The Rae Lakes Loop, Kings Canyon NP One of the best hikes in the United States is the Rae Lakes Loop in the Sierra Nevada. This challenging backpacking trip requires five or more days to complete and takes hikers through some of the best – and most remote – country the High Sierra has to offer. For much of its […]
Giant Adventures
The Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park Having safely established our base in King’s Canyon National Park, it was time to go see the other and more heavily visited side of this fabulous complex of protected lands…that being Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is smaller than Kings Canyon, but owing to the fact that it’s most singular landmarks lie close to the […]
The King of Canyons
Back in November we featured Big Bend National Park in Texas, which we nominated as the most underrated National Park in the entire system. It’s big, it’s wild, it’s scenic, and compared to other parks, it’s seldom visited. However, there are many other very underrated National Parks. In fact, we can easily make a case that while Big Bend is […]
There’s More to Stone Mountain State Park Than Stone (But There’s plenty of That, Too)
Stone Mountain State Park, NC What could be simpler to grasp than Stone Mountain State Park? It’s a state park with a mountain that has a lot of…well, stone in it. You gotta love simple. Of course, any mountain by definition has a bunch of stone in it. But rarely is so much of it so prominently on display. There […]
Another Unheralded Gem of the National Park System
Teddy Roosevelt National Park *This post continues the mining of old photographs taken in the pre-digital era. We therefore apologize in advance that the quality of the pictures is not quite up to the usual standards. Today we’re again going back into the vault, to the days when photographs were printed on paper, phones didn’t have cameras unless you worked […]
Where Was Our First Hike Together? Believe It Or Not…
Hemmed in Hollow, Arkansas Yep, dang ole’ Arkansas *This post continues the mining of old photographs taken in the pre-digital era. We therefore apologize in advance that the quality of the pictures is not quite up to the usual standards. Also note that our description of the falls was accurate for the time we visited, which was in 2005, things […]
Let’s Give Thanks for the Outdoors!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! One of the things that Sylvia and I both feel most thankful about is that we have the ability to move around, enjoy the outdoors and be active. We also are thankful we live in a country where so many people feel as passionately about the outdoors as we do! As we give thanks (and […]
More Bucketlists…What are the UK’s Best Hikes?
The Greatest Hikes in the UK? For many years I have dreamed of doing a long walk in the UK — the place where the idea of long distance walking in the modern sense was born. In addition to being scenic, the UK offers many other advantages, including the fact that it is an English speaking nation, has an excellent […]
Standing Indian Loop Video
The Standing Indian Loop Hike via the AT In our newest video we hike the Standing Indian Loop in western NC…a very popular 3 day backpacking trip. It is one of the very few places where a long loop hike involving the AT is even possible without a great deal of logistical complication. It’s also a great option for anyone […]
Another Blockbuster Movie!
By popular demand we have a NEW HIKING VIDEO… The Mt. Cammerer Hike, Great Smoky Mountains National Park! This is an 11 mile out and back to Mount Cammerer and its unusual fire tower — our favorite single viewpoint in the Smoky Mountains, and quite a challenging hike. Don’t miss our trip report! And while you are at it, check […]