A lot of the trail work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is done by volunteers. There is another service opportunity June 1. It is the 21st National Trails Day and volunteers are needed to help maintain the Appalachian Trail. Volunteers need sturdy shoes, adequate drinking water and will need to pack a lunch. At the end of the day, volunteers will be treated to...
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Hikers once again will be picking their pace and path through Pennsylvania’s bountiful outdoors when Hiking Week 2013 begins on Saturday, May 25, offering participants a variety of organized hikes across the state. “A wealth of healthy hiking activities is offered to all ages and abilities thanks to the cooperative efforts of the co-sponsoring Keystone Trails...
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The Appalachian Trail straddles the Tennessee/North Carolina state line for hundreds of miles. A particularly scenic day hike on the AT is the four mile stretch from Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion, a remote and rugged outcropping that sits on the ridge between the states. Along this sharp ridge you will pass magnificent views of the Carolina Smokies to the southeast,...
Learn MoreWant to find a spring hiking paradise: stunning views, wildflowers, intriguing rock formations, a boulder-lined river and zero crowds? Look no further than the Wind River in the 206,000-acre Gospel Hump Wilderness, Idaho. The trailhead is situated in the southern section of the wilderness, which abuts the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Main Fork of...
Learn MoreThe season for hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park officially begins Friday, May 24, 2013 when cables leading to the summit will be put in place…as long as the weather cooperates. That said, you are required to have a permit to ascend the Half Dome cables seven days per week. The majority of the permits were distributed through a lottery system...
Learn MoreWith miles of hiking and bridle trails crisscrossing the Watchung Reservation, maintenance and repair is an important, on-going task. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has the perfect opportunity for trail users who want to “give something back” to the trails they enjoy. “If you love the great outdoors and love to hike or ride horses in the Watchung...
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The N.C. Forest Service is now a quarter of the way toward its goal of creating an 8,000-acre Headwaters State Forest in southern Transylvania County, protecting one of the largest undeveloped tracts of privately owned land in Western North Carolina. Over the last three months, in partnership with The Conservation Fund and Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, the Forest...
Learn MoreBy the fifth day on the trail, the author thought he’d grown accustomed to the exotic eating habits of Matt Misterek. Earlier on their 93-mile hike around Mount Rainier, he’d seen him pull from his pack hardboiled eggs, pizza and even a small bag of ice. But as the author peeled the wrapper off of a protein bar, the same lunch he’d had the previous four days, he couldn’t...
Learn MoreThe view from Chicken Point after hiking the Broken Arrow Trail makes all those Pink Jeeps worth it. The Broken Arrow Trail is one of the most popular in the Sedona, AZ region. The round-trip hike is three miles with an elevation change of just 350 feet. The trail is unshaded and traverses slick red rock and thickets of ancient foliage. The Broken Arrow Trail runs...
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You’ve heard the phrase “take a hike,” and that’s exactly what thousands of people are doing this weekend in Damascus, Virginia. They’re hiking the Appalachian Trail to attend the 27th annual Appalachian Trail Days. If you’re wondering just how many hikers will be visiting this weekend, organizers say they’re expect to see 15,000...
Learn MoreThere’s a story in western Colorado involving Colorado National Monument that bears watching. The gist of the story is that some local community organizations are in support of redesignating the monument as a national park, but only if they can veto Park Service decisions on what uses the monument is appropriate for. Onlookers believe that this ties in to past...
Learn MoreAt first, weeds and grass grew through the trail. Not enough people walked over it to beat them down. Now, most of the two- and four-mile loops of the Serenity Trail are hard, packed dirt from thousands of walkers and runners. The direction is clear even without the countless cairns and signs marking the way. On a late April day, the trail’s founder and creator, Linda...
Learn MoreA book that aims to make hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fun and educational for kids, Scavenger Hike Adventures by Kat and John Lafevre, is on Smokies visitor center bookshelves now. The book features 13 hikes, seven are relatively easy, three are moderate and three are extreme. All are set up like scavenger hunts and lead to discoveries within the...
Learn MoreNational Kids to Parks Day is a nationwide grassroots movement which was established as part of National Park Trust’s ongoing efforts to connect youth across the country with nature and encourage them to explore outdoors – especially at parks in their communities. National Kids to Parks Day is held on the third Saturday every May and is responsible for bringing more than...
Learn MoreWarmer weather is finally here, and droves of hikers are hitting the trails in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. For some, that means a leisurely stroll along the level paths of the Davidson River in the Pisgah National Forest. For others, it means striving to climb the many steep ridges along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter which path you choose, the right foods and...
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Research shows lupus is more pervasive and more severe than people think. May is Lupus Awareness Month. Put on purple for lupus awareness and tell people why. Help the Lupus Foundation of America raise awareness of lupus and show support for those who suffer its brutal impact. THE BASICS Ask your friends, family, coworkers and employer to Put on Purple on Friday, May 17,...
Learn MoreIt appears little is free from graffiti vandalism, not even age-old saguaro cacti at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona. Park Superintendent Darla Sidles reports that at least eight saguaros and some boulders along the Douglas Springs Trail in the park’s Rincon District were tagged by the spray-paint-wielding vandals sometime last weekend. Some of the...
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May and June offer some of the most comfortable hiking conditions of the year, and the hiking opportunities for people of all ages — children through retirees — are abundant. Alarmed that so many children and teens are affixed to their video games and spend little time in outdoor activities, many groups are promoting hikes especially aimed at those age groups. Other...
Learn MoreHiking enthusiast Doug Lorain admits to having been bitten by a rattlesnake, shot at by a hunter, and charged by a grizzly bear, twice. But he still returns to the great outdoors. Lorain, who lives in Beaverton, OR, has hiked more than 30,000 miles in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, with 14,000 of those in Oregon. He is the author of 8 hiking books, with a new series...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service announced the recent completion of work to repair the scenic Max Patch area of the Appalachian Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest. “Working with Forest Service personnel, dozens of volunteers donated close to 300 hours of service to help restore this popular site, and we’re grateful for their help,” said Acting District...
Learn MoreA group of municipalities and organizations have a plan to connect a series of trails on the west side of Lake George, NY, aiming to make the region a world-class hiking and biking destination. There are opportunities for hiking and biking in the area, but if implemented, the trail connection plan could entice people to visit the area specifically for those activities,...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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