Right now, the heat sounds really good. We just got another 9 inches of heavy snow last night. Pine tree branches are hanging low from the weight. It would be beautiful if it wasn't Springtime. My typing here is a 'delay tactic', as I have to go out and shovel the driveway and roof edges before work.

Somehow, my wife acquired the belief that scorpions can pop up out of the ground virtually anywhere, and do so for nefarious reasons. As we hike, I'm sure she will be laser-focused on ground dwelling critters.

We are looking at our water carry options, and based on your advice, we may go with our Kelty Oriole lumbar packs. I think we can pack two liters of water in each of those. We have a few backpacks already including a Redwing already outfitted with reservoir, and we were teetering on purchasing a generic Camelback with 2L reservoir, but you all confirmed that those would be too hot to wear comfortably. It looks we will pack the Kelty Redwing and two Kelty Orioles for this trip to give us carry options.

Buffalo is on the menu! At home the only red meat we eat is venison and grass-fed beef. Buffalo fits right in with our lifestyle. If we can get to some of the places that Hikermor recommends, we will definitely stop in for a BB.

Good advice also on temp swings. We will be in the Flagstaff area as we check out out the meteor crater, and we're going to Homolovi, an archaeological site featuring the ruins of Native American and Mormon villages. Heavy hooded sweatshirts are now on the list.

Thanks for the advice and well-wishes. When we get back, I'll post some pictures here.