Arizona Trail Magic & Thru Hiker Interviews - Part 1 @MoonJuiceHikes

Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

NOBO Mile 513, Laura and I loaded up snacks, fresh fruit, sodas and plenty of Moonjuice for a weekend adventure on the AZT! Rather than hiking, we're providing unsuspecting northbound thru-hikers with a nice break from cow pond water and protein bars...after hundreds of miles of traversing the often unforgiving Arizona wilderness.
In return, these dusty trail dogs gave us some quality time with our favorite kind of fellow humans. Join us while we learn more about the AZT from those who are out there, as I write this, cowboy camping right now under the star-filled Arizona sky!
Also, John from Chicago- I came home with about 12 seconds of footage from our discussion. Looks like the battery died. :(

Arizona Trail Magic & Thru Hiker Interviews - Part 1

Weavers Needle - Superstition Wilderness #climbing #hiking #adventure

Arizona Highline Trail - 55 Miles of Beauty & Pain

$SCARIEST HIKE IN ARIZONA - The Motherlode - Four Peaks Traverse Calling the Motherlode a hike is a colossal mistake. This has nothing to do with hiking, other than the short trail that takes you to the base of Browns peak. From this point, there is no trail until you traverse all 4 peaks and get down. There is no route to follow. No GPS map. This isnt a hike. In fact, it isnt a scramble either. The Motherlode is a death defying traverse across class 4 & 5 terrain, with many no fall zones - where a slip would most likely result in severe injury or in many cases, certain death. It covers over 13 miles (avoiding private property) with 4,286 AEG and 4,388 AEL. Ive hiked many more miles in a single day and Ive climbed much higher, but Ive never done anything this dangerous. Not even close. To be clear, I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. Free soloing class 5 terrain is incredibly terrifying for a novice climber. Thankfully my buddy Troy Dixon, an absolute stud when it comes to mountaineering here in the rugged desert, was leading the way. All I had to do was ignore the fear and follow Troys lead. Luckily for me, Troy brought along a lightweight (but durable) homemade rescue rope, designed to allow you to rappel off something in a pinch, if you need to get off the mountain in a hurry. In my case, it was a perfect safety line. In fact, without it, Im not sure I could have made it. Twice, while clinging to a vertical rock face fully exposed, I froze. The thought of downclimbing was terrifying, while continuing up felt only slightly less terrifying. The idea of pushing the SOS button on my Garmin started to creep into the back of my mind as a viable option if I cant calm myself down enough to start moving safely. Fact is, from a climbing perspective, this is entry level climbing, with expert level consequences. Im 99% certain that I wouldnt fall, after all, there are plenty of good hand and foot holds. BUT half of that stuff was ready to break off any second. The rock was fractured everywhere (due to the freezing and thawing cycles at that elevation), hand and footholds were constantly breaking off. Even large boulders would occasionally move and break free when we stepped on them. On top of that, lets not forget how physically demanding this is. Part of my fear was simply based on the building fatigue. Do I have enough strength to hold myself? Are my legs going to turn to jelly before I get off this mountain? In some areas, almost nothing could be trusted without touching and and stomping on it to ensure it was stable. Even in very low rated 5.1 and 5.2 walls, which can easily be climbed with no fear of falling, become absolutley terrifying when you have nothing to save you in case of a fall. Add that to the fatigue, and it was simply terrifying. No other way to put it. In those situations where it just seems too risky to keep climbing, with no protection, Troy came through to save the day. After free soloing a wall, he lowered his rescue rope down to give me a little support (and confidence). As soon as I feel the loop snug up around my chest, under my armpits, while Troy riggs up some sort of friction belay around his body... I immediately feel a huge sigh of relief. I know Im not going to fall here. If I do, Im not going to die. The panic subsides and I scoot up the wall easily without missing a step. Its amazing how your brain reacts when the chance of death is an actual possibility and as soon as that possibility is removed, the anxiety goes away - almost instantly. Twice that rope gave me the confidence I needed to soldier on and get past the fear of climbing vertically on this hike. Unfortunately, due to the poor GoPro performance in cold temps, much of that footage was lost. What remains is certainly enough to get the point across. HUGE thanks to Troy Dixon @walkingwithawookie1097 for guiding me up. Not a chance in hell Id do this without his experience leading the way. The route finding required was insane. Without his prior failed attempts, finding the best direct route on your first try is impossible. There would have been no chance that we could have made it off those mountains before dark if we didnt take the most direct route. Let me tell you, downclimbing and working your way off Amethyst without trespassing in the dark, would make an already dangerous situation darn near impossible. Basically, Im happy to be alive! Hope you enjoy! MUSIC: Love and Rockets - So Alive DRONE FOOTAGE: @shadoutdoors$

Hog Canyon - Secret Petroglyphs Deep in the Superstitions

SOBO AZT PART 11 - Tucson to Mexico - Santa Ritas, Patagonia & Miller Peak

The West Fork Trail - The Most Dangerous Hike in Sedona?

The Ironing Board - Off Trail in the Superstition Wilderness

Praying Hands - Superstition Wilderness Classic

MoonJuice Hikes |

Arizona Trail Magic & Thru Hiker Interviews - Part 1