Backpacker Magazine is throwing a 2,180-mile party from Georgia to Maine! Join in on June 20, 2015 for a record-setting attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail in 24 hours.
Bring on the thru-hikers, the section hikers, the weekend warriors. Bring on the dayhikers with sneakers on their feet and baby carriers on their backs. Bring on the AT lifers and those who have never hiked it (but always wondered). Bring on the ridge runners, the trail maintainers, the hiking clubs, the soloists. Bring on anyone who needs another reason to get out on the trail.
This day is about all of us coming together to celebrate America’s most important hiking trail. It’s the place we cut our teeth for overnight camping, and the place we return to again and again when we need a reliable wilderness fix. It’s the spine of the East Coast and it belongs to all of us. And June 20th is the day to hold it up in front of the world and say, simply, thanks.
Backpacker Magazine is holding this single-day event to collectively hike every single mile on the trail. Why? Because it’s fun, it’s there, it’s ours, and it’s time to make a public show of appreciation.
Register for one of 331 trail sections averaging about 6 miles a pop, but ranging from .8 mile to 25. There’s one near you, because, well, this is the AT. Get in on the longest trail party.
The Cradle of Forestry in America will celebrate National Get Outdoors Day, June 13, 2015, with outdoor skills demonstrations, activities and crafts. Admission to the site and all activities are free.
The USDA Forest Service is a National Get Outdoors Day partner. The campaign encourages Americans, especially youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lifestyles, connect with nature, and embrace their public lands. The Forest Service has an ongoing commitment to engage children with nature through various programs in support of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Outside campaign.
In this spirit, a variety of activities on June 13 will showcase outdoor adventure sports, traditional sportsmanship, and camp and trail skills in the Cradle of Forestry’s scenic setting. Activities include:
For details and updates on the day’s activities call the Cradle of Forestry at 828-877-3130 or visit www.cradleofforestry.org. The Cradle of Forestry is located outside Brevard, NC on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Forest Service has also collaborated with the Ad Council to develop a national campaign of television, radio, printed and outdoor public service announcements to re-connect families with nature. Visit www.discovertheforest.org.
More than 80 Forest Service locations across the country will provide free recreational and educational activities as part of National Get Outdoors Day.
If you’ve been coming to this site for awhile and paying attention to the sidebar, I’ve been running a poll for the past several months. The poll had to do with carrying a gun when you hike. The specific question was:
I was surprised to learn how many people apparently carry a gun when they hike. How about you? Do you carry when hiking?
Well, the poll reached a thousand respondents this week, so I thought that would be a good time to close the poll and share the finished results with you.
Yes — 285 — 28.5%
No — 715 — 71.5%
Realize this was not a scientific poll, but I did limit the responses to one per week, so there shouldn’t have been any ballot box stuffing, so to speak. Having said that, I believe the results to be reasonable based on anecdotal conversations I’ve had with others. Results will certainly vary from region to region, and also depend on if you are hiking where firearms are banned.
So keep in mind when you’re hiking that 3 in 10 of the other hikers you encounter on the trail are likely to be carrying a gun.
I have started a new poll today: Do you prefer hiking uphill or downhill?
Haven’t explored Georgia outside of the metro Atlanta area? There’s a whole lot more to Georgia than you’d think. Georgia’s landscapes are beautiful and staggering in variety, from southern sandy Atlantic coast to lush, green, rolling Appalachian Mountains in the north. Moss and fern-filled forests, breezy mountaintops with stunning views, barrier islands where wild horses roam free, deep-cut canyons filled with waterfalls: Georgia’s beauty leaves a lot to explore.
Hike these top Georgia hikes to the state’s most beautiful views: deep, waterfall-filled canyons to sandy coastline and soaring mountaintops, all guaranteed to leave Georgia on your mind.
Well known Smoky Mountains author and off-trail hiker Jenny Bennett is missing.
She was scheduled to move to Vermont on June 1, 2015, but has not been seen.
She evidently went for one last hike in the Smokies on Saturday, May 30 or Sunday, May 31 and did not return. The movers arrived at her house on Monday, June 1 and she was not there. She has not been seen or heard from since.
All readers of Jenny’s blog in the NC / TN area please let everyone she knew know about this. It is imperative that we try to locate her as soon as possible. If you know where she might have gone, or if you see her car (red Subaru), please contact the Jackson County, NC Sheriff (828) 586-8901.
Thank you!
Update June 8, 2015 @ 6:00 AM: Jenny Bennett’s car was located early evening last night. Search and rescue operations to begin at first light this morning.
Update June 8, 2015 @ 11:00 AM: Jenny’s brother Peter Bennett has reported, “A body has been found that matches Jenny’s description in the area that they were looking for her. A team of investigators is being sent in to positively identify the body and determine what happened.”
Update June 8, 2015 @ 7:30PM Investigators have ruled out any type of animal attack or foul play.
Update June 9, 2015 @ 4:30PM Body of hiker found in Smokies identified
Update June 10, 2015 @ 2:30PM Big boots to fill: Beloved backcountry trailblazer dies during solo hike
Update August 31, 2015 Autopsy: Well-known hiker died of hypothermia in Smokies
Several trails have been closed today, June 7, 2015, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a bear attack. The trails are closed in the Hazel Creek section of the park.
Park officials say last night at about 10:30 p.m. a 16-year-old male from Ohio was pulled from his hammock by a bear. The incident happened at campsite 84 approximately four and a half miles from the Fontana Lake shoreline.
According to officials, the victim’s father was able to drive the bear away from the campsite. The victim and his father hiked to the lakeshore and were transported to a boat dock by campers. Graham County emergency service workers took the victim to a landing zone and he was flown to Mission Hospital in Asheville at 3 a.m. this morning.
The young man is in stable condition after sustaining multiple injuries including laceration to his head.
Hazel Creek Trail, Jenkins Ridge Trail, Bone Valley Trail, Cold Spring Gap Trail and campsites 82 through 88 are closed.
“While incidents with bears are rare, we ask park visitors to take necessary precautions while hiking in bear country and comply with all backcountry closures,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The safety of our visitors is our number one priority.”
Update July 2, 2015: Hazel Creek, Jenkins Ridge, Bone Valley, Cold Spring Gap Trails, Derrick Knob Shelter and campsites 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, & 88 have now reopened.
A gnarled old oak tree sits atop Bly Gap at 3,800 feet on the Appalachian Trail, famously marking the boundary between Georgia and North Carolina. The Tar Heel State, the second on the northbound thru-hiker’s agenda, wastes no time with fancy introductions, putting a couple of brutally steep 4,000-footers directly ahead: Courthouse Bald and the aptly named Sharp Top.
North of the Georgia line to the Smokies, the trail follows a meandering route through the 531,000-acre Nantahala National Forest. Nantahala is Cherokee for “Land of the Noonday Sun,” and in many of the region’s deep river gorges, hemmed in by steep-walled mountains, only a few hours of direct sunlight reach the ground around midday.
The first 5,000-foot summits of the AT trek are reached on the second and third days in North Carolina – first the grassy perch atop Standing Indian, “the grandstand of the southern Appalachians,” and then Albert Mountain, with its fire tower and far-reaching vistas.
Beyond the trail town of Franklin and Winding Stair Gap, the trail follows a rather rough-and-tumble route over the Stecoahs, a series of high, grassy balds in the 4,000-5,000-foot range. Siler, Wesser, Wayah, Cheoah and any number of lesser balds all provide wonderful views, allowing hikers to trace their route from the Tennessee Valley Divide in Georgia all the way to the Smokies.
Jocelyn Hebert needs no encouragement from Hollywood to hit the hiking trail all by herself. For years, she’s ventured deep into the woods with only her backpack for company. Animals, accidents and creepy strangers aren’t worries for her, although occasionally the whisper of the wind gives her the shivers. “Seriously, the wind can be eerie,” Hebert says.
Not every woman wants or needs to trudge hundreds of miles solo to find her mojo. But with summer’s arrival — and with or without inspiration from Wild — women who seek some time in the woods can find plenty of trail options in Vermont.
Many women who hike alone say they don’t worry about their safety, but that their friends and family do. Long-held stereotypes about women’s strength, resourcefulness and vulnerability come into play.
Don’t be shut down by fear if the trail beckons, experienced hikers suggest, but do pay attention to your own comfort zone and plan carefully to maximize fun and minimize risk. Remember that in Vermont, cellphone service on the trail can be spotty or nonexistent, so don’t count on it. And be willing to scrub a trip if weather warrants. Winter hiking alone is especially risky and leaves no room for error.
Hebert, a 47-year-old Calais resident, carefully follows certain rules when she sets out alone. She tells someone — usually her mother and a friend or two — when and where she’s going, and when she should be back. Other basics: Study the route and allow sufficient time to complete it; choose a realistic route for your fitness level and outdoor savvy. Hebert advises bringing enough food, water and clothing to spend a night in the woods in case of emergency.
Katherine Gividen greets most people wearing hiking clothes and a big smile.
Her passion is hiking, which she promotes as an instructor of the LSU leisure backpacking class, president of the Louisiana Hiking Club and through her job as an outdoor specialist at a local retail store.
But it wasn’t hiking trails that brought her to Louisiana. It was food. Following her career as a trained chef, she came to Louisiana after John Folse hired her in 1995 to serve as his head pastry chef.
“Someone said I should write a hiking cookbook, so I did,” she said.
Gividen, now employed as a camping team leader for Academy Sports and Outdoors, does cooking demonstrations for The Backpacker, Pack and Paddle and annually at Louisiana Hiking Club’s Camp Fest. She also serves as president of the Louisiana Hiking Club.
Her book is, “The Hapless Hiker Presents: Think Inside the Box: Using supermarket convenience foods on the trail that cook in 15 minutes or less.”
People interested in getting outdoors in Vermont this summer are now able to check a website for detailed information about hundreds of trails across the state that are open for public use.
Officials from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Upper Valley Trails Alliance unveiled the “Trail Finder” website to help people learn more about trails they’d like to hike, bike, cross country ski or use for a number of other outdoor activities.
Trail Finder is a searchable trails information website that combines interactive trail map capabilities, high quality graphics, and descriptive trail details.
Detailed trail description pages allow users to view the trails, get essential information, submit trip comments and photos, find nearby geocaches, and a whole lot more. Search tools help users quickly find the right trail for a Sunday afternoon stroll or short-list a handful of trails to be explored during a week-long vacation.
To create the new website, Forests and Parks worked with the Trails Alliance and the Center for Community GIS.
Maybe not everyone believes in Sasquatch (or Bigfoot), but it’s still a good thing to look over your shoulder when you hike in southern Oregon. At least that’s the opinion of the authors of a revolutionary new hiking book, “Hiking Sasquatch Country,” by Wendy and Gary Swanson of Grants Pass.
The book covers 39 hikes and 37 historical points of interest in southern Oregon, selected for their beauty more than for their physical challenge.
What makes this book unique, also in the opinion of the authors, is that all but three of the 76 adventures are linked to an online photo journal for the reader to preview on their laptop or mobile device.
Hikes range from above Wolf Creek, the Rogue River Trail past Galice, through the Illinois Valley, across the Applegate Valley and through the historic areas of Oregon’s border with California. This is Oregon’s Bigfoot country, a.k.a. Sasquatch, in the wilds of the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon’s Jackson and Josephine counties.
If you run into a Bigfoot, don’t call the sheriff in one of those counties, because you’re more likely to see a Sasquatch than a deputy.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy seeks volunteers, 18 and over, to help maintain the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of the Smokies Wilderness Elite Appalachian Trail Crew for the 2015 season. A position on the S.W.E.A.T. Crew is physically demanding and is designed for experienced hikers who love to work hard, live in the backcountry, and create lasting friendships.
S.W.E.A.T. Crew is a mobile group that focuses on trail maintenance in the heart of the Smokies on sections more than five miles from the nearest road.
Crew members carry tools, water, food, and camping supplies to support their work. Each session lasts six days in the field where the crew focuses on clearing the A.T. and repairing it with materials they find. Food, lodging, training, equipment and transportation to and from the work site is provided.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy encourages all hikers and Appalachian Trail supporters to get involved with a Trail Crew,” said Chris Binder, the ATC’s trail specialist. “These all-volunteer crews are instrumental in completing large-scale projects along the Trail.”
Members of the S.W.E.A.T. Crew arrive at the ATC’s base camp the day before their crew session begins to meet the professional crew leaders, prepare for the work trip and check out any gear they need.
A hike in the high desert followed by a soak at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs is one of New Mexico’s true pleasures. The plateau above Ojo Caliente offers gentle hikes through the desert landscape and views of mesas, cliffs, and mountains. The hot mineral waters soothe muscles tired from hiking and provide a feeling of deep relaxation.
There are several trails that begin near the springs and lead up to the plateau. Joseph Mica Mines is one of the destinations. The mica mines are caves cut into a pink granite cliff surrounded by sparkling bits of silvery mica. It can be reached by taking a mostly easy two-mile hike.
The trail begins just west of the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs. Look for the map that says Posi, just beyond the picnic shelter.
The Posi Pueblo and Mica Mine Trails are part of a system administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Starting at about 6,200 feet, the trail climbs up through the rocky pink granite. The mica mines were primarily used beginning in 1900 until the 1940s. According to BLM archaeologist Merrill Dicks, the first reference to the Joseph Mine appears in a land transaction in 1910.
“Nur die harten kommen in den garten” (only tough guys get into the garden). With this Teutonic exhortation the guide leads us – a group of “soft Scottish mens” – up into the mountains of the South Tirol for a week-long trek around the Sarntal (or Sarentino) Valley.
Our collective mountaineering level amounts, approximately, to the endurance required to huff and puff up a few munros. But we have previously undertaken one Alpine trek together. That was six years ago in the North Tirol – on the Austrian side of the border – when our average age was 40 and we took to the hills to shake off a collective midlife crisis.
Now we’re back, this time on the south side, technically in Italy, but still noticeably Austrian in its mountain culture. National distinctions are only a part of the complexity. The Tirol is a mosaic of valleys, self-enclosed with their individual dialects; worlds unto themselves.
The Tirolean Alps are young mountains – a mere 160 million years old – which is why their peaks are high. They are pimply adolescents next to the Grampians of Scotland, which are geologically ancient at 470m years old, worn down by eons of deep time.
As we inch round a shoulder of the Penser Joch Pass and reach Rifugio Santa Croce Di Lazfons, a mountain hut whose small chapel was built in 1860 on the ruins of a 16th-century pilgrim church. To our left, we look out on what must be one of the most impressive geographical sights in Europe: the Dolomites, rising like the spikes of a grey geological eruption from green surrounding hills.
The Scandinavian mountain range, running through most of Sweden and Norway, is one of the most underrated hiking locations on the planet. With its vast valleys and low, snow-capped mountains, this northern mountain chain presents a unique landscape filled to the brink with natural treasures to be discovered.
Everyone’s heard of the magical fjords of Norway, but few people are aware that they actually make up part of the Scandinavian mountain chain. There aren’t a lot of mountain chains overlooking the ocean like this, making this such a rare location, where the mountains fall into the waters to form these famously beautiful fjords.
With its highest peak resting at a modest 2,400 meters, the Scandinavian mountain chain is not one of the highest – or steepest – mountain chains out there. And although this doesn’t exactly make it a hotspot for hardcore mountain climbers, it makes the area more than perfect for the thrill-seeking hiker.
There aren’t a lot of mountains in the world that can boast a view of regular and plentiful aurora. But being located so far to the north, the Scandinavian mountains provide a perfect location for spotting this heavenly phenomenon. Whenever the sky is clear and dark enough, there is a high chance of seeing the Aurora.
The Scandinavian mountains also boast an annual occurrence of midnight sun. The mountains stretch above the Arctic Circle. This basically means that, for a few weeks every summer, the sun never sets. It’s quite an experience to stand atop a mountain and watch a sunset that lasts for hours without actually setting.
Hiking through the woods is one of the best ways to exercise, but those in Pennsylvania over the next week will be in for a treat as the state celebrates Hiking Week 2015 starting on Saturday, May 30.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Keystone Trails Association, there will be almost 100 organized hikes that will make their way through parks, forests and cities across the state. A full list of scheduled Hiking Week events can be found at ExplorePATrails.com.
Hiking Week is a celebration that wraps up Sunday, June 7, 2015. Before the festivities stop, though, the state will be organizing events to raise awareness for healthy lifestyles and promoting environmental stewardship.
Included in the week is National Trails Day on Saturday, June 6, a celebration of the endless amounts of walking and hiking trails throughout the United States. With the spirit of hiking in mind, novice and experienced hikers will find this to be the perfect opportunity to view the beautiful scenery of Pennsylvania.
An Ashland, Oregon-based group has begun clearing overgrown trails within the rugged Wild Rogue Wilderness Area, and a new grant means they can expand their efforts at opening foot access off these Rogue River trails.
The Siskiyou Mountain Club‘s Wilderness Conservation Corps crew has begun scouting and hand-clearing light brush to launch the club’s two-year quest to restore what will become a 30-mile hiking loop with multiple access points along the famed 40-mile Rogue River National Recreation Trail within the wilderness area downstream from Galice.
The club secured a $10,000 grant from the REI store in Medford that will help fund clearing even more spur trails in the wilderness area, opening access to areas rarely explored by visitors largely relegated to the river or the main trail that hugs its banks and rocky canyon walls. The new grant buoys a nearly $21,000 federal grant the club secured last fall through the Oregon State Recreational Trails Program that is anchoring the work.
“I think we’re going to be able to extend what we’re going to do in the Wild Rogue,” says Gabe Howe, the nonprofit club’s executive director. “It’ll strengthen the scope of the project.”
Hike it Baby began when Shanti Hodges, a young mother in Portland, Oregon joined a young mother’s group at her local hospital in 2013. She thought it would be more fun to be outside of the hospital on a hike and suggested they all meet the next week for a hike.
And it took off through social media. “Our goal is to get babies on trail,” she told an Oregon radio station, describing Hike it Baby as “a platform to bring families together.”
The website has challenges, like 30 miles in 30 days, and 30 minutes outside every day and offers advice on equipment from backpacks to strollers.
The rule is that no one is left behind, so the hike can take a lot longer than it might if you were going alone. But it would not be as much fun alone, members say.
North Carolina now has two Hike it Baby chapters offering free hikes, weekly in the Asheville and Durham areas. Hike it Baby uses social media to connect parents and babies with the outdoors.
On June 6, 2015, National Trails Day, another hike is planned for Daniel Ridge Falls & Loop Trail in Pisgah National Forest. The Asheville group plans a hike on this beautiful creek side trail May 28 from 9:30 to 1 p.m.
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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