Becoming a Thru Hiker - Arizona Trail ep.1

I set out to walk across Arizona, 800 miles through the heat, desert, cactus, burning sun, with all sorts of fun creatures to contend with, only carrying a small backpack of supplies. The trail begins at the Mexico border and travels all the way up to Utah, going up and over some of the biggest mountains in the state. Mt Lemmon, Mica, the San Francisco Peaks, traversing down into the Grand Canyon, and back up the other side on the Kaibab Trail. It's been more than a year since I did a long distance thru hike like this, since walking 1,100 miles on the Florida trail in the winter of 2020. I hope my body holds up, I hope I don't develop any hiking injuries. I hope the sun and heat isn't so bad, though I am starting much later in the season than most other AZT thru hikers. At least I won't have much snow to walk through. Water however will be a major problem in the desert.
I have an ultralight pack, nearly super ultralight. Carrying 7lbs worth of backpacking gear, a lot of which is camera equipment to film these hikes. I feel this UL gear is enough to keep me comfortable, happy, and safe... but you really don't know how things will work until you're out in the wilderness with no safe exit plan. Some of the gear I'm using consists of an Enlightened Equipment Enigma 30*F which is an ultralight quilt. An EE Torrid Pullover synthetic jacket. A Zpacks 7x9 tarp as my only shelter. A small Palantepacks UL backpack. And a Sunday Afternoon Sunhat. Beyond that you can check out my hiking gear listed below!!
In this first part of the trail we start at Coronado National Memorial at the Mexico Border, hike up to Miller Peak, go through the town of Patagonia, hike past Mt Wrightson, see a lot of big cactus, deal with dehydration and extreme heat, and still push 30 or more miles everyday. Fastpacking maybe, but certainly not a speed record or Fastest Known Time. Just hiking the way I like to hike. Oh yeah, I also get stung by a scorpion! It's been great out here walking across Arizona!
During this trip I unfortunately broke the fancy new camera lens I had bought to better document this hike and those I take in the future. For those interested I have made paintings to help replace it! All of these are original, and it all goes back to making these videos better. Thanks for checking out my artwork!
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. . . THE GEAR I USE . . .
Backpack & Fanny Pack - Palantepacks.com
Sleeping pad - gossamergear.com
Quilt - Enlightenedequ...
Tarp - Zpacks.com
Groundsheet - amzn.to/3leXdlM
Tent Stakes - amzn.to/3bKgoRq
Puffy Jacket - Enlightenedequ...
Rain Jacket - Enlightenedequ...
Sun Glasses - amzn.to/38HKWBs
Toe Socks - amzn.to/3lgDGkU
Sun Hat - amzn.to/2OWiaGc
Water Bladder - amzn.to/3vDabP9
Water Filter - amzn.to/2Q7ych7
Spoon - amzn.to/3cA3mVG
Food Bag - amzn.to/3rOVfeu
Yoyo - amzn.to/3eAFhkp
Toothbrush - amzn.to/3tkN4GY
Chafe Cream - amzn.to/3bNorNu
Tweezers - amzn.to/3tkLRj6
Blister tape - amzn.to/3tbRTCy
Lip Balm - amzn.to/2Q6oJ9F
Flashlight - amzn.to/3tmjRM6
Wall Charger - amzn.to/3eFxxNY
External Battery - amzn.to/3bMnk0v (20,000mAh)
External Battery - amzn.to/3cttEch (10,000mAh, much lighter & smaller)
Cell Phone - amzn.to/30HxusC
Headphones - amzn.to/3eFjtnt
Camera - amzn.to/3eEoY68
Camera Lens - amzn.to/3eFjc3V
Camera Batteries - amzn.to/3tmkDbY
Camera Charger - amzn.to/3s0jAhD
Microphone - amzn.to/38Fhags
Memory Card - amzn.to/3vrBOdZ
Tripod - amzn.to/3eEFAL6
Microfiber Cloth - amzn.to/38FIyLh
Hiking Essentials Shirt! jupiterhikes.co...
THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:
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If you'd like more info about me, my hiking, or painting:
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