[Marshal]

Hi Scott--do you have any info on this new connector trail--gps track etc?

Grand Opening Of New Trail
The Town of Superior and the ATA invite you to attend the Grand Opening of the Legends of Superior Trail (LOST). This is a new connector trail that provides a route between the Picketpost Trailhead and the town of Superior. The dedication will be this Saturday, February 12th. For all the details, go to this information page.

Links to :
http://www.aztrail.org/
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=lusca5bab&oeidk=a07e3a4p02k4e925bd3

[AZTtripper]

We should be able to get a track from Laddie Cox he was running the volunteer work up there I'll send him an email.

[Marshal]

Can anyone tell me exactly where the water facet is located at in the La Selvilla CC at Colossal Cave Mountain Park??

[AZTtripper]

There are two spigots there, the easy one is on the North (facing the parking lot) side of the big Ramada.  The super secret one is right on the side of a rock facing away from but right on the side of the parking lot. As the trail comes into the parking area if you cut across the parking lot and beeline for the Ramada you go right past it. It's some how plumbed right into a rock. The one on the Ramada is way easier to find. I had been there a dozen times before someone pointed out the one in the rock. The Ramada one is easier to use also as it is higher off of the ground. But the rock one is closer so.

Hope that makes sense at least it should when you get there again.  

Tim

[Marshal]

Thanks

I never really looked in the past, 1st time I had stopped for food/water mid day at the main area, 2nd time I slept there under a CG table but it was night and raining and I had water--anyway I remember seeing the parking lot and the bathroom right next to the trail but not a shelter/Ramada.  However I can see some type of shelter/roof opposite the parking lot on google earth so I think I am good to go----------

[AZTtripper]

Great for me it's a long ways from Madera  Canyon to Los Selvilla so I always need water there. I never have made it to CC in time for food at the Ranch. I have gotten water there from a sink by the restrooms but found it to be a pain plus it's out of the way.

I have a water que sheet ready at least as far as the 300 still needs a little work I sent the first part to Scott already. I think he will post it with the cues at some point. I'll get back on it next week now that we're talking about it I'll get motivated.

[Chad B]

There is also some new singletrack trail on the Ripsey Segment, rode it today. Fun stuff. We need to move the route over to Ripsey soon.

[AZTtripper]

There is also some new singletrack trail on the Ripsey Segment, rode it today. Fun stuff. We need to move the route over to Ripsey soon.

Ya it's really too bad that adding Ripsey puts us so far out of the way. I heard that the White Canyon is taking some real blasting and work is going slow. But the plan is still to be done for the Centennial next year.

The little creek above Molino is running again I'll check it again before the race. Rode the Canelo's today with some 300 hopefuls. The water spigot at Cott Tank is still working, 3 years in a row now. I left Parker with 2 liters on my back on 1 with hydration mix on the bike ran out of both right before Cott you gotta love it when a plan comes together.

[LyndaW]

The water spigot at Cott Tank is still working, 3 years in a row now. I left Parker with 2 liters on my back on 1 with hydration mix on the bike ran out of both right before Cott you gotta love it when a plan comes together.

Where is Cott Tank?

[AZTtripper]

Where is Cott Tank?

Cott Tank is 19 miles from Parker TH. At a point where the trail is on a jeep road the road makes a hard right. There is a V gate to get to the old windmill now solar powered water tank. Spigot is on the South side. At that point it's only 12 more miles to Patagonia. It's easy enough to carry enough water to make Patagonia but since it's there I like to go as light as possible in the beginning.

There is a water sources page at the ATA web site http://www.fredgaudetphotography.com/aztrail/watercurrent.pdf

It's not as useful for the bike course though so I am working on one that follows the route the race will take.

[AZTtripper]

the Legends of Superior Trail (LOST). This is a new connector trail that provides a route between the Picketpost Trailhead and the town of Superior.

We should be able to get a track from Laddie Cox he was running the volunteer work up there I'll send him an email.

Laddie has the track but I need to teach the old dog a new trick, how to send a GPX file should have it soon.

Tim

[ActionJackson]

Great for me it's a long ways from Madera  Canyon to Los Selvilla so I always need water there. I never have made it to CC in time for food at the Ranch. I have gotten water there from a sink by the restrooms but found it to be a pain plus it's out of the way.

Yeah it is a long way from Madera to Colossal Cave. I hit up the water fountain by the bathrooms at Whipple (off route), not thinking water was on at Madera, so I stopped twice just to top off. I had about 5L, which was alot climbing up on the road out of Madera, that's when I saw you Tim about 1/4 way up filtering.  I rode into La Sevilla in the dark and knew to look for a spigot in a Ramada. I also went down to the Ranch House and found that little sink by the bathrooms. Only thing down there was a dog barking at me, sort of waste of time and out of the way. Less than 30 minutes later you could be in La Sevilla.

There were some boy scouts camping out in La Sevilla and one of them I saw turning off the water spigot out of the rock, I lucked out.

As you roll onto the parking lot and before you get to the bathrooms, look to your right, that's where the Ramada cover (Shelter) is at and spigot faces the parking lot.

Hoping to be back on the AZT 300 soon, doesn't look like I'll make it for the start date, possible ITT this fall.

Jackson

[sherpaxc]

Jackson, don't be a douche.  We're doing it Spring 2012!     You, me and Keith!

[AZTtripper]

not thinking water was on at Madera,
Jackson

Water at Madera, there are two spigots one right by the bathroom and one down by the fee station.

Met a ranger last year and got the beta on the on again off again water there, turns out that the system is old and they don't like to leave it on. So what they do is turn it on to feed a ranch down canyon then it's turned off. What we are getting is just water left in the pipe. So if there is not any the bathroom there might be some at the fee station as it is down hill. There is usually water running in the creek as well or about 1 mile up hill off course at the Whitehouse picnic area there is a fountain there that should work at all times.

[Marshal]

I have lots of ‘water’ questions as I build up my set of profiles.  One question is the section from Tucson to Mt Lemmon.  Not that big of a deal but I am looking for a better water strategy for this section than what I have done in the past.  Any ideas, suggestions?

[AZTtripper]

I'll be sending this to Scott for inclusion along with the cues.

# 1.    Bear Creek (spring fed) crosses under road.         6.5 miles N of the Border
# 2.   Parker Creek (dam fed)               2.5 miles N of Parker TH
# 3.   Cott Tank (solar pwd) spigot (no bikes)         4.5 miles N of Canelo Pass
# 4.   Patagonia (store, resterants, hotel, PO)
# 5.   Josephine Canyon (spring fed creek)            17 miles from Patagonia
# 6.   Hopkins VC picnic grounds (bathroom water fountain)   25 miles from Patagonia .5 off course
# 7.   Madera Canyon (spigot by bathroom) (or creek)      13 miles from Hopkins road         
# 8.   Oak Tree Canyon stock tank (well fed)         8 miles N of K Camp just north of trail
# 9.   The Lake (rain fed)                  12.6 miles N of Oak Tree west of and below the Lakes road   
#10.   Cienga Creek under Three Bridges (all year)         2 miles north of I-10
#11.   La Posta Quemada Ranch (sink off course)         2.6 miles from 3 Bridges .7 off
#12.   La Sevilla Campground (spigot on rock)         2.3 miles from LPQ Jct.
#13.   Tucson (store, resterants, hotel, PO)
#14.   Chiva Tank (rain)                  2.4 miles below Redington road
#15.   The Lake (rain usually has water)            4 miles after crossing Redington road
#16.   West Spring (spring fed) not great            3.5 miles past The Lake
#17.   Molino water hole (rain)                 up steam from trail crossing east of Highway
#18.   Palisades TH (spigot mid April to mid Nov.)         12 miles up the Highway
#19.   Summerhaven (visitor’s center, store, restaurant, rooms)   off course
#20.   Water Buffalo Oracle State Park            when the park reopens
#21.    Oracle (stores, resterants, motel)            off course
#22   Beehive Well (big metal tank not good)         19.5 miles north of Tiger mine rd.
#23.   Freeman Road (water cache)               just north of Freeman Road
#24.   
#27.   Boyce Thompson Arboretum 8am-5pm            facets 2.0m E from Picket Post TH on US60      

#14-17 I didn't pump from Chiva tank last year as there was creek flowing that came first not likely this year. I have pumped from the Lake before a little fishy tasting. West Spring is not that great a lot of the water in the Reddington area is brownish from Tannin. #17 was running again this weekend pretty strong flow about 5 min walk up stream from the trail crossing. I'll check it again before race time. Ultimately I should see about creating a bike version of the ATA water list ie web based with the ability to show how recent they have been used.

[AZTtripper]

I have lots of ‘water’ questions as I build up my set of profiles.  One question is the section from Tucson to Mt Lemmon.  Not that big of a deal but I am looking for a better water strategy for this section than what I have done in the past.  Any ideas, suggestions?

Hope the list helps I know it really helped me last year to always travel light knowing where the water sources were and having the guts to not carry too much water weight sure helped. I ran into Jackson out on Reddington he said he had been carrying 6 liters and filling up when ever he could. Man that's a lot of weight nothing wrong with playing it safe but all that weight would be brutal.

Tim

[Marshal]

#17 was running again this weekend pretty strong flow about 5 min walk up stream from the trail crossing. I'll check it again before race time.

Humm if it’s still running this one sounds perfect location wise.  So you descend from that steep ridge, park the bike at the stream crossing (just before you cross the paved Catalina/Mt Lemmon Hwy) and just walk up the stream bed about 5 min till you reach the water hole?  Does this water source normally lend itself to chem. or UV, or do you want a filter to remove the scummies?

bty thanks for all the info!!

[AZTtripper]

Glad to help it's great to see so many riders showing interest in my favorite trail.

So here's the full beta on the Molino creek. After the trail crosses the creek keep going a few feet until the AZT heads west. At this point there is a social trail heading east mostly rideable until it recrosses the creek. Leave the bike at this point and then walk a couple of more minutes up the creek. I will take the GPS next time and make a waypoint. Last year there was water right above the trail and Mark C used tabs on it. If that is your preferred method it will likely work here as well. This one is in a great spot hopefully it will still be flowing come race day.

Tim