You tie your hiking boots into perfectly snug knots and gently stand up, brushing pebbles off of your knee. A deep breath of fresh air fills your lungs as your first step leads into the wilderness. The warm breeze reeks of dirt, nature at its finest. Leaves crunch beneath your powerful feet and stones fling off the trail, scuttling to a slow stop. Thoughts of the office vanish from your mind and Thanksgiving stumbles in. This round, beautiful earth where we freely trek makes being thankful easy.
Today is National Take a Hike Day. Whether this day is designed for people to bellow "take a hike" to those who deserve it, or venture into the wilderness for some healthy, much-needed exercise is unknown, but Aladdin Travel interprets it as the
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As far as the eye can see, vast mountains roll along the 469 mile drive. Pull off the road whenever your heart pleases to grasp the wide, mountainous view. Plenty of trails along the road range from a 0.1 mile hike to an elongated 13.5 mile one-way trek, each completed with secluded views of quiet American land. Historic sites dot throughout the drive, each representing a different time segment of Cherokee history. Take your time – the speed limit is 45 mph, which lowers around bends and turns. Of course, don’t miss the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, or Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain peak in Eastern …show more content…
The soft sun peaks through the forest, creating a gentle, serene glow. Besides the birds chirping and creeks trickling over smooth stones, peaceful silence stagnates the air. This marvelous chunk of land right near the seashore beholds the largest trees in the world, (their diameter averages 8 to 20 feet wide - cars drive through them!) and most tower over 300 feet high. Once upon a time, when the dinosaurs were roaming, redwood trees were found EVERYWHERE in the world; recently, fossils in China were discovered! However, today these intriguing trees live exclusively in California. Redwood National Park's 200 miles of hiking trails vary from half-mile loops to 22-mile long trails. The difficulty levels range from meandering about, absorbing the trees with your head tipped back, to strenuous – climbing up steps and along waterfalls amidst the magical foliage. If you’re up for a challenge, take the 22 mile hike that leads you all the way out to the
Is Bill Bryson, the author of a Walk in the Woods, an Appalachian Trail hiker? To most people, the only type of AT hiker is someone who hikes it all at once, also known as a “thru hiker.” Bryson has hiked a large amount of the AT, along with Katz, and has come across many obstacles along the way. He has encountered a bear, obnoxious hikers, and especially harsh weather conditions. None of these hurdles have seemed to stop Bryson. They have reduced his progress but have not stopped him completely by any means. Critics have expressed their irritation with Bryson and his negativity towards all of the impediments on the trail. For example, one critic said, “As a hiker laying in a strategy to thru-hike the AT in a couple years, I was looking forward to a light and lively tale. Boy was I disappointed. Grumping about the cold, rain, mud, vermin, tourons, monotony, ugly people and places, and an inept hiking partner didn't let up.” (Anonymous: A Protracted Whine. Book review of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. November 2, 2007) Although many tough critics do not consider him to be an AT trail hiker, he should be considered an AT hiker because he has hiked most of the trail and has written a best-selling novel to inform people of his long, vigorous journey.
Located in the popular Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in California. Every year, mother nature’s breathtaking beauty attracts millions of people from around the world. People hike for three long and fatiguing hours in anticipation of witnessing forceful water rushing down the steep mountain from 2,425 feet above. Last summer, my family and I backpacked through the Yosemite Falls Trail and I came to learn what a truly exhausting experience it is.
Hiking is something that many people do as a leisure activity, but some do it for the challenge. The latter is what author Cheryl Strayed describes in her novel Wild. The Pacific Crest Trail is a mountainous path that travels over many different mountain ranges and goes from Mexico to Canada, but Strayed only followed it from the Mojave Desert in California to the Bridge of Gods in Oregon. Her book was written to illustrate this trying time of her life, and to show how her hike helped her to move past the problems of her past.
On a summer afternoon in my hometown of Hemet, California is like every other day in the summer where everyone is in their houses cooling off or in their pools. When standing in the middle of the street in front of my house I notice four trees in the front yard. Two of the four trees stand on the right side of the yard. An Elm tree twenty feet from the road the height of a two-story house with an unfinished project of a tree house up in the branches from years ago. And an apricot tree that is the height of a one-story building that is about 35 feet from the road with branches easy to climb up. On the left side of the yard I see two more trees; an old nectarine tree half the size of a one-story house about ten feet from the road, and a lemon tree about 30 feet from the road that is about the size of a one-story house. On the curb
Wilderness is a highly idealized concept in today’s society – we simply put it on a pedestal and choose to admire it as we see fit. Nature and wilderness are considered distant and remote concepts, separate from our everyday, civilized lives. By approaching the natural realm in this sense, we simply detach ourselves from our origin, which leaves us to fantasize about the great outdoors as an escape from the artificial creations of our everyday life. This desire to escape our artificial lives has lead to the construction of locations such as national parks, which merely appear to be the natural world, yet in reality they are simply just facets of the modernized world we have created.
day the flowers grow along man of the trails that the Native American took west.” This
The 205-thousand-square-mile Appalachian Mountain range, which spans from Eastern Canada to northern Alabama, boasts North America’s oldest mountains (formed approximately 400 million years ago), the highest peak of the eastern United States (Mount Mitchell), industrial production opportunities and leisurely recreation. The range includes the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky mountains (NCSU, n.d.). A range of recreational activities such as fishing in freshwater streams, camping, biking the Blue Ridge Parkway, skiing and hiking are available in the region. One popular hiking location is the 2,184-mile Appalachian Natural Scenic Trail, which is the longest walking trail in the eastern United States (United States. National Park Service, 2014). Its rich natural capital offers a plethora of resources, allowing production to range from small-scale agricultural establishments to larger industrial outputs of metal and timber. Approximately 80 percent of land has been used for the coal and logging industry since the 90’s (Little, 1995). Though the commercial utilization of the mountains has boosted the economy of Appalachian towns and cities, it has also degraded the range aesthetically and commercially.
Many Americans love to hike. There are many hiking trails located in the United States. One of the most well known trails is the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail, with its distinct history, requires much conservation for the safety of its many hikers.
Throughout the A.T. backpackers experience wildlife and challenges that help them in various ways. Self-confidence is a great skill accomplished as well as self discovery and commitment. The time it takes gives travelers time to discover themselves while walking the beautiful trail. Hikers who hike for a hobby and/or exercise also take away experiences from a trail traveled by many. Whether traveled non stop or by sections, the Appalachian Trail is a great adventure for almost any hiker to enjoy.
At this National Park you may find miles and miles of hiking trails through volcanic craters, hot deserts and rainforests. They have Drive Chain of Craters Roads, Ranger Programs, A Walk Into The Past, and After Dark in the Park.
...e, and a quaint town only five minutes from the national park, there is always something to keep you entertained. As one of the last, nearly intact, temperate ecosystems on Earth it is home to a very unstable, diverse ecosystem. Come to this magnificently beautiful mountain range, and witness all its beauty and serenity first hand.
There have always been many different trees are found in the forest. Tall ones, round of leaf and with broad branches spread open in welcome. Short ones are found here as well, with thin trunks and wiry limbs they sway in the breeze. A wide variety of foliage in the emerald grove dancing merrily to the whispers of the wind. In this quiet thicket, a different type of tree grows, too. They stand resolute, patient, and ever growing.
Dani and I stand in the sun waiting for the “men” to catch up. The view was worth Quill’s whining and navigating through the snow. The breeze catches in the bright green and gold of new Aspen leaves whispering around the lake. The Pine trees scent the air and bask in the sun to steal its warmth from the forest below. The trees are a dark canopy along our path permitting only a few patches of the raised finely mulched trail to a beam or two of sun. Framed like a photo three pencil lead gray peaks rise above a lower sweeping curve of pines. They look close enough to walk over the ridge and touch them. Boulders precariously cling to the side of the mountains. The perfect deep blue early summer sky is the perfect backdrop.
There were some trails nearby that we were able to take. These trails are both manmade and at the same time formed by nature. The trails were manmade in the sense that over time, the bikes have worn away the grass and plants to make just a dirt trail. These trails were mostly formed by nature though, the way the land tilts, where the trees are, rivers, valleys, hills anything out in a forest can and will determine where these trails go. As we ride through these trails, not only is it amazing to see how everything has formed, but you can also observe wildlife as you go through. At one point we are heading down a slight hill, and then two deer run across the trail not 25 feet ahead of us. This leads to us stopping for a couple minutes as we watch those deer run off into the unknown of the forest. When we finish up with the biking, it is nice to know that there are still some areas that are mostly untouched by man, and allowed to take the course that nature would have
One of the most enjoyable things in life are road trips, particularly to the Colorado mountains. Getting to spend time with your family and friends, while being in a beautiful place, is irreplaceable. The fifteen-hour road trip may feel never-ending, but gazing at the mountains from afar makes life’s problems seem a little smaller and causes worries to become a thing of the past. Coming in contact with nature, untouched, is a surreal experience. My family trip to the Colorado mountains last summer was inspiring.