Day 1: March 25, 2023
AZT mile Day 0 Miles to 9.3
Hiked today: 11.2 miles / 18.0 km
AZT ascents today: 1144m , descents: 483m
AZT hiked to date: 0.4%

Despite another broken night’s sleep due to jetlag we were all up early, dressed and packed ready to leave before 6am. Kelly kindly drove us most of the way, stopping at Sierra Vista where we met a trail angel, Nicole, who then took us the final short stretch to a carpark near the border of Mexico and the USA. Leaving our packs there we hiked a couple of miles out to the border wall and the monument which marked the southern starting point of the Arizona Trail. After the obligatory photo shot the four of us – Annette, Gary, Robert and I – set off, first back to retrieve our packs and the on up the trail.

Most of the day’s hike was a steady climb on a clearly marked track up to Miller’s Peak – one of the highest points we will reach on the trail, over 9000 ft. We took it slowly with our heavy packs and allowing ourselves to get gradually back into the rhythm of hiking. Despite being in the desert, the air was cool and it was pleasant for hiking. The wind picked up in the afternoon and there were not many flat areas to pitch our tents. After dinner and a hot cup of tea we are snug in our sleeping bags with almost all our clothes on as we are already cold and expect the temperature to drop further through the night. We feel lucky to have had no snow or rain so far and the snow on the trail was easy to pass safely.