A new wooden walkway in New York’s Adirondack Mountains takes nature lovers on a tour of the treetops to let them experience the forest from the perspective of the birds and beasts that live there.
The $5.5 million Wild Walk is set on the 80 wooded acres of the Wild Center, an interactive natural history museum in Tupper Lake, NY.
It opened Saturday, July 4, 2015. The elevated trail has a series of winding bridges and platforms 40 feet above the ground.
Visitors can climb through a realistic four-story replica of a hollow pine tree, gaze at Adirondack peaks from a lofty eagle’s nest or bounce in a giant spider’s web.
Museum director Stephanie Ratcliffe says the Wild Walk expands on the nature center’s work of connecting people with nature.
The 40-year-old dad of four early Thursday, July 9, 2015 trotted down a rain-soaked Longs Peak, completing his inspiring quest for a speed record climbing all 58 points over 14,000 feet in Colorado at 2:21 a.m. — a total of nine days, 21 hours and 51 minutes. Hamilton has raced up and down the state’s highest peaks, setting a blistering pace that eclipsed all who went before him in the rarefied world of speed mountain climbing.
The Denver-based climber caught snippets of sleep in the last nine days, relentlessly jogging up and down peaks across the state. Amazingly, Hamilton adhered closely to a meticulously assembled plan that charted each trail, trailhead, ascent and road he would need to follow to make his record-setting time.
Monsoon rains and lingering snow conspired to thwart Hamilton, but his perseverance — plodding through oxygen-deprived sleeplessness on steep rocky trails — prevailed. After midnight on Wednesday morning, Hamilton was climbing Quandary Peak. By dawn he was running up and down Torreys and Grays peaks. He had summited Mount Bierstadt and Mount Evans by 2 p.m. Wednesday, when he jumped in a car driven by his loyal crew and raced to Rocky Mountain National Park, presumably sleeping the entire ride.
He rested for less than three hours at the Longs Peak trailhead before starting up the trail at 7:17 p.m., climbing through rain and fog toward the famed Keyhole Route.
“You have to have a certain amount of intensity to be able to keep going when things are really rough and it’s two in the morning and you are on some vertical cliff with 500 feet of exposure and there are 20 mile-per-hour winds and you are all by yourself and you are fatigued,” said a good friend and support staff. “But you also need a certain calmness in your nature to pull through the rough spots and keep pushing. You need that intensity and that calmness of nature to be able to break through a record like this.”
Perhaps you’ve hiked the Alum Cave Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the last few weeks. Then you know that The Friends of the Smokies Trails Forever crew is making progress on the restoration of this popular trail.
The 11-person National Park Service crew is joined by 21 Conservation Corps members on Monday through Thursday. The trail work started in May 2015 and will continue through mid-November for this phase of the work and will continue during 2016. On trail work days, the trail is closed to hikers. But the trail is open Friday through Sunday.
The crew is rebuilding the staircase through Arch Rock, moving the staircase toward the center of the rock formation to make the lower half of the climb less step, explained Josh Shapiro, Trail Crew Leader. The crew also is improving the trail surface in sections – removing roots and rocks, digging drains, and cutting back vegetation.
Volunteers can join the Trails Forever crew on Wednesdays but must register in advance with Alan Chapman, Trails Volunteer Coordinator — [email protected] or call 828-497-1949. Only those who are scheduled to be volunteers are allowed to work with the trail crew.
This year, the park has requested $244,300 from Friends of the Smokies to complete Phase 1 of the 2-year rehabilitation project. The Trails Forever crew previously restored Forney Ridge Trail and Chimney Tops Trail , working three years on each trail.
Lee County, Florida Parks & Recreation invites visitors and residents to explore the new hiking and equestrian trails at Conservation 20/20’s Buckingham Trails Preserve located in east Fort Myers.
The preserve provides a newly built parking area and trail system totaling more than 7 miles. There are 2.3 miles of hiking trails and 4.8 miles for both horseback riding and hiking.
This 572-acre preserve features scrubby and mesic flatwoods along with several small wetland systems and cultural resources associated with the property’s past military use. The trail system has several historic elements, including the remnants of trap ranges and two ground-moving target ranges. Educational signs are continually being added to the site.
Wildlife species onsite include the threatened gopher tortoise, Florida sandhill crane and the Cooper’s hawk. Many invasive plant species have been removed. Recreation opportunities include bird watching, hiking trails, horseback riding, nature study and photography.
After more than two months of walking, the generosity of strangers is what surprises Natalie Koffarnus the most.
The Wisconsin resident on May 3 set out on the Ice Age Trail from St. Croix Falls with the goal of walking the entire 1,200-mile path to Potawatomi State Park by Aug. 1. It’s the kindness of people she’s never met that has helped her along the way.
Trail “angels” are Ice Age Trail Alliance members who offer food, refreshments or shelter to hikers such as Koffarnus. Member Bob Baker accompanied Koffarnus on her journey for a short time as she passed through the Janesville portion of the trail, the southern-most tip before it turns north.
At the end of each week, a nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars member picks up Koffarnus and lets her shower, eat and do her laundry before giving her a place to stay for the night.
“For anybody who doesn’t believe in the goodness of people, go for a walk and you’ll be startled at how good everyday people are,” the 30-year-old hiker said.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the temporary closure of three trail sections in the lower Forney Creek Trail area for a trail rehabilitation project that will include work on the Lakeshore, White Oak Branch, and Forney Creek trails. Mechanized equipment will be used to significantly improve the condition and sustainability of these trails. The project will include re-establishing the trail surface, installing sustainable drainage features, and constructing locust log structures.
Lakeshore Trail from the Tunnel Trailhead to White Oak Branch Trail will be closed Monday through Thursday, July 13 through July 23, 2015. This 1.9-mile section of Lakeshore Trail will be inaccessible to all users for the 8 days of the closure. During the closure, users may still access the Tunnel Bypass Trail and the Goldmine Loop Trail from Lakeview Drive for out-and-back hikes and use of backcountry campsite 67.
The 1.8-mile White Oak Branch Trail will be closed every day from July 27 through August 20, 2015. During this closure, users can use the Forney Creek Trail for routes that access the Lakeshore Trail.
Forney Creek Trail, from White Oak Branch Trail to Jonas Creek Trail, will be closed Monday through Thursday, August 24 through September 24, 2015 except for Labor Day. During the closure, this 2.5-mile section of Forney Creek Trail will be inaccessible to all users. In addition to being open Friday through Sunday each week, the trail will also be open on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, September 7.
All backcountry campsites remain open during these closures. For assistance planning an itinerary in this area, please contact the Backcountry Information Office at 865-436-1297.
For more information on road and trail closures, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.
Within the deep emerald twilight of the north woods, as the smell of pine and moss gives way to the lake-crisp air and the windblown expanse of Lake Superior washing up against the sandstone cliffs and rocky beaches, it’s easy to forget all of the stresses of civilization. On the North Country Trail — the longest and one of the wildest trails in the U.S. — you can.
If Gov. Rick Snyder’s plans come to fruition, the North Country Trail will form 1,069 miles of the proposed Iron Belle Trail, traversing forest, wetlands, Lake Superior shoreline and picturesque northern towns from Ironwood in the western U.P. to Detroit’s Belle Isle.
Lorana Jinkerson, president of the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan chapter of the North Country Trail Hikers based in Marquette, hopes the excitement surrounding the proposed Iron Belle will bring increased funding, support and hikers to Michigan’s sections of the North Country Trail. The more people hiking the trail, the more volunteers, donations, grants and sponsorships can be secured to maintain it, she said.
More hikers such as Dawn Bower, a resident of Grand Rapids who hiked 100 miles of the trail near Pictured Rocks and Marquette this spring. She plans to hike through the rest of the U.P. in two sections over the next year. “When you start hiking the trail, you start noticing all of the beauty that is in front of you.” Bower said. “It’s just phenomenal how simply gorgeous it is.”
Much of that beauty is accessible because of volunteers like Jinkerson and her group, who keep the trail open to hikers by keeping it clearly marked and cleared of overgrowth, and by working with local landowners to keep the proper easements in place.
The same elevation changes crowded into a small space that make Payson so diverse when it comes to scenery, plants and animals, also provide some of the most scenic and interesting hiking, biking and horseback riding trails in Arizona. For starters, the area boasts hundreds of miles of trails through the national forests, along streams, lakes and ridgelines.
But that’s not all: Payson also has developed one of the most extensive networks of hiking and biking trails in the state — which pass through town and connect to the wealth of Forest Service trails just outside of town. Day-trippers can amble for some 3.8 miles along an easy trail that hugs the banks of Horton Creek, or set off for a 50-mile adventure along the Highline Trail.
Photographers and scenery junkies can stroll along a trail that hugs the edge of the Mogollon Rim, with its spectacular sunsets and a chance to watch the clouds roll across a forested landscape 1,500 feet below. Some strenuous trails crawl up through canyons that top out on the Rim. Others follow streams, like the East Verde, Tonto Creek and Horton Creek.
Closer to town — usually right out the front door of the hotel — Payson is also developing the Payson Area Trails System. So far, the town has completed 30 miles of the 50-mile system, which lead through town and out into the forest. Those town trails include the Boulders, Houston and Monument Peak loop trails.
Here is a sampling of the trails in the Arizona Rim Country…
The hills surrounding the Vail Valley in central Colorado really come alive in the summer months, when aspen leaves quiver in the wind and blankets of wildflowers spread across miles of meadows.
Hit the trails with some help from the new Vail Hiking Center in Lionshead, located near the Eagle Bahn gondola at the base of the mountain.
“The Vail Hiking Center is our new one-stop-shop for hiking information at Vail,” said Jonno Goldstein, hiking center and guided activities supervisor at Vail. “Whether you are looking to get yourself outfitted for your first hike, looking for the trailhead for your next outing, have a question about a particular flower you saw on the trail or are looking for a guide to facilitate your Vail hiking adventure, we have the answers to get you stepping in the right direction.”
Information on trails off of Vail Mountain can be accessed at the resource center as well. Locals and guests can stop by to pick up a guide book or map of the area. “Our team is always ready to direct hikers to their favorite trails in the area, whether or not those hikes are on Vail Mountain,” Goldstein said.
If individuals or groups are seeking to explore the high alpine areas found above and around the valley, he said the Vail Hiking Center works with the Beaver Creek Hiking Center to get visitors on mountains that are 12-, 13- and 14-thousand feet in elevation.
The National Park Service maintains over 800 miles of trails (walking and equestrian) within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whether your interests lie in a handful of hiking experiences or completing all the park has to offer, it goes without saying that good planning and organization is required. If you want to expand your hiking experience and tackle all of the trails, you need to understand a few tricks in efficiency and how to get to and from some of the remote park trails; and to complete all 800 miles of hiking trails, you have to hike a few of the same trails more than once.
Liz Etnier is a member of the Great Smoky Mountains 900-miler Club (the club name that is bestowed upon those who have “hiked them all”) and author of Day Hiker’s Guide to All The Trails in the Smoky Mountains. She has made Knoxville her home for the past 50 years, with the exception of summers, where she lives with her husband David at their remote island on the Minnesota-Ontario border.
Roots Rated sat down with Liz to talk about how she completed all the trails, the amount of hard work it took to then write a book about it, how you can get started with a few selected short hikes, and some additional research she has completed to enhance even more of a day hiker’s knowledge.
Here are some of her fascinating answers…
Recently, I have been getting a lot of e-mails and questions about how to make a living or start a business in the Outdoor Industry. So I thought I’d write a post about my experience and nine lessons I’ve learned as the founder and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company.
There are risks and hardships that are involved in backcountry camping and starting your own company.
I started my company as a naïve 24 year-old who wasn’t thinking entrepreneurially, but rather as an idealist who wanted to help other people get outdoors. It sounded fun. What could be better than encouraging folks to get out on the trail, right?
Much like my attitude towards hiking the Appalachian Trail at age 21. I am glad that I started my company before “I knew any better.” If I had been aware of all the 24-7 complexities of self-employment, plus the liability, plus the pressure and lack of security – not to mention horrible health insurance options, then I would probably be working for someone else right now. Which might be more secure, but probably not as fulfilling.
If you don’t know how to backpack or run a business, then you’d better be able to adapt pretty quickly.
I learned pretty quickly that it doesn’t matter what industry you work in, there will still be administrative, accounting, marketing, and management needs. And when you start your own business as a sole-proprietor you will be fulfilling all of those demands. You have to be able to stay on your toes and adapt to your environment or else you will most likely get off the trail and do something different. It’s a fact that most small businesses fail in the first three years and most thru-hikers quit on the first half of the trail.
A dozen writers and photographers from five eastern newspapers were on top of Springer Mountain, southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. They were poised to take the first step of a 2,158-mile adventure along one of the world’s premier hiking trails, a serpentine footpath tripping over the ridge tops of 14 states from Georgia, through Pennsylvania, to Maine.
It is a long way, this sylvan slipper. So long that for the next seven months, as they took turns hiking northeast, the trail disappeared into a long green tunnel, or over a rise, or around a lake, or down a switchback.
For a modern adventurer in America, hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail — what enthusiasts call a thru-hike — rates somewhere on the first hand when you tick off the best of America’s outdoor quests. The Appalachian Trail is a long, testing journey of discovery. The trail is important not so much for what you find there — because many have traveled that way before — but for what you bring to the search.
Benton MacKaye, a Connecticut Yankee and Harvard forestry school graduate, never even considered that people would thru-hike the trail when he wrote about it in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects in 1921. Instead, he envisioned the trail as the backbone of a recreational network providing a refuge from the pressures of modern society and an opportunity for rejuvenation.
This summer it will be increasingly obvious to Jenny Lake visitors that Inspiring Journeys—the multimillion dollar renewal effort at Jenny Lake for the NPS centennial in 2016—is well underway. The second of four construction seasons started in May and, as with last year, the primary focus is on backcountry trail work. In September, physical changes in the frontcountry will also start to become apparent and will impact late season visitors.
• The lakeshore trail on the southwest segment of the Jenny Lake trail system is now open for public use. Thanks to Grand Teton National Park trail crew members, the trail has improved substantially and was raised by 2 feet, making it easier to maintain and more enjoyable for hikers.
• The trail segment from Hidden Falls to Inspiration Point will be closed all summer while crews reconstruct bridges, rock walls, and trail tread. Inspiration Point will be accessed via the horse trail, a forested route that connects Cascade Canyon to the lakeshore trail. To access Hidden Falls, hikers will follow the classic route from the west boat dock and walk about one half of a mile to the falls. Combining these two destinations into one hike will require more time and distance than usual due to the temporary trail closure. Signs are posted along the trails to notify visitors of reroutes, be sure to check-in at a visitor center for current trail updates.
• After Labor Day, underground infrastructure and utility work will begin in the visitor plaza and campground areas. A temporary visitor center will be moved to the south Jenny parking lot and will be readied to serve the public beginning spring 2016. The parking lot will be restriped to accommodate vehicular traffic and maximize parking efficiency in the condensed parking lots.
This July we’re celebrating 30 years of Park and Recreation Month and the enduring importance of parks and recreation for the world. From the start, parks were created to serve the people—to give them a place to appreciate nature, exercise, socialize and have fun. This mission lives on and will continue to intensify into the future. This July, let’s celebrate the past, present and future of parks and recreation.
Each July since 1985, America has celebrated Park and Recreation Month. A program of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the goal is to raise awareness of the vital impact that parks, recreation and conservation have on communities across the U.S. This year’s theme is ’80s Style.
This July NRPA is celebrating 30 years of Park and Recreation Month and the enduring importance of parks and recreation for the world. Parks are the cornerstone of nearly every community, serving millions of people as the places anyone can go to be active, live healthier, connect with nature and gather together. Parks and recreation contribute to improved health outcomes, higher property values and environmental sustainability.
Parks and recreation make our lives and communities better. This mission lives on and will continue to intensify into the future. For more information, go to www.nrpa.org/july.
When her marriage ended in divorce after 10 years, Carol Schaffer wasn’t eager for a fresh start. Still shaken up by the split, Schaffer said she held tight to the people and pastimes she loved and only introduced new things into her life (hiking, “Seinfeld” binge-fests) if they helped her heal in some way.
“You can’t change everything about your life right away after a separation,” said Schaffer, who lives in California. “Some people are tempted to make all kinds of changes to themselves and their lives right away, but I took the most comfort in the things that stayed the same like cooking big dinners and having sit-down meals with my kids.”
Schaffer shares five things (some tried-and-true, some new) that made life a little more bearable during her divorce, including these thoughts about hiking:
“There were two things that I could count on feeling after my divorce: exhausted and weak. One day when the kids were with their dad a friend invited me on a group hike. My first reaction was to laugh like a lunatic at the thought of removing myself from the couch when I didn’t have to. But once I realized that accepting the invite meant I wouldn’t be home alone doing laundry, I dug up my old Doc Martens and it was on.”
“Thus began a year-long relationship with hiking. At first I could barely keep up. Eventually I could go for hours straight, traveling many miles, climbing, walking and navigating up and around big and small rocks. I night-hiked. I angry-hiked. I sad-hiked. Mostly I was just silent and focused on each step ahead. I gained toned legs and great cardio stamina walking those hills. What I left behind was my sense of failure and lack of confidence.”
More tips for handling divorce…
The average American boy or girl spends as few as 30 minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day. Only 6% of children nine to 13 play outside on their own in a typical week.
But if you’re reading this, you probably already know that outdoor play is essential for children’s health and well-being. Here are several science-backed reasons that prove you’re right.
As a U.S. Marine tank commander, Sean Gobin endured many harrowing experiences: the invasion of Iraq, counterinsurgency missions in Fallujah and the training of Afghan army recruits. But he never had a chance to process any of it.
In 2012, Gobin left the military and convinced a war buddy to hike the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail with him. They used their journey to raise money for disabled veterans, but along the way, Gobin realized that the experience was also helping him.
“Hiking eight hours a day, I was processing all of these experiences that I had put away,” he said. “And I knew that there were other combat veterans that needed to do that.”
Helping veterans transition from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has become an important issue in recent years. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 11% to 20% of those who served now struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Today, Gobin’s nonprofit, Warrior Hike, provides combat veterans with all the equipment and supplies they need to complete long-distance hikes throughout the country. Ranging from two to six months, these journeys give veterans a chance to connect with nature and work through their issues while enjoying the camaraderie and support of other war veterans.
Hiking author Mickey Eisenberg still treks eight to 10 miles on weekends at age 69, often with his buddy Gene Yore, a young 76. Their knees aren’t that creaky, and they still can tread some serious miles, so why not, Eisenberg said.
“When people think of Mount Rainier National Park, they typically think of Mount Rainier itself,” said Eisenberg, a physician. Most don’t realize that in addition to “The Big One,” there are 100 peaks located in or adjacent to the park, often with fewer visitors, and many with summits reachable by hiking trails requiring no specialized mountaineering equipment.
The authors have chosen their five favorite summer day-hikes in the park. The best time to go is mid-July to mid-September, Eisenberg said.
I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. 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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