Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is closer to the forefront of popular culture. But tackling the 2,650-mile trail during winter is an unheard-of feat — for now. That’s something backcountry adventurers Justin Lichter and Shawn Forry want to change. The two men are embarking on an attempt to traverse the entire route during a season when conditions are at their most treacherous and unforgiving. The attempt takes all the challenges of grueling, multi-month backcountry journeys and adds freezing weather, deep snow, avalanches and even more...
read moreThirty square miles of sand, more Saharan than Coloradan, appears as though it has been dumped into a nook of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The tallest dune rises 750 feet. With 250,000 annual visitors, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is not the most popular national park in Colorado. Not by a long shot. But flip a quarter and you may very well catch a glimpse. The park was iconic enough to be selected to represent Colorado on a new quarter, released by the U.S. Mint in 2014. Go in September or October. There aren’t lines,...
read moreOn October 28, 2014, the public is invited to join trail project partners to celebrate the 5-mile extension project joining the Saugatuck and Aspetuck trails – a connection that will provide hikers, joggers and others a continuous 18-mile long trail system in the heart of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Aquarion Water Company, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, The Nature Conservancy and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) collaborated on the trail extension. The Connecticut Forest and...
read moreIn May of this year, a man set out, walking down a trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. He kept walking for the next 153 days until he reached the top of Maine’s Mount Katahdin. He hiked along, of course, the Appalachian Trail, a stretch of hiking paths that runs more than 2,000 miles from end to end. Millions of people hike the AT every year with a few thousand setting off to conquer the entire length in one go. The man, known on the trail as “Green Giant” and in the real...
read moreThe Bondi to Bronte coast walk is a part of the nationally significant 9km coastal walk from Sydney’s South Head to Maroubra. The project resolves complex geotechnical, structural and heritage conditions to retain the significant cliff top heath community and the remarkable hanging swamps along the exposed sandstone platforms. A set of lookouts strung together by a light thread of walkway along the cliff tops of Sydney’s east captures the sublime of the headlands, the sandstone outcrops and the vastness at the continent’s edge. Sensitivity to...
read moreOctober is a wonderful time to go hiking and witness the beauty of the changing season as well as creatures preparing for winter. It’s also a time to celebrate Halloween by seeking out spooky wild places. Here are some wild lands where you may have a creature or two hiking with you – but not one that’s still living.
read moreRichard “Dick” Shelly, 76, of Mechanicsburg, received the prestigious State Forest Trails Award at the recent annual meeting of the Keystone Trails Association at Doubling Gap Center, Newville. He earned the award by hiking all 798 miles of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry’s 18 state forest hiking trails. The award is a collaboration between the association and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which manages the state forests of the state. The Keystone Trails Association is a federation of...
read moreThe new one-and-a-half mile Indian Hill Trail built this spring by Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge is ready for new hikers. Indian Hill Trail is a double loop, where you can walk a full outer loop without a connector trail, or opt for a shorter option with the connector, explained Heath Hamilton, assistant refuge manager at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. The 7,500 acre wildlife refuge is still acquiring land, he said. The Indian Hill trail is in the Columbia Mine Unit maintained by Sycamore Land Trust and PRNWR. “Indian Hill was...
read moreJim and Will Pattiz are media professionals who have a passion for our national parks. This year they decided to put that passion to work using their talents to produce a captivating short film about Olympic National Park. They chose Olympic National Park because of it’s incredibly rich diversity — it’s glacial mountain peaks, lush rain forests, alpine meadows, high-altitude lakes, wild rivers, wilderness coast, and teeming wildlife were all the excuse they needed. Their More than Just Parks plan is to create short films for each...
read moreThe Cradle of Forestry, along Scenic Hwy 276 near Brevard, NC in Pisgah National Forest will entertain audiences with an outdoor drama titled “The Legend of Tommy Hodges” on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 and Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014 with shows at 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. During the outdoor performance, visitors will travel to the year 1907 and hear the story of Tommy Hodges, a student of the Biltmore Forest School, who mysteriously disappeared one autumn night. A guide will lead the audience around the paved Biltmore Campus Trail...
read moreThe National Park Service wants you to visit our National Parks for free. The NPS is offering free admission to its parks on nine days in 2015. The days are Jan. 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Feb. 14-16 (Presidents Day weekend), April 18-19 (National Park Week’s opening weekend), Aug. 25 (National Park Service’s 99th birthday), Sept. 26 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 11 (Veterans Day). Only 133 of our country’s 401 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit! On free admission days,...
read moreLittle Rock Pond, located in the quaint little village of Mount Tabor, Vermont is a perfect hiking destination. Situated along the Long Trail, Little Rock Pond is a pristine mountain lake with crystal clear water nestled in the iconic Green Mountain Range. The hike is quick, easy, and relatively flat, with only 350 feet of elevation gain over two miles. The terrain is forgiving and is easy to navigate for trekkers of all ages. This hike is around four miles round trip, and shouldn’t take more than 2½ hours to complete. This picturesque...
read moreNew Mexico is often described as lying along the “backbone” of North America — that is, the Rocky Mountain chain and the Continental Divide that separates the river waters of the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean. A rough foot trail — the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, often simply called the Continental Divide Trail or CDT — now parallels this backbone, running 3,100 miles from the Canadian border to the Mexican/New Mexico border. Hiking its length is a huge physical and mental challenge, but more and more people are...
read moreThere were no cellphones when Carolyn “Ravensong” Burkhart, at age 21, hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail alone in 1976. She wore heavy mountaineering boots, carried a 50-pound pack and went for days at a time without seeing another human being. It took her six months, and when she finished on Sept. 30, 1976, she was one of 12 hikers who had signed the register naming those who completed the entire journey that summer. Today, several hundred hikers attempt the trek from Mexico to Canada each summer and, depending on the weather, a few...
read moreIt was the winter of 2013, and Dakota Joe thought he was about to die. Hail was beating a crater into the mountain’s bald face, and his Kmart jacket had stopped keeping the cold out a long time ago. His pants were soaked through to the skin—wet denim is slow to dry and wearing it on the Appalachian Trail is generally a bad idea. Every muscle in his body was tense from miles of hiking through the Georgia wilderness. There was no feeling left in his arms and legs, just a stinging cold and more than a little fear. If it’d been summer, Joe might...
read moreIf the idea of standing on top of a mammoth pile of nuclear waste sounds appealing, then Weldon, Missouri, is the place for you. The waste lies beneath a structure that resembles an enormous ancient burial tomb. There’s even a platform at the top of the 7-story-high mound where visitors can take in the view. The American government refers to the area as the Weldon Spring site, but it’s also known as the Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail and Museum. The largest explosives factory in the United States once stood in its place. By 1956, the property...
read morePicture the Blue Ridge Parkway as a crooked spine running through the Appalachian Mountains. Government stewardship of public lands is splashed across the map in confusing variety – a national park at either end, national forests, historic sites, monuments and state parks along its 469 miles. The road snakes through some of the most glorious fall color in North America and wraps around some of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River. All those curves and dips offer up opportunities aplenty for hiking, fishing, picnicking, camping...
read moreThe North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association will lead one of its most challenging – and rewarding – hikes of the year when the club takes on the Black Mountain Crest Trail on Oct. 18, 2014. The outing will be followed by a pot luck supper and party in the Cattail Community. The 8-mile jaunt will begin at Mt. Mitchell, proceed down to Deep Gap and then descend steeply to the Cattail Community. Only seasoned hikers should consider joining because the 3,000-foot descent will be tough on the knees. Hikers should assemble at the Cattail...
read moreAs summer comes to an end, don’t let the colder temperatures and snow keep you indoors … some of the best hiking is yet to come. Hiking in the crisp autumn air with the blazing colors of fall against a bright blue sky is a beautiful experience. As the season progresses, the quiet calm of new-fallen snow coupled with the sparkling of ice crystals on the ground turns the trails of the Wasatch Front into a winter wonderland. The key to successful cold weather hiking is learning how to layer properly, keep extremities warm, stay hydrated...
read moreLynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver, British Columbia, is part of a luxuriant temperate rainforest. The park contains an informative Ecology Centre, a breathtaking suspension bridge, and several beautiful hiking trails along a pristine river. During the last decades of the 19th century the conifer forests on the mountains located north of the Burrard Inlet were logged for timber exports to eastern Canada, the United States and Europe. Most of the giant ancient trees (Douglas fir and Pacific red cedar), many as old as 1,000 years, disappeared...
read moreThis past year Adam Nutting of HikingTheTrail.com put together and orchestrated an awesome trip called Hell Hike and Raft. Together with an outfitter, they took 12 adventure bloggers and social media influencers into the backcountry of Idaho for 6 days of backpacking and white water rafting. The trip went so well that they are going to be doing it again. This time they are cranking up the volume to 11. On November 1st 2014, Adam along with Scott Gauvin from HikingForward.com are launching a new venture called Epic Social Adventures. You too...
read moreGoogle unveiled panoramic imagery and mapping that was collected by Google Trekkers who hiked some of California’s state parks this summer. The initial launch included imagery of 10 state parks, Point Lobos State Reserve, three state beaches, and more than 25 hiking trails, many of which are in Big Sur. The Mountain View-based company took the technology of its popular Street View car camera system and fit it into a backpack that a hiker can wear. The funky looking backpack takes thousands of still photos as a hiker walks up a trail....
read moreGrand Canyon officials have reduced waste by banning disposable plastic water bottles and installing water stations for visitors. But a new problem sprung up: Elk are helping themselves to water at the stations by lifting spring-loaded levers with their noses. Now, officials plan to elk-proof the stations to outsmart the animals, conserve water and protect visitors from aggressive behavior by the animals. They are experimenting with a cage around the spouts at one water station and will change the way it’s turned on. “They got a...
read moreby Julie Fast The Appalachian trail became my therapist. As a way to recover from a friend’s suicide, I set out on the trail that extends more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. I needed time to follow my thoughts to completion and find peace in nature. What I found instead was a motley crew of diverse people who entertained, challenged, and accepted me with no questions asked, merely because I was walking in the same direction. Carrying a tightly packed 50-liter backpack and the immeasurable weight of grief, I took my first determined...
read moreRyan and Rebecca Means recently hiked 75 miles round-trip in Yellowstone National Park. Ryan shouldered a 71-pound pack. Rebecca lugged 54 pounds, including their 5-year-old daughter, Skyla. That’s what passes for a vacation in the Means family. “We cherish our right to be remote,” Ryan said. And they want others to cherish it, too. They’re on a quest to identify and visit the most remote location in each of the 50 states, with the hope of inspiring others to protect and enjoy the country’s remaining wild and roadless sites. Rebecca uses...
read moreRoute 113 weaves back and forth along the Maine–New Hampshire border between Fryeburg and Gilead for 30 miles, threading a route through some of the prettiest mountain country in New England. Between Stow and Route 2, the road slices through the White Mountain National Forest, where a bounty of foot trails leads deep into the wild and rugged country that characterizes this region. The Maine section of the WMNF includes 49,000 acres of the sprawling 728,000-acre forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. East of Evans Notch is the...
read moreSome people feel the need to do big things, to do things others can’t or won’t, and to do them alone. These people go further, climb higher, dive deeper and move faster than the rest of us dare. No one sees their pained expressions, hears their cries of frustration or knows the moments of doubt that haunt their quiet thoughts. These adventurers are completely alone in the wilds– except for the inspiration they bring along with them. For 23-year-old Seattle native, Joe McConaughy (a.k.a. String Bean), he brought a whole host of inspiration...
read moreIn today’s job market, there are all kinds of opportunities for adventurous souls if you know where to look. That’s the point of Outside Magazine’s seventh annual Best Places to Work project. The 100 amazing companies on the 2014 list made it through a year-long vetting process overseen by an independent research partner, come in many forms, but they all agree that the secret to success is empowering employees to live bigger, better lives. Which is why they go so far as to cover your lift tickets and gym memberships, invite your dog...
read moreOutdoors enthusiasts tend to think of the San Juans and B.C.’s Gulf Islands as a water-recreation paradise, not a hiking destination. Outdoors writer Craig Romano makes the case that these archipelagos are just as majestic by foot as by boat. To prove his point, he wrote the recently published “Day Hiking the San Juans and Gulf Islands”, with 136 hikes on both the Washington and British Columbia sides of the border. “People don’t realize there are so many hiking trails on the islands,” he said. “You might see only a few parks on an island...
read moreAs the weather turns cooler and more hikers head out to Congaree National Park in South Carolina, they’ll find the trails easier to navigate than a few months ago. The trees that crashed across trails during last winter’s ice storm have been cut or pushed out of the way, and a new trail marking system is almost completely installed, according to Superintendent Tracy Stakely. Clearing fallen trees from trails takes longer than you might expect because much of the park is designated as national wilderness. That means mechanized equipment such...
read moreMinnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County, New York offers breathtaking views from some of the most unique vantage points the Empire State has to offer. “There’s so many different trails to see,” said Eric Humphrey, superintendent of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. “But the accessibility of some of them, to get to some of these rugged locations via a natural, gradual carriage road is a very unique experience.” At Minnewaska State Park Preserve, you don’t have to be a seasoned athlete to make that...
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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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