Dayhikes I pack water. Backpacks I take Ibuprofen, benadryl and duct tape. All purpose knife is good, too. Gotta tell you, I agree with the mind thing. Know your limitations, and don't put yourselves in dangerous situations on purpose (yes, lots of persons do...). And Oh yea, comfortable shoes.

Forgive me...for I have sinned. Again and again. I just cannot find folks to hike with on a regular basis. And then Who am I going to tell I am gone? I have told them at work that if I don't show up do a search for my car...they think I am kidding. This is a remote area where I live, and the dangers...

The older I get the more important it is to do little things between my hikes. And I mean little things...like when I heat my tea in the microwave I lift up and down on my toes without touching my heel to the ground for the time it takes the water to heat. Don't laugh. Get a empty gallon jug, fill w...

An additive to the rice advice is ibuprofen 800mg three times daily with food for three days. This isn't for pain relief, rather to reduce swelling. Sometimes when a joint becomes swollen it causes the connective tissue to slide off the bone in alternative places. Thus pops. :roll:

You are just really close to the Kofas when you get to Yuma...a must see. That is, if the idea of a Palm forest interests you (no matter how small)

Oh my god, mary here you are again...
my favorite hikes? the one i am on. Thousand pockets rates right up there. Any grand Canyon hike. Any hike that millions haven't done yet. Any hike. Any hike.

This year there is a lot less pressure upon the easier access sites of the Border. Nogales district alone has lost about 50 Border patrol agents to the potential war. These folks are army reserve. I can tell you that there is TONS (literally speaking) of evidence of aliens crossing the valleys west ...

Tell ya what. Come March I will key up and tell you the weather. Right now, today in fact, there is a skiff of snow. I might go to the cockscomb today (saw a mountain lion in the area last week), or maybe tomorrow.