Notes From The Trail
This is my tale of hiking in the 100-Mile Wilderness and up (and then down, because, well, once at the summit, you have to go somewhere!) Katahdin.
I have been section hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) in small bites since 2010. I was a latecomer to the hiking party. I am a 23-year retired Air Force pilot who then flew for an airline, so big chunks of time were hard to come by. Even though I grew up in Virginia, I had zero knowledge of the AT until my son started skipping class to go hiking while he was at VA Tech in his senior year, 2006. Being the straight-A student he was, my wife and I didn't yell at him and I thought, "How cool." So the seed was planted in my brain, but as I was just starting my airline career, the time wasn't right.
With the sun shining bright, everybody is back on the trails. We take pride in the fact that our shirts make taking on your favorite trails in spring and summer heat a little easier with their lightweight feel and moisture-wicking capabilities, all while being eco-friendly. You’ll stay cool and dry on the trail for hours, but that’s not the only thing you have to worry about when you want to just keep trucking.
Everybody knows the anguish of a good blister, and they can be serious buzzkills. That said, there are some remedies and methods you can practice to mitigate the effects of these annoying sores. We’ll tell you a few of them today so you can barrel on up the mountain comfortably and pain-free!
The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the mountains are calling. Spring is finally here, which means that our favorite trails and hillsides are being painted by the striking colors of the country’s most captivating wildflowers and spring flowers. A quick guide for what to see in what region is as follows: East Coast locations like Washington, DC are known for spectacular cherry blossoms. The PNW houses magnificent tulips and alpine wildflowers in the mountains, and southern regions like Texas have beautiful bluebonnet displays. If you’re in the Southwest, California has amazing desert blooms, poppies and other various wildflowers.
That said, we’ve picked out some quality spots across the country to get your fix of your favorite outdoor playground adorned in pretty colors.