This headline jumped off the screen the other day! Is hiking the new yoga? Hmmm. I do both, and I love both. I have, on occasion, combined the two on yoga hikes. Love squared! But can one replace the other? Let’s see. Hiking and yoga are both full-body workouts. Both activities will increase strength in […]
52 Weeks 52 Hikes
Hike 19 – Mount Brasil, Terceira Island, Azores
Four months ago, I had never heard of Terceira Island or the Azores. Today I find myself preparing to hike up Mount Brasil, the remains of a long-extinct volcano. Jutting out into the ocean, flanked by two bays, most of the peninsula is designated as a natural reserve. Parking our rental at Relvao Park, the Reluctant Traveler […]
LeConte Lodge: On Top Of the Smokies
If you live in the Eastern United States, chances are you’ve visited Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. You’ve probably taken a drive through Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. But do you know that atop Mount LeConte, the third highest peak in the park, sits a lodge accessible only by foot? That’s right! LeConte […]
Hike 16 – Monte Sano Preserve/Huntsville Land Trust
The plan for this week was the Fiery Gizzard Trail in Tennessee, a trail I’ve been dying to do. According to a friend, the trek is challenging, albeit beautiful, clocking in at 12 miles point to point. Drawing a map showing how to make a loop using an offshoot trail, he warned that it was […]
Hike 15 – Mist Trail – Yosemite National Park
The alarm goes off at 5 AM, and my husband announces that he won’t be joining me today. I lay in the bed fuming. I’ve changed my plans to accommodate him, and I’d have been long gone if I was going solo. I glare at him, not especially useful since it’s pitch black in the room. After […]
Havasupai: Hiking to Paradise
You’ve probably seen photographs floating around the internet of incredible blue-green waterfalls crashing over high cliffs against the colorful backdrop of the Grand Canyon. You might assume the pictures are enhanced. Nothing could be that color. But it can, and it is at Havasupai. On an earlier trip to trek to Phantom Ranch in the […]
Hike Fourteen – Armstrong Redwoods State Park
I’ve tagged along on a business trip to California with my husband. Or the Reluctant Traveler, as I like to call him. RT for this story. RT was asked to go to the Fresno area to work for a couple of days, and since I have some time on my hands and no office to […]
Hike Thirteen – Walls of Jericho, Alabama
It’s early, and it’s cold. Much colder than anticipated as we head towards Skyline, Alabama to hike the Walls of Jericho, rated the number one day hike in Alabama by Backpacker Magazine. I’m with my friend Susan and her son. The last time I saw him he was in elementary school, he’s a junior in […]
52 Things I Know For Sure
During a recent birthday celebration, a friend challenged me to make a list of things I’ve learned over the years, things I know to be true. I took the bait, and here it is. For better or worse. 1) Let go of perfect, and you can be good. There is no such thing as perfect, […]
52 Weeks 52 Hikes
Road-trippin’ from Alabama to California, we detour off I-40 to take in the Grand Canyon. On our way out of the park, we met some folks who had done an R2R (rim to rim) hike. I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of a hike into that canyon. Out with friends, one evening and two […]
