Hiking Thursday on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake I suddenly realized I couldn’t see the trail. The colorful fall leaves that had lured me were now messing with me by covering the trail and obliterating the path ahead. Years ago, I might have panicked. But years of fall hiking have taught me a trick or two — or 10.
Category Archives: Advice
Grab a torch, it’s time for a night hike
At the beginning of September we extolled the virtues of a passeggiata— an after-dinner stroll around the neighborhood. Good for digestion, good for winding down after a stressful day, good for getting to know your immediate surroundings. Besides, with daylight becoming more scarce it was a sensible option for getting out.
A Trail Etiquette Primer
The following originally appears as Chapter 13 in our “Let’s GetHiking: A Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.” We rerun it today because, frankly, you just can’t get enough trail etiquette.
Recently, I was on a multi-use trail (a trail open for more than just hiking: mountain biking and horseback riding, for instance) at a nearby state park when I came upon a phalanx of hikers spanning the width of the trail and spilling onto its shoulders. The trail was quite generous, a converted fire road capable of handling loads of trail users without conflict—provided those trail users were considerate of other trail users. I doubt these hikers were being intentionally inconsiderate: they were simply unaware.
How to survive a summer hike (and smell delightful as well)
I used to love hiking in summer heat. The past couple years, though, not so much. Coming into this summer I got me to wondering why.
As we’ve settled in to summer’s steady drumbeat of 90/90 — temperature/humidity — days, I’ve been trying to sort out what I don’t like about summer hiking, as well as what keeps me on the trail. The latter first.
JPD uses trekking poles (and so should you)
I’ve been using trekking poles religiously for 20 years. Trouble is, I should have been using them for at least 30 years. Oh well. In any event, I’m a big advocate, as is the state’s most renowned hiker, Jennifer Pharr Davis of Asheville. Today, we rerun a post that first appeared July 11, 2017, on why she uses poles, and why you should, too.