Thursday, Feb 6th 2025, 0630-1830
Sonoran Desert National Monument Boundary to near Vekol Valley Rd., section 2 mm50.
29 miles, but probably only 25 miles actually hiked due to some shortcuts.
This was a big day but a good one! I was up early, trying to wring as much out of the pleasantly cool morning as I could. A 10 by 10 goal seemed plausible, despite the large chunk of cross country I needed to do. I followed a power line road for a bit, anxious to get away from it. I camped not directly under but pretty near to the lines and could hear the weird static noises all night. Table Top Mountain grew ever closer… I’d be circling it all day. I first spied the peak when I climbed Waterman Peak on Day 5.
Looking back, I could see the line of mountains that the Arizona Trail follows. I’m 90% sure that one of the mountains was Four Peaks (the one on the AZ license plate). I could also still see Mt Lemmon. That’s a range of like 200 miles along the AZT! Just incredible! Sadly, once I moved over the shoulder of Table Top Mountain, I lost my views of Mt Lemmon for good. Nine days was a pretty good stretch at least. It was like the Mt Shasta of the PCT in view longevity.
The next couple hours involved following some very old roads, which was fun in the challenge of staying on top of them. When the area became a National Monument years ago, these roads were closed to vehicle traffic. The BLM even went so far as to drag rocks and branches across to cover up the roads. They still show up on satellite imagery and if you know to look for the line of dead wood, it’s easy to see the road. Once I knew this was the clue, it stood out like a sore thumb. What an effort this must have been!
Since I didn’t need to collect water from the first guzzler, I took a shortcut down a wash, cutting off about a mile. In fact, I found several places where I could take a more direct line and save time. The beauty of a route such as this is that it’s just a suggestion. I’m free to do whatever I want, which is very liberating. I’d found travel through these habitats to be very easy, especially with all the washes.
I reached the fenceline and barricade of the Tohono O’Odham Nation and followed it for a few miles through rugged but beautiful terrain. Not a soul was about, not even a horse or cow, though I did see the occasional poop marker. The heavy barricade seemed odd and out of place…kind of like the border wall. At least animals could pass beneath it.
Just in time for lunch, I came to the trailhead for Table Top Mountain. There were three campsites with picnic tables and fire rings, but all were in the direct sun. Luckily there was also a privy, which provided just enough shade for a great lunch break. I crushed the miles to there, with something like 18 miles already done before noon. Of course, with my shortcuts, my actual milage was less. I wish I’d had the time and water to summit the mountain, but I reached the trail at high noon and the heat was already incredibly intense. No one was at the trailhead, but I had service and was occupied playing with my phone.
I finally set out, back into the heat after a 2-hour break. I’d be following the Lava Trail for the next 7 miles. The trail registry had notes warning that it was a human smuggling path. I’d heard similar warnings from others. I did see some trash, but it all looked very old. There were also some non-hiker tread shoe prints, but these could have very well been from day hikers. I knew the tread patterns of the four hikers in front of me already. I’d been catching glimpses of them since the first section, even though the hikers were all weeks ahead of me. Trace’s last for a long time in the desert.
I left the trailhead trying to hike without my umbrella up, but caved after less than a mile. As the name would suggest, the Lava Trail was surrounded by lava rocks that radiated the heat like crazy. This was probably the hottest day yet. What a day to be carrying all the water I needed for a 35 mile dry stretch! But I still had over 3 liters left, which I knew was enough to get me through the night and all the way to I-8 the next morning.
After I left the trail, a long road walk led me past a parked and unoccupied border patrol truck, and later a creepy abandoned ranch. The border patrol agent must have been away on a scouting trip, as he drove past me later. He gave me a thumbs up and asked if I was okay and I enthusiastically replied, Just fine, thank you! And that was it. I got the feeling that he already knew about me. Probably the word was passed when Gary was spotted caching my water. I certainly wasn’t trying to go unnoticed, with my bright orange sun shirt and metallic umbrella. My appearance is perhaps the most unique anyone’s ever seen in the desert, but at least I didn’t have my serial killer mask on. Still, they must think we hikers are quite crazy.
I found a nice small wash to camp in just past the infamous Vekol Valley road. This had long been a hotspot for drug smuggling and migrant activity. But now there were several boondockers camped along the road and being near to them seemed like a safe prospect. I backtracked on this thought when some of them began driving quads around at night. I was worried they might try to drive down the tiny wash, even though it was barely wide enough for my tent. As a precaution, I dragged some branches across the wash on either side of me. That should do it. Thankfully the quads returned to their trailer and were silent after 8 p.m. But I also had to be careful with my light because I didn’t want them mistaking me as a migrant and trying some stupid citizen’s arrest shenanigans. Some militias even think it’s their right to shoot a person if they think they are here illegally…well murder is not a “freedom” American Citizens have yet but maybe it’s coming. As a hiker just out for a walk in the wilderness, that’s pretty terrifying.
I’m very blessed to live in this giant country with so many trails to explore and so much wilderness still preserved. I’m especially grateful that I can explore freely and relatively safely as a solo woman. There are too many places in the world where that’s not an option for someone like me. But I’m deeply troubled by the changes in our society and government, with the trend towards authoritarianism and reduction of women’s rights. My political statement is simple. I’m exercising my right to be free while I still can. Part of that is opting out of being a mass consumer. I collect miles, not wealth or things. I also opted out of behaving like a woman is expected to behave a long time ago. I’m a nasty hiker trash woman, roaming where I want. And if it comes down to being like the Handmaid’s Tale someday, I also know how to walk to Canada.