In addition, we resupplied in Tucson, Oracle, Superior, Payson, Mormon Lake, and Fredonia, but these resupplies require hitch-hiking or arranging a shuttle in advance. The Arizona Trail Association recommends caching of food and water. Equipment Gaiters come in handy for snow, grass seeds, and various undifferentiated desert prickles. A water filter is imperative because every other animal in the desert is drinking from the same springs you are. A tent or bug shelter may be necessary, depending on seasonal factors like rainfall and your tolerance for insects.
Tweezers are essential for removing cactus spines.
Hazards Lack of water and dehydration are the major hazards. Always carry water to your next water source, and inquire locally before heading out. In moderate temperatures you need about a gallon a day. Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park recommend two gallons of water a day for hot-weather desert travel and they run a thriving first aid business at the bottom of the canyon tending to hikers who don't listen. This seems self-evident until you consider that when exerting in hot temperatures, many hikers lose their appetites.