HikeArizona.COM

Greetings fellow hikers!

Two experienced Minnesota backpackers seeking recommendations on 4-day hike in Arizona September 20-24 (arriving in Phoenix Saturday AM, departing Wednesday PM). 30-40 miles. Been looking at Tonto, Superstition, Sycamore, and Red Rock, but open to all suggestions.

Must-have:
- Within 3-hour driving distance from Phoenix
- Accessible Trailhead (rental car - no extreme off-roading)
- Beautiful Arizona scenery

Nice-to-have:
- Loop hike
- Water sources

Don’t-want:
- Backcountry Permit lottery

Reward: will buy you a drink at establishment near trailhead

All suggestions greatly appreciated - Thank you!!

They posted over a week ago, never checked back in.

Yup, makes you wonder what they decided to do.
Hopefully whatever they decided to do that they will have a safe and fun trip.

rdahlo wrote:Again, thanks. I greatly appreciate the advice and suggestions.

That was from Mar 27 - Original post was Mar 24

Remember -- replies are not just for the good of the original poster. The HAZ forum lives on forever. A gazillion more people read the forum than post or reply in it. Web searches return results from these posts. The OP may very well be reading every day and not replying. Dozens of others with the same question have already seen it, and countless more will see it in the months and years to come.

The HAZ lives!

@azbackpackr
Maybe it was me...I might have scared them away with my "reckless" suggestions...

friendofThundergod wrote:@azbackpackr
Maybe it was me...I might have scared them away with my "reckless" suggestions...

Well, probably not. I do agree with the others, though, and not with you. Here's what I think. I think there are certain people, but not many, whose tolerance of heat is very high. You are probably one of those. The rest of us, no matter how well we manage our water, electrolytes, etc., etc., are going to have some kinds of issues.

Despite the fact I worked basically outdoors in Tucson, and didn't mind the heat as much as most people do, it still would always trigger a migraine if I hiked in heat. I get migraines from other triggers as well, not just from hiking in heat, but I ALWAYS got one from hiking in heat. It would not generally start until after I got home, or while driving home, but sometimes while on the hike. It was miserable before the invention of Imitrex. I literally had trouble holding a job because I was sick so often, so I definitely had to be careful about hiking in the heat. My kids always wanted to go to Romero Pools or Sabino to swim in summer.

@azbackpackr

I think you are right on a few of those points..

I remember my first mission in Iraq full body armor, gear, weapon etc..and our squad leader was like, drink water its going to be 120 today...being from Michigan I have to admit I was like, wont we boil? How can it really be that hot? Is that even possible etc? I quickly realized yes it is possible, and humans are pretty amazing creatures capable of adapting very quickly! However, we still had guys always "falling out." I think generally there was always a reason maybe too many caffeinated/carbonated beverages, maybe a little out of shape, "tiny heart syndrome" AKA being a little pumpkin etc But I think for some it was just their bodies' make up...

I think you are right to some degree some people just have a physiological disposition that makes them some what heat intolerant..Plus if you become a heat casualty just once, it will drastically reduce your ability to fight high temperatures in the future, in fact, I think if you are a heat casualty three or more times in infantry you are generally reclassified into another MOS or processed out of Army..In your case you may have had a minor heat related illness at one point in all of your travels, camping and hiking, and now your overall tolerance to heat will be less than some..ie: your headaches etc..so definitely some science there..

As far as my Supes suggestions, it was mainly just to encourage the out of towners to really explore their options and not be completely dissuaded by the high temps, if they thought they were capable, and thought they could do it, then go for it..if any doubts then by all means play it safe, take the advice from locals and stay in the higher elevations with more available water..

I just like to harass native Arizonians who complain about the heat in the middle of summer when they are wearing shorts and flip flops..I just think to myself..you really don't know what hot is..lol..

I read somewhere once that the Afrika Korps had a ration of one canteen of water per day. (Logistics being a bit of a problem ...)

@kingsnake
That's funny you say that I almost mentioned in post that long before us young guys went to Iraq with AC hooches and vehicles our grand fathers fought in the deserts of North Africa chasing around Rommel in non AC tanks with cab temperatures around 165 degrees I am sure a few of those soldiers were farm boys from the Midwest and N Africa home to literally hottest temps on earth probably kicked their pumpkins