A Solar Powered Hiking Shelter

It used to be that hiking didn't require electricity, at least not much. All you needed was batteries for your camera and flashlight.

These days, of course, everyone seems to carry a cellphone. And maybe a GPS. And maybe a tablet. And those things have to be charged every now and then. (Think about it _ when someone stays overnight at your house, they look for an outlet to charge their phone, right?)

Full disclosure: I carry a cellphone when I hike, but I usually remove the batteries. It saves power, plus it protects the phone from being permanently damaged in case it gets wet. Cellphones are handy in emergencies, but I sometimes feel we rely on them too much. ("Oh, I can take this dicey trail _ I can always call for help if I get hurt or lost." Yeah, right.)

This leads us to today's hiking news item. Solar panels have been placed atop one of the shelters frequented by hikers on the Appalachian Trail near Waynesboro, Va. The shelter isn't actually on the trail itself, and you've already reached town anyway, so it's hardly in a middle-of-nowhere place. Where you'd really like to see something like this is on a remote stretch of the trail, where there's no civilization around.

Still, it's a start. I'm a big fan of solar energy, so anything that helps the cause is good. Check out the full story in this report from NBC29.

And, of course, you can bring you cellphones when you join us next year for one of our hiking vacations. Hope to have you along as we go to Switzerland, Nevada, Vermont and Virginia. Check out all the details here.

See you on the trails.

Joseph

A 13-year-old Ray of "Sunshine"

She's 13 years old, and her trail name is "Sunshine."

And she's quite a hiker.

Reed Gjonnes of Salem, Oregon, has become the youngest known person to hike the so-called "Triple Crown" _ the three major long-distance trails in the United States. She and her father have conquered the Pacific Coast Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail.

And let me repeat that she's only 13. And she did part of it with a broken arm. 

I remember reading about Reed in the Washington Post when she and her father were doing the AT. Now that she's finished all three trails, you can read about her adventures in this story from Zach Uruness of the Salem Statesman-Journal.

Well done, Reed.

The hiking trips we have scheduled for next year aren't as demanding as anything that Reed attempted, but they sure are awesome ways to spend a vacation. Check out our schedule and join us in Switzerland, Vermont, Nevada or Virginia. 

See you on the trails.

Joseph

And When October Goes ...

A little fall of rain didn't deter my neighbor. 

But there was one concession to the weather _ a canopy.

I suppose the coolest way to spend Halloween would be a hike to a cozy cabin deep in the woods, but that very idea spawned the "Friday the 13th" movies. Maybe it's just more fun to chill out with the neighbors.

That's what we do where I live. We take over a cul-de-sac, light a fire in the middle of the street, set up tables with homemade goodies and enjoy each other's company while streams of kids and parents drop by to say hello.

My pumpkin whoopie pies (see yesterday's blog) were a big hit. Gotta save that recipe, for sure. Needless to say, we all went home with warm hearts and full bellies.

Today is All Saints Day, when we're supposed to be rid of all the evil spirits of the day before. In my case, it means a longer-than-usual bicycle ride to make up for all that Halloween food!

Back to thinking about hiking. The new year will be here before you know it, so start thinking about those 2014 plans. Check out our website and join us for a hiking trip.

See you on the trails.

Joseph

Ahhh! Lots of homemade treats for all the scary folks.

All Hallow's Eve

Pumpkin whoopie pies. Easy to make. Let's hope they taste OK. 

It takes longer to clean up the kitchen than it does to make the treats.

It's a busy day, so this will be a short blog. I was up late last night making pumpkin whoopie pies for All Hallow's Eve, which we know today as Halloween.

I discovered pumpkin whoopie pies at a shop in Harper's Ferry, Maryland, and had to try to make some for myself. I pureed one of the pumpkins on my front stoop and made them into little cakes stuffed with cream cheese filling.

I'll hand these out when I gather with friends around our small fire tonight in the middle of the neighborhood cul-de-sac. For me, that's what Halloween has become _ a chance to sit with friends, interact with all the neighbors and their kids and enjoy their company. I might even throw on my "Trashman" costume. (We'll have photos tomorrow in my "All Saints Day" blog.)

Here's hoping you, too, have a neighborly Halloween.

And, yes, don't forget to visit our
hiking website.

See you on the trails. And around the fire.

Joseph

Racing Through the Woods With a Map

My map and my final time sheet.

It's a sport that has a long, intimidating name, but don't let that put you off. If you enjoy the outdoors and have any sense of direction whatsoever, you really ought to give orienteering a try.

You're given a map, a compass and a computer chip to wear on your finger. You dash through the woods (some people run, some people walk) trying to complete the course.

Anyone can do it. Even a 6-year-old could finish the very simple White course, while the experts go for the Green, Red or Blue. In between, there's Orange and Brown. I'd call it a rainbow of choices _ but not all of those colors are in the rainbow.

I'm fortunate to live in an area where there are many orienteering events sponsored by the good people at the Quantico Orienteering Club. They have something going on nearly every weekend in the spring and fall in the parks near Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, the fun was held at Prince William Park in Virginia. About 300 people turned out. I opted for the Brown course (intermediate level) because I had been on a 14-mile hike the day before. As you can see if you click on the photo, I had a bit of a struggle finding No. 6. (I kept looking in the wrong ditch.) Nevertheless, I finished fifth. In fact, if you're really a stat geek, you can see the breakdown of my times and how they compared with others on the QOC website here, here, and here.

You can also check out their schedule of upcoming events. Give it a try _ I'm sure you'll have fun.

If you'd rather hike instead of orienteer, don't forget our our hiking trips next year. We're going to Switzerland, Nevada, Vermont and Virginia in 2014.

See you on the trails.

Joseph

Hiking a Roller Coaster

A sign meant to strike fear into hearts of weary backpackers

Roller coasters are supposed to make you scream, right? Well, certainly, there have been more than a few hikers on the Appalachian Trail who have wanted to scream when encountering this sign.

The "Roller Coaster" section of the AT run through the northern part of Virginia. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. A challenging change of pace from the walks along the relatively flat ridges that one encounters on some other parts of the AT.

On Saturday, we hiked a portion of the Roller Coaster with the Capital Hiking Club, based in Washington, D.C. It was 14 miles from Route 50 to Route 7 _ with an elevation gain of more than 4,000 when you add up all the "ups."

It's a great hike, but you need to be prepared with plenty of water and food. The nice reward comes near the end, when you get a spectacular view of the Shenandoah Valley from the overlook near Bear's Den cabin.

It was also a great time of year to be outdoors. The leaves were colorful, and the sun warmed us up quickly. A fabulous day to be in the woods. There are more photos below, plus lots more on the club's website.

The Shenandoah region is one of our destinations for 2014. Take a look and sign up for a hiking trip to Switzerland, Vermont, Nevada or Virginia.

See you on the trails.

Joseph

Gathering place at the Clarke County line

It was a little chilly when we started ...

... but soon the sun took over, and the view from Bear's Den was stunning as usual.

Let's Go Hiking in, uh, Kansas?

No, I am not planning a hiking trip to Kansas. Not that I have anything against Kansas. As the son of a farmer, I'd love to visit that fine state one day and bask in the wheat fields and meet lots of friendly people.

But as I was thinking about potential blog topics today, I thought: "What state would you least associated with hiking?"

Well, consider this about Kansas:
_ It doesn't have mountains. Its highest point is optimistically called Mount Sunflower, which is in the middle of a field somewhere and is only slightly higher than the rest of the field.
_ It doesn't have a coastline.
_ It doesn't have a National Park. (It does have the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, but that hardly rolls off the tongue like Yosemite or Yellowstone.)

So, just for the fun of it, I Googled "hiking in Kansas" to see what I could find. The Every Trail website offered some options and made one thing perfectly clear right away: Hiking in Kansas involves walking around scenic lakes.

And that's not a bad thing at all. You can, for example, stroll a 12-mile circuit of Wyandotte County Lake, taking lots of nice photos while not having to worry about getting winded on a steep slope or wearing out your knees coming down the other side.

So here's a mighty hello to all the hikers in Topeka and elsewhere. Maybe we'll come visit you soon, and you can show up your lakes.

Of course, if you're interested in Vermont, Virginia, Nevada or Switzerland, you can come with us. Check out our itineraries for 2014.

See you on the trails.

Joseph