It's hard to miss the drop-in, there is a good trail that takes you to the creek in about 2 miles, then you go with the flow. There is a 20 ft falls that looks scary but is like a waterpark slide, you'll make several trips down this one, then two down climbs of around 10 feet that are tricky when th...

Why just Canada ? Let's unify north and south america. The US is getting to be one of the smaller population bases now, after China, India and Europe, and their economies are exploding while ours stagnates, and we are just helping them by exporting the higher paid jobs. I would feel much more secure...

The Salomon Tech Amphibians have outstanding traction wet or dry, but I wore a hole in the mesh on the first trip, also the heel strap needed constant adjustment. I still like them, though, for comfort and confidence. They were equally good with and without socks, let in some gravel but quick to sli...

Lead paint chips ? I grew up in a builders yard. We had drums of red lead, white lead and yellow lead for adjusting the properties of paint. Finely divided powder. We dipped in our hands and feet, and used it for war paint. There were lead sheets for making toy boats, and lengths of lead pipe that h...

Fresh from their success with decorating freeway walls with giant teapots, they are now replacing those boring brown trail markers with works of art. This one was being protected by armed security guards while workers fetched concrete for the plinth, so it must have cost a bundle. Can you believe th...

Do you remember when batteries were leakproof ?
I remember when leakproof batteries hadn't been thought of,
and they made even more mess than this

OK, I'll chick that out.

Are you interested in getting together for bird walks, or trips to local birding hotspots ? Is anyone a member of a local birding group ? Is there a BAZ ?

I wouldn't do this in any adverse weather, even high or gusty wind. You might be able to do the southmost two peaks. The showstopper would be the descent of the second peak, because there is only one route, and if the gully is icy I am sure you will turn back when you see it, as it's much steeper th...

As we sat on Brown's peak, several of our group said they would not be willing to repeat this hike with such a large group (10). It slowed us down a lot, and was more dangerous. At each ascent, the group would split, the adrenaline junkies taking a hard line, the wimps searching for easier lines, an...

Here's the gps track - see how far we deviated from the ridgeline. Not for lack of a topo, just looking for the easiest line.

http://keepthis.info/FourPeaks/images/FourPeaks.jpg

I looked up the history, and it seems like a successful campaign to close a plant that produced a trivial amount of power and did a lot of damage to the environment. I realize that recreation is also detrimental, but rarely to the same degree. In what way is this a scam ? Do you feel that the plant ...

".. an additional 14 miles of wetland ecosystem valuable for wildlife habitat and creek-side recreation." This is really good news, as long as it doesn't become real estate for Strawberry yuppies. The map shows a road all the way through Fossil Creek to the Verde river, so it could easily ...

Did this in September with a group of 10, and it took us over 12 hrs. Theres a lot of route finding, false peaks and scratchy plants. We left lone pine at 5 am, amethyst mine 6:45, peaks at 8:00, 9:30, 12:30, 3:15, back at 5:15. We came off each peak on the ridgeline, but from the saddle the direct ...

I'm guessing Lewis @ Clark
There's a great website at

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/LCIndex.html

These guys were sent on an 8000 mile hike to find out what
the US had bought with the Louisiana Purchase, sold their
clothes for food and learned to live like the Indians.

What kind of woodpecker is that in Joe's latest pics of Brown's Peak ?

I heard this might be the best weekend to visit Flag for the aspens.
Can anyone confirm that, or say where they are at their best ?

Cash Tank to Rim Tank is too far for a day hike. Most people entering at Cash Tank would exit at the Hanging Gardens, which you can't miss. There is no rock climbing required. If you park under the power lines and hike to Cash tank, you just hike east to your truck from the exit. If you enter at Rim...

Please be careful. This is not a beginner canyon, and I don't believe it is safe to jump unless someone has been down first to check for depth, submerged waterlogged trees etc. The longest drop is 70 ft or more, so you would hit the water at 50 mph. You can't belly flop at that speed, you have to en...

Not really free to members: http://www.azmountaineeringclub.org/main/classes_b.html Members who have attended the class or have equivalent experience are encouraged to help out at the classes as junior instructors, so you could hear the lectures for the price of membership. Student: "Am I doing...