“Did you hear?” a hiker friend from the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) asked me. “The number of people at the Kickoff was almost double. And the number of women tripled.” Folks, can we all agree that’s good news! And please don’t read too much into it! Just a quick synopsis: the number of women on America’s other great footpath, the Appalachian Trail, has increased to approximately half the hiker population....

What are you looking for in a Christmas gift? Obviously, your answer could be a million things. Some of you–if you are like me–are probably just looking to check the box. Done. Move on to next item. But let me please suggest this. My most memorable gifts over the years have been those that enabled, as opposed to provided a temporary surge of pleasure. Personally speaking, I came up with the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail after...

This is the link to a sample film review for Wild–From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, starring Reese Witherspoon, based on Cheryl Strayed’s book. Hopes are that this movie will help ratchet up foot traffic on the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada. In a country with a 30% obesity rate (tragic in my opinion) that is nothing but a good thing. And let me say this about Miss Strayed’s book....

The Appalachian Trail has traditionally been the safe haven of choice for female hikers. Why? The main reason given is the expansive trail community. Quite simply, with that many of your fellow hikers around, along with the frequent trail towns, hiker hostels, trail magic, and the like, a woman has more protection on the AT. Frankly, this reasoning is sound. Yes, long-distance hiking is generally about as safe as regular life in the ‘real...

Amazon Prime members: it’s that time of the month again. You get your free selection for Kindle upload. Here is a suggestion–the Skywalker hiking books, written by Bill Walker. These popular narratives are the tale of a middle-aged businessman who had never even spent the night outside, before developing an obsession to thru-hike the 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail in one hiking season. It took him 171 days, 33 pounds, and countless...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29672358 I was very, very worried. One thing that concerned me was others didn’t appear to be as uptight. Or maybe I was just missing something. After all, many of the trekkers were British, famous for their stiff upper lips. So who knows? But it had begun snowing at Annapurna Circuit Base Camp at 14,600 feet, after weeks of being assured by sherpas and guides that there would be no snow. In addition, I...