Arizona Trail Race 2025 (800) - DNF

This year, I DNF'd (did not finish) an event I have been dreaming about completing since I first did the 300 version back in 2017. I had zero doubt I could do this and I was very confident that barring something mechanically catastrophic with the bike, that I had the mental and physical ability to finish the event. The fact that I didn't has hit me in a way I wasn't expecting. Quitting something is never easy, and to do it in front of "the crowd" of friends, family and other people following on trackleaders was a real shitty feeling, even though I knew it was the right one. It is really hard as day after day go by - the investment of time and effort you make to continue to move forward - to pull the plug and say that you have had enough, the body is breaking down, and that you just aren't having fun anymore. 

Having fun out there sounds so counter-intuitive to most. It is hard work out there and physically very difficult. In general though, there are payoffs that make up for it, even if it is just the satisfaction of a good solid effort for the day. To that end, my "race" started to fall apart when I tweaked something in my right knee on the pavement spin away from Saguaro Lake. Shortly after my left hamstring started being problematic likely due to trying to compensate for the right leg. Each day after that became more difficult and required more pain meds (Advil, etc) to feel good enough to move on. I had brought along a "budgeted" amount of pain meds for the entire ride, which I had not touched to that point, but quickly and desperately managed to burn through it all in the following days. I think eventually my body figured out I wasn't going to take the hint and it stared to "throttle" my abilities, likely for my own good. I detoured and had a depressing ride on Lake Mary Rd into Flagstaff right before tackling Anderson Mesa. I "won" the contest for who would go furthest on route before scratching. Yay me. 

I self-isolated in the shittiest motel in Flagstaff and enjoyed plenty of food and managed to not go nuts on the alcohol even though I felt like I wanted to (I don't drink very often). Eventually, I decided to come home so my youngest daughter came and got me. 

I'm OK. I am proud of what I accomplished out there. I feel deeply unsatisfied by how it ended. The gamut of negative emotions by far eclipses the positive ones. Guess I will need to give it another run at some point. Hopefully the route stops getting harder, because I am not getting any younger haha. The route is significantly tougher now then it was when I first started thinking about it with the additions of four peaks and more recently the Lemmon Pusch. 

Day 1

My buddy Marcus had dropped me off the day before and it was a party just north of the Mexican border. I didn't realize it until about 10PM, but my gloves had bounced out of my helmet and into the side compartment of his door on the drive up. When I realized this, he was long gone and most people were crashed out anticipating the 6AM start. I desperately asked some others around if they had spare gloves and I lucked out with a hand-me-down set of gloves that were blown out but would do the trick for now. The first problem of the ride and it hadn't even started yet. Yeehaw!

I woke up feeling calm and ready to go, no nerves or anything. Everyone else started gathering around . You could see every emotion on people's faces. So much time and energy dedicated to this day, and it is finally getting ready to start. My goal for today and everyday was simple. Just ride my ride. My short term goal for today was  to not blow up in the Canelos, but keep it moving. Let's go!

Riders gathering for the pre-race announcements. 

The pleasant yet ever slightly climbing jeep road to Sunnyside Canyon filters the riders and also allows for leapfrog opportunities as the sun rises and people strip layers, make gear adjustments, etc. 

The Canelos and their HAB sections were very pleasant today. Nice temps and ground water in places I have never seen. 

After transitioning to the western section of the Canelos at Canelo Pass Rd, there is a steep bit (HAB) heading up to a gate. A racer was heading towards me. I stopped him and asked him what was up and if he was OK. He said he was fine and had taken a tumble off the trail a bit ago. I informed him he was going the wrong way and he questioned me and I was like, "dude I am positive I am going the right way - northbound on the AZT" He seemed confused, but believed me. 

Honestly the southern bits of trail which are known for being some of the most rugged, ended up being some of the best riding conditions out there. 

Big views are always awaiting with each effort. 

Hero dirt out here. 

Mt Wrightson fully revealed. 

Before I knew it, and way quicker than expected, I was entering the private ranch (which is closed sunset to sunrise). I had opened the gate and let two riders through and closed the gate behind me. We caught and passed each other several times in the next couple of miles for various reasons. 

Riders speeding down towards HWY 82.

After crossing the road, it is a slow, mellow and winding climb up casa blanca canyon. Each time you work through one section the view gets better. It's a perfect little section. 

Done with that, now time to try to make Kentucky Camp in good time. 

Golden hour came and went and it got dark fast and early. 

The trail to Kentucky Camp took forever and was way steeper than I recall. I did my best to keep moving. I distinctly remember going through a gully with running water and as I ascended the other side, I noticed the smell of "death". It was basically dark now, but I remember being concerned a bit. If it was a "kill" of some sorts and there was something around guarding it I didn't really want to stick around too much. 

Eventually, I got dumped out to some jeep roads which eventually rejoined single track to Kentucky Camp. I used the potable water there to mix up a recovery drink which I slammed and then topped off my fluids again. I used the outhouse and also used the bear-proof trash containers to get rid of wrappers and stuff. Tried to be quiet as a rider was crashed out on the porch. 

I wanted to get a ways up the road and back to singletrack so I got after it. I got about 4-5 miles away and it was just about midnight, so that seemed good enough to me. 

77 miles and 9600 feet of climbing. 

Day 2 

Riders started passing by at maybe 4:30 or 5am. I was usually rolling by 6 or 6:30 most days. I have a really hard time getting out of the sleeping bag if I need to have lights to do so.

View from my sleeping position. 

Temps were again great (as they were the entire ride really) and it was nice to be able to work through the punchy Las Colinas section without melting. There was some new singletrack early in the day too which got riders of jeep roads - this is always a good thing. I think I hit some of it, but not everything as my lo-fi version of the track on my bike computer was giving me problems. 

Typical ranch riding in the Santa Ritas. 

Some of the newish singletrack that has been cut. Still needs more use. 

Leapfrogging riders in the punchy areas. 

Part of the HAB train here. 

This might be from the "magic green gate" - riding was about to get easier and fun. 

Sporadic clouds even provided additional relief occasionally during the day. Even with good temps the sun can be intense. 

Smooth and fast AZT through here. 

The I-10 snake themed underpass. 

A new section to me - dropping down to Cienega Creek instead of doing the bike bypass. Took a little snack break here.

The trail approaching the colossal cave area went pretty fast even with its tedious bits.  

Did a little housekeeping here at the spigot in the picnic area. 

Continuing on the AZT northbound it eventually turns to wilderness, so we have to backtrack and go through the east side of Tucson. This is good because the resupply options are invaluable here. I stopped at Rockin' K market along with some other riders. 

It's a gathering.

I ordered a couple of quesadillas to go and bought all kinds of other food/drink for my upcoming push up Mt Lemmon. I had to be thoughtful here as 800 riders no longer take the paved highway to the top of the mountain, there is a massive HAB that takes most people 8-12 hours or more. 

I left before everyone else and tackled the bit of road and neighborhood riding in order to begin the climb up Redington Rd.

The lights of Tucson from about halfway up Redington Rd. 

I ended up running into Connor Adkisson and another guy right as Chiva falls was getting rowdy. We chatted a bit then they took off. I made steady progress and really wanted to get back to the AZT. Steven S. caught up to me after I had left him at Rockin' K. We pushed for a bit then he finally found a spot to crash but I wasn't far from the AZT singletrack so kept it moving until I got there. Found a spot to crash out pretty quickly. Felt like a good day. I knew the next couple were going to be pretty dang tough. 

79 miles, 7,000ft elevation gain. 

Day 3

Continuing the theme of getting started after a rider passed by today was no different. Got out of the bag and it was completely soaked with dew. Ugh. I would need to handle that - but that's a chore for later.

Starting the day on singletrack doesn't suck.

The trail in here wasn't terrible, but it did just disappear out of nowhere a few times and I got off track. I wasn't the only one, as I ran into another rider as we were both trying to figure out where the trail went.

 

Cows are always roaming around out there, living their best life. 

The trail for the most part was riding really well, but some of the technical features were definitely magnified with the added erosion from the previous storms.

I ran across Steven again but I continued on. I was on the search for some water to filter and I found a good spot not far from the Molino HAB. I topped off not really knowing what the water on Lemmon was going to be like. 

Getting close to the first push

This is what the easy spots of the Molino HAB look like. 

I got over the HAB and into the Molino campground where again I took advantage of the pit toilets. Steven was there and he was motivated to get going to make it to Summerhaven. I noted the time and said he would be good. I reminded him that the next bit to prison camp kinda sucks and he was aware. I told him I wouldn't see him again (he was riding the highway for the 300 while I was doing the Lemmon Pusch) and encouraged him to get the route done. I could tell he was gonna do it, and he ended up finishing. Congrats dude!

 

I prepped (got more sunscreen on) and got a move on. This afternoon may have been the warmest feeling of the entire ride. 

Looking back towards Molino CG. This rise to prison camp is always tough and if you look back you can see why as elevation is gained rapidly.  

I made it to prison camp (formally Gordon Hirabayashi campground) and was kinda zonked so I took the opportunity to set my wet sleep kit in the sun and take a short nap. About thirty minutes later I packed up and got on with it. 

Short nap in the shade while my sleep kit dried out. 

I mentally prepped myself for the unexpected and began what would be a massive HAB over Mt. Lemmon. I crossed the road and Danny was sitting in the shade. It was pretty warm - he would pass me later on when I was taking a break to air out my feet. 

Elevation is gained rapidly, but the effort wasn't too bad. It was pretty easy pushing. This would change. 

Things would get real rugged...

But then you would have something like this. 

Way above the highway. It was frustrating to get so much higher than the highway, just to drop down close to it again. 

Really cool stuff to see up here. Short sections were ride-able but would just as quickly become unrideable. 

Thankful for the multiple opportunities for water up here. 

As the light began to diminish, shit started to get real. 

Super rugged. Photos don't really do it justice. It was really hard work. 

Bummed that the sun is going away, but really proud of my progress so far. 

Cool geology up here

Things got steeper and more exposed the higher I got, It was fully dark now, and that might be for the best. Whenever I tried to look off the side of the trail, it was returning void. Guess I better be careful. 

This was really tough to get by. Super steep dropoff, and the tree was at a weird angle. No room for mistakes here, but it worked out. 

There were a couple times there towards the end of the evening where I would see where I needed to go and would say "you gotta be fuckin' kidding me". Haha. You just need to take your time and problem solve. Many times brute force is not the answer. I got through the worst of things and felt like I was kinda close to topping out for the most part. I passed one rider crashed out, but there was literally no place off trail to lay down, so I kept pushing. I did reach a saddle eventually and while I could have kept going, I didn't see much of a point to doing so because the stuff in Summerhaven wouldn't open until 10:30AM. Thought the amount remaining would get me to town right about on time if I kept my current start time. 

This ended up being the hardest day with a bike I have ever done. 

24 measly miles. 6800 feet of bike pushing. 

Day 4

Looks later than it actually was. I was pretty much right on my routine time. This might have been my favorite sleep spot - the saddle just above the San Pedro Vista. 

Nate G leading the push, I would pass him while he ate a snack and wouldn't see him again. He went on to finish the route and complete the triple crown! Congrats, Nate!

I missed a hard to see turn right turn after this and had to backtrack a bit to take the correct trail. 

The trail got increasingly ride-able, and it was looking like my timing into Summerhaven was gonna be just about perfect. 

Always forget what "proper" fall riding is like. Leaves everywhere and just beautiful all around. 

I made it into town just a few minutes before the general store opened. I used the time to get things cleaned out and organized and which made my resupply pretty efficient. I then popped over to sawmill run for a proper meal and to recharge some electronics. 

I had a burger and fries along with a bowl of chili. Had a hard time eating everything which is rare for me. 

I got my water topped off and used the restroom and then with my electronics sufficiently charged, I got out to tackle red/oracle ridge. This section of trail is also very difficult but more rideable especially if it isn't dark so I really wanted to try to knock almost all of it out in the light of day if possible. Nothing on Lemmon comes easy though, so I had to get moving. 

The little climb from the TH offered this fine obstacle to start the afternoon. 

Red Ridge actually rode pretty dang well - there has been a good amount of work put in and it shows. 

Still plenty of ruggedness and ultra steep sections. 

I made it to the bottom where there was abundant water flowing, but I didn't need any so I began the climb up to Dan's saddle to rejoin Oracle Ridge proper. 

Catalina Camp. Pretty cool. I had seen the inside before so didn't stop this time. 

Hey little guy. 

Still need to get up there. I was listening to music and the "E.T" theme full orchestral soundtrack was on and it moved me to tears. So good and it was such a mental relief to be working my way off of Lemmon.   

Massive views keep expanding. 

And expanding...

The last time I was here in 2023, it was near dark and I thought I heard a voice say "what are you doing". I didn't stick around then or this time either. Pretty nasty super steep jeep road section upcoming. 

Back on singletrack with golden hour approaching. 

Worst of Oracle ridge is almost over (save for all the water bars on Cody Trail). I was happy to be here with light still in the sky. 

Looking back on the last part of the ridge. See you next time you beautiful bitch! haha. 

Topping out on a short and super steep little hill here. Don't slip. 

I made it to Hijinks Ranch with just a touch of light left in the sky. I topped off on water and ate some food. I wasn't looking forward to the janky water bars of Cody trail, but also knew that there was a bunch of smooth and easy riding in the upcoming Oracle State Park trails. I got moving and soon enough I was riding at a decent pace for the first time in 24+ hours.

Soon enough, and kinda on cue, I got tired. This seemed to happen every evening between 7 and 9pm. It was around 7:15 maybe, and I came across a sandy wash which looked comfy to lay on, so I took a caffeine pill, set a quick alarm on my phone for 20 minutes just in case and I just laid there staring at the sky. Took a couple of pictures which doesn't capture it at all, but it was just magnificent. 

I got in a pretty good groove in here as the trail was flowy and fun.  

I was moved by the beauty in the desert. Not many people pass some of this stuff, and I thought it was such a privilege for this to be here, seemingly just for me. This purple was almost blinding when compared to the dark surroundings. 

I got knocked out of my daydream when I came across this fairly large rattlesnake - one of the largest I have seen ever. Temps were in the high 50's maybe so it was quite a surprise. Lots of rodents had been hopping around, so it must have been chasing food. I tried to coax it off the trail but it wasn't interested.

I eventually had to bushwhack around it, which caused it to become defensive. The sound of the hiss on this one was quite intimidating, not gonna lie. 

The rest of the trail to the highway was OK, though slightly uncomfortable as it was a little overgrown on the edges of the trail and I was now on snake alert. 

Cool mural is still here, though it appears to maybe have been defaced slightly. 

At the gate after the underpass, I saw a massive freaking spider. The picture below doesn't really show it as it was kinda bunched up here. I carefully put a "Mike & Ike" on the cross bar to show a sense of scale. 

That is one big spider. 

The spin up to the Tiger Mine TH was easy and I was feeling pretty good. I was starting to contemplate where I might sleep, but I wasn't quite ready yet. I ran into another rider right at the TH who was having to scratch from the race after shredding a tire. Bummer. 

I pedaled on, knowing there are a series of washes to navigate. I got to it, and after the first wash, I ran across two rattlesnakes in close proximity to each other - 5 feet or so between them. This really got into my head for sleeping as I was essentially cowboy camping with a non-closeable bivy. Seeing snakes on the move caused me to decide to crash out in one of the sandy washes. In my mind this meant colder temps, but hopefully no snakes. This has never been a thought for me before. I guess ignorance is bliss and I was fresh out of ignorance after seeing three rattlesnakes in the past 2 hours or so. 

I ended up laying out my kit in the second wash which was good enough for me. Still a pretty short mileage day, but very, very tough. Mt Lemmon is a beast, especially in the 800 version of the route. I was happy to have it behind me. 

37 miles, 6300 feet of elevation gain. 

Day 5

Up with the sun once again. Was looking forward to riding my bike more today. 

Trail was in good shape and I really do love this section of the AZT.

Antelope Peak there on the horizon. Hoping to get there in decent time. 

Starting to get into the cholla heavy part of the day. The cactus was brutal through here. Loose pieces all over the trail, and the actual plants encroaching the trail corridor. It was really hard/impossible to avoid at times. 

Bloodsucker wash was an odd site with it being nearly absent of sand. It was mostly hard dirt as the sand had been washed away during some flooding events through here (guessing that is what happened)

Took a quick "camel up" break here at beehive well and also ate a snack. It was a little warm so soaked my sun hoodie in the water as the exit hike out of here is always a bit warm. 

Hard to believe I was on top of that mountain in the background just 24 hours ago. 

More CAT (cholla avoidance training)

I Was chilling out here and topping off water when Danny H showed up and joined me for a bit. He took off and I never would catch him again. I briefly saw his light on the top of Ripsey later in the early evening. 

Cruising through the boulders section

Self closing weighted gate in good repair. 

Shadows are growing long. I wanted to get to Ripsey in the daylight, but I fell short. It gets dark fast in the fall. 

Ripsey just ahead, but still some work to do.

I have a love/hate relationship with "the big hill" AKA Ripsey. In the light, I have a great time for the most part. In the dark, it is in my head in a bad way. The descent is not very fun for me in the dark and tonight was no different. Even when it started to mellow out, I lost the trail multiple times on the way down. 

I did finally escape only to have to the tedious section between the Ripsey TH and the ADOT yard. I knocked that out that then went to fill up on water at the ADOT spigot. I must have just missed Danny, and I was suddenly kicking myself for not getting pizza delivered here (sounds odd, but yes, this is a thing) as there were two orders sitting out on the table for riders behind me. I had plenty of food, but it looked great and I was sad haha. I pedaled a bit up the road and got started on the singletrack proper. I was on the lookout for a place to lay down and found one soon enough.

54 miles, 6400 feet of climbing. 

Day 6

I started earlier than normal after a rider (Danny I think) passed me at about 5am. This part of the route all the way to Picketpost is tough and I wanted to get through it just to mentally have the "300" part of the route done. 

Looking back towards the sunrise. 

Catching of glimpse of the Gila river here. 

The trail was in pretty good shape and it was a splendid morning to be riding. 

Super lush in spots closer to the river. 

I started to hear a very low and ominous sounding noise. Rhythmic, and slowly growing in intensity. I should have figured it out way sooner, but eventually, I saw the source: a running train on the tracks! My first time ever seeing a train down here. 

Choo, choo!

The Gila shrouded by a dense tree canopy.  

I made it to the turn away from the river in good time and I was ready to settle in to the big effort for the day.

If you are here, you are in the middle of nowhere so not much to do but get your tail to Picketpost.

It was really a treat to see it so green back here. It has been a while since I have seen it this vibrant. 

Martinez Canyon is easily one of the most amazing places in the state or on the trail. 

I have taken this picture 10 times probably. 

I made good steady progress all day and made it to the rain collector which leaves ten mostly downhill miles (with some chunks of work in there too) to get to Picketpost.  

I took a break at the rain collector. Decided to top off my water because I still wasn't sure what to do when I got to Picketpost; head to Superior for resupply and a hotel or continue on route. Figured I would decide when I got there, but I didn't want my water supply to dictate my decision. 

Taking in views while pushing my bike up one of the harder parts of the Picketpost approach.

Let's go! Not far now - though it seems to take forever. 

Boom! 300 finisher! I have been successful in completing the 300 3 out of 4 times which I am pretty damn proud of. It was merely a checkpoint in many checkpoints for this ride though. Thanks John Schilling for snapping the pic. 

Ultimately, I opted to head to Superior to grab a hotel to get cleaned up, recharge electronics and resupply. I didn't really have enough food to continue on route as the store in Queen Valley would be closed if I continued on. This ended up being the right decision for this attempt (especially given the terrible state of the jeep road riding that was upcoming), but if I give the route a shot again, I think I will do this a bit differently. 

I knocked out the bit of trail north of US60 until I hit Hewitt Station Rd, then peeled off and made my way to town. Stopped at the circle k for dinner/ice cream and then pedaled to the Copper Mountain Motel which was completely booked. Shit. Started calling around and nobody was picking up the phone. Just then, the inn-keeper came out and took down the no vacancy sign. I said hello and was relieved that I was gonna get a room. 

Even terrible motels feel like luxury when you have slept in the dirt five nights in a row. 

43 miles, 6500 feet of climbing

Day 7

I got going right on schedule and made my way to the circle K for a full supply of food to get me to Jake's Corner. I was looking forward to some decent riding on what used to be really rideable jeep roads heading to Queen Valley and Gold Canyon. 

A short stint on pavement. Getting ready to hit dirt again here. I thought I was imagining things, but after the second or third time I realized that yes, lightning was indeed happening in the clouds to my southwest and it appeared to be moving toward me. Uhh, this wasn't in the forecast. 

This bit of dirt was good, but I soon got overrun by a fairly quick moving storm that dropped some rain on me which wasn't really a huge deal. I didn't like the lightning that was crashing down around me so I paused for a bit in a low lying area until it passed. Super random weather for central AZ in general. 

Remnants of the storm behind me for now. 

Moody skies and partial rainbows. 

Trail conditions deteriorated pretty rapidly. 

I was walking through a very deep sandy part of the route when I came across a cargo van and like 10 people dressed in some kind of official looking fatigues, but I couldn't really identify. They were badly stuck and when they saw me they mentioned "a civilian is approaching". I said hi and asked if it was cool if I walked by them, they said no problem and I continued on. This part of the state/route has a weird reputation for interesting happenings, so I moved on quickly. 

I soon came across this guy who was also finding the conditions challenging. He had dumped his bike into a running stream and ingested some water. I let him borrow my multi-tool to take a look at some things but no dice. His phone was dead, so we looked at some maps on my phone and we got him pointed in the right direction for self extraction. 

Getting close to the singletrack in Gold Canyon

I kept picking the wrong option on the singletrack through here which was frustrating. I had the 10k point version of the track on my gps unit and it wasn't treating me well in here. 

I was getting ready to begin some pavement riding which was welcome. It sprinkled on me a bit which was really nice honestly. These cows seemed to not mind either. 

I made it to the shopping center - I didn't need anything from the grocery store, but I did grab a sandwich, cookies and a drink from Subway. I was ready to get going and to get Jacob's Crosscut done.

Found this guy on the rubbly power line corridor. 

Easy spin on some neighborhood singletrack approaching the base of the superstition mountains. 

Cue the HAB to start Jacob's Crosscut. This sucks going up or down. 

Once getting to the more "traverse-y" part, it is way more ride-able and kinda fun in an old school kind of way. 

Me and my ugly clown mugshot doing my best to ruin a good photo. 

It's not all bad. 

*hits the staples "that was easy" button*

There was apparently a new "resident" and dog who had set up camp across the road and was causing some conflicts. As soon as I crossed the road, the dog was right there on high alert. There was a wash that riders were told they could utilize to avoid conflict so I chose that and enjoyed a 1/4 mile walk through sand. No big deal.

Back on route. 

I was having a really great time in here and golden hour didn't disappoint. 

The night started to drag on and I felt like I was going in circles trying to get out of bulldog canyon. It was rugged AF in there and I was walking a lot.

There is a brief point where city lights are visible and this gave me false hope that I was almost done in here. I was not. 

I forgot that it still takes a while even after this sandy wash hike. I lost my patience because I really wanted to just be on the road heading towards Saguaro Lake and the start of the four peaks section. 

I finally did conquer Bulldog Canyon which was a relief. I started the road pedal and decided to pull off into one of the closed recreation areas to use the restroom. I continued on and began the pavement grind to the marina turnoff. I don't remember water being available here after hours (besides filtering from the lake), but I checked my water levels and figured I had enough to get me to the top of four peaks - especially because I was fairly positive there would be something to filter on the way up. This ended up being a mistake I would pay for tomorrow.  Ugh. 

I continued up the road and stood up to mash on the pedals and something got tweaked in my right knee. I pedaled through it and didn't think much of it. Later as I turned off onto dirt, my left hamstring was acting funky. Wtf?!?! The dirt climbs steadily and it was still kinda early(11pm maybe?). I decided to walk my bike for a bit to try to work things out. Nothing was really helping and I eventually relented and decided to crash out. I wasn't super concerned at this point, but in the back of my mind I had my first little seed of doubt planted.

74 miles, 5400 feet of climbing. Much rougher day than expected due to jeep road conditions. 

Day 8

Beautiful morning - but it is always intimidating to see that little saddle to the left of the 4 tallest peaks and knowing you need to get there. 

My right knee was still angry as I started to pedal so I stopped to take some Advil and then I pressed on. I was looking forward to making some good progress and this wasn't a great start. Beyond making forward progress, I was really scouring my surroundings looking for some surface water to be available to filter. I didn't expect anything immediately, but was still paying attention. 

It is stunning territory back here and the views get better with every passing minute and hour. 

The winding dirt started pretty quiet, but did start to receive a surprising amount of traffic for a Thursday. Everyone was cool and courteous. 

I was on the hunt for water by now. I hadn't seen anything other than a couple thick mud puddles. I was afraid I was gonna run out, but nothing I can do about it now. On one of the last spots I was positive there would be water I struck out again. I sat down in the shade of the big trees and ate a snack and hoped that whatever water I had left in my pack would be enough. I swallowed a bite of my rice krispie treat, and took a sip of water. The second sip returned nothing. Shit. 

I was lucky in that it wasn't terribly warm out, but I had a large final climb to make it to the top where I could then detour off route to pigeon spring and get more water. Had to get there first without doing too much damage via dehydration. My knee was also starting to talk to me again and the left hamstring again followed along, so I started a slow but steady hike to the top.

I have covered quite a bit of distance and vertical gain. 

I made it to the cattle guard at the intersection of several dirt roads at the top, and headed south off route to get to pigeon spring. I left my bike at at AZT sign and hiked the 1/4 mile or so down to the spring where I got hydrated and got stocked up on water. I ended up getting more than I really needed knowing I had another water source once I got off the mountain and down to Sycamore Creek down by the beeline hwy. But I knew I was behind on fluids so made it a game to see how much I could drink on the way down. I took another dose of advil here as well. 

I made it back on route and found some UTV guys trying to rig up a tow strap to one of their rigs. They mentioned that a girl had just gone by. I hadn't really even checked trackleaders up to this point so didn't know what was going on in the race. Turns out it was Kristen (who also completed the route, congrats!!) so for some dumb reason I got into chase mode. Truth is I hadn't seen anyone on route since picketpost so was looking forward to seeing someone. 

Got a couple glimpses of Roosevelt Lake

I found Kristen (and hilariously some water flowing across the trail) right before the massive descent towards Sunflower begins. She was taking a break and we chatted for a second. I told her I would see her soon enough but I was gonna get going because I wanted to get the boulder creek section mostly done before it got dark. 

Final view of the lake. 

I got to the turn off for boulder creek with plenty of light in the sky. I was apprehensive about the trail conditions, but once I got over the super steep entry section which was also overgrown a bit, I found the trail as rideable as ever for the most part. 

Sweet!

More goodness. 

Through the worst of it. I made really good time and made it down to Sycamore Creek just as I was starting to need lights. This whole descent was an unexpected highlight after some unexpected "lowlights" from the day before. 

It is a bit of a chore to get to the underpass from the creek, it always takes longer than I think and the darkness makes it tougher. I ended up looking back at one of the last highpoints to see if Kristen's light was behind me. It was and I guessed maybe she was an hour behind me. I decided to see if I could keep her behind me, at least for tonight. 

While utilizing the underpass to get to the other side of the beeline, I noticed I was a bit drowsy as it was in the seven o'clock hour. This had been typical for me. I decided to lay down on the flat surface of the underpass to take a 20 minute nap. So I swallowed a caffeine pill and a couple Advil and got horizontal. 

Soon enough I was pedaling on the Sunflower section which I had not been on since it was re-routed. It was quite fun to ride even in the dark. I kept looking back and thought maybe I saw Kristen's light, but I think it was just some houses that are in the area. I hoped to stay in front of her for the rest of today and I was successful - until I crashed out around 12:30am or so. She pulled the ultimate ninja pass while I slept because I never saw her again as she passed me while I slept. Glad she wasn't a bear or mountain lion because I didn't hear a thing haha. 

Fun riding the trails around Sunflower. 

Sneaky tough day. Body was showing signs of trouble, but it ended up a super high note. 

55 miles, 9000 feet of climbing. 

Day 9

Pretty good sleeping spot. I didn't hear anything until a hunter in a jeep passed by as dawn broke. Kristen passed me while I slept which I wouldn't know until later at Jake's Corner. 

A tough but beautiful way to start the day. It was slow going, but I was really enjoying the terrain. 

There were a few bits this morning where riding was possible so I hopped on the bike and got reminded that my right knee was not good and the hamstring pain in my left had switched to being knee pain as well. Took Advil and pressed on. 

I have absolutely zero idea how this ice cream truck got back here or when. One of many such mysteries across Arizona. 

Spent the majority of the morning so far working through the bottom of this terrain. 

Some beautiful forest roads leading to the gold ridge downhill

Currently up very high, and will be dropping down to the bottom of what you see in the distance. 

The descent down gold ridge starts off fun and pretty mellow but then gets insane for a bit. It gets more ride-able the further down you get as you approach deer creek trailhead and the crossing of the beeline hwy. Took more Advil during some of the downhill HAB.  

It is an easy spin to Jake's Corner once you get back on the surface of the earth haha. Made my way to the bar and ordered a burger and I charged some stuff while I waited. I wasn't really planning on stopping early in Payson, but the rest of the day changed my mind.

Anyway, I got stuff charged and ate my meal then headed to the general store to grab some snack items and water. I talked to one of the cashiers and inquired if they had any gloves anywhere for sale. I had been using some borrowed (but blown out) ones since the start and they were pretty much done with. No luck. Oh well. I also asked when the last time someone came through and they mentioned a girl had come through earlier in the morning and that's when I realized Kristen had passed me. I kinda chuckled because I had no idea - I am not a super deep sleeper so I was surpised to find she went by me without me noticing. I must have been in a deep sleep. 

I got on the road (well, dirt) and the first climb away from the store kicked me right in the nuts. It was a little warm too. Got that over with just to lose all the elevation in an instant pretty much. Life on this route! I then navigated the rolling terrain back to the beeline.   

I got "pulled over" by a sheriff approaching me from ahead. He asked if I had seen anyone on a dirt bike and I told him I hadn't seen anyone since I left Jake's Corner. He said there was some kind of disturbance there and asked if I had seen or heard anything. I hadn't and told him so. He was satisfied with that and we went on our ways. 

Was up there just a couple hours ago. 

The route joins the beeline hwy for a small section then crosses over and then it is a tough, tough climb to crack the nut to get into Payson. My knees started yelling at me (ahead of schedule pain reliever wise) and things spiraled a bit for me. I was determined to get to Payson before dark, get resupplied and get to Pine before I stopped.

It feels really hard because it is. The approach to Payson is unrelenting. 

I made it off the dirt roads and back to the beeline. It is a few more miles of pavement and it climbs pretty steadily until you get to town.

The sun had pretty much disappeared by time I rolled into town but I was OK with that. During the pavement climb to town I had interesting conversations with myself. Knees were in bad shape and it was the perfect combination of physical pain, the sun going down and dramatically cooler temps that eventually lead me to grab dinner at Alphonso's (great burritos), new gloves from the auto parts store, and a hotel, hoping for some physical recovery to get me to Flagstaff and beyond. I got everything plugged in to charge, did my first real look at Trackleaders and saw that Kristen was on her way to Pine but that there were other riders behind me still. Sweet!

I really tried to "put on" a positive face and believe that things were going to be better tomorrow. Crashed out hard and fast. 

40 miles, 5800 feet of climbing. 

Day 10

I woke up and immediately slammed some Advil as I could tell things hadn't really improved. I was hoping the relatively easy riding to get to the East Verde river crossing would get everything moving smoothly.

I gingerly rode up to the Maverik gas station for enough food to get me to Flagstaff (I still had a burrito on board too). I had about as much food as I could carry and also sat at the table outside and ate a breakfast sandwich and drank a chocolate milk. 

The "easy" ride to the river crossing was more taxing than I thought, mainly due to temps. It was cold so I was fumbling with layers and was desperately seeking sunshine. My knees were not happy with the cold temps and the pain meds weren't really doing anything yet. 

 

River crossing signaling that the effort is about to ramp up.

A decent amount of ride-able stuff, though I couldn't really get on the gas at all.

Cool set of bear prints

I didn't even bother trying to ride this steep rubbly stuff. 

About to top out at least for now. 

Part of a new re-route that bypasses a private residential area. This area was weird, all kinds of weird little things set up like targets on rocks, in trees and bushes, etc. 

The power line corridor was "meh" but it served its purpose. This transitions to some faster forest roads that also appear to be slightly taken over by semi-permanent residents in RV's of all conditions. I was happy to rejoin the AZT and was hoping to knock out highline and hopefully get to FR300 before it was too late. 

I ate some of my burrito at the TH, then used the pit toilet then got on my way. I was excited to be here. 

The beginning of highline complete with a nice bench and updated signage. 

I was hurting, but was hoping that the fairly mellow initial climb away from the TH would give me a reset. Instead, I encountered trail that had been postholed to hell, all the way to where the burn area starts. Really, really interesting and extremely disappointing. 

 

Nice...

As mentioned, once I entered the first burn area, trail conditions did improve for the most part. Some of the gullies and drainages were in bad shape but other than that it was mostly good. 

The highline trail I was following traverses the terrain between the top of the rim and the earth below it. It is tough riding but an amazing place to be. Very unique. 

I did encounter a couple of ACE crews out working on the drainages, so that was cool. I thanked them for their work and then saw their vehicles here at the Geronimo TH. 

Funny story, I don't know why -  I think I was trying to put positive energy out into the universe or something - but I ended up signing the trail register here at the TH and put a note saying "Go Kara W!" on it. This was the only time I even opened one on the TH registers during the ride. Turns out, this would be the first one she would look at a few days later when she passed it. She told me she was "pulled to it". She sent me a FB message saying thanks which was really nice to get because I was in a pretty bad spot mentally at the time I received it. Anyway, Kara is a badass who FINISHED. Congrats on an inspiring ride Kara!

I noted that my right hand had poor dexterity as I could barely hold the pen and write. This was new concern to add to the list as having dexterity in my hands is pretty important when it comes to my side gig as a bass player. I had felt some nerve "stingers" the last couple of days but the loss of strength and dexterity was new. 

Still making slow but steady progress. 

Night falls and still a few miles away from Washington Park.

I made it to Washington Park under the cover of darkness and had a hard time figuring out where the trail was. There is a large sign, but no reflectors or anything on it so hard to see in the dark. I crossed the parking lot and went up the trail a bit then filtered water and ate some food. This push to the rim was getting done tonight, no doubt about it.

I didn't really ride much, if anything on the way up. Knees were mad, and that was starting to trickle into my mental state. Today had been really hard from all perspectives but the physical stuff was starting to infiltrate my mental status and I was getting worried. 

 At one point, I got the "something is watching me" vibe and I looked around when my headlamp reflected back at me from two eyes in some cliffy terrain above me and to my left, a little bit before the AZT split off from the power line corridor. I wasn't sure what it was but it was solitary. I grabbed a couple rocks and put them in my pocket, thinking it might be a mountain lion and I wanted to have some stuff to toss at it if I had to get defensive. 

I ended up passing by where the eyes had been and I continued to scope around but never saw anything again. I did look back a couple times and saw red glowing lights, but they faded and were blinking and I realized that I had line of sight down to Payson and it must have been some tower lights down there. Or it was the Mogollon Monster who knows. 

I got to the Tunnel Trail split off and took more Advil, praying for a bit of relief that would allow me to ride once I got to the rim. I did finally top out and proceeded to walk behind the historical marker where I laid down with my feet elevated and took a short break where I think I fell asleep briefly. 

I realized I could stay here for the best (warmer) temps or I could drop down the AZT where it would momentarily get colder but then I knew there was a short steep section which would get me out of the cold sink. Figured I should try to get there. 

Started riding and my body just shut down on me rapidly. Advil wasn't working anymore and I was reduced to more walking on mellow terrain. I tried to give myself credit for getting from Payson to here (a pretty hard push) but it just didn't stick. Everything was unraveling on me. 

47 miles, 7100 feet of climbing.  

Day 11

Set an alarm for 5am to take Advil before getting out of the sleeping bag when the sky started to light up. I was out of ideas of what to do so just hoped for the best - nothing else to do. 

Really good trail and mostly smooth so I could sit and spin. Power/standing moves were a different story. 

Smooth = good

Power moves = bad

Fall exists in Arizona, you just have to find it. 

I made it to the blue ridge HAB and knocking that out wasn't too bad. At least hiking wasn't entirely miserable. I then reached a pinball boulder avoidance section leading me to blue ridge campground. 

  

It was supposed to be closed for the season, but for some reason the water was still on and the pit toilets were open too. Unexpected luxuries and it temporarily raised my spirits. 

Smooth buttery singletrack exiting blue ridge CG

I crossed the 87 to begin the Happy Jack segment. Everything fell apart for me nearly immediately. 

Cool tarantula. 

The trail in here has been rerouted to avoid some really terrible and rocky terrain. The first year or so after that it was great. But the cattle and weather have impacted it and it was a really bad experience for me this year. 

It was super rocky, and my ability to stand and pedal was fleeting due to my knees. I was forced to sit and spin over super bumpy stuff which tore up my rear end or walk. It was 100 percent demoralizing. 

 

At least I wasn't this guy. 

Smooth sections were really hard to come by. The day was burning fast and I was getting nowhere. 

Ugh

Hope restored.

Hope denied. 

I ran across Matt Annabel under some power lines on what should have been pristine and smooth singletrack, but it was postholed by the cattle in the area. I dumped some negativity on him (sorry dude) and he did his best to encourage me. I told him this was bad day number two and if I have three in a row I am calling it. We said our goodbyes and he went on to finish his southbound ITT after battling and conquering his own knee issues on the southern portion of the route. Congrats Matt!

I was getting desperate for solutions but was coming up with nothing. I resolved to get to the first crossing of Lake Mary road. I thought about pulling the plug there as the sun had just gone down, but the number one rule is to never quit without sleeping first, so I continued on past the road crossing. I was absolutely miserable physically and mentally. I called it a day not much longer after that. I hoped that a 11 hour sleep would fix my problems. It would not. 

45 miles, 4100 feet of climbing.

Day 12

Woke up and preemptively took the last of my pain meds. I had now burned through my budgeted amount I brought for the entire ride even though I didn't start taking it until the few days. I called into MTBCast and sounded pretty pathetic I am sure. I said something about trying to just slow roll to Walnut Canyon and then re-evaluate. 

Rise and shine, princess.

Packed up and ready to go after an extended rest. 

Everything was pretty miserable and slow going as I made my way around the west side of Mormon Lake. 

Last pic while on route. 

I had accepted my fate by time I got to double springs campground. I could no longer find a comfortable riding position. Couldn't stand on descents unless I locked out my knees. Couldn't stand and pedal. All pedaling was just a shitshow and even when I could sit and spin, it felt like my body was "throttled". I don't have any other way of putting it. My body was done and my brain finally accepted it. 

I hit the last four miles or so down to the next crossing of Lake Mary Road which should have been a blast but wasn't . Day three in a row of not having a good time. I was in the beginning stages of actively hating riding my bike. Screw this, I'm out. 

Got to the road, sat in the shade of a tree and sent some texts to my sister and John Schilling. Told him I was done and to mark me as a scratch. This year's winner of "who went the furthest before scratching". I never envisioned this, not for a second. Things had started crashing down a few days ago, it just took a while to get to the foundation. 

Looked at the map and it looked like I had about a 20 mile road ride into Flagstaff. I began the slow and depressing ride into town.  

Shittiest road ride ever due to my mental state, but at least I was able to do it under my own power. 

I got to town, got a room at the worst place in town and cleaned up. John came by and we shared a beer in the parking lot (high class activities!!). He had to get back to his house in Queen Creek so he took off as evening was approaching. I went to go grab some food and beers. 

The eating and drinking pattern would continue the next few days, though I kept the alcohol within reason surprisingly (I don't drink that often but I was in a bad place and it could have gotten bad). Eventually I had my daughter come and pick me up to bring me back to Phoenix.

  

DNF AF. Sad trombone sound.

As I mentioned in the beginning, this one hurts. A lot. I'll be back. I don't think next year, but maybe for my 50th trip around the sun. 

I learned a lot, and I am thankful for this route and all you crazy people who do this kind of stuff. From the speedy mutants to the tortoises like me, you are all amazing. This route was made for people like us. 

Till next time...