I will be leaving at 8 am and spending most of the day at Fossil Springs swimming and exploring. My goal is to get back to Phoenix by no later than 9 pm. If you are interested send me a PM or email me at shannon.hyslop@gmail.com and I will get you the details for meet up locations.

Well Crud. I can't do it now that the dates have changed. Too bad, I just bought my very first backpack, and have my sleeping pad and bag in order. Still shopping for my hammock. Ah well, another trip I suppose...I will be headed to Sunny San Diego for the 4th of July while you guys are still out on...

Well, I have a good friend who is getting married and she asked me to be wedding photographer for her last minute. The person who was helping her out was a friend of the family who canceled last minute. Her wedding is on Saturday the 22nd, so I am not going to be able to make this event. I really wa...

So who is carpooling? I will pay gas money

I have been up for hours now trying to recover photos from my formatted memory card on my camera. I just bought it and accidentally formatted the SD card which deleted all the pictures I took today of my 2 year old nephew at his birthday party. I have to take the camera to Best Buy tomorrow to see i...

@azbackpackr I lived in Puerto Rico for 2 and 1/2 years and also had the same issue with the mangos when I touched their skin. The mangoes became such a nuisance. They were always creating huge messes all over the sidewalks. They would just fall to the ground and rot and get all smashed which made ...

For me, riparian means along a creekside or near a water source of some sort. Pretty much I just want to encounter water somewhere along the hike. Typically around riparian areas there is more flora and fauna, which makes everything much more GREEN :) The formal definition of riparian is: relating t...

Those dates work perfectly for me!

@azbackpackr

I saw the thread and it is awesome! It's jam packed with information and very helpful

Thanks you for all the time you put into it

@Dirt4dinner

Honestly I was a little concerned about the high temps, and I am glad you brought up Payson. It sounds like a better idea. Anywhere specific?

@writelots You could have a scavenger hunt or you could create a flora and fauna Bingo. I have tons of fun ideas for kids because I taught science to freshman in high school for a year. I would be happy to help plan a kid friendly activity :) Just let me know the age range and we can get something ...

@oceanwithin
How much breaking in are we talking?

@Stiller Darn. I don't mean to seem like a flake, but I have to cancel on this one. My church called me and asked if I could serve communion this Sunday. Duty calls. In the future I think it is probably safe for me not to commit to any hikes on the first Sunday of the month because I will probably ...

@azbackpackr
No worries. You didn't offend at all

Oooooh yes beer and steaks are good I have been thinking about getting a pair of Vibrams for a while and I think that this trip would be a great excuse. If your dad could resupply us with food that would be great, that way we could lighten the load on the way in

This sounds awesome. I have work and school, but I have a couple week break from school starting June 20th going until July 5th. I was planning on taking a week of my vacation time from work and going on a nice adventure. If you end up deciding to do this trip in the time I have off, I would love to...

Tahosa, :thanx: for sharing your experience! I think more veterans need to be honored for their service to our country. You have inspired me to create a few caches of my own . My grandfather retired from the Navy after 20 years of service and was a WWII vet. I also have many other family members who...

@ssk44 Woah. Great photosets! Thanks for sharing!! I guess the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true in this case :D After some consideration, I am thinking that this time I will go with a point and shoot. Once I am more flush I will definitely be investing in a DSLR...

@azbackpackr

I am new to backpacking. I just did my first one to Fossil Springs last weekend. I am a day hiker who has always taken a pack with me, but apparently backpacking and carrying a backpack on a day hike are two different things. I'm still learning terminology. Forgive me :P

I am such an avid picture taker that I ended up just keeping my camera in my sports bra while hiking. The only thing I could compare my picture taking to is....um maybe a chain smoker :sl: I get a little crazy sometimes. I am rough on my cameras. I use them a lot. They get dirty and they get dropped...