Weather

Considering most of my romping is done in the PNW, and the trip I am discussing here is in Phoenix, it probably is worth quickly mentioning climate considerations even before weather. Climate is the generalized, longer term, view of weather over time. The climate of Phoenix is considerably different than Seattle.  Seattle will have more than 150 days of rain a year, Phoenix maybe 30. Does this bring any special considerations? It’s likely to be much warmer and much dryer. Sun lotion and chapstick are essentials. Dry climate trails are often very dusty or sandy. Might be worth having gaiters. But importantly, even at similar temperatures, the dry desert air will result in a warmer feel as the radiant energy from the sun passes right through the atmosphere and much quicker water loss. Water is going to be critical and an important part of the planning.

So, consider the big picture climate first, and then focus on the weather, the near-in forecast for the days of your travel.

When it comes to weather, I usually rely on the National Weather Service Forecast from NOAA. But, I again use CalTopo as the launch board. Enabling the weather grid will overlay a series of dots onto the map. Each dot can be set to show the 24hr high, 24hr low, precipitation, wind, or other data points. However, you can also simply click on one of the dots to jump to the NOAA forecast for that specific location.

From the NOAA forecast you can get a really localized perspective of all sorts of weather parameters. Looking at this hourly view for the weekend, it’s looking like midday highs will be around 75°F and night time lows will be in the 50’s (the red line graph is Temperature).  A warmer temp sleeping bag or quilt will be a good choice.

And looking at precipitation (the brown line in this next graph), it’s probably a pretty safe bet that I won’t need to pack rain clothes.

It’s a good idea to periodically check the weather forecast right up until the day of travel to ensure you are aware of any last minute changes.

Once you have a good sense of the predicted weather, you can adjust your kit accordingly. While I don’t practice ultra-lightweight backpacking, I do minimize my pack to what I need for the conditions and goals of my trip. By knowing the weather, I will know if I need micro-spikes, hiking poles, extra layers, sleeping bag liners, or rain gear. But, the weather analysis doesn’t necessarily end here, not if I am out for more than a few days at a time.

While on the trail, I will always take a Garmin inReach emergency communication device. The inReach also has the ability to receive weather reports, so I will update my weather while on the trail if there is uncertainty in the longer term forecast. Obviously while out on the trail I won’t be able to re-pack, but I will be able to adjust my expectations for the day ahead and I may adjust my plan if very poor weather is expected (for example, stopping short of a summit camp spot to stay in a lower elevation shelter if severe thunderstorms are imminent).

Natural Environment

We’ve already touched on the environment slightly when considering the climate, but the natural environment includes the biome (the flora and fauna) as well as that natural physical elements like the geological composition of the area. In the case of this trip, the Biome of the broader Phoenix area is desert, or xeric shrubland. Already this gives you a sense of what to expect in terms of the natural environment and you may already possess enough knowledge to be satisfied. To be honest, many aspects of this part of my planning process are to fulfill natural curiosity and develop interest in a location. That may or may not be important to you so you may not do a lot of research here, but I would suggest that everyone should at least consider those aspects that may affect safety or comfort.

Fauna

From a safety perspective, are there any apex predators in the area? These are the animals at the top of the food chain and often larger, bolder, and potentially more dangerous than others. The typical animals that should come to mind include wolves, bears, cougars, and crocodiles. And there are others that rise to the level of apex in some areas, like the coyote in regions without wolves. Does the presence of one of these predators in the area affect your planning? Do you need to pack differently, for example using a bear canister? Do you need to carry additional gear, like pepper spray? Do you need to be more aware of silent stalkers?

Are there threats apart from apex predators? There are plenty of smaller animals that can also present some form of risk. Are there poisonous snakes? Are there aggressive territorial animals, like wolverines or boars? How about curious animals like racoons? Or nuisance animals like rodents? What considerations does the presence of these animals bring to mind?  Will you need a critter-proof way of storing your food? Do you have the skills and resources to properly hang your food?

Covering each of these animals and how to prepare for them is beyond the scope of this article, but know that you should do your research, understand the risks, and prepare accordingly.

Beyond safety, I enjoy becoming familiar with the local fauna, looking for them while I hike, discovering tracks, and hopefully getting lucky enough to take some decent pictures. The resources are just too varied to list here and really dependent on where you are hiking, so my primary recommendation is to simply refer to the websites for the land agency responsible for the area where you’ll be heading. They often have great information. And then simply search the Internet. With a search like “Fauna of Tonto National Forest” I will immediately see that in addition to a couple of apex predators (mountain lion and arguably the black bear) as well as snakes (the Rattlesnake will be something to keep an eye out for) but also some other interesting animals like the cats, and birds.

Your level of interest will determine what warrants additional research, but even if you just have a passing interest I would suggest you may want to consider some apps like iNaturalist for recording your sightings. Or some specific apps like BirdNET for bird call identification or various guides to birds, animal tracks, butterflies, and other insects. I personally find it sometimes useful to have electronic versions of field guides as well (I use the Kindle app on my smartphone). See Resources for more.

Flora

Again, starting with safety considerations first, are their plants that present a risk to your adventures? Are there plants poisonous to the touch, like Poison Ivy and Oak, Stinging Nettles, or Poison Sumac.  Ensure you know how to identify, avoid, and are equipped to treat contact with these plants. Are there other types of considerations, like cactuses that may affect what you plan to wear?

From the perspective of simple interest, I enjoy looking out for flowers and other interesting plants, taking photographs, and identifying the plants that I encounter. There are several good apps that help with identification, including Seek, LeafSnap, and PictureThis.  Seek is part of iNaturalist and free, though the results are often quite broad. Perhaps identifying a class of plant (and animals actually), but not the specific species. LeafSnap and PictureThis are better at getting to a specific classification but you will have to pay to get the most from them.

Are there any other apps, guides, or field books that you find useful in the backcountry? If so, let me know in the comments below!

Geology

For the budding geologist, it can be particularly fun to look at the various rock formation as you hike an imagine how they were formed and how the affects of time and geological forces shaped the land you are walking upon. As with the biome, there is often useful information to be found on the land agency websites. Perhaps one of the most comprehensive sites though is the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Mineral Resources guide which contains a wealth of information and raw data to comb through. And as well the USGS’s MapView which will allow you to visually browse the geology of the US and access nicely detailed maps of macro-geology within the US. As an example, in the area for this trip will mostly be within an area designated as “Volcanic rocks” or “Volcanic and sedimentary rocks”.  Not very precise.

Another interesting tool, at the macro level, is Flyover Country. It’s surprisingly useful considering it’s really intended to provide a macro view of the world below as you fly over it. But it also has a “land” mode and can even download the data for the region where you’ll be traveling. It will show you general geological area like land types (e.g. Middle Proterozoic Granitic Rocks), fault lines, and some detail about prominent features of the landscape. But again, not much in the way of specific localized rocks or land formations.  If you want more than “Undifferentiated Eocene” and are looking for some specific way to identify a sample of rock directly in front of you, you will then rely upon guides in the field and you need to generally know how to identify rock types.  The app, Geology Rocks – Handbook of Rocks, has some decent flow charts to assist with this. And the premium app, Geology Toolkit, has a wealth of information including 3-D models of minerals (requires Internet access, so not as useful in backcountry), identification guides, geological map data, and a lot of instructional content.

History

Knowing if a little about the history of the area you are romping in, be it natural history or social and cultural history, can really add to the sense of adventure. Just looking at a trail name can lead you down a path of discovery that unravels how the trail came to exist, the people that used it, or adventures that occurred there. Was there use of the land by indigenous peoples? Are there artifacts or other interesting archeological features worth exploring?  This is a really broad topic and so specific as to not really lend itself to any real recommendations other than to generally research the area, place names, and even local lore.