Since I consider myself full of machismo hiking idiocy, the call of the Canyon is luring me to attempt a one day Rim to Rim to Rim. Has anyone done this? If so, what trails did you use, what time of year is ideal, what time of day should I start, how much water did you carry and where did you refill...

Speedlaces? What exactly are those? But anyway, converting boots for eyelets is usually about 10 bucks if you take them in to your local tailor or western wear store-and they have worked out fine in my experience.

The last time I went to the eye doctor she recommended some disposable lenses that you can leave in for a month without having to worry about taking them out (talk about a major advantage for hiking!) Unfortunately, I tried on a pair and they didn't really fit my eye contour and were very uncomforta...

The road to Lockett Meadow is closed this time of year, but if you don't mind adding an extra 5 or so miles (round trip) to your hike get up Humphreys that way by parking at the gate on the road to Lockett Meadow and hike from there. I went into Lockett Meadow this way a few weeks ago in snowshoes, ...

I also can't see anything without contacts or glasses in. I don't know if you have soft lenses or gas perms, but I have Acuvue 2 softs, and leaving them in at night for hikes less than 5 days in length usually works with them. I've tried wearing glasses, but those bug me because they get to be a nui...

Hell's Gate huh? Great hike, but lots of water. Sounds pretty cold this time of year. I was also looking to do a Hell's Gate that same weekend, but something about 12 hour days in water in 40 degree (and maybe snowing?) weather sounds a bit too suicidal for my tastes.

There's nothin' quite like hiking alone to sooth the soul. But I only do it on trails I know by heart. That pretty much means over-used trails, so the peace of solitude still usually elude me. My solution: backpack with a group and get up early in the morning. Find a ridge, bring my Therma-rest chai...

You're not sick, you're perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, you may just be in the minority. The rest of the world's obsession with movies, malls, and the like is the real disease. I suggest you stay away from them to protect yourself. After all, imagine your fate if it's contagious!

Sound's like your looking for someplace with few people if you want to get away from Phoenix, right? If Sedona's your thing right now, check out The Loy Canyon Trail. It's one of my favorites, totally secluded, and with a great ascent of the Mogollon Rim. If your training for the Canyon, that should...

Therma-rest all the way. I use a full-size guidelite. I've found 3/4 lengths make me arch my back because my legs angle down off the pad, and I'm sore in the morning. But, I'm 5 foot 10 too. In my experience, 3/4 works as well as 1 inch foam width, but the one inch make a more comfortable chair. Whe...

I use a teaspoon of vanilla to get the plastic taste out of mine. Just pour it in with your first fill up of water, and the plastic taste is gone. (It minimizes the taste of Iodine too!)

I've used Platypus and North Face before and found them great for day hikes and occasional use, but try using 'em for more than a few days in a row, and they break. I bought a camelbak, have been using it for three years (including every day this past summer,) and the thing's still going strong. I h...