Are We lost Yet?

First, for those who may not have been able to follow the story, the Schultz fire is fully contained. You can see a couple spots on the mountain that still smoke, but those are deep within the burn zone.

Most of the eastern and central slopes of the San Francisco Peaks remain closed.

But I have a plan as soon as they open…

On that subject, as promised earlier:

Checklist for hikers

(and hiking guide authors)

Items that pertain to normal people are written normally.

(Items that pertain only to guidebook authors are in parentheses).

AT HOME:

1. Pick a hike. Don’t just drive somewhere and hope for inspiration.

1. Pick the best hike feasible. Never skip a good hike for a mediocre hike thinking, “I’ll get to that other hike soon enough…” Weather/health/family/jobs sabotage hiking opportunities all the time. (If you haven’t prioritized your hike list by coolness vs accessibility, go do that now.)

1. Do a little research. This, of course, depends on how comfortable you are with uncertainty. Some hikers like to know everything before they go (for which guidebook authors must be grateful). Some just want to know how to get to the trailhead, and let everything else be a surprise. At a minimu, though, you should know what the weather’s going to be like, and the water or fire conditions.

1. (Learn something about the history, geology and ecology of your hike destination - so you know what to look for on the trail. Yeah, you can do a lot of that afterwords, but why work harder?)

PACKING THE GEAR

1. Get a map. Bring it with you. Your GPS does not count. (Print an extra one for your wife - so she can refer to it when she calls the emergency response team later)
2. Organize your essential survival things. (Have these in a kit ready to go, and keep that kit in your vehicle, so your son does not plunder it).
3. Calculate the most water you could possibly consume on the hike, and put at least twice that amount in the car.
4. Don’t forget lunch!
5. Make sure your GPS, flashlight and camera are charged.
6. (Make sure your GPS has memory left.)
7. (Make sure your flashlight actually works.)
8. Make sure you camera has memory.
9. (Clean the lens on the camera.)
10. (Bring a notebook and a working pen - because bad things can happen to digital recording devices in the wild).
11. If the hike is more than 10 miles round trip, or you know you won’t make the trailhead until after 11 am, pack extra batteries for the flashlight, and bring an extra layer of clothing. At ten miles or more, or a noon start or later, you are one wrong turn from looking for the trailhead by moonlight.
12. Gather this stuff the night before if you can.

AT THE TRAILHEAD

1. Turn on the GPS, and let it find the satellites while you do the rest of your things.
2. Finish your coffee. It won’t taste good when you get back.
3. Now drink something else - don’t start the hike dehydrated.
4. (Write down the GPS coordinates of the trailhead. Don’t just recite them into the DVR - write them down! Remember altitude.)
5. Top off all the water containers.
6. If there is some sort of toilet - use it. Especially if there are a lot of other cars at the trailhead. I don’t have to explain this logic - right?
7. (Test the recording devices. Get the date and start time in the first recording, so you can use it on your blog seven months from now.)
8. (Take a Bongo picture at the trailhead.)
9. Lock the car.
10. (Catch up with your companions who grew weary of your fussing and have already started the hike.)

Our monthly round-up of news affecting hiking and camping in general and the Tonto NF in particular.

Fire Restrictions Have Been Lifted in the Tonto National Forest - just in time for the hottest weekend of the year. Early monsoon humidity has reduced the overall dryness of, well, everything enough to allow open fires once more in the Tonto.

“Although campfires and smoking will now be allowed throughout the forest, visitors should properly extinguish cigarettes in ashtrays, and ashes in a campfire ring should be cold enough to touch before they are left,” said Tonto NF Fire Staff Officer Clay Templin.  “Campfires should be put out by drowning with water and stirring with a shovel to ensure the fire is cold.”

Forest Supervisor Gene Blankenbaker extended special thanks to the visiting public during the fire restrictions which began May 14.  “We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we had to restrict access and activities on the Tonto during this fire season.  We appreciate our visitors’ support of the restrictions.”

Heading out to the desert lakes for the 4th weekend? Well - don’t forget your Tonto Pass, because there isn’t much you can do at any of the lakes without one. Also, be aware of stepped-up enforcement of drunk boating laws.

Oh - and the Bald eagle restrictions have been lifted from most of the desert lakes. As you may recall, portions of the lakes and other desert waterways are closed to traffice throughout spring to allow the more-or-less endangered Southwest Bald Eagles to nest in peace during breeding season. They’re done now. Have at it.

Look Out for Bears! Encounters between bears and humans are becoming more common in the high country, as humans expand their range and the bears stubbornly refuse to evaporate into thin air. The chief instigator in this would be food, which, from the bears’ perspective, includes the garbage.

“We don’t have any habitats devoid of humans. They don’t exist. Bears are large, powerful and unpredictable animals. If a bear constitutes a public safety threat in one location, a change in geography is simply not going to alter or diminish the threat,”

He adds later, “We don’t have any habitats devoid of humans. They don’t exist. Bears are large, powerful and unpredictable animals. If a bear constitutes a public safety threat in one location, a change in geography is simply not going to alter or diminish the threat,”

Speaking of human/animal conflict…

The deadline for the big game hunting Super-raffle has been extended to July 12th. You can stalk and kill (or attempt to anyway) all sorts of critters from elk and buffalo to bears and mountain lions - if you have a permit. More Information here.

One last thing: Native Fish Cam.

Enjoy.

Today

My son, Ben, has prepared a list of hiking essentials (reprinted here with his permission).

LET US BEGIN WITH THE TEN ESSENTIALS. (LISTED BELOW)
1.FIRST AID KIT
2.JACKET
3.LUNCH
4.RAIN PONCHO
5.FLASHLIGHT
6.MAP OR G.P.S. (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
FIRST AID ESSENTIALS
7.BANDAIDS
8.TWEEZERS
9.PAIN PADS
10.SPIRIT
IF YOU HAVE THESE YOU ARE PREPARED.

FIRST AND FOREMOST BE CAREFUL WHO YOU BRING! THE LAST THING YOU WANT IS A RUINED TRIP BECAUSE OF SOMEONE YOU BRING! SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER EXCLUDING MEAN OLD UNCLE JOE WHO HATES SUNSHINE AND BUGS.

Now, for some adult guidance in correlation with the above.
By “pain pads” he means molefoam padding, which is how we got him and his bruised foot out of Cave Creek.
Obviously, a lot of those items could be assumed to be in a good first aid kit.

The line about mean old Uncle Joe came more-or-less from the Tonto guidebook camping tips. That, in turn, was adapted from a template based on Kim Lipker’s Day and Overnight Hikes in the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Add water to your list. If you’re out in the desert - add more water than you think necessary.
I have humped up hills with more water than I really needed, and I have run out of water with miles left to go and the afternoon only getting hotter. There is no question in my mind which I prefer.

These are the adult 10 essentials:
1) water
2) food
3) first aid kit ( band-aids
4) flashlight
5) jacket/rain poncho (or at least one extra layer)
6) knife or multi-tool
7) map/compass and/or GPS
bandana
9) sunscreen (I always forget this)

10) Spirit!

(Or, alternately, a signal device such as a mirror or a whistle).