Two questions about hiking gear for those who hike around the valley

[redjan1225]

I must look like a tourist. Usually, I carry a bottle of water, but if my dog is with me, I wear a fanny pack in addition to a bottle of water or two. In the fanny pack I carry tweezers (to pull cactus needles out of my dog's paw), my phone, Chapstick, maybe a snack, matches, a compass, and a glow stick. I guess I like to take the McGyver approach to safety.

[locolobo13]

Originally Posted by redjan1225

I must look like a tourist. Usually, I carry a bottle of water, but if my dog is with me, I wear a fanny pack in addition to a bottle of water or two. In the fanny pack I carry tweezers (to pull cactus needles out of my dog's paw), my phone, Chapstick, maybe a snack, matches, a compass, and a glow stick. I guess I like to take the McGyver approach to safety.

Comb. Carry a comb to get out cholla nodes. Works better than pliers or tweezers.

[Xica_da_Silva]

I'm more like LocoAZnative...I just like to throw on a shirt, sweatpants, shoes and go.

Whether I bring any water or not depends on what time of year it is. During the height of summer(July and August), I'll bring a couple of small bottles for 1-2 hrs hike...but I also only go in the early morning (before 8am), so it's not as hot, and I can take advantage of any valley shadows
to cool off.

Otherwise, the only other thing I really like to have with me is sunglasses, because the glare can be a bit much at times.

Snakes? The only time I ever saw one was on a trail in Sedona. Anyhow, I thought they usually come out during low light hours(less heat, I would imagine), and would be more common off the trails. A good reason to stay on the well-trodden paths.

[locolobo13]

Yep, it's very rare to see snakes around here. In 20 yrs of hiking around the Phx Mtns I've seen only 2. If you want to see pic go here:

Dreamy Draw Sidewinder on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/res1due/4293086548/in/set-72157621856568659/ - broken link)