Hikers are serious people. No, they aren’t serious in the Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, or Bill Gates way. They have a different focus. It’s a broader one–theGreat Outdoors. Hikers, pilgrims, and of course, outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen don’t like to be confined inside for too long. Their central nervous system thrums at a higher pitch when engaged deep within wilderness, scaling peaks, or perhaps even slogging dutifully...

The newest narrative on the Camino de Santiago, ‘The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago (2012)’ will be available for a free download on Amazon Kindle both Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3. This narrative has proven popular because of the combination of irreverent, towel-snapping humor and entertaining history of how the Camino de Santiago played a seminal role in the development of western civilization.

I heard the most amazing story at this year’s Trail Days Festival. Stephanie McMillan, a 37 year-old mother of five who lives in northern Florida, has announced that she and her five children will begin hiking the famed Appalachian Trail (AT) in early July. In fact, her youngest child is three (will turn four in January). “How far do you plan to go?” I asked her. “To Mount Katahdin,” she...

The 16th annual Appalachian Trail Days Festival was held in Damascus, Virginia this past weekend. Damascus, of course, is a magical place for Appalachian Trail hikers. It is widely billed as the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail. White blazes lead hikers right out of the mountains and onto the main streets. My booth featured my two ‘Skywalker’ narratives on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. But the book that garnered...

Are you looking for something in our Travel Books department? If so, you might be interested in these items. The Best Way: El Camino de Santiago by Bill Walker List Price: $12.95 Price: $11.65 You Save: $1.30 (10%) Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Walker Price: $9.95 Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino by Joyce Rupp List Price: $17.00 Price: $11.56 You Save: $5.44 (32%) Camino de...

Mount Rainier in Washington state is the highest mountain in the northern Cascades. The Pacific Crest Trail skirts Rainier; but fortunately it does not cover the summit of the peak. That would be flat out dangerous given that Rainier is a so-called ‘technical climb’, requiring crampons, ice axes, and more. Periodically there are deaths on Rainier, almost always having to do with sudden weather change. Further south in Oregon, PCT...