During a recent trip, I became briefly frustrated by the small town where I was staying. As I began venting on paper, it hit me just how hospitable these sometimes-isolated hamlets are. By the end of the page, I felt downright silly, and now that I’ve been home for over a month, I’m aching to return. Do you enjoy staying …
A backpacking trip, or a personal journey?
For the past month, I’ve been locked in a vacation state of mind. My heart is still on the trail, but my brain and body are hard at work writing, and making a dollar at my day job. The Appalachian Trail has a way of keeping your heart. Each time I return to the trail it takes longer to pull …
Backpacking logistics part 2: Planning and resupply
Planning a backpacking trip can be confusing… How many miles should you plan to hike each day? How will you re-supply food and fuel? These questions are interrelated and can be tough to answer if you haven’t had much experience with backpacking or adventure travel. Daily mileage impacts food planning, but as a new backpacker you won’t know your pace. …
Backpacking and hiking logistics, part 1: Transportation
“You wanna go where lady?” Is what I expected on the other end of the phone-line when I started calling around for a ride to the trailhead while planning to backpack a section of the AT. Instead, the reply was, “Sure! I drive backpackers up there all the time.” My adventure planning was off to a good start. Sometimes the …
From gym to trail: Adjust your workout for backpacking
It’s time to think about fitness for backpacking. Throughout the cold winter, you dragged yourself into the gym and resisted becoming a couch potato, lifted weights, walked the treadmill, and maybe took a fitness class or two. Now that the spring flowers have bloomed and you’re thinking of adventure sports and backpacking. Be careful. You’re in great shape, sure, and …
Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo: Committed to conservation
“We only exhibit animals that thrive in Florida’s climate,” explained Jason Davis, the Lowry Park Zoo’s marketing manager. “We also try to display only animals that need our protection, rather than just pleasing the public.” This zoo excels at serving the needs of animals, and in the process, it delights spectators as well. In 2009, Parents Magazine named Tampa’s Lowry …
One Day, Three Florida Springs
Flowing under much of Florida is a subterranean river. It is our water supply and the source of over 700 springs dotting the landscape. Some of the springs feed large rivers such as the Rainbow River and the Wakulla. Others are little more than small pools. Occasionally springs connect to the underground aquifer via passages large enough to dive through. …
Myakka State Park – Adventure for the whole family
Two hours from Orlando is a park that will make you feel like you stepped back in time, the Myakka State Park. But it’s not just a pretty view, this park has plenty of activities to keep the whole family busy for days. The park is located east of Sarasota and surrounds the Myakka River, which winds through 58 square …
Solo on the Appalachian Trail
The sound of gravel under the tires of the hiker shuttle faded. I was alone at the Deep Gap trailhead to begin a solo hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina. Instead of silence, I heard the low drone of bees visiting blooms around the trailhead. One signpost indicated the trail leading south and another to the north. The …
Adventure in Northeast Georgia
Two hours north of Atlanta, Rabun County, Georgia, and the surrounding areas offer a variety of activities from whitewater rafting to unique dinning. My son and I spent four days packed with activities in Rabun County last summer. Our base was the Tallulah Gorge Campground. Located on the north rim of the Tallulah Gorge, this campground offered wooded campsites, hot …