Hiking With My Dog On The Benton MacKaye …

After an unseasonably cool winter, the weather finally broke and we decided to take the kids out for an overnight hike.    We did this one on a Friday night to avoid conflicts with spring sports and with spring break.  Here we are at the parking area at Three Forks on the Appalachian Trail. The dog is […]

Bill Irwin, First Blind Hiker To Hike The Appalachian Trail, Is No Longer With Us

I read Bill Irwin's book during my 1994 thru-hike – very inspiring.  He was the first blind hiker to hike the entire Appalachian Trail and did it with the assistance of his dog Orient.  Sad to hear that he has passed over the weekend: “Bill Irwin, who in 1990 became the first and only blind […]

41 Camping Hacks That Are Borderline Genius

Some of these “Camping Hacks” are pretty good.  I’m definitely going to try #9 “Make crescent rolls over the campfire” on our next trip… The complete list of camping hacks are at this link…. http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius  

Is Reese Witherspoon Hiking With A Dog In The Movie Wild?

The filming of the movie Wild has begun, and both Cheryl Strayed and Reese Witherspoon are tweeting photos from the set.  As you recall, the movie is based on Stayed's best selling book which chronicles her adventures (or mis-adventures) on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995.  The wardrobe team got this one right, because they have Witherspoon decked […]

Tough Week For Hikers In Maine

Maine is a tough place to hike – and many expereienced backcountry explorers know that, but this week was exceptionally merciless.  On Tuesday, two women and their dog were rescued at dusk on a backcountry trail at Roque Bluffs State Park, then as they headed home the true tragedy struck.  The Kennebec Journal reports… “Two women hikers who had […]

Even Hollywood Stars “Rock” Each Other's Backpacks

It seems that even Hollywood movie stars get their backpacks “rocked” by mischevious friends.  During the filming of Monuments Men which also stars John Goodman and Bill Murray, Actor George Clooney tricked his 'Monuments Men' co-star Matt Damon in to carrying a backpack that was filled with rocks during a gruelling hiking scene.     Realbollywood.com reports […]

Even Hollywood Stars “Rock” Each Other's Backpacks

It seems that even Hollywood movie stars get their backpacks “rocked” by mischevious friends.  During the filming of Monuments Men which also stars John Goodman and Bill Murray, Actor George Clooney tricked his 'Monuments Men' co-star Matt Damon in to carrying a backpack that was filled with rocks during a gruelling hiking scene.   Realbollywood.com reports that […]

Hike Naked Day Comes A Month Early

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 […]

Tragedy at Trail Days!

The annual Appalachian Trail Days festival was disrupted this past weekened when a vehicle plowed in to a crowd watching the hiker parade as it passed down the main street of town.  Some people were trapped under the car and seriously injured and flown to nearby hospitals.  Here's a recap from USA Today: “DAMASCUS, Va. […]

ANNUAL PACIFIC CREST TRAIL KICK-OFF EVENT:  APRIL 26 – 28

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’ […]