Any Experienced Hikers Here?

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Your biggest concern will be water. Semi-arid conditions (except for the river in the bottom of the canyon) means you will need to carry more water. And, since your food will most probably be dehydrated, more planning will be required to maintain your water needs. Buy a reliable water filter. NEVER drink the water you find without first filtering it, or boiling it (unless it is an absolute emergency).

A third thought on this...

Not to try to terrify you... or keep you from going on your hike...
but this is a very serious concern any hiker must have. A source of purified drinking water.

Some may tell you that the streams where you may be hiking are pure enough to drink from... and the chances are 50/50 they are right. The problem comes when you are already dehydrated and must drink unpurified water out of necessity to keep from becoming more dehydrated... then you get some waterborn illness which causes you to (ahem... how can I put this lightly) excrete excrement from your anal cavity at a rapid pace... thus hastening the thing you were trying to prevent in the first place... dehydration. Don't believe what Bear Gryls tells you on Man vs. Wild... the only way to prevent Giardia (look it up) is with a microfilter.

The main thing to remember when you're in the wilderness is oddly enough... YOU'RE IN THE WILDERNESS. Being too prepared does not exist... learning through experience is half the fun... but learning through BAD experiences is no fun at all.