Grand Enchantment Trail

[surridge]

Hey everyone, new to the site! My Girlfriend/hiking partner and I are n the early stages of planning our thru hike of GET for Spring '15. Really excited about this trail. I live in the Pac NW so spring in the SW sounds amazing. Doing some early gear assessments and would like some recommendations from folks who have experience in this area. Some things I've been looking at specifically are stove, solar power, and food hanging.

Since Heet seems to be an unreliable find on the trail I've been thinking about something like the bush buddy or firefly or trail designs caldera cones. Anyone use these in the SW? Availability of twigs and such in the desert?

Solar Power to charge iphone? Have found this one: http://www.gofastandlight.com/Powerf...PO-PWRFILMUSB/

Any other recs for light weight solar charger?

How about bear bag hanging? I'm assuming this will mostly be for mini-bears? I know there are bears in mountainous areas but assume I'll be able to hang there. What about in more desert areas? Do we need to hang or can we sleep w/ food w/o problems?

Any other recommendations or ideas are welcomed!

[PaulMags]

I would NOT use a bush buddy in the southwest. Too many fire bans make it a stove that is probably not suitable for the wild-fire prone AZ and NM areas.

Even alcohol stoves may be suspect. I'd go stoveless or use a canister stove personally.

I tend to sleep with food in those areas.

[surridge]

Mags, thanks for the opinion. I am definitely worried about fire bans. Think I'll plan to sleep with the food.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I have some experience with the PowerFilm USB+AA charger, and find that it works pretty well. If interested you can check out our full review back in Issue 7:

http://www.trailgroove.com/issue7.html?autoflip=53

[Dogwood]

I only went from Apache Junction to Clifton/Morenci this spring on the GET. You'll find HEET in enough places to get you through those miles especially if limiting your heated meals which may make sense as you'd probably have very warm to HOT weather as I did at low elev. Though I did experience downright chilly to cold nights in the Sky Islands above 8000 ft and I didn't even get into the highest elevations in New Mexico. I did drop boxes w/ the occasional Iso canister. You will find sticks to make fires throughhout the GET I would think but take MAGS advice into careful consideration. Join the GET discussion group as Blisterfree, the creator of the route and intimately familiar w/ its logistics, usually answers questions in a timely manner. I should have listened to him about starting earlier WEBO as he suggested.

Yes, there are bears in AZ ands NM. I saw several. They were all mini bears either. I never hung my food bag but I keep a rather clean kit and camp. I got a little lazy. Beware of the rodents and the cooatamundi too. In Aravaipa Canyon I saw a large Moma bear, two fat cubs, all of whom were stomping brush seeking a meal and was awakened by a marauding band of more than 8 inquisitive cooati one morning.

I'll be hiking the rest of the GET next yr prolly in the spring.