THE GRAND ENCHANTMENT TRAIL: March 8th- Wash Near Antelope Peak to Brandenburg Ranger Station

Beehive Well

I met Joan (Rambling Hemlock) and Jan (Beekeeper) at a gate just after sunrise. They're hiking the AZT from Picketpost to the Mexican border. They didn't know me, but knew of others I'd hiked with on the CDT. The trail community is, after all, a small yet flourishing one. I was thrilled because after six days on trail, I'd finally found some people hiking my direction--- at least for a few more miles until the GET and AZT diverge at Beehive Well. Having the time and opportunity to chat, I was curious to hear of their experiences on trail and hopes for this particular trek. One of the most interesting things about Joan is that she's a hammock hanger, even in the desert. I think I jokingly asked her if she strung it up between saguaros. Ha! As for Jan, she's a real expert on hiking in her neck of the woods, which is northern California. Both seemed very enthusiastic about hiking in general.
Except for a wayward meander and Jan's run in with a jumping cholla, we got to Beehive Well without incident. It's a reliable source with a huge, cylindrical storage tank that feeds water to a tire trough. Depressing the float valve, you can put water directly into your containers. Unfortunately the water contained a fair number of greenish-yellow algal floaties. I was disappointed because in 2012 the water had been crystal clear. Since I camped here at that time, perhaps it was just dark, and so, not seeing them, I just sucked them down when I drank. ;-) Anyway, this time, I took a liter in reserve to be safe.
After goodbyes and good lucks, I proceeded down Putnam Wash, which was very wide at first, then gradually narrowed. Saguaros returned, growing tall on orange rock that formed the wash walls. At the junction with Camp Grant Wash water was flowing in rivulets over the gray gravel of the streambed/roadbed. I followed it up canyon to hunt for its source and discovered that spring water emerged directly from the gravel road already naturally filtered. Returning to the junction, I relished a mid-morning snack break under cottonwood and a locust tree in full, yellow bloom, bees thrumming as they extracted pollen for honey making. I dumped out the well water and filled up with pure water from the wash.