Ellen S - Arizona Trail Journal - 2024

Another week, some more passages

The weather has been nicely warm this autumn, giving us an opportunity to knock off some more passages. I figured we could squeeze in about 6 days of walking. We headed out with the camping gear set to support us as we moved northbound this time.

The first day we hiked from FR 523 (near Kelly Tank) to beyond Cedar TH, where newer trail leaves the road and avoids Tub Ranch. A heavy frost covered the ground as we started. We had slept well after the long drive to get to FR 523. So pleasant to bed down to the yipping of coyotes and the bugling of the elk! We walked dirt roads gradually downhill, remembering prior camps in this area. We saw a few people (ranchers? hunters?) and a few southbound thru-hikers. As we lost elevation, ponderosa forest gave way to pinyon/juniper. At the gate near Missouri Bill Hill we took a break; the day had warmed up enough that we could enjoy a rest and the views to the plateau below. The road conditions were good for walking, but there were enough rocks and ditches that driving a truck would be tedious. We could see a good amount of snow on the San Francisco Peaks behind us; we hoped the thrus would find a way to lower elevations to camp. Once we reached the Babbitt Ranch Plateau, the road headed west past Cedar Spring/Tank. We took a short spur trail to check it out and it turned out to be one of the best water sources on this long stretch. There actually was flowing water coming from a pipe to fill a round metal trough. Overflow flowed into a dammed pond below. Of course, lots of cow excrement, but that's Arizona water! Back on the road, we passed Cedar TH, with the resupply box stuffed full of empty water bottles. A southbound equestrian with 2 horses was headed southbound. We continued on the road a few more miles to complete our day.

The second day, we hiked from a half-way point on the Ranch northbound to where we had finished on Day 1. There were several truck/campers set up, presumably for hunting. It was fun to walk a new section of trail that we hadn't done before. A good portion was single-track. Although the old road the trail used to follow saw little traffic, I suppose the new route did provide some new views of the countryside. We saw a small herd of 5 deer. Not one drop of water, not even a mud puddle. We picked up some trash along the way, saw some reflective devices hanging from trees (probably left from one of the running or biking events along the trail). The sky was clear blue, the temps pleasant.

The third day, we hiked from Moqui Stage Stop southbound to the mid-point on the ranch. It was damp and cold at the Stage Stop. Not much remains there, the most visible being a large cistern that held water. There are photos on-line of people hauling water up on a ladder that was placed into the cistern. A cabin once stood there. When the railroad was completed to the S Rim Village, the stage stop became obsolete. Cameron, who was busy building businesses at the S Rim, bought the cabin and moved it to the S Rim near Kolb Studio. He added a second story and used it as lodging for a time. Mary Colter, who designed much of the architecture around the Canyon, recognized the historical value of the cabin and added it to the structure of the Bright Angel Lodge (after removing the 2nd story). So, if you want to stay in a bit of history, you can reserve the Red Horse Station cabin. Back to the trail...the trail is fairly old in most places until you reach the boundary with the Ranch, and a bit rocky and rough. Once over the boundary, the newer trail was easy to follow as it headed close to wind turbines and access roads that are new to the area. We passed one junction to a wildlife watering place. It's a rainwater collector with a storage tank and a small trough to access the water. When it's very dry, the FS sometimes brings in a tanker truck to replenish the water so it's pretty reliable. Overall, it was a pretty boring hike, although we did pick up some abandoned reflectors from whatever the trail event was.

The fourth day, we hiked from another wildlife water source to Moqui Stage Stop, again hiking southbound. It was nice to be back in some ponderosa. Russell Tank/Pond had some water. We saw no wildlife (deer, elk, or horses). The horses in past years had done damage to the area around the water. Not sure where the animals were. There had recently been a controlled burn throughout the passage, so maybe the animals headed away. We did see a lot of Aberts squirrels that entertained us with their high-energy antics. The trail was in good condition. There was one mountain biker at the metal Russell Tank. We quickly reached the Stage Stop.

The fifth day we hiked from FR 305 to the wildlife water source past Grandview Fire Tower. Another frosty morning, but we warmed up once we were uphill from the Watson Tank lowlands. Nice trail, pretty forest, even if there is no water along the route. We did detour to the water source (1/2 way tank); there was water here, but lots of algae in the metal trough. The water in the tank was accessible with some rope and a weighted bottle. Again, saw no bit wildlife. There were some campers along the road when it was visible from the trail. New bathrooms at Grandview and Russell were beautiful. We had never tried to find the wildlife water source beyond Grandview from the trail, but it was easy to spot. The trail entered a drainage and made an acute turn; from there, there was a easily seen herd path uphill to the water source.

The sixth day, the weather was expected to change. Winds would gust to 40mph, temps would drop to 20 the next night. Although we had originally intended to hike to the S Kaibab TH, we opted instead to do a shorter hike to Tusayan, then go play tourist at the S Rim. The hike was pleasant, even with the weather changing. Mostly in ponderosa forest, some sagebrush meadows and dry tanks. We saw some chainsaw crews doing some cutting (firewood vs thinning operation?). When we reached Tusayan, we rewarded ourselves with hamburgers from Wendy's.

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