Planning and Prepping for the Sky Islands Traverse

Planning and Prepping for the Sky Islands Traverse Those of us who dwell in southern Arizona are familiar with Sky Islands – the forested archipelago at the tops of the mountains, isolated from one another by a surrounding sea of desert. The Rincons, Catalinas, and Santa Ritas are known to Tucsonans, but there are actually…

Havasupai On My Mind

Summit Hut Gearhead & Contributing Blogger- Summit Hut Oro Valley Store Manager, Jeremy Asher. February 1st is coming up fast, and you know what that means… This is your opportunity to secure some much sought after Havasupai Permits! I had the chance to go and visit Havasupai for the first time several years ago and…

The Spiritual Elements of Nepal’s Prayer Flags

Seen everywhere in the mountains, valleys and sacred sites of Nepal, prayer flags are a symbol of peace, goodwill and compassion. Originating in Tibet, early versions of prayer flags were used in battle. But as time passed, the flags came to take on more spiritual meaning. Each of the five colors are always arranged from…

Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 7 – The Last Leg

The last leg of my AZT adventure – Flagstaff to Utah- was both eventful and spectacular. On the morning of May 13th (Day 53), my two travelling companions and I, met up at the corner of Ponderosa Pkwy and Route 66 in Flagstaff and headed northward, stocked to the gills as our provisions needed to…

Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 2 – A Shaky Start

Almost everybody has many demands on their time; I am in this group. Long story short, I started the AZT exhausted. Because I was exhausted, I needed some rest and therefore got a late start leaving Tucson for the trailhead in Mexico. Thankfully, I was well organized ahead of time, so it could have been…

West Fork Backpacking

I sometimes wander back to the maps area at Summit Hut and stare at all the amazing trails around Tucson that I haven’t yet explored. For months, I’ve had my eye on the West Fork trail between Sabino Canyon and Romero Pass. The trail traverses the massive and remote Sabino Basin, flanked by the Catalina…