Honeybee Semi Fail

Ok so Honey Bee, debated riding this trail, lots of green but very popular, if I was going for easy I was going for miles. Another courageous start and on trail at 5:30. Dropped into the network and pedaled my way along very cool low lying forested single track. This area must get a lot of water since there were little mini forests along the way that were like no other place. Very scenic and distracting as the sun rose over the Mt Lemmon and illuminated the trail. Things were going good and by mile 9 it was looking like 20 miles in two hours was going to be breezy. I was going to have to cut out a loop but I was tempted and took a little sample of it, dropped down a section and felt a rim strike, very odd since I run plenty PSI for that not to happen. Then the tire went low. Then that feeling of oh crap, had a large hole in the tire. Turned the bike upside down and got working. The hole was too big for Stans and tube was my way out. I did something very dumb, I didn't clear and cactus needles from the tire before installing my tube. I heard the tire hissing as I filled my tube and thought that was odd and then realized what I just done. Filled it up anyway and thought maybe stans could seal it since a tube was in. I was wrong, I pedaled for about 5 minutes till it went flat. Now I was in trouble, 10 miles from the car I took the tube out and patched it. Same thing air hissing, I did everything I could to dry the tube from the stans which sucked tremendously as I used my sock to dry and then the patch kit to sand. I could find no reason why the patch failed. I patched again anyway. Got 5 minutes down the trail and yet again patch didn't hold. Repeated two more times until I reached a trail junction where I would try yet again to patch. Now worried but knowing I could hitch a ride off the first road where bikers would be passing me in their vehicles not left with a 2 hour hike out. As I was putting another patch of of the 10 people that rode by someone did stop and ask me if they could help. I felt like a total beater since I have never failed at tube patches but this time multiple fails. I told him if this last patch didn't hold I would take him up on his tube. Sure enough it would not hold, I thanked him kindly as he handed me his tube, karma came to me as I have down for others the same. Put that tube in and some reason expected it not to work but it held air beautifully and instead of going back to enjoying the awesome trail I went down the dirt road so I could get help if I had another tire failure. Sure enough it held air as I chugged down the road and then pavement to the car. Quite relived to get out of that one. I missed a lot of trail but sure was happy to have pedaled back to the car. Lesson learned, time to carry tire plug kit.