big man tips

BUTTE CREEK TRAIL Butte Creek Bridge at Stricklin Park Besides packing the usual gear and water, hikers on Prescott�s Butte Creek Trail #321 should be prepared to duck.   That�s because the 1.6-mile city-managed section of the route passes through the private Hassayampa Golf Club.   Part of the trail goes through a private golf community  This pleasantly diverse pathway that skirts manicured greens and glass-faced homes with wrap-around balconies provides alternative access to the Thumb Butte Area in Prescott National Forest.   The trail begins at Stricklin Park where a bridge embellished with whimsical dragonfly sculptures crosses Butte Creek.   Fragrant cliffrose Even in drier years like this one, the creek corridor is alive with greenery. Canyon grapes thrive near the creek Massive Fremont cottonwood trees sway above a meandering strip of willows, oaks, wild roses, reeds, Canyon grape vines and boxelders.   The well-marked trail wanders through a shady, boulder-lined woodland before

The Trails at Desert Mountain China Wall Loop  At the risk of inciting an uproar, be warned--I�m about to write about private hiking trails. I hear you. What? Why? Don�t tease me!   In fact, I wrestled with this one myself, and ultimately decided that although only residents and invited guests may hike on The Trails at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, the story of their development is an inspiration. A Sugar Sumac tree shades a trail   Many of us traipse along Arizona trails never giving a thought about how they got there or who takes care of them.   Desperados Trail Scouts prep to lead guided hikes Some hikers I�ve encountered believe that tax dollars and some mysterious well-funded branch of government plans, builds and hires the magic fairies who fix damage and haul out dog poop and trash.   Although some trails are within the domain of federal, state and city governments, they may also receive additional support non-profit agencies and volunteers. Other trails exist solely by the eff

Maricopa County Regional Parks Offer Safe & Fun Memorial Day Weekend Events Yavapai Point at Lake Pleasant Regional Park This Memorial Day weekend, don�t let forest closures, wildfires, crowds, holiday traffic and the unfortunate presence of drunks drivers on the freeways prevent you from enjoying the outdoors.   If you�re opting to avoid the holiday maelstrom by sticking around the Valley this weekend, consider getting re-acquainted with the Maricopa County Regional Parks system.   Early morning and evening programs and ranger-led hikes offer quick and easy ways to get outside year-round.   Here are just a few examples of fun things to do. Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, Cave Creek Life Along the Creek Hike Jewel of the Creek  at Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area Friday, May 25: Life along the Creek.   Hike with Ranger Kevin through a rare riparian area on Cave Creek while learning about the fascinating survival skills of the site�s plants, animals and ancient human inhabita

MORE FOREST CLOSURES EFFECTIVE May 23, 2018: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/news-events CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: Fossil Creek, San Francisco Peaks, Mt Elden, Fisher Point-Fay Canyon Area, Mormon Mountain, Mogollon Rim south of SR87, parts of the Arizona Trail, Kachina Trail. Closures will stand until conditions improve.  

Arizona Forests and Recreation Areas to Close Due to High Fire Danger Extremely dry conditions and high fire danger are triggering closures of some Arizona public lands. CLOSURES BEGIN WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018. Lands under Stage III Fire restrictions mean there's NO ACCESS.  This includes hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, picnics---everything.  Restrictions began rolling out today and will remain in effect until conditions improve. Know before you go.  Closures will be strictly enforced and violators will face steep fines and possible jail time. FIRE RESTRICTIONS AZ: https://firerestrictions.us/az/ COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/coconino KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab APACHE-SITGREAVES NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf TONTO NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/coronado PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST https://www.fs.usda.gov/prescott

Ghost of the Coyote Trail #641 Much of the Ghost of the Coyote trail follows old roads One of the coolest trail names in Arizona teases of a place steeped in magic and mystery, but the reality of the subject path is decidedly earthy.   Ghost of the Coyote Trail sounds like the kind of name a bunch of weary ranchers would come up with while sharing stale campfire coffee, a flask of booze and a pot of beans. The experience of hiking the trail aligns with this vision.  White Mountains vista can be had on the trail highpoints With its imagination-seizing moniker, the 13-mile, double loop trail located just a mile north of State Route 260 in the town of Linden,  drips with cowboy culture in a classic rangeland setting.   Open range on the long loop The 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Fire (the second largest blaze in Arizona history), stripped many of the big trees along the route, leaving precious little shade. The land is recovering nicely and most of the charred trees have been harvested or have dis

Two Events Will Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Arizona National Trail System Act Passage 1 at Mexico border Help celebrate the 50 th Anniversary of the Arizona Trail System Act and the 25th anniversary of the trail, by participating in one or both of two commemorative events.   Passage 28 AZT IN A DAY On Saturday, October 8, 2018, hundreds of trail users across the state will join to collectively complete the entire 800-mile Arizona Trail in a single day.   Be part of history--sign up to hike, bike, run or ride a segment on this epic occasion. Near Saddle Mountain Golden Spike: Gila River Canyons 50 FOR 50 Sign up to complete at least 50 miles of the Arizona Trail on your own during 2018 and you�ll receive a cool 50 th Anniversary patch! Overlooking Kearny Alamo Canyon Flagstaff REGISTER HERE: https://aztrail.org/events/50th-anniversary-events/ -->

[120] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is an interview with Marion Bogo and  Toula Kourgiantakis from the University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work . We talk about using simulation in social work education. In Episode 94, I spoke with Marion and Mary Rawlings about simulation as part of standardized clinical examinations (OSCE) . Today's interview focuses on how simulation can be used to teach holistic competence. They talked about how in the late 2000s, they recognized that there were several problems with the existing model of teaching students practice skills. Their solution was to simulate real-world problems so that students could practice specific skills, get feedback, and improve their practice. In today's episode,  Marion and Toula detail the steps necessary for creating simulations, how they involved field supervisors in the development of client simulations, the iterative nature of improving the simulations over time, and an innovat