ARIZONA TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT

On March 27th I will be boarding a plane to Tucson, Arizona for a survival expedition in the Huachuca Mountains.  During this expedition I will have a daily journal to keep track of everything that goes on, and to turn it into a day by day blog once I return.
 

I’m excited about this trip mostly because I’ve always wanted to go to an extremely testing environment to test my survival skills.  The desert of Arizona will do just that.  In the desert almost every plant wants to stick you, the arachnids (especially scorpions), the reptiles (especially rattle snakes), and mammals are all capable of killing you with little difficulty.  It’s populations of black bears, and mountain lions have recently been joined by a budding population of jaguars (yes, those jaguars).  If the predators aren’t enough, groups of troublesome javelina also roam southern Arizona.  They don’t attack humans often, unless they are accompanied by their pets. 

On top of the animals there’s the challenge of water.  It’s still early spring in the southwest so the temperatures will be very mild.  I’m expecting 60s during the day and mid to high 30s during the night, depending on the elevation.  This will help, since I won’t dehydrate as fast.  However, it will still be a challenge to find water in this arid environment. 

Another concern is definitely going to be the border.  Though Arizona isn’t seeing nearly the violence as other border states the mountains remain a highway for illegals to slip into the United States undetected.  However, I don’t see the illegals as being much of a threat.  I’ll also be able to communicate with any Spanish speaker that I may come across, since I will be accompanied by a bush bum who speaks the language fluently, and isn’t too bad for company in general. 

Tom Moore (also known as “Wiskey Jack,” and “Tomahawk”) is the reason I’m able to go to AZ in the first place.  He has lived in the state since his college days and when I sent him an email asking what the best way to go about learning some desert survival was, he responded by inviting me out for an expedition in his favorite playground, the Huachucas.  I met Tom last July while at a professional guide training school in Aroostook County, Maine.  I’ll give you more info on him a bit later. 

I’m thrilled to be going into one of America’s most amazing wild places, and I will surely be humbled when I return home.  I will post more information about the expedition, getting there, and the great adventure that it will surely hold later.  For now, I hope you’ll follow me in my journey to the Huachucas!