ARIZONA ALPINE TRAIL

TALKING ABOUT THE AMAZING ARIZONA ALPINE TRAIL

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:11

Thank you for rolling with us this afternoon. I've got Jerry Smith on the phone. We're going to get an update on the Arizona Alpine Trail. Jerry, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Well, good afternoon. I'm fine, and uh be happy to uh give everybody a little uh peek at at what uh we're we're talking about with this Arizona Alpine Trail.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Yeah, let's let's start off with that. Uh for listeners who haven't heard about it before, what is the Arizona Alpine Trail?

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Well, uh well, first of all, um the organization itself is a 501c3 uh Arizona nonprofit. So we um um are are uh trying to uh um educate um people about safety and responsible off-highway vehicle use, and we're also developing um long sti long-term stewardship of trails across Arizona. And our primary initiative here is the Arizona Alpine Trail, which we started. It's um first of its kind called a curated route. Uh and curated route means that it specifically picks out places we can ride. Um what we have done is we've chosen the National Forest as our um land manager that of choice. And the trail is a very lengthy trail. It's uh it's actually a loop that uh you can take, you can begin it or end it anywhere you like between Payson and Hannigan Meadow. And it's it's like 704 miles long, this loop trail. It's the longest loop trail in the United States. So it gives you a lot of of choice of uh where you want to ride and how you want to ride and uh what kind of difficulty you want, and uh um most of it um is primarily beginner and intermediate off-highway vehicle use. Uh we don't have any really difficult uh sections of the trail. So it's um it's uh the curated route is uh uh uh uh a a term that the National Forest uses and gave us because it is curated by them and and and approved by them. Not I don't want to maybe not say approved, let's let's uh let's say uh we are in agreement with their travel management plan um so that it's uh it's it's a trail that everybody can use. There's no charge for it. Um and we have a a website uh also that uh where you can download the uh the trail. It's uh uh azalpine trail.com or dot org. And you can um we're working on that right now. So in a um I'd say uh two weeks we'll probably have that uh uh up and running to where you can uh download at you know at at no cost uh or obligation to the trail uh the the entire 704 miles and uh what you like to ride.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

It's just incredible. 704 miles. I love this. It's so and and you know, and th so when you say and how you're you can you can go by horse, by cycle, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Yes. Uh yeah, it's it's multimodal, uh, but there are sections. I mean you could take a car on part of it. Uh we're uh we're actually there's a couple sections where we couldn't find a forest trail to use, and we had to use the highway, like we're crossing the Little Colorado River over by Greer uh and Big Lake. Uh we're crossing that on the on on a paved road. So there are sections of it that are like that, and then there are other sections which you need a four-wheel drive, uh side by side, um is the best OHV probably and most popular. Um but it's uh it's a it's a narrow, rocky trail.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

And you mentioned this, um uh, you know, the different kinds of terrains, different parts of the trails. Is there going to be kind of a map where we can kind of tell from what section over the 700 miles might be a good place if we want to go and ride our horses or whatnot?

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Absolutely. Um we have a complete map of all 704 miles, and it's broken down into 28 segments, and each of these segments has a difficulty rating on it. So what you'd want to do is pick something that's uh easy, uh perhaps. And uh we also have more difficult, which are the the narrower, steeper, rockier sections. And the trail uh has uh a tremendous uh variety uh on it. It the lowest point on it is down across the Tonto River, twenty three hundred and three feet elevation.

SPEAKER_03 5:41

Beautiful. So if someone wants to traverse, have you gone the whole 700 and some miles?

SPEAKER_01 5:46

I've gone all but uh there's about a I don't know ten mile section I I have not ridden. But yeah, I I've ridden the entire pretty much the entire um 704 miles over the last five years. We've we've been working on this since 2021.

SPEAKER_03 6:02

I know it's just an incredible project. Now the 700 and some miles, the um Arizona Alpine Trail, um uh it it can people like take it just say, hey, we're gonna do the Arizona Alpine Trail, and they take their bedrolls and they take their backpacks and everything, and they start at one end and they could camp the whole way along, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Uh absolutely. Yeah, there's campgrounds. We're we're entirely within the national forest. So anywhere you want to pull up and camp, uh, you know, is is okay.

unknown 6:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

There's obviously there's some dedicated campgrounds. If you want to depart, uh start like at Lyman Lake State Park, uh you could do that. Somebody didn't want to go along, there's cabins and things there. But um if you if you want to camp along the trail, uh no problem.

SPEAKER_03 6:56

Yeah, see that's great. Just be aware of all the rip if there's fire restrictions or whatever else. Now, how can we get more information on the Arizona Alpine Trail? All the information. Do you have a website? And you've mentioned your sorry, you're a 501c3. Are there more things you guys need help with?

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Well, sure. Um we're we're just starting our uh what we call our marketing phase. We've finished the defining the trail. Um and what we're going to be doing is trying to um bring tourism dollars uh by bringing people that haven't been up to the beautiful white mountains and been able to, you know, travel uh a trail that goes up to like 9,775 feet. Uh it's it's it's an amazing trail. Um so people can sure, they can they can stay in the we've connected to a lot of little communities along the trail. Uh it doesn't go through the the towns, but it goes around um 20 some communities. So you could um you could camp, you could stay in a motel uh in any one of these uh communities uh along the way, and you can stop and have lunch, or you could bring your own lunch. Uh so it's it's quite quite versatile um uh as a trail. And we call it the curated route, uh, as I described, that uh that the route uh um meets uh federal criteria, and and we would actually like to uh eventually pursue a designation of a national recreation trail.

SPEAKER_03 8:46

See, that's that would be so great, you know what I mean? And people could say, come from all over and say, we're going to do the Arizona Alpine Trail and we're gonna do this. Right. And how much is it, 700 and some miles?

SPEAKER_01 8:57

Yeah, 704 miles.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

704 miles, and it goes from roughly where to where?

SPEAKER_01 9:03

From roughly uh Payson in the middle of the state, uh, comes up the rim and goes over all the way near the New Mexico border, uh at a place called Hanigan Meadow.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Beautiful. Oh my gosh, you're talking about such a gorgeous, gorgeous uh yeah, Payson to Hannigan. That's nice. So about 704 miles for this trail. That that is just a see what a cool goal for everybody to say. Let's do the Arizona. What what's going to be the best times of year, like during the summer, I'm anticipating, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Yeah, it's it's a a spring. Right now, you can ride the entire trail. Um you have to watch out for monsoons, of course, in the summertime. And it's also a fall ride. You can usually uh buy you can ride through September. Uh sometimes October, there's snow in the high country. Um, and uh obviously at almost 10,000 feet. Um you you you don't want to be up there.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

No, not then. Not then. Now, um, what is the website where we can learn more about AZ Alpine Trail?

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Okay, it's um uh azalpinetrail.org.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Azalpinetrail.org. That's azalpinetrail.org, and that's where you can get information and find out. You guys have had your basic grand opening about the trail, right? You have any events coming up?

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Yeah, uh let me just tell you a little bit about the um the event. It was uh we we completed um what's called a master plan. Now this is a this is a doc this is a hundred and fifteen-page document um that was created uh by our Arizona Alpine Trail. Uh and uh the engineering firm that that did the work was Logan Simpson out of Tempe. We got a grant to do this master plan from Arizona State Parks and Trails. And um uh the grant was um between three and four hundred thousand dollars. It was uh a a big grant, and uh the engineering firm did a wonderful job, and we have great photography uh in the master plan, and we have all the maps of each of the segments, descriptions, and uh they can uh you know look at that and find out all the difficulties of everything of each segment. But that'll all be on the uh website. Um we're currently finishing up uh tweaking it a little bit, uh making sure it works exactly right and is good for the users. Uh and they can download uh the each of the segments, they could download the entire trail. Uh there's no cost uh because this is national forest land, uh it's it's your land. It's it's uh it's uh public land that we're on. So we don't charge for the for the track. What we're trying to do is help the forest keep people on the trails where they should be and not where they shouldn't be. Um we're really um trying to to assist and help uh uh keep the environment good uh up in the mountains up here by by keeping this trail and and having people use this trail um on on designated roads that they can use and um and don't have to worry about getting lost and and uh oh or getting off on the wrong place and tearing up the uh the terrain where where they shouldn't.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

So so that's what we're uh kind of kind of our goal there.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

Well, I love it. This is just great. Is there anything else you want to let us know about the Arizona Alpine Trail?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Well, um I would like uh to everybody to know about our trail watch program. Um uh it's not enforcement and it doesn't replace any agency responsibilities such as the National Forest or Game and Fish, but it functions as a kind of a coordinated early warning communication system that can improve situational awareness across uh you know our our large multi-jurisdictional landscape, and and that jurisdictional landscape includes the counties of Gila, Navajo, Apache, uh Coconino, and Greenlee. So, I mean it it it goes all across the Arizona. So um we um we want to get real-time information from users, and we hope to do this with like QR codes along the trail. And in that way they could report if they wanted to through the website um, you know, people who are acting irresponsibly, um minimizing the environmental impact because of um uh problems on the on the trail, uh reducing sped and dust near communities and preventing wildfire fire risk and just re respecting other users and and wildlife.

SPEAKER_04 14:38

Yeah, that'll be great.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

We're in the first trail that's really I I think taken a proactive stand uh you know on this and and uh uh and we hope to do uh using the same program, we hope to find people who will help us uh if they uh find a problem, can can we we can maintain it. We can like like if uh there's a rock slide or uh a washout or something on the trail.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

The users can go to the website and let us know about it.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

I love this because there's so many times where you'll have um maybe a storm come through and big, big giant down and dead that have fallen or something. You know what I mean? And it's good to let someone know, oh my gosh, you can't get through here or get through here, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Right. And w when they when they well, we can you can become a uh on the website, you'll become a basic member, which is no no charge, but we we'll have a database of of your name, and uh if there's a problem, we will send out a blast um to you know all everybody and say, hey, uh look, you can't use section uh 14, uh uh, but here's the go-around.

SPEAKER_03 15:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Uh yeah, so uh we'll we'll try to keep everybody informed and involved and and this is your trail. This is uh this is something that's that's that's for the public and uh and responsible public. And you know, most of the writers are responsible.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Um there's a few bad actors. We can't stop that.

SPEAKER_03 16:16

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Uh you know, we're just not an enforcement uh group, but uh but uh county sheriffs uh are all getting ATVs now or UTVs side by sides. Um even um Pinetop Lakeside and SHOLO, you know, they they they have uh units. They can get out and on these connector trails between the towns and the uh the actual Arizona Alpine Trail, uh they can uh they can get there.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Yeah, and also also they've been in and they've added a whole drone aspect too, which is great, to find people and that kind of thing, which is really nice, yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Yeah, and uh and I would just remind everybody that uh you know if if you have a problem and they come get you, they will take you back, but they won't take the unit back.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Right, right, right, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Yeah, I think they gotta take care of those themselves. But uh we'll yeah, and all the the county sheriffs have been involved and the actually the towns and communities have been involved, and um the uh we we've been very fortunate to have support of of all the counties and uh the the towns and communities along along the trail.

SPEAKER_03 17:33

See, that is wonderful. Well, we so appreciate all the hard work you guys have done on this. Is there anything else you want someone to anyone to know? But what they need to do is go to your website, which is what again?

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Um azalpinetrail.org or dcalpinetrail.com, uh e either one.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

A zalpinetrail.org or dot com. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Right. And uh and uh there you can find all the information and pull down the uh we we uh have the files on GPX uh format or uh KML format. And that's most of the um uh types of of trails that you can pull down for your on your phone or your tablet or whatever. But I I would remind everyone that uh there's not cell service uh throughout the trail. Uh there are many places where uh along the trail you you don't have cell service. But so you need something that connects to a satellite.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

Yeah, that's so important. I learned that the hard way of my horrible uh uh accident I had this year. So yeah. Yeah, I did. I got uh kicked by a another rider, another horseback rider. Their horse kicked at my horse but got my calf and shattered my whole calf. And we were out in the middle nowhere. Yeah, I had to be araved out. And we were lucky because I got like one bar and I was able to get a text message out of that. And then it took, but from the time I was kicked and having a tourniquet on to flying out, it was almost three hours and so forth. I was one of the cases that helped them get their drones off. So they're gonna go off. Yeah, so that's the big thing is to have something that has satellite service where you can get and I know there's lots of hikers now that have different things that can literally push a button on something on their backpack or whatever, and you have to be prepared. That's right. Yeah, and have those medkits everybody with a nice good tourniquet in there just in case.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Well, and and never ride alone.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

I that's I tell you uh we I've I've we've had uh people that thought, oh, it's it's only three miles, I can ride. Well, yeah, he had a heart problem and passed out six times getting and and dropped off his machine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

Yeah, never ride alone. Never ride alone.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Never ride alone. That's uh that's one of the cardinal rules. And uh we we actually prefer to have uh three units together uh when we ride.

SPEAKER_03 20:16

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Because then you can you can shuttle back and forth and maybe pull one of the vehicles out and still get you know get everybody if you if you break down.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

Everybody's safe and sound. There you go. Okay, everybody's the idea. Jerry, thank you so much and give us updates whenever you want. Okay, so remember everybody, you go to um a thelfine trail.org, atlfintrail.org or dot com. And welcome to iTalk 1067 FM, the voice of the mount 1004. You know what? This is a fun time here, guys. We're talking pickle in the pines. It's coming fast for Labor Day weekend. I have Chad and Christine on the phone. How are you guys doing today?

SPEAKER_00 21:20

We're doing great, Janine. So thanks for having us on.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Yeah, and Christine, y'all excited for Pickle in the Pines?

SPEAKER_02 21:26

I'm always excited about Pickle in the Pines. I love the trip there. I just love the vibe in the community.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

It's beautiful up here. That's right. And um, how long, incidentally, have you two been playing pickleball?

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Well, uh I'll take it. I I've been playing uh pickleball since twenty sixteen, traveling for tournaments all over the country. So uh yes, another one.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

So you're you're a ringer. Christine, how about you? I'm a ringer.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

How about you guys? I've got Chad I've got Chad beat by a little bit. I've been Playing since 2009. Nice, nice. And and I my dad got me into it. He came to me and said, I've got this little sport you gotta try. Sure, Dad.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Next thing I know. Next thing you know. And and you know what, uh, pickleball, let's just I want you each to answer this too. It's great for all ages. If people haven't tried it, it's really a blast, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:22

It is.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

It is absolutely is. Okay, Chad.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

I was gonna say, you know, um, they did a recent study and um what they're saying is pickleball isn't just good to, you know, to get you out moving around, exercising, um, but for the brain, it does something with your uh neurons and um, you know, because it's it's a shorter compact sport, um, it it kind of keeps you uh thinking quick. Um so they they've done studies where uh it actually helps reduce like Alzheimer's and and different um brain related um conditions that can develop. So um it's it's good all around.

SPEAKER_03 23:01

And how about you, Christine? Hello, Christine? Yes, yeah. Sorry, you broke out for a second. But well then then um it's so it's good for everyone, all ages, and it's really exploded.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Yes, and super fun. So we have folks that are into pickleball for the social aspect. Um, you know, they're not not you know very competitive, but they just love it for the for the social part. But then we have that complete other side, and I fall in both sides myself, uh, where it's super competitive. Um, you do it for the win, you you really you feel great at the end of the day, you know, and uh yeah, it it's just it's it's the fastest growing sport in the the US right now.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

That is crazy, yeah. Okay, so so fastest growing sport in the U.S. We even hear that there's some you know college scholarships and stuff for pickleball, you know? Yeah, yes, yep. Colleges are taking. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

I was gonna say a lot of high schools are now adopting it. They're creating teams and they're playing against other high schools. So um, you know, our number one pickleball player in in in our sport uh that plays professionally. Uh her name is Annalee Waters. She started her pro uh tour uh as a pro player uh at the age of 12. She's now about 18, and she uh she she can't be beat. I mean, there's there's really not too many people in the sport that can beat Anna.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

Wow, that is so exciting. That is so cool. So then we also have pickle in the pines. And tell us when and where and give us all the details.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Yes, so um last year was our first year with Pickle in the Pines. Um, it was more than a success. Uh, we had over tw 170 players last year show up for our event. Um, we held it over Labor Day weekend, and this year we are coming back. Uh the second annual Pickle in the Fi in the Pines. Uh it'll be over Labor Day weekend this year. Uh, so that marks Friday, uh Friday, September 4th, uh, Saturday, September 6th, and Sunday, September 5th and 6th. Sorry. Um, and uh it's gonna be there uh at the Solo City pickleball courts there on McNeil Street next to the fire station. We have 12 pickleball courts, uh an amazing venue. Um and uh we have uh events and skills for all ages. Um so on Friday we're gonna be running uh skinny singles. Um so half the court is split up and you get to play singles one versus one. Um and then on Friday we'll also have 60 plus men's and women's doubles um that'll be going on. Um Saturday um we're going to uh open that up to uh men's and women's doubles of all ages and skills. Um and then on Sunday we're gonna have mixed doubles, so you where you get a uh a male and a female, and they that's you you play another team just like like that.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

So that is awesome. So you have everything going on.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

We got everything, yep. And when someone shows up as a player, so you register on um livepickleball.com, search for pickle in the pines, um show lows pickle in the pines. Um you're gonna receive a player bag when you uh uh come to our event for the for the tournament. Um free player bag with lots of uh awesome goodies and giveaways. Uh, we're also gonna do um raffle um tickets. So each player playing in the event um will receive a raffle ticket. Um and we're gonna pull prizes uh throughout the afternoon. Each day we're gonna do raffle prizes giveaways. So free hotel stays, um, restaurant gift cards. Uh we'll have uh sponsors at the event, vendors at the event. So there's tons and tons of stuff going on.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

See, this is so fun. And and also, Christine, this it benefits different people. You did this last year as a Barrago, and you're gonna do it again this year. Tell us all about that.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

I'm gonna let Chad feel that one. That has been his baby project.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

Yeah, absolutely. I'll I'll I'll continue this parade. Um, so yeah, last year um the tournament um was a was a benefit tournament. Um portion of the proceeds we were able to raise money for Ezra Barogo, um, who is loved, uh very well known up on the uh mountain, and um he had a a cancer prognosis or diagnosis, and so we raised all together uh $10,000 to help support him, his family kind of in that time of need. Yep. And this year um we continually want to give back to the community. So um we're gonna be working with the family of Mel West. Um so helping to support um them in this time. Um Mel recently um, you know, yeah. Yeah, his his recent um passing. Um so working with you know his wife Peggy, his daughter uh Tiana, and his other daughter. Um we want to support them any way we can. So we're gonna be there this year for them.

SPEAKER_03 28:23

Yeah, and he's one of our own here. He worked with us here at the radio station Mel, just the greatest guy ever, yes. And we all love Ezra Barrego too. I mean, you picked two stellar ones uh last year and this year for sure. Well, so we really appreciate you doing that. That is great. Yeah, yeah. And tell me about uh uh also you have an animal aspect about the uh with this whole event, right?

SPEAKER_00 28:46

We do, and I love animals. So when I when I created this um tournament, um I kept animals full vision in mind uh uh with this. So on Friday, um, and this is this is uh repeating what we did last year, we are gonna have um Pat and her team um with Pat Allies out of Tucson come and provide a vaccination and microchip clinic at our tournament. And we're looking at Friday, September 4th from noon to two o'clock. Um you can bring your furry friend um and if you need um a Parvo shot, which is also Distemper, for $5, her team will do that. Um she'll also provide rabies vaccination, which includes the dog license for $10 cost. And then um, if you'd like to get your pet microchipped, if it ever ran away, um we'd be able to identify its owner. For $25, she'll do it right there at the event. We had 60 dogs last year show up for this thing, and we actually had they had to turn dogs away. We were just that busy, so it's incredible.

SPEAKER_03 29:56

So that's incredible that that that's always in need, always in need up here in the White Mountains. Okay, tell us how we sign up and how we get more information.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

I get to take that. I'm gonna do we go to livepickleball.com and you then search for ShoLo Pickle in the Pines and you'll be able to click to register.

SPEAKER_03 30:14

There you go. Livepickleball.com and search SHOLO in the pines. Guys, thank you so much. We still appreciate you. This is gonna be a great event. Pickle in the pines, everyone. Be there and keep it right here. ITOK 1067 FM.