And lets try this again!! Headed out on Saturday

will be going to an area not far from Tonto Creek Az, which is about 20 miles east of Payson Az.

There is an area on the road that you pass through called "Little Green Valley" and a turn off to the south that leads to Forest Road 405.  Down that road a short distance, is a trail-head into Hellsgate Wilderness, there is NO camping at that trail-head, but after you have passed it, there are occasional areas on the north side of the road where you could pull off and vehicle camp for a time.

I'm going past that a bit.. if you follow the road far enough you come to 2 campgrounds.. One is down at the Tonto Creek, in a deep canyon, and I don't recommend that folks go there with a heavy vehicle, or pulling a trailer.. but on top of the hill before you head down there is another campground near Bearhide spring (it's name eludes me at the moment)

That is where I will be setting up, and doing some hiking, further sorting what to put in my pack, and exploring the area.. it is my intent to hike to Tonto Creek, Cross country.. which could be interesting and a test of my orienteering skills!

I do not yet have a method to cook when out hiking, still working on what I'm willing to do in that respect, but as long as the vehicle is in the area, I have options.  Also, fire restrictions have not yet been put in place this year, so I can make a campfire if needed!

Update to Saturdays camp

well, I blew it.. kinda <grin>  I DID go camping for 4 days, but I didn't organize my backpack/gear as I should have.. so ended up staying in the truck camp.  It was out in the woods, away from to much of civilization, and did take walks back deeper where I had intended to pack in, but I failed in that part... I still consider it a step though!!

just more incentive to get it right next time :)  I did NOT take the good camera when I went walking, which I really regret, but will get other pics in when I get there again!

Starting to learn..

Ok, I like the thought of walking for a living <grin>  going out in any direction as I wish and finding a space to be, and be happy.

slowly, I'm moving in that direction, but in order to do so I need to learn how to cope with my fears.. Fears of being alone, fears of having animal issues in the back country, fears of running out of water, of not being able to prepare foods or start a fire based on inclement weather...

it's time to start addressing those.

I now have a pack, Water filter, few types of fire starters, water bottles, compass, maps of an area I want, Gps as a backup.. mostly I just need to go spend a couple nights and learn that not all my fears need to have the power they do in my mind..

so, my intent.. is to head out for a few days on Saturday!!  will be in the bush, no developed campgrounds, but the truck wont be too far away if I decide that I need to flee..

Wish me luck!

Book Review. "Into a Desert Place"

Overall, I enjoyed this one, though it is a bit dated at this point..  Its the story of a Scottish gentleman that decided he wanted to walk along the coastline of the Baja Peninsula...  talk about an excursion!! :)

it covers his initial efforts to get geared up and find some funding, as well as his early efforts at getting published with no experiance or contacts when starting out.. The tales of his walk are enjoayble and written in such a way that it's easy to picture what is going on and how he feels about it all.. I do think that he glosses over some areas of the hike more than I would, but then I tend to appreciate the natural world more than I do encounters with people.

what I dont know is if the dynamics of culture have changed so much since his writing that a walker would no longer receive the warm welcome that he did in so many places by the residents of Baja.  he seemed to live a charmed life in that respect for the most part, with very few people issues.

In time, he picked up a Burro to help carry the load, but for the most part he went out and did it himself with only what he was able to carry.. I have alot of respect for that.  he had the courage and tenacity that I'm still trying to find within myself!

if your a hiker, or interested in long hiking.. I would recommend it! 

1800's style camping vids, enjoy the presenter quite a bit.

Just sharing some videos that have attracted my attention... I like the thought of going with simply a bedroll and haversack, but so far its just a thought :)

Camping, Old school!

my latest Read.. Wild!

found it quite enjoyable, like her writing and answered some of my personal questions about backcountry camping.

Wild:From lost to Found

Walking today, and thinking alot.

for years, I've gone out of my way to find books about folks doing long distance walks.. Not to get from point A to B, but simply to be in the world and experience it.   Lately, I've been reading books about the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Appalachian Trail.  Part of me thinks they might be a good starting point to break out and just go..  the rest of me finds the thought of them less than attractive because they ARE trails.. I'm not much into people.. and especially on the AT I would likely run into quite a few (by my standards)

Today after the past couple days of rain, I got frustrated with the computer, got tired of the noise of the TV, and decided that spending a few hours in the woods would help to get me back on track..  it helped of course :)

I cant help wondering what it would feel like to just go.. no particular destination, no rush, hike till I feel like stopping and stop till I feel like going again.. I love the "thought" of it, but I wonder if the reality would be a disappointment.