Emma Roberts of Nanny Magazine recently sent me the article below on the subject of first-aid in long-distance hiking. It is a well-written, commonsense article that first-time hikers would do well to consider. http://www.summernanny.com/blog/10-first-aid-facts-to-know-before-taking-your-first-summer-hike/ I have a few things I would like to add. The cold, wet springtime weather is legendary amongst Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. In fact, it is...

“Twenty-four straight days of rain,” they lament proudly. I’ve heard the Class of 2003 many times get together to reminisce ad-infinitum about their thru-hikes. There is nothing unusual about that. Heck, that was the specific reason the annual Trail Days Festival was started in the first place–for hikers from prior years to reunite with their old trail comrades. It has been a smashing success; long-distance hikers are...

Bill Walker (‘Skywalker’) will hold a special promotion starting in just a couple hours for this entire weekend on his two most popular outdoor adventure narratives, Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. They will be available for free upload on Amazon Kindle, Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9. These books are cutting-edge tales of his thru-hikes of...

Are you looking for something in our Travel Books department? If so, you might be interested in these items. Travel Books Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian trail Bill Walker, Jerry Gramckow, Audra George Price: $4.95 Stumbling Thru: Hike Your Own Hike A. Digger...

  Let me assure you of two things. First, if you have gotten the idea of attempting an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hike lodged in your head, the great odds are that sooner or later you will find yourself–backpack bravely strapped on–facing north at Springer Mountain in north Georgia. That is the good news. The bad news–and I am even more sure of this–is that you will never find a perfect time to attempt your...