2020 AZTR

[phatmike]

Jennifer scratched too and Chris heading northwards from Phoenix . 
What is happening out there?

Chris is going on an alternate route (basically a 500) - I thought he was going to start from picketpost, but looks like that didn't happen. I (Mike Symons) on the tracker will be doing a northbound route starting at picketpost. It's obviously not an official route, but we are on the tracker regardless. Hopefully that clarifies things a bit. I'll be starting Wednesday AM

[schillingsworth]

and Jennifer dinged her knee pretty good in Martinez Canyon. She may re-load her SB 300 attempt soon.

For the record, both Mike & Chris hadn't planned to be on the tracker, we encouraged them so others could follow along since they are both following the AZTR route north from either Gold Canyon or Picketpost.

[geekonabike]

On the TrackLeader AZT Trackleaders Long Trail Tracking Registration signup page ( https://form.jotformpro.com/trackleaders/long-trail )  there is a disclaimer saying 'not for the Races' that it's for the uses of tourers. Is there a page I'm missing for ITTs or do I use the  Trackleaders Long Trail Tracking Registration page?

[phatmike]

On the TrackLeader AZT Trackleaders Long Trail Tracking Registration signup page ( https://form.jotformpro.com/trackleaders/long-trail )  there is a disclaimer saying 'not for the Races' that it's for the uses of tourers. Is there a page I'm missing for ITTs or do I use the  Trackleaders Long Trail Tracking Registration page?

Hey geek, use this link:

https://form.jotform.com/trackleaders/aztrfall19

[schillingsworth]

Thanks Mike, beat me to it!! It's almost like you're hovering over these AZTR pages itching to launch...getting close, dude!! Go time!!

[phatmike]

Thanks Mike, beat me to it!! It's almost like you're hovering over these AZTR pages itching to launch...getting close, dude!! Go time!!

Yep! Wouldn't you know that Wednesday is looking to be toasty!!!

[geekonabike]

Thanks  Mike, That's gonna work for me. I'm shooting for pre dawn Friday, but I'm gonna hold off on the reg until I'm sure that's my start time.

[Chasbo]

Good Luck!

[schillingsworth]

Looks like Colin was met with the scheduled prescribed burn near Blue Ridge this morning. The detour is posted on the ground, so I don't expect anyone to follow the orange line precisely on this one. Chris has been sending some good updates on his trek north. There was a surprising amount of water available on the Four Peaks section, Boulder Creek was flowing!! Also a bunch more difficult to ride than when I rode it in the spring. Seasonal storms really change the topography in these parts. Mike reported a mostly miserable day out of Picketpost with temps hovering in the mid to upper 90's most of the day. Good to see he's back at it and gaining some elevation. Sounds like the Bulldog Canyon area was exceptionally sandy for him. That's always a possibility, I guess I've lucked out the handful of times I've been through.

Nate will be kicking off a NB 300 run this weekend and Mike K. goes for the 800 - 3rd time's the charm, eh?

[KuzmanAZ]

Hi All, thought I'd share a few observations from my recent NB tour from Gold Canyon to Stateline, since there's been some good discussion on these topics:

Water: Yes, there was less water on the route overall compared to this last spring when we had an exceptionally wet winter. But, no, water scarcity was not an issue. There was actually a reasonable amount of water on the Four Peaks and in the Mazatzals, much to my surprise. Thanks to Mike K. for the tip re: Middle Water Spring on Four Peaks. Creeks are still flowing on Highline. Stock tanks are still full of algae flavored water. With all that said, the two or three water bottle approach is not gonna work on this route in the fall.  This is an adventure route, not a race course, and the Four Peaks portion puts a fine point on that. Also, by the end of Oct, water spigots could be turned off  in the Grand Canyon at Cottonwood, Manzanita, Supai, and/or the North Rim. Timing varies year to year. I suspect by the end of the Oct, AZTR riders may need to fill up/filter near one of the last crossings of Bright Angel Creek with enough water to get to a stock tank on the Kaibab. (Water at the North Rim was 'on' when I was there on Oct 19).

Cold: Yep, it was cold at night. It's well below freezing at night in the high country.  Bringing cold weather gear through the Canyon to stay warm on the Kaibab will be really important, it was downright frigid up there. Again, with the right gear, it's not a problem. Be prepared.

North Kaibab: This is one of my favorite segments of the AZT and one of my favorite trails in the whole SW region. Climbing with bike on back up from the Colorado River, then reassembling bike and continuing climbing to over 9k feet on the Kaibab, all on trail, then bombing down to the sandstone cliffs at the Utah border to finish the AZT has to be one of the most special experiences to be had on a bike. Having all this singletrack on course every year is one of the best reasons to do this race in the fall, from my perspective. I don’t know if I would start the AZT knowing I wouldn't be able to ride the Kaibab.

Night: More darkness is defiantly noticeable, though it did not have any negative impact on my ride.  I admit, I had a harder time getting out of the bivy in the dark when its 25 degrees, but that is my own problem! I was blowing through batteries fairly quickly until I figured out optimal settings on headlamp and bar light, then all was good. Really not an issue for my ride. I actually couldn’t wait for the sun to go down and cool off while climbing up the Four Peaks and Mazatzals.

Sun/heat: It was still hot during the day in the desert, but the sun felt less intense compared to late April. The angle of the sun was behind me for virtually the whole ride. A nice change from the spring!

Overgrowth: Not an issue at all north of Gold Canyon. I've also seen comments that trails are rougher in the fall post-monsoon runoff season. That was probably the case in some sections, like Boulder Creek on the Four Peaks. The trail might be a little slower in the fall overall, but it’s a hard comparison spring vs. fall to make with any accuracy. I don’t think I would have covered more ground faster in the spring.

Four Peak Route: A game changer for sure. The AZT in the Boulder Creek drainage is, well,…at least there is a lot of water in there. The Goldfields, Four Peaks, and Mazatzals were very slow going. Sand, rough singletrack/jeep roads, HAB galore. it's an adventure!

The overall 'northern 500': It’s a route that is true to the AZ landscape, and fall is a spectacular time to pass through this landscape.

Happy to answer any questions about my experience out there!

[schillingsworth]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience out there, Chris. Well done on the North 500. No mention of the Canyon hike itself, must've been easy... ;p Nothing really surprised me about your comments, good to get some confirmation. I do want to get back up to Boulder Creek since I did ride it in spring, so I can give a valid comparison. The sun angle is something I didn't consider, nice observation. So glad you enjoyed the Kaibab after the portage. I agree, it's one of my favorite sections on the entire AZT and so stoked more people will get to ride it.

[phatmike]

I’ll offer a slightly different perspective. I think Chris hit some key hot spots in a different time of day than I did, and I think temps were 5-10 degrees warmer for me than they were for him. It was definitely brutal in the bulldog canyon section. I was moving shade spot to shade spot. Tons of sand and less rideable than our time through there JS. Relief from the sun did come sooner... but temps are still temps. To get the timing right from picketpost and hit gold canyon resupply during open hours plus open hours at saguaro lake marina is gonna be tough. Really big logistical problem. As hard as it might be, you want to get hat four peaks climb out of the way in the early evening if possible. I didn’t and had a double whammy working against me. Might not be an issue for faster riders. For me, I barely got through. Potentially, riders are dealing with a stretch from saguaro lake to jakes corner with nothing but a fairly reliable sycamore creek for water. Middle spring has proven iffy and pigeon spring/boulder creek are questionable. That’s a tough stretch with two serious climbs. Plan accordingly.

[geekonabike]

A h2o warning, the Colt tank enclosure on Canalos West that has always been Dependable is now Bone Dry. Plan on filtering from some other sources. A bit West in plain sight there is clear running water visiable from new ST down a short Creek bank.
 Also all Canalos are over grow with tall grass & catclaw. Very hard to find trail at night as handlebar light on lumnates the seed heads on tops of the grass. Don't dispare when grass is over your head. UR only 30 ft from the asphalt into Patagonia.

[geekonabike]

Bad end to my last try at the AZTR. Having the Anything cage w/ full sleeping & cooking kit break off was the last straw. Jerry's pep talk yesterday had me motivated, but my poor logistical skill & bad luck doomed me.

[Brian McEntire]

Bad end to my last try at the AZTR. Having the Anything cage w/ full sleeping & cooking kit break off was the last straw. Jerry's pep talk yesterday had me motivated, but my poor logistical skill & bad luck doomed me.

Coming off Granite back in April to find you balled up and bloody was one of the scarier moments I have had cycling. I thought you were is really bad shape and it took some convincing to believe you weren't. Glad you got patched up and hate that it ended that run. Wishing you the best of luck on this one! You got this!!!

[Ron Thomson]

Hey Mike! Oof, you need some of my luck on this trail. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Best to you and the doggos.

[phatmike]

Hey guys, here is my ride report for my northbound route from Picketpost to Flagstaff. Wanted to get to Utah, but <insert excuses here>. I hope it helps fill in riders on the fairly large knowledge gaps with the new 800 route. It was a fairly large struggle for me - I never really recovered from my day 1 bake in the desert - it screwed my timing and impacted the rest of my plan negatively as I ended up doing the four peaks climb and the FR201 up to Goldridge under full sun. Not recommended. There was plenty of water on top of four peaks, but that isn't guaranteed. Hopefully a local will be able to scout it before the grand depart each year. I scouted it myself 10 days before my start.

The descent down to sunflower via Boulder Creek tries its best to compete with Oracle Ridge for the "have fun pushing your bike through this BS" award.

http://mikeybikesit.blogspot.com/2019/10/picketpost-to-flagstaff-via-aztr-800.html

[taprider]

Well if I had left on Oct 22 as I plan to next year, I would hope to be north of Flagstaff by now.
I see the current weather report (cold), but what does it look like on the ground?
Everything covered in frost until noon?  
Areas of mud from melting frost?
Rock hard ground and really fast conditions?
How much snow?
Switch to winter boots and clothes at Flagstaff or Pine?

[Sean Allan]

I've toured the entire 750 route three times in Oct. and tried to race it unsuccessfully a few times in April. I really do like the route in the fall but I can tell you the overgrowth in the southern sections below Kelvin really can be next level. Handlebar height grass trough the Canelos and beyond. I really struggled doing Oracle Ridge in the dark and I think that was actually less overgrown than the previous miles. I seem to remember a few racers trying to ITT in the fall years ago getting beat back from trying to ride through the grass at night, I found it to be pretty difficult.

I also spent the coldest night of my life on the Mogollon Rim with a male Moose/ Elk bugling within 50 yards of me the entire night! There seemed to be a lot of hunters out that time of year, lots of folks in RV's and such. I looked on the AZGFD site and found some overlap for elk season in the Flagstaff area for the race dates though I don't know the area well enough to say where.  I just know there were a lot of people in the woods north of Payson.

Thank you to John for taking the reins. The route was hard enough as it was, not sure what to expect with the new additions but hopefully I'll be able to find out next year.

[phatmike]

I also spent the coldest night of my life on the Mogollon Rim with a male Moose/ Elk bugling within 50 yards of me the entire night! There seemed to be a lot of hunters out that time of year, lots of folks in RV's and such. I looked on the AZGFD site and found some overlap for elk season in the Flagstaff area for the race dates though I don't know the area well enough to say where.  I just know there were a lot of people in the woods north of Payson.

I found myself on attaining the rim on a Sunday evening a couple weeks ago so I only ran into a few camps of people on the rim. Definitely heard some rifle shots, but maybe not as much as I was expecting. A thru hiker I met on highline who had just hiked through that area over the Friday/Saturday definitely was shocked and dare I say slightly bothered by the amount of hunting activity up there. That said, she might have experienced more of it due to the re-route off of the AZT for prescribed burns near blue ridge. She definitely saw more motorized traffic due to that.

I will say I made it a point to wear bright colors! I also turned on my light onto "flash mode" when the light started to get low - I didn't need it for the ability to see, but I did want hunters to know what I was.

Regarding fires - I had never really thought of it before, but there is a high likelihood I would guess that prescribed fires will have decent chances of impacting the route (hopefully not drastically) during the fall grand depart for riders once they attain the high country. I had to detour around blue ridge for a good sized operation and there was another getting ready to start the day after I passed lake mary road south of mormon lake that also was going to slightly impact the race route.

Life in the desert southwest forests!!