Hiking

The walking staff is one of mankind's oldest and simplest devices to help them walk or hike. People have used these long wooden shafts for thousands of years.

Surprises come in two flavors: good and bad. Regarding hiking trails, both types of surprises exist. Rounding a bend on the side of a ridge to be welcomed by a breathtaking, panoramic view is a great surprise. Rounding that same ridge to find a large, evergreen tree clinging to the ridge and crossing the trail is not so good.

When you’re out hiking

Ask the occasional hiker what he or she wants from a trail and a common response is less hikers encountered. So they want a bit of solitude while hiking.

The state forest was slammed with a thunderstorm, tree snapping winds and all, just a few weeks before the wife and I visited for a hike. The trailhead parking area was mostly cleared, except for a few tree branches piled in the corners.

You're walking in the woods, perhaps returning from or heading to the stream or lake. 

Taking in the beauty of a waterfall is an experience that commands the attention of the senses -- from the view of the tumbling waters, to the feel of the cool mist, to calming white noise of the

Like so many purchases today, buying a pair of hiking boots may seem easy, but one quickly learns that finding boots to fit your feet and your hiking needs is time consuming. Buying the right boots is a lot easier with some knowledge, and investing the time and money to find a good pair of hiking boots is a wise move for any outdoor enthusiast.

Summer hiking offers challenges that are absent during the other seasons, such as adult insects wanting a sip of your blood and thunderstorms throwing lightning bolts at you. Those things can be deadly, but so can ignoring the weather when a thermometer is reading in the red zone. Overheating on the trail is a serious situation that can be easily avoided by using the correct gear, planning accordingly, and following common sense.