Apache-Sitgreaves seems confident in people exercising good judgement: The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will rescind all fire restrictions on Friday, June 24th at 6:00am. Increased amounts of rain in recent weeks and cooler temperatures have combined to reduce the fire risk. Although reduced, ...

A youtube video was put out on this: [ youtube video ]

I'm still not sure where the parking area the video references is supposed to be. And I don't see any updated maps published.

@DixieFlyer
Thanks, I was thinking of checking out Holdout and Black Rock canyons.

Has anyone been into the Santa Teresas recently to see the burn severity of the Pinnacle Fire? Forest Service office has no information.

@chumley Last fall, I tried finding out some information on the Holdout Creek trail. Specifically, where I could legally park if my vehicle couldn't make it all the way to the trailhead. So I called the Coronado Natl Forest Office in Safford, only to be told they did not know, as no one in their of...

To clarify, New Mexico did not single out Arizona. They are requiring this for all out of state travelers.

The Wasatch mountains have always looked beautiful to me - never been there, but have a good trip!

Not sure when your trip is, but New Mexico's governor just implemented a 14-day quarantine for all out of state visitors. From the order: "A mandatory 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state travelers into New Mexico is in place, whether traveling by air or by vehicle." I don't know how tha...

I'm guessing you have a sleeping bag, warm jacket, rain gear?

I would recommend reading "The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide" by Andrew Skurka. It's an easy read and a quick way to learn about stoves, fabrics, insulation, basic techniques, etc

Do they salt the roads in that area? It may draw the porcupines.

I've only seen one porcupine in AZ. It was in Bear Canyon a couple months ago. I would have walked right by it if not for my dog noticing it (glad she was leashed).

Yes, that would be difficult to put back together. Maybe you could buy or sew a shoulder strap pouch like this: http://www.zimmerbuilt.com/store/p24/Shoulder_Strap_pocket.html The top clip could be secured to the load lifter/stretch strap, and the elastic band on the back of the pocket (which goes a...

Could you post a photo of your pack's shoulder straps? I've sewn stuff onto hipbelts before. The way I did it was: I ripped out the hipbelt stitching, removed the foam, sewed on what I needed to the bare fabric, inserted the foam again, and sewed it back up. I initially tried going through the foam ...

Here's another article:

http://tucson.com/news/local/article_7c ... ?id=201408

Even though I decided to get off trail, I'm definitely coming back to try this trail again 145 miles solo is not a failure, particularly with your determination to return. My longest solo trip was only 4 days/40 miles! I enjoy solo and group backpacking. Sometimes the solo trips are great, and I'm ...

Scientists are not aware of anybody having ever been injured in a lightning strike while in the lightning position. This may be true, but I don't think the "lightning position" has much to do with it. It can't hurt, but according to this NOLS article, "You can minimize your exposure ...

I've had more incidents with dogs in the city than on the trail. Arizona seems to be a lot better than Oregon. People in Oregon don't seem to know what a leash is. Those retractable leashes are one of man's worst inventions. I think packing a taser or pepper spray is essentially useless - could not ...

Near Mt Baldy: There are some great places to camp along the East Fork of the Little Colorado River, both at 0.25 miles and 1-1.5 miles West of Phelps TH (I recommend the latter to end day 3 at) West Fork of the Little Colorado River has many good camp sites as well, including near the marshy area T...

Whoever shot the bullet must be a really bad shot

Edit: or is it common at a gun range to completely miss the target? I've never been to one

I was there 6 weeks ago (a couple days after the New Year's snow). Aside from the rapidly melting snow, the creek was dry.

I didn't get an exact reason why the road was closed, but I also hope it's not permanent.

Coming in from Deer Creek TH as you mention is probably the best alternative. I don't see any direct route from the West-side

I had planned a backpacking trip to Powers Garden from the North end of Rattlesnake Canyon (this trail: http://hikearizona.com/decoder=17478); however, I learned this weekend that the road there is closed . It is a little confusing to me - the permit sign-in box on Rattlesnake Rd is still there with...