The class 4 route is via the ridgeline on the west-facing slope. Does require some hand and toe work. In no way do I consider myself a 'climber' but did get up to the top a few years ago. Author Wayne Tomasi states that biggest challenge is scaling the lowest shelf of the upper Supai block and recom...

For all the camera buffs on the forum, the National Weather Service has a photo contest. Here's their request for photo submissions: The National Weather Service office in Phoenix will be conducting a weather photo contest this month. Winning pictures will be featured on our website and they might b...

This election provides one of the strongest contrasts between the two major political parties ever. When it comes to protecting wilderness, it is not even close as to which candidate/political party will act on behalf of our natural environment: President Obama/Democrats. We've already seen this her...

Taking the Battleship route is well worth the effort. The route begins just below 'Two-mile corner' on the Bright Angel Trail (you can start looking for the cairns after passing the Mile-and-half rest house. The two-mile corner is the western most switchback on the BA and can be spotted from above a...

Medscape Reference recently posted a series of descriptive slides to assist in diagnosing 'Overuse Injuries of the Lower Extremities: Keys to Diagnosis' Link would not copy so do a search on title. You may be required to sign-up as a member (no cost). Might help you put a name to your particular inj...

KW75---Salt tablets used to be an OSHA recommendation and one followed by the NPS in their hiking literature. Outdoor supply stores would sell the tablets in little vials. Awful to swallow a tablet then burn a salty hole in your stomach and gag up seawater. Going through 4-32 oz Gatorades would like...

Believe you are correct on the combination of high humdity + high heat. The body cools via evaporation of sweat off the skin and when the humidity is high, less 'room' in the atmosphere to accept the moisture from the body. People in the mid-west complain that it feels like they just stepped out of ...

New summary article on Heat Stroke in 'Current Sports Medicine Reports.' Here's the abstract: "When athletes, warfighters, and laborers perform intense exercise in the heat, the risk of exertional heat stroke (EHS) is ever present. The recent data regarding the fatalities due to EHS within the ...

Sredfield: Use the "Advanced Search' function at the NAU photo archive. Here's the one photo they have in the catalog of the Bucklar Ranch on Hart Prairie: http://archive.library.nau.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/ahsnd&CISOPTR=439&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 Gee Azbackpackr. Did you recent...

Thanks for the link. Enjoy the old photos. NAU has an online archive of old photos:

http://archive.library.nau.edu/index.php

Cool to see familar places as they were 100+ years ago.

Medscape has a slideshow illustrating some of the 'bug bites': http://reference.medscape.com/features/slideshow/bug-bites?src=nl_slide My nomine for 'Most painful bite' has to be that of the Brown Recluse Spider. The bite itself can go unnoticed but once the digestive enzymes begin reacting with tis...

Additional newspaper coverage at:
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2012/ ... rd-attack/

Be sure to check for closures across the Rim Country. Some areas have been shut down due to the Poco fire near Young (about 30 miles east of Payson). Other areas of the Rim have been closed to camping due to the extreme fire danger. Pine, AZ is currently under a 'water-stoppage' due to equipment mal...

Check out George Steck's "Hiking Grand Canyon Loops" published by Falcon--hike #7. He staged the entire loop hike off the North Rim. He lists some possible water sources but he hiked in 1989.

This whole situation was prominent in my mind when I took the Hiking Club kids to the Grand Canyon last weekend. The Boy Scouts have developed a 'Youth Protection Program' to prevent abuse. Some of their reccommendations are available here: http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx. You...

Mother and the imprisoned Grandfather interviewed on the Dr. Phil show on Monday April 30th. Highlights here: http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1840 Full show will be rebroadcast on May 1, 2012 at 1 pm. Wonder if Dr. Phil's staff reviewed the previous criminal convictions by the Grandfather? Dr. Phil...

Hello jewelsaz33, The 'Payson Roundup' (the local newspaper for Payson-Pine-Strawberry), has been following the management of the Fossil Creek Trail. It is a big deal for the small communities because a lot of the local business operations/restaruants, etc value the $$$ brought in by the 90,000+ peo...

Hi Jim, Of course my intent is to protect the Canyon. My 'defense' of the Navajo Nation proposal was meant to be sarcastic by making the comparison to what has already been done at the Canyon. As long as I can remember, the Canyon as a natural wilderness has been under attack. One of my first enviro...

Check out 'Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatment for athletes' by John Vonhof. The 5th edition was released in Feb.2011. While Vonhof is a runner, he covers foot problems experienced by other outdoor folks including hikers/backpackers. On sale at Amazon for $13.57 + plus shipping. Might be avai...

You mentioned brand-new boots. Need to get your feet acclimated to both the boots and carrying a backpack---be prepared to handle blisters. The hike down is relentless and can damage the skin. When you feel a 'hot spot' be prepared to stop and make corrections to your socks/boots/protection. There a...