Traditionally, “Hike Naked Day” is celebrated on the summer solstice (June 21st) on the hiking trails of North America.  After all – it marks the longest, and sometimes hottest, day of the year.  So why not go “a la natural”.  Well apparently Taylor Powers, a University of Colardo undergrad, got a month jump on the annual event.  She was arrested this past weekend, high on mushrooms and hiking totally naked in Chautauqua Park near Boulder, CO with two friends.  Fox 31- Denver, the local affiliate reports:

“ Those in need of rescue rarely fight off emergency responders, but such was the case with a 21-year-old student who had stripped naked after getting high on mushrooms and going into a state of distress in the Boulder Flatirons Sunday night.

It took about 35 personnel from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office about an hour to successfully restrain Taylor Powers. When they were finally able to do so, she was transported to Boulder Community Hospital, where she was treated an released.”

 But someone said it best when they commented that ….

“Sure you or I call for a cop and we're lucky if one shows up in a half hour but a call for a naked coed comes in and 35 rescue personnel show up within a few minutes. Thirty-five!”

 True dat.  Bring on hike naked day! 

“DAMASCUS, Va. (AP) — About 50 to 60 people were injured Saturday when a driver described by witnesses as an elderly man drove his car into a group of hikers marching in a parade in a small Virginia mountain town.

Washington County director of emergency management Pokey Harris said no fatalities had been reported.

The injuries ranged from critical to superficial, he said. Three of the victims were flown by helicopters to regional hospitals. Another 12 to 15 were taken by ambulance. The rest were treated at the scene.

“The status of the driver wasn't released. Multiple witnesses described him as an elderly man.

Authorities are still investigating, but Harris said they believe the man might have suffered a medical emergency before the accident.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, near the Tennessee state line about a half-hour drive east of Bristol.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/18/car-strikes-parade/2319279/

pcttrailsidereader:

It is ADZPCTKO time again.  April 26 – 28, hundreds of PCT hikers, trail angels, and friends of the trail will gather at Lake Morena.  Here are a photo from the 2012 Kick-Off. On both Friday and Saturday evenings this year, stories from The Pacific Crest Trailside Readers will be read (Liz Bergeron will read Walkin’ Jim Stoltz’s “Out on the Crest Trail” and Russ Mease will read “Facing My Fears on Three-Fingered Jack” on Friday and Ryan Forsythe will read “Sometimes They Come Back” on Saturday).

Hot of his 2012 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, 30 Pack will be at Lake Morena as he takes on the Pacific Crest Trail this year!  Best Wishes 30-Pack!!! 

30-Pack's podcast with N2Backpacking….

http://n2backpacking.com/episode-13-the-appalachian-trail/

And Boone Dawg really enjoyed his first snow hike..

I'm sure it will spark a desire to do another thru-hike – although taking six months off to walk in the woods will not fly the Mrs.! 

Follow a half dozen of the 300 or so hikers who attempt a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike every year. Armed with cameras, they give us an insider's view into what it takes to spend half a year living in the wild.

Unfortunately, the motel caught fire last month and a nearby news station took a bunch of photos of the damage:

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-crews-on-the-scene-of-a-motel-fire-in-pearisburg-20130309,0,5934886.story

Here's a photo of the Rendezvous Motel during better times – taken on Friday, June 10, 1994.   After nearly 20 years, the sign remains the same. 

The northern terminus at Mt. Katahdin is a beautiful place, but don't forget that it's the journey and not the destination that you will remember for years to come.  Good luck Class of 2013 thru-hikers, and best wishes!  

“Question: What do you get out of backpacking personally and with your family?”

“Answer: It gives you that all-precisous sense of freedom and self-determination, and that rare chance to escape the noise of the city and reconnect with who you really are.  Time alone, unhurried, is rare nowadays – don't underestimate what it can do for you on so many levels.  I often go out alone when I need some space and time.  It is also magic to take my kids out and show them the ways of nature.  People form real relationships in the wild.  It is hard to hide the real you, and that is a good thing.”