sacks, or tents), sleeping bags, and sleeping pads completely eliminate the need to “improve” a site for comfort, warmth, or safety. The worst campsite “improvement” is a campfire ring. Campfire scars, often full of unburnable trash, mar far too many beautiful places. Never build campfires, except in an emergency. If you have a lightweight, warm sleeping bag and jacket, you’ll stay warmer than you would huddling around a campfire. You’ll also get to enjoy the wider worlds of night sounds, smells, and sky instead of a small circle of smoky light.
If you do build a campfire, never leave it unattended. Before leaving camp, put your fire out completely. To do this, mix the coals with water repeatedly until there is no heat or smoke, then feel the ashes with your hands to make certain it is out. If you can’t do this, your fire is not out. If you don’t have enough water, use dirt. This accomplishes the same thing as water but takes longer. Never leave a campfire or bury it in dirt. Campfires can easily escape from under a layer of dirt. Abandoned campfires have caused some of Arizona’s worst wildfires, including one that burned the entire Four Peaks Wilderness in 1966: more than 60,000 acres were burned. Smoking is another common cause of wildfires. In the national forests, it is illegal to smoke while traveling along the trails or cross-country. Smokers are required to stop and clear a two-foot circle to bare earth, and then make certain that all smoking materials are extinguished before leaving.
Superstition Wilderness
Once away from facilities, most people have little knowledge of basic human sanitation. Fortunately, the word has spread among backpackers and most seem to know what to do, but Arizona’s dry climate warrants special consideration. Since springs, water pockets, creeks, and rivers are especially precious here, make an extra effort to answer the call of nature at least one hundred yards from any water, preferably further. The normal practice of digging a small “cat hole” for your waste works well, except in barren, sandy soil. Try to find a spot where the soil is rich in organic material, if possible. Most rangers and land managers now recommend that all used toilet paper should be carried out. It is slow to degrade in the dry climate, and burning it poses an unacceptable fire hazard much of the year. Pack it out in doubled zipper plastic bags, and add a bit of baking soda to control the odor.
Camp at Fish Creek, Superstition Wilderness, Trip 21
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Scenery
This is the author’s opinion of the trip’s overall scenic beauty, on a scale of 1 (ugly) to 10 (unsurpassed). Obviously this rating is highly subjective and dependent on the author’s tastes. Remember that all of the trips have been carefully selected from a plethora of candidates, and all of them are scenic. Some are more scenic than others, so use this rating as a guide to relative scenic qualities.
Solitude
Most backpackers prize solitude. With this rating, you can get an idea of the degree of solitude to expect, from 1 (you’ll be elbowing your way through crowds) to 10 (you won’t see a soul, even on holiday weekends). Remember that even popular, crowded areas may be very lonely during mid-week and off-season. On the other hand, a quiet, remote area may be invaded by a large group sponsored by an organization.
Difficulty
This is another subjective rating that is intended to rate a trip’s difficulty in relation to other backpack trips. Dayhikers unaccustomed to carrying heavy loads will probably find the easiest of these trips to be strenuous, and couch potato non-hikers will have a very tough time. If you have some backpacking experience, expect a 1 to be a straightforward hike on good trails. At the other extreme, you’ll find that a 10 will probably have such obstacles as serious cross-country walking, tedious bushwhacking, difficult navigation, scarce water sources, and possible rock scrambling where packs may have to be hauled and some group members may want a belay. Backpackers attempting these most difficult trips should be fit, and at least one member of the party should be an experienced desert backpacker. Most trips in this book fall in between these limits.
Miles
This is basic mileage for the primary trip, with no side trips or options. Since official trail mileage varies widely in accuracy, the author measured the trip distance on 1:24000 scale U.S.G.S. topographic maps. Such map-derived distances tend to be slightly shorter than mileages measured with a trail wheel on the ground, but they are very consistent. A second mileage figure in parentheses below the primary number gives the total distance for the primary trip and all optional side trips described. Some of the loop trips have short-cut options that make the loop shorter. In this case the mileage in parentheses is less than the main loop mileage.
Elevation Gain
This number is an attempt to give the total elevation gain on the primary trip. It doesn’t count minor ups and downs that are too small to show on a U.S.G.S. 1:24000 topographic map. A second number in parentheses shows the elevation gain or loss for the primary trip plus all optional side trips. Some of the loop trips have short-cut options. In this case the elevation gain in parentheses may be less than that of the main loop.
Days
One hiker’s three-day backpack trip is another’s dayhike! Nevertheless, this number is the author’s recommendation, based on an average of 8 miles per day—a reasonable figure with a big pack in rough country. This figure is strongly influenced by the availability and spacing of water sources and good campsites. A second number in parentheses below the first gives the number of days required for the primary trip and all optional side trips in the description. Some of the loop hikes have an optional short cut, so the number of days required may be less.
Shuttle Mileage
If this number is 0, and the trip is a loop or an out-and-back hike, no shuttle is required. Otherwise, it shows the shortest driving distance between the beginning and ending trailheads. Remember to schedule enough time at the start and end of your hike to drive the shuttles. In a few areas, it’s possible to hire a shuttle service that will drop you off at the starting trailhead, and then move your vehicle to the exit trailhead. Such services save a lot of time, and are listed under the contact information if available.
Maps
Each hike in the book includes an accurate sketch map to give you a general idea of the layout of the trip. You should also carry a topographic map covering the area. The most detailed maps are the U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute series of quadrangles, and the names of the maps covering the hike are always listed. If there is also an agency-issued or privately produced wilderness or recreation map covering the hike, its name is listed. These maps may have less terrain detail, but road and trail information is usually updated more often.
Season
The months listed are those in which the hike is possible, either snow-free for mountain hikes, or when the weather is reasonably cool for desert hikes.
Best
These months represent my opinion of when it’s the best time to do the trip, a decision that is strongly influenced by the availability of water. Lesser factors include fall colors and wildflowers. Of course, most areas are at their most crowded during the best season; if solitude is your primary consideration, consider an off-season.
Water
The availability of water controls the planning of most
