Are the US National Parks Becoming Less Safe?

Are Accidents and Fatalities in the US National Parks on the rise? A man was seriously injured on Thursday falling into a volcanic crater in Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano National Park. The man was apparently trying to get a better view of the caldera when he plunged 70 feet down to a lower ledge; initial reports stated that he lost his […]

Patagonia (or Bust): Staying Safe

Surviving Patagonia: Staying Safe Means Staying Warm and Dry Once the logistical challenges of hiking in Patagonia are settled (which remains very far from being the case for Brian and Sylvia) one must turn to the actual physical challenges of the hike itself. Fortunately, altitude will not be one of these. On all three of our Peru expeditions, at least […]

Patagonia (Or Bust): Getting There

Getting Ready for Patagonia, the Hard to Get to Place (Featured image Cerro Fitz Roy by Martin St-Amant – Wikipedia – CC-BY-SA-3.0) The departure time for our Patagonia Trip is approaching. Last year we embarked on the Tour Du Mont Blanc in mid July. Knowing we would likely face severe logistical challenges we booked everything well in advance…most of the […]

The Great Valley

The Great Shenandoah Trip Part I Sometimes a bit of serendipity falls upon one disguised as bad luck. For example…Last week we were supposed to go away for a weekend trip, which would have been the subject of this blog post. Unfortunately, Sylvia’s business commitments prevented this from happening. In search of something to write about, site Editor Brian found […]

Spring is Here, Time for Hiking…and Updates!

Updates to the Site Spring is the time when hiking season gets into full swing. In the Southern Appalachians you can actually hike any time of year, and summer is perhaps the LEAST attractive month. Spring is our second favorite season behind fall. It’s also time for some updates to the site. We have added some new prospective hikes to […]

AT Thru Hike Season Gets Underway!

Spring has arrived! And for those who wish to try their luck at completing the entire Appalachian Trail – the celebrated 2192 mile white blazed Footpath that links Springer Mountain, Georgia with Maine’s Mount Katahdin – Late March/early April is typically the time that most will set out. Winter has not yet left the Southern Appalachians by any means, but […]

Fun With Fitzroy: High Above Highlands

Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part II Just down the road from Cashiers, NC is the town of Highlands. As its name implies, Highlands is quite high up there, being situated at 4118 feet above sea level. This makes it one of the highest elevation towns in the eastern United States. Tiny Beech Mountain, NC, is even higher (at over 5000 […]

Fabulous Fitzroy’s First Big Adventure!

Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part I Having successfully completed our inaugural hike with new team member Fitz Roy, we decided that it’s time to take him out to the mountains to see how he does on real trails. Fitz is of course part Shiba Inu…a type of dog specially bred for hunting in mountainous conditions in rugged central Japan. The […]

Can I Hike Mount St. Helens?

*Brian completed the Monitor Ridge Route Hike of Mount St. Helens in 2007…it was his second solo Bucketlist hike. Conditions on the mountain today may not be exactly as described here, and the permit system has changed. Check with the National Forest Service website before attempting this hike.* **This is NOT a hike that we would recommend to novice hikers. […]