HikeArizona.COM

Im new to hiking, and because of my schedule (bartender) I want to go during the late morning, but summer is here and I was wondering if there are any trails in the phx. area that have any shade(trees, ect..). :

hey, I just picked up hiking again after a while. I'm still a little out of shape but do ok for myself.
old timer? your older than me!

Hey......how did age get into this!!!!!!!!..........hehe..........not fair.......

I gotta go get a bunch of people drunk now. I talk with you all later.

Catchya later Vanessa........have a good evening. :roll:

Seven Springs area north of Carefree/Cavecreek, though it may be a long drive.Since you are up late, try nighthiking.

Did somebody mention Brown's Peak?!
I'd love to do that hike again - without the snow this time.

Nice meeting you today, Vanessa! :mrgreen:

your more than welcome to go. it would be nice to have somone along thats been there. havent figured a time to go yet. on a weekend though. i'll post it soon.
ak

hoppy47m wrote:you can use the suction cup part of it, no tourniquet either. They say stay calm, yea right......

Acually they say you shouldn't even use the suction cups anymore. Staying calm really is your best option. First of all, it is very hard to get bit (they warn you with a good long rattle before they bite) Second, and I don't know the percentage, but they say often times the bites are dry (non-venomous). Third even if they do invenomate the bite the toxin takes several hours to take drastic effect (I have even heard up to ten hours, but Im a little skeptical about that one). Moreover, don't use the kit AT ALL if it is a coral snake, the kit will just do more damage than good. Don't worry though, its very rare to get bit by a coral snake. Their mouths make it hard to bite something as large as a person (or so I'm told).

I have seen countless snakes over the years and have never been bit, or even struck at, by a single one. Just be careful where you put your hands, move slowly down the trail, make noise, and watch the trail in front of you. If you stick to that you will be all right.

Matt, knock on wood.
Night hiker, I hike alone and Im new at this, so, Im not sure about night hiking.
Everyone, I would love to try a 4 peaks group hike :idea: , but I would need about two weeks notice. My days off change. :roll:
Im goin to try to bite the sleep thing and go up camelback in a few hours. :roll:

look for a post in the forum in the coming week. people usually give a couple weeks notice for a hike. good luck on your early hike.


ak

Knock, knock, knock...

There was one thing I forgot; If you do get bit don't kill the snake. The hospital does not need it to treat you, blood tests can accomplish the same thing. Last week there was a little girl who got bit on the finger while whe was trying to "pet" a snake*, for some reason the paramedics thought it neccessary to kill the snake, and whats worse many news stations billed this as appropriate. Its not, its a waste of time that could be better spent walking out and seeking medical treatment.



*Incidentally, most snake bites occur because someone was trying to kill or otherwise handle a snake. Something like three quarters of snakebite victims get bit on the hand (and a lot of them have alcohal in their system as well... :roll: )

Night Hiking can be fun during a full moon of course. And once again it depends on where you hike. During the summer those snakes are more active at night as that is when most of their food supply is active also.....small mice etc. I made the mistake a few times of hiking to Dripping Springs by Quartzite at night, there is a certain section where there is only one way down into a small canyon....of course the trail was blocked by an unseen rattler sounding off (the worst kind)...I now carry a very long walking stick which is used at night more for disrupting the terrain in front of me than anything else..... I have also become rather proficient at "pebble tossing" taking a handful of small rocks and throwing them in front of me when entering areas scattered with small brush, or a choked in spot on a trail. No....I'm not extremely paranoid about snakes but I am very cautious due to some rather hair raising (litterally) experiences over the last 30 years in Arizona...

I'll be careful. Thanks for the tips. How did we get on this subject anyways? :roll:

Hi Vanessa,
How was your hike this morning? How many times did you hit the snoozzzzz button?
Was it nap time later? Hope that works, it is getting warmer out.

Kenny

It was hard getting started, I got there about 6:30. It was over cast so it was a good hike. Still dont like the morning thing, but I'll do what I have to If I cant go at night. Luckly the sun goes down later now so that works in my favor.
p.s. I did take a 1/2 hr nap later in the day.

This is a great Topic Thread. At some point, various people have let "it all hang out." Pretty cool!
HAZ is, of course, The Greatest. Why? Because, somehow, HAZ posters tend to let more of "them" out into their posts. Now, let's see you argue that one!

Here would be our generalized advice to the "general overall original topic:"

A) Get Outta Dodge--Go hike far away from the Desert Floor!
B) Think Like A Snake
C) Pick hiking partners who share the above values.

Further elaboration:

Generally, it is ALWAYS a GOOD idea to hike in COOL Country. Luckily, you are not far from it.

If you think like a snake, odds are VERY, VERY good you will never get a snake bite.
Contrary to media hype, snakes are NOT BAD! In fact, they are VERY GOOD!
NEVER KILL A SNAKE! Think about your karma. Do you REALLY want that karma?

You choice of a hiking partner or partners is probably more important than anything else. If you choose wise partners, you will never have to worry about weirdo things that happen to unprepared people who venture like fools into the Ship Of The Desert.

Each year, your daily newspaper will have a few stories about people who died needlessly in the desert--even in rent-a-cars. Yea, verily.

The best way to separate yourself from those hapless statistics is to choose your hiking partners as if your life depended on it.

It does!


J&S

I still like hiking on a full moon night.....especially up on the Mogollon Rim....or near Sycamore Canyon. Day summer hiking (back on track again)...think about a trip up around Crown King, there are lots of neat old ranches and homesteads up there. There is one place where you can look down from the top of the Bradshaw mtns and see alllllllll of the Valley of the Sun.....(think like a snake, think like a snake)

Hey Vanessa
Are you hiking on line this AM? Have you been to the mountain? and back already?

Im going up tonight. Wanted to sleep in this morning. Altho, most of my friends think waking up at 8 is waking up early. :roll: I feel like im wasting the day if I sleep later than that.
have you been up and back already?