My experience with Oak Flat tells me there is no reliable water. I have seen the creek raging, dry as a bone and everything in between. However, down stream (within a mile?) there is probably dependable water, where I have seen tiny fish in pools. May be worth taking a day trip out there to scout ou...

I'm a little confused as to what your original plan was/is but I can add my thoughts seeing I know that area pretty well. 1) There is water and camping possibilities at the junction of Reavis Gap and Campaign trails. 2) You might consider starting your trip from Miles Ranch TH, I was in there last A...

I have decided to wait for SPOT to come begging me to reactivate my account. They did that a couple years back when I let my account lapse and offered me a 50% discount. Hopefully, some day soon, the satellite communication will be available on smartphones. While I wait, I bought a hand held Ham rad...

On 11/3/18 I lost one of my Black Diamond carbon Z-Poles, on Dutchman Grave trail #22. Pole is somewhere between Willow Springs trail #223 and and Red Hills trail #262. There were several times we lost the trail and I suspect, while bushwhacking, the pole was pulled from the back of my pack. If I'm ...

For several years I have been carrying a SPOT 2 device on my hikes. Many times it's just my dog and me and the SPOT is used to let people know where I parked, my location at any given time (when button is pressed) and when I have returned to the trail head. If ever I was in need of immediate help I ...

@lanewinblade I have hiked/run the Fireline Trail, with my border collie, many times over the years and we were on it as recent as 4/2018. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this trail to someone with little hiking experience. If they can get there, they've been properly vetted. If I remember correct...

That adventure has been on my mind for many years. Not that I'm inviting myself, at 55 I believe my time has passed. However, when I was half this age, I seriously considered it. I remember reading about a team that attempted it, accomplished most of their goal but fell short of reaching the Little ...

My OP was a warning, this guy is out there and you may be his next target. His problem wasn’t about my dog(s), they were on leash and I was not in violation of the rule/law he kept referencing. My dogs are passive and Ozzie, being an AKC Good Citizen is proof of his temperament and me as his guardia...

@chumley
I have a call into Tonto NF, Mesa office. Left a VM and they haven't called me back. Looking back, I should have done some things differently, like calling law enforcement right then and there.

Please read below the encounter I had at Peralta TH, yesterday. I post here, as a warning, because I believe this is not, will not be an isolated incident. I believe there are others that this man has bitched at, maybe you, or could be you in the future. I have also attached a profile image, the bes...

On 4/2/16 I was parked at Miles Ranch trail head for a hike. I think I left my reading glasses out there, they might have fallen off/out of my truck. As one is driving toward trail 212, there is a high, flat spot on the left, about 50 feet NE(?) of the actual start of the trail. This is where I park...

My original Etrex is an Etrex I can't even update the firmware. That said, I would be as happy as a pig in mud if I only had this model for the rest of my life. It does everything I want and more. I've never used maps on a GPS so I'm interested in how any of you use maps on your GPS.

I've used a (first generation?) Garmin Etrex for many years and just bought an Etrex Vista HCX. I never use a GPS much, just mark my starting location and sometimes to figure out where I'm at or where I need to go, when hiking cross country. On occasion I will figure out some waypoints on my compute...

chumley, On Saturday we ended up parking at the dam and traversing the catwalk, underneath the spillway. It was dark when we arrived at Horsehoe lake and finding the ford was inpossible. However, when I got home I read your response, thanks. I plan to return in the near future and will use your dire...

Anyone have any information on the crossing of the Verde river that must be accomplished to get to the Sears Trail Head? Below is the info. from the FS write up. I'm wondering if the ford is easy to find and if there's any issues (safety) crossing it this weekend? Any input would be greatly apprecia...

Try Craig's List Lost and Found, both to post a notice that you found the dogs and to look for the owners, who may have placed a their own "lost dog" notice. I posted last week that I lost my backpack at Barnhardt trail head and although I got no response, sorting through the Lost and Found each day...

I am new to this site and my first time to post a comment, or anything. Hopefully I don't do something wrong. Last Saturday, 1/21/12 I left my Marmot day pack at the Barnhard trail head, 17 miles south of Payson. When we left at 4pm there was just one other car in the parking lot. I live in Phoenix ...