I think my biggest piece of advice to keep the gear to a reasonable amount is to try to stay away too much from the "what if" factor. Of course you want to go prepared for emergencies, but you don't want to get too carried away on that train of thought. For example, what if I fall in the c...

There is rarely a hike that I do that I don't take my hike along. In fact, the main reason I haven't done any hikes around Tuscon is because of the many restrictions prohibiting dogs on trails. I very very rarely allow my dog off leash while hiking. One reason is because this is my first dog. Before...

Thanks for all the help! Last week I went up to Bell trail to check it out. We only hiked the first 2 miles in and then took Weir trail down to the water for lunch and then back out. It was a great easy hike though. We're definately going back!

I have a group of four (plus 1 dog) and we go hiking in the Phoenix area every weekend (2-4 miles a trip). My boyfriend and I enjoy backpacking but haven't been in several years. Our two friends have never been but seem very interested. I'm looking for a fairly easy trip to get us all started. Proba...