Note: We like to run this column at the beginning of spring to make your spring hiking experience more enjoyable.
It’s always been a goal to hike the trails less traveled. It’s a goal we’ve embraced with extra gusto over the past two years.
Quick recap: hiking was pretty popular prior to March 2020, it became the go-to source of not only outdoor recreation, but recreation of any kind after March 2020, it being deemed the only safe form of recreation in the face of a global pandemic. While hiking no longer bears that mantel, scads of folks who discovered the joy of hiking over the past two years aren’t going away. And the beginning of spring is when you really begin to notice the increased number of hikers on the the trail. read more
My focus was on the trail; actually, it was on either side of the trail.
I was hiking slowly on a sun-drenched section of trail through a bottomland forest bordering the Smith River in Virginia. It was mid-afternoon, the temperature was in the low 60s and I was determined to find the first sign of spring, be it a trout lily, a spring beauty, whatever. The conditions were ideal; in my mind it was already spring. read more
My attention piqued when I saw the forecast high for last Wednesday was 65. I believe I drooled a little when I saw it was supposed to top 70 on Thursday and Friday. Despite the fact it had been 11 two days earlier I could think of only one thing.
Spring. Specifically, spring wildflowers. read more
Saturday looks rainy, but Sunday looks hiking perfect, with cloudless skies and temperatures in the 50s. Cool weather coupled with the first weekend of spring and our desire to spend more time on the trail seems like a good time for a longer hike. And by “longer” for this time of year we mean in the 4- to 7-mile range. Nothing too strenuous, but just enough to push yourself, to get you building your hiking legs for peak hiking season. read more
It’s always been a goal to hike the trails less traveled. It’s a goal we’ve embraced with extra gusto over the past two years.
Quick recap: hiking was pretty popular prior to March 2020, it became the go-to source of not only outdoor recreation, but recreation of any kind after March 2020, it being deemed the only safe form of recreation in the face of a global pandemic. While hiking no longer bears that mantel, scads of folks who discovered the joy of hiking over the past two years aren’t going away. And the beginning of spring is when you really begin to notice the increased number of hikers on the the trail. read more
Explore the outdoors, discover yourself.