AZT 750/300 2017 Planning Thread

[davew]

Its new thread time since I've a couple of questions. I'm sure there are others who prefer to ask again rather than read previous years threads and who can blame them?

There is bound to be some updated or new information on water sources, resupply points, getting rides to the start line, car pooling and the ever optimistic leaving your car 750 miles up the road and hoping like hell you make it there (and its still there!). Personally, I was gratefully surprised for the water cache at the top of one of the climbs in the canyon about 20km from Picket.  I can not remember where it was since it was 1am when I found it but there was a gate and a road.  Surely  thats enough clues - a gate and a road!! If anyone knows the coords I'd be grateful. Also John Schilling mentioned a water box near the trail head of Babbitt Ranch trail head but I've been too lazy to hunt out the details of it. Anyone know the coords of that one?

I'm also interested to hear how the trial work went on the Highline Trail, has it deviated much from existing trail or was just a rebuild of the existing?

I've banged on long enough, its time to go and find a Feastivus pole and get the airing of grievances submission box ready for work - that will annoy those unnaturally happy people up in accounts with their strange desire to put tinsel everywhere.

 

[Jeff Z]

The cache you are referring to is at 33.18107° N 111.13720° W. As of this last weekend it was chock full of water.

[AZTtripper]

The cache you are referring to is at 33.18107° N 111.13720° W. As of this last weekend it was chock full of water.

Sure but there will be numerous thru hikers in the month before the race.

[davew]

The cache you are referring to is at 33.18107° N 111.13720° W. As of this last weekend it was chock full of water.

thats the one!

thanks

[Jeff Z]

Sure but there will be numerous thru hikers in the month before the race.

Of course. I would not 100% rely on ANY water cache. But it is nice to see that they have stocked the heck out of it now. Hopefully that continues.

[AZTtripper]

Scott has said this every year, "don't rely on the cache's".

I would add that he used to not tell anyone about the cache at Freeman. Better to have plenty and only take a little, leaving some for the next guy, then to be selfish so you can go light. Skipping a known source and then needing to take water from a hiker is not self support.

[Jeff Z]

Scott has said this every year, "don't rely on the cache's".

I would add that he used to not tell anyone about the cache at Freeman. Better to have plenty and only take a little, leaving some for the next guy, then to be selfish so you can go light. Skipping a known source and then needing to take water from a hiker is not self support.

In 2013 I left Tucson with insufficient water. I had been up in the mountains two weeks prior and there was a little stream running at that time - so I could always filter from there. Of course it was bone dry when I go there - and so was I. Since then I always carry too much water and depend on NO cache or source.

You can tell people this stuff over and over, but nothing teaches you like making a bad mistake.

[AZTtripper]

Yeah those Creeks out by Reddington can dry up fast. Near the end of the Jeep trails nearby the two gates there is a solar powered stock tank. I have been able to get water without filtering by sticking a bottle under the pipe. This is a hard one to find even in daylight, at night I would likely want to filter out of the tank.

With enough planning it should be possible to know when to go light and when to carry a full 6 liters.

[LandSharkBrian]

All that said, like Dave, I also was pretty damn glad to see that cache outside Picketpost stocked last year.

[AZTtripper]

Also the ADOT at the Gila now has a spigot at the fence. It was in the ATA news letter a couple of months ago.

I am not saying that you shouldn't make use of the cache's, just wanted to let people know that others have to as well.

Loading up at the cache's just to save a little flat road riding, is not being responsible to other trail users.

[phatmike]

Yep, used that tap on the ADOT yard fence a few weeks ago. Even some signs to point the way, and a small tree to get out of the sun...

[AZTtripper]

Sweet thanks Mike.

[AZTtripper]

I posted this in the SS record thread where they were discussing the possibility of adding the convoluted Gold canyon trail for this year's event.

Good points Kurt, as the course has changed over the years Scott has always looked to keep the overall efforts similar. So with the work on Highline it may be that Gold canyon is needed to even things out.

Also I was going to point out that Freeman road in East Tucson has been updated to include a bike lane all the way to Speedway. So maybe adding ST in East PHX gives enough to get rid of the sandy horse trail at the end of Broadway.

Once Scott gets back from NZ I will Let him know. Also Speedway has been brushed back and the shoulder graded I am thinking that it will get a bike lane eventually.

Tim.

[davew]

What are the chances is the new section of trial west of Kannally Wash in Oracle State Park gong to be included in the 2017 race?

http://www.aztrail.org/ata_news/ATANewsAutumn16.pdf

[AZTtripper]

That's the official trail now so it will have to be included. Haven't had a chance to get up there yet but I am looking forward to riding it next year.

[davew]

Here is some data for those of you that may have an interest. I've been playing around on basecamp with the old ATR race data and new trail data from the ATA webpage.

In the first image the green trail is the gpx data from the 2014 gps trail, the magenta line is the new trail from the ATA website. The gradient looks much more ridable than some of those pinch climbs on the powerline road from the original route.




The Highline Trail has had some work also. Again, here are the variations between the 20014 ATR 750 course and the new trail thats smoothed out some of the lumps. The magenta line is from the 20014 ATR 750 course. The grey line is new trail from the ATA website. I remember that section of trail they have bypassed and Im looking forward to riding this new section.




This is just me having a play around with gpx data. Im sure the updated gpx file will be available closer to the start.

[LandSharkBrian]

Hey Dave I see the picture of the Oracle Kannally Wash potential re-route but it appears that maybe you put a picture of your house up instead of the potential Highline re-route?  Or am I just smoking something again...

[davew]

Hey Dave I see the picture of the Oracle Kannally Wash potential re-route but it appears that maybe you put a picture of your house up instead of the potential Highline re-route?  Or am I just smoking something again...

Hey Brian,

Only you can tell us what/if you are smoking. Can you see an actual image of a house or are you suggesting the image of the map is not what/where I’m saying it is? I’m curious now.

The image I can see is the start of the the Highline trail starting at the Pine trail head (section 27).

Just for confirmation (and not being a smart arse for a change); hopefully you can read ‘Pine Trailhead’ on the map on the bottom left corner just above the annotation of ‘NB 3.8km 6.9%’.  I could have possibly captured the image to include more detail to indicate where it was.

Maybe the odd (metric) numbers could have confused you in your weeded out state. That Brewery is just up the road to the left if more of a reference is required to find it in basecamp. That would be ‘west’ for those not looking at houses… and that was back to being a smartarse.

Or maybe I completely missed a joke you were trying to make.

[JimL]

Subscribing to the thread...

[schillingsworth]

Dave,
That Highline re-route was part of the course last year, I think. I rode it anyway.
From what I've heard the Oracle State Park re-route is really nice. It gets rid of that crappy Powerline trail.

I'll say it again, the Gold Canyon routing is really good. Perhaps I'm a bit biased, but whatevs. As far as I'm concerned just about anything is better than riding the shoulder of US60. Get some re-supply in Queen Valley and enjoy that section no matter how many twists & turns Mike Pro says it has!! Yeah, there's a 'few'.

I don't know if it'll make the 2017 cut, but as an FYI the Jacob Crosscut trail is currently getting a much needed makeover!! I rode it a few weeks ago and about 1/3 of the rubble channel has been fully re-routed. It's actually a worthy trail...so far. Stay tuned...