Things To Remember When Hiking With Kids

As a recreational pursuit, hiking has few peers.

It is healthy, great exercise, allows you to commune with nature, and it is free. And to top it all off, it can be a fantastic family outing. You can teach your children at a very young age to appreciate nature and the importance of hiking as a lifetime activity. But before taking a hike with the kids, stop and consider a few factors that will help ensure that the outing is enjoyable for all parties involved.

First and foremost, you must always protect your children. One of the dangers which slips past many parents is skin damage from the sun. Always lather your little ones up with an appropriate SPF sun screen to avoid a burn. You might also contemplate buying children’s clothing that has built in sunscreen.

If you are going to be carrying a child on the hike, it is very important to find a lightweight and comfortable baby carrier. There is nothing worse than being miserable when you are supposed to be enjoying a hike.

Before leaving on your journey, check the little ones shoes to verify that they fit well and are comfortable. Keep in mind that children grow very quickly so if you haven’t been on a hike in a while, they made have outgrown their walking shoes.

Be prepared to keep your child engaged during the hike. Shop around the web for interactive hiking kits. These are guaranteed to keep children excited while learning a great deal during a hiking trip.

Lastly, remember to bring plenty of food and drink. Hot, hungry children can be more than a little cranky and it is always best to be prepared.

If you love hiking, consider making it a family activity. Most families spend very little quality time together and too much time indoors. Take advantage of the great outdoors and start hiking!

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Listening to God on the Appalachian Trail

We live in a fast pace world, where our minds have to travel even faster. Throughout history, life has never been this way. Think about your day. You wake up to the sound of an alarm, not a rooster. You get out of your allergy free, down alternative, Poster-pedic bed and turn off the electric blanket as you place your feet on the ground. You walk across your heavy face weight, high density, plush, synthetic fiber carpet and take the few steps to your indoor bathroom. You do your business, close the seat that you had your name engraved on and flush the chrome handle on the piece of finely constructed porcelain.

Next, you turn on the water with a simple twist of the wrist, no pumping, priming or walking a mile to the well, carrying a bucket on your head, required. You grab the latest technologically advanced toothbrush, the Crudomatic x2312, and slap a dab of teeth brightening, taste bud dissolving toothpaste on your Crudomatic x2312 and push the button. This device that resembles some sort of James Bond type spy-ware starts to go to work in your mouth.

Stuff is flying all over your bathroom. You are careful not to swallow any of the solution that you placed on your new toothbrush…you have read the warning labels that say, “DO NOT SWALLOW. IF SWALLOWED SEEK MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY!” After you clean up the mess that you have caused all over your faux marble vanity, you look at the clock that is screaming, “You’re late.” You turn around and with a flash you have tied your machine made tie on to your tanning bed tanned neck. You rip the cleaners bag off of one of your professionally steam cleaned and pressed tailored suits and run down the steps. Then, you help the kids go through the production line of, “Have a good day at school” and rip open the plastic package on your “breakfast.” The label on your “breakfast” says that it is packed full of vitamins and minerals so you take a bite of the artificially instituted genetically engineered vitamins and the “minerals” that have been classified as minerals, due to the intent of medical based research. You get half way out of the door and realize that your cup of coffee is still sitting in its automatic fresh brewed, just the way you like it, holster. You know, your gunshot that you need to open your eyes the rest of the way.

You only got 5 hours sleep last night. After you played an artificial game of golf with the kids on the television screen, you had to catch up on your Facebook messages, send out your friend request and play Farmville. Oh, and yesterday would have been a disaster if you did not’t get your Sports Center update so you had to watch the days news. When you saw 12:05am on the clock you started wrapping up the day and walked up the stairs to bed and started thinking about everything that you didn’t get done.

So, you need that cup of coffee in order to stay awake long enough to get to the next cup of coffee. You drink up and push the button to start your car. You tell Mr. Bluetooth to open your garage door and pull out into the man made mirage of a world that God created. You stop at most of the stop signs and make your way to the freeway. They call it a “free”way of all things, as people are traveling as fast as the law will allow them and a little faster to get to a place that they are told what to do; compromise morals, to meet the bottom line. This place that you are traveling to is what you have to do so that you can play on your computer at night while worrying about what you need to get done. So, you press the gas peddle a little more, risking a ticket, higher insurance rates and an embarrassing aggravating moment with a police officer. (Which reminds me, have you heard the one about the guy that got pulled over and the police officer asked him, “Sir, do you have any ID.” The man replied, “About what?”) You pull into work and turn off your radio. You, “dut dut”, push your car alarm and lock the doors simultaneously, report to work, do some of the things you are supposed to get done and drive through the smog alert back to your neck of the concrete jungle.

You meet the kids for dinner at the families favorite grease pit (the world has told us what is acceptable to eat) and you and your wife discuss how you will divide and conquer. One of the kids has indoor soccer practice and the other has to study for a test on evolution and how man was formed by a “big bang.” You find time for a preliminary check of your email and Facebook messages on your iPhone on the way home. You don’t think that your eleven year old little boy minds that you are paying attention to a 3 inch screen while driving instead of him. He is busy texting his friends on his iPhone, playing his own hand held game with his iPod in his ears, listening to his favorite pop star singing about “itches and oes” and bumping and grinding with that hard body thang at a bar all night. You would never let him listen to such things but you didn’t have the time to check during your busy day. You want to know more about him. You long for it. You want him to talk to you more but this is the way times are now. They have busy lives to with school and hobbies. How could you ever take care of them if you did not work like you do? Things can’t change, you would not be able to keep up, if your schedule was different.

We live in this concrete world that man has made. Our God wants and longs for you to get the iPod out of your ears and find time for Him. He is not looking at the 3 inch screen instead of you. He is here. He is waiting to have a relationship with you. I have lived in the city my whole life. Although, I had the pleasure of having a Grandfather who had a farm….my favorite place on earth. As a boy I played in the barn, chased cattle through the field, walked through the mud getting a little dirt on my hands and everywhere else. I remember the joy that my grandfather and I would experience together doing things around the farm that only such a place would provide. I remember running to him when I caught a tadpole and how proud he was. He was happy because I was happy. He was proud because he provided this environment for me to find such childhood wonders.

We have a God that is the perfect father; the perfect grandfather, if you will. He has made this green and living earth; full of beauty and amazement, peace and joy. God made it for us. I imagine God looking down at an individual who has discovered something that they have never seen before, something that He created, with deep satisfaction. When you walk through the woods on a hike to discover more of God you are surrounded by His artwork. No doubt it is difficult to impossible to escape the “busy” where you currently are…I believe that God wants to get you away long enough to rekindle a campfire in your soul. Come and let God do the rest.

Sadly, this aspect of life, many have never experienced. We have built literal walls which have blocked the young and the old from being a part of God’s incredible masterpiece. He painted the heavens and the earth. He designed the trees and the waters; the mountains and the birds. We have installed concrete and metal over what God has created. I can’t help but ask the question, “Do we think that we can paint a better picture?” He designed you and I. I believe that in man’s ever increasing knowledge of providing for ones wants, man has forgotten about his need. We have forgotten how to listen to God. I believe that nature, a hike through the woods, allows a person to be in the place that God has designed for just this…to listen to Him. As we step back from our “priorities” God can work to align ours with His.

Never in the history of the world has man been in the absence of nature, the nature that God created. I feel that I must give an opportunity to others to experience something that they may have never experienced. I feel that taking all of the other elements out of sight, all the busyness and routine, and leaving them for a few days is absolutely essential to the spiritual state of a man. Come on The Walk with us. Come, listen to God, you will not return the same.

Disclaimer:

I believe that God is about progress and I do not feel that a city or a building is wrong to build. I do not believe that working in a city or even using a Crudomatic x2312 is wrong. However, I believe that, as a whole, we leave little room for the voice of God.

Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel

1. Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

2. As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there.

3 .They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

4. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5. But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

6. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

7. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

8. So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c]-because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Progress is not wrong. Not giving God the Glory for our achievements, is. Not believing that we need God to do great things, is. Break the monotony of routine and the drive for success and re-institute the desire for chasing after God’s voice. Come, take THE WALK.

Ben Luttrell

If you want to take the Walk…come on… [http://lifechangeguide.com/thewalk]

Appalachian Trail Hiking

The Appalachian Trail is a track across Eastern United States, spanning 2,175 miles. It is commonly regarded as one of the hardest hiking trails across the United States today. The trail passes through the Appalachian Mountains; however, on top of this you will also pass through scenic towns and over beautiful rivers.

The trail spans through 14 states including New York and Massachusetts, and many hikers try and complete the 2,175 miles in a season. When a hiker attempts the entire trail in one season it is called a “thru hike” – it will take months of hard work. Only highly trained hikers with lots of planning can complete such a journey. The trail is usually hiked south to north from Georgia to Maine between May and September to avoid the brunt of the bad weather. There is also an unofficial expansion to the Appalachian trail, which starts from Canada, through Quebec and down into Maine.

Section hikers are hikers just looking to get outdoors and enjoy several days of hiking. They complete different sections of the trail without doing the whole thing from start to finish. All classes of hikers can finish a section hike with the proper supplies and training.

Even though it is not the toughest hike around you will come across some harsh obstacles, including some extremely hard-hitting weather (thunderstorms), bears, snakes and some steep grades.

You will never be short of a spot to stay, as there are 250 camp sites between the beginning and the end of the trail, also, as this is an extremely popular hiking route, many people offer out their homes as additional place to stay.

The amount of people that have complete the trail is around 10,000 people, but it is suggested that around 100,000 have attempted it, making the overall completion rate around 10%, and with figures like this it is not hard to see why the Appalachian Trail is one of the most feared hiking spots in the USA.

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Great Hiking Trails in North Texas – Look Just North to Beavers Bend Resort Park

If you are looking for great hiking trails in North Texas, consider Beavers Bend Resort Park in southeastern Oklahoma. It is just 3 hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth area (the Metroplex) by car. Beavers Bend Resort Park includes Beavers Bend State Park which offers free admission. The resort offers serious nature lovers the chance to hike along ridge tops, over creek bottoms, through tall stands of timber, and into areas so remote one can almost experience what early-day explorers must have felt upon seeing the area for the first time, at its pristine best.

McCurtain County features some of the most beautiful territory in the country. The Ouachita Mountains rise and fall dramatically along the lower reaches of the Oklahoma-Arkansas line, which is densely covered with one of the oldest short-leaf pine forests in the world, as well as heavy populations of hickory and oak. Unlike most American mountain ranges, the mountains run east and west, not north and south. Cursing through those rugged ranges are several lakes and rivers, the Little, Mountain Fork, Upper Kiamichi, Poteau and Broken Bow.

The area was named by LIFE magazine as one of the “100 Places To Visit in Your Lifetime” and Dallas Observers voted McCurtain County the “Best Getaway from Dallas.”

You can pick up trail maps at the park’s nature center. There are seven trails you have to choose from, one for every skill level – from serious stroller to avid trekker.

Options…

Trail #1: Take-it-easy route. The South Park trail. 1 mile. For those who want to stay on level ground. Watch eagles fly overhead and wildlife scatter as you stroll by.

Trail #2: The Easy-Does-It Hike. The Junction with South Park. 1 mile. Also a good choice for those who want a less intensive hike and want to get “back to nature” but just a little while.

Trail #3: Beyond Beginner. Beaver Creek Crossing. 1. 5 miles. A bit more challenging. Several steep climbs.

Trail #4: Beyond beginner but not intermediate. Deer Cross – Cedar Bluff. About 2 miles. Some climbs, but not extremely steep.

Trail #5: Walk on the wild side. Cedar Bluff – Beaver Lodge Trail. 6 miles. Lots of steep grades. Designed for the more serious hiker.

Trail #6: Born to hike. Skyline. 6 miles. Steep terrain. Experienced hikers only. If you don’t have time to take the longest route (see below), the Skyline is the next best option. More challenging to some than the Cedar Bluff, nevertheless, you’ll need to be able to withstand elevation hiking. But the views you’ll see will be well worth the climb.

Trail #7: The extreme challenge. The David Boren Hiking Trail, named after the U.S. senator and former governor of Oklahoma. The David Boren Trail offers 16 miles of hiking Trails with 4 miles of multi-purpose ( mountain bike) trails that wander along ridge tops and over creek bottoms. The 12 mile Boren hiking trail runs from south to north. Starts at the low-water dam at the south end of Beavers Bend and then connects with the Beaver Lodge Nature Trail, full of steep grades. The trail is well defined and is a narrow, one-person trail – which means no bicyclists to watch out for.

Where do you stay if you travel to the Beavers Bend Resort Park? Glad you asked! The park is home to the forty-room Lakeview Lodge, and there are forty-seven different Beavers Bend cabins. Is camping more your style? The park also offers RV and tent camping. In McCurtain County, your weekend hiking getaway can include almost any kind of lodging – from a rustic cottage to elegantly-appointed log cabins nestled in the towering pines to a unique bed & breakfasts, modern motels and luxury resorts.

So, if you are looking for great hiking trails in North Texas – either for yourself or to accompany your family or that special someone – the Beavers Bend Resort Park is a great option. With many trails to choose for everyone from beginners to seasoned hikers, this is a great option that is only 3 hours away from the Metroplex by car.

Find out more about great outdoor vacation getaway ideas near the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex at McCurtain County, Oklahoma at: http://www.mccurtaincountygetaways.com/

My Favorite Hiking Trails in Bryce Canyon National Park

Trying to figure out my favorite hiking trail at Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah, was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. This may be due to the fact that Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite National Parks in the entire United States, so I enjoyed all the trails. So fortunately, my favorite trail happens to be a combination of two, the Navajo and Queens Garden Trails.

This combination of trails provides a grand tour of the main Bryce Canyon amphitheater, starting at Sunrise Point and ending at Sunset Point. There is virtually no elevation difference between these Points (Sunrise Pt elevation 8015ft, Sunset Pt elevation 8000ft) so your choice of trailhead will have no effect on the difficulty of the hike. However, you must be sure to wear very comfortable hiking boots because there is a 550 ft descent, followed by a similar climb out. Also the distance between Sunrise and Sunset Points is approximately 1 mile along a paved portion of the Rim Trail which runs (obviously) along the rim of the amphitheater, which affords some spectacular views of where youre going, or have already been.

As beautiful as the scenery is along the Queens Garden/Navajo Trail(s), it will be even more spectacular if you start at the right trailhead at the right time. Without a doubt, the best time, and place, to start is sunrise at Sunrise Point. Be sure to arrive at least 20 minutes before sunrise (believe me there are going to be plenty of others arriving 15 minutes early to try to get a good view too) so you can get an unimpeded view as the first rays of the morning sun floods the amphitheater in brilliant yellow, pink and orange sunlight. In those first moments of daylight the naturally colorful strata of rocks will appear to shift hues right in front of your eyes.

Once youve soaked up the mornings first rays, and as most everyone else heads back for breakfast (or possibly even back to sleep), since youve come prepared wearing your comfortable hiking boots, you can start your journey into some of the most spectacular geology in North America.

As you descend into the main amphitheater you will quickly encounter the unusual geologic formations which are so prevalent in Bryce Canyon; the hoodoos. Remember to keep your trail map handy to insure that you dont miss any of the most spectacular, and well known, rock formations in the canyon. The most notable youll encounter (starting from Sunrise Point) are Queen Victoria, Two Bridges, Thors Hammer and Wall Street. I could write pages describing each formation, but none of it would do justice to the awe inspiring beauty that you simply have to see for yourself. Once you hike this trail, youll understand why it is my favorite in Bryce Canyon.

How to Hike With the Kids

With technology of today at our fingertips, it can slip our minds just how little exercise we are getting on a daily basis. Our little ones are so involved with the latest XBox game or the internet wars they can get caught up before you know it. The childhood obesity rate is souring and there is a simple and enjoyable solution to the problem… take them hiking.

Kids really get excited when they are walking the trails and come across an animal scurrying across the field or see a stream with frogs singing for their friends. Their imaginations go wild and the look of pure joy is evident on their faces for the whole day. I love watching the children on the trail because they will spot things that we miss just because they are fresh and new to the experiences. But there are a few things you will need to know before taking your little ones on the trail.

One important thing to teach your kids when hiking is to always take more out of the woods than you take in. This means we don not leave trash for others to pick up and if we see something that should not be there, be a good doober and take it out with you. This teaches them to be good to mother nature and the critters whose homes we are walking through.

Most kids are at a high when they enter the trails and can really get ahead of you before you know it. You will need to keep a close eye on them, especially if you are in the deep woods or mountain regions because they can get off the trail or lost very quickly. I made it a rule with my little ones that if they could not see Mom or Dad they were to stop and start singing loudly. We would catch up to them quickly. This worked several times when it could have been very dangerous. Keeping them close will ensure you all leave the woods as happy as you came in.

And, of course, the kids legs are not as long as ours and they tire quickly. I make sure to plan the trip with time for breaks so they can rest, get some water and a snack and discuss what we have seen and heard so far. I also try to teach them about the plant life and what is our friend and what to stay away from. This will keep them interested and learning when they do not even realize they are. That is a good thing. I keep a special snack in the car for the one who can identify the most plant life and this challenge usually never gets old for them.

Fresh air, lots of exercise and a teaching opportunity that keeps them begging for more. What could be better than that.

My name is Joyce Fletcher and I love to go hiking. The exercise is great and you really don’t even know you’re getting exercise because you’re mind is on the beauty of the trail and the company of friends. I have been hiking for years and hope to continue the experiences for years to come. The photography opportunities are endless as there is always something new at every corner. Our children get so much out of a good hike and they don’t realize they’re getting in shape in the process. It can be a teaching experience and a physical challenge at the same time. It is not often that you get these two benefits for your children and see beautiful smiles of excitement on their faces too. For hiking and photography equipment, please check out my website at [http://www.thehikersden.com]

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Backpacking Movie: A Perfect Getaway

The 10 Best Hikes In The Smokies

Stretching more than 2,100 miles from Main to Georgia, the Appalachian Trail is the longest trail in the United States. 71 of these miles meander through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, beginning at the Davenport Gap in northeast Tennessee and exiting at the Fontana Dam in southwest North Carolina. Of the numerous hiking trails that follow the Smokies crest, here are ten particulars that offer some of the most beautiful views of the park.

Consider distance and difficulty before departing. Easy hikes are short with little elevation gain. Moderate hikes have some elevation gain and a more challenging terrain. Strenuous hikes are long with plenty elevation gain and terrain difficulties. At the start of every trail, check out the wooden signs with trail information and hang tight to your trail map to avoid getting lost in the Appalachian wilderness. You are responsible for yourself, so pay attention to the surroundings. If you do happen to get lost, do not leave the trail you told the guides you intended to hike, as they will look for you there first. Now that logistics are out of the way, all you have to do is choose a path to forge that fits your needs and abilities.

Here they are in no particular order …

1. Sugarlands Visitor Center to the John Ownby Cabin: In the Tennessee side of the park is an area known as the Sugarlands because of the numerous maple trees that once grew there. Scotch-Irish, English, and German settlers once inhabited these lowlands, and hikers can still see evidence of their work and livelihood. On this short nature hike, you can see the land reclaimed by the National Park along with restored log cabins, ancient sycamore trees, stone fences, memorials, and Fighting Creek. Distance: 1-mile loop from Sugarlands Visitor Center to the John Ownby Cabin. Difficulty: Easy.

2. The Rainbow Falls Trail is part of the Cherokee Orchard/Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Tennessee side of the park. The scenic trail leads to Rainbow Falls, where the LeConte Creek spills 80 feet over a rock cliff before then twisting through a boulder field under the trails two footbridges. If the afternoon sun hits the falls just right, you can see a breathtaking rainbow in the falls, living up to its name. In an especially cold winter, hikers can see a column of blue-white ice instead. Also, take a breather at the 2.5-mile mark and bathe in an open view of the valley. Distance: 2.6 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate.

3. Grotto Falls: Several trails take you past Grotto Falls, a must-see in the Smoky Mountains. Along the way, walk through Trillium Gap, one of the prettiest places in the springtime when blooming wildflowers pop up in every place the eye can see. These gently ascending trails move in and out of the mountains, over creeks, riverbeds, and through the Roaring Fork River. At the 1.1-mile mark, the creek falls into a deep pool, and at immediately after, hikers enter a narrow, rock-walled defile where the Roaring Fork sails 30 feet over Grotto Falls. The trail actually passes behind the waterfall through this grotto, so take care when walking on wet rocks. Distance: 1.2 miles one-way. Difficulty: Moderate.

4. Meigs Creek Falls: To see numerous waterfalls and cascades, try the Metcalf Bottoms trails of Tennessee, hike from The Sinks, which gets its name from the swirling water of the Little River rock bowl and continue through Meigs Creek and to the Meigs Creek Falls. Check out flora, such as the crested dwarf iris and the maidenhair fern, both which bloom heartily in the spring. The route crosses Meigs Creek and its tributaries 15 times without the aid of footbridges, so wear sturdy shoes that you dont mind getting wet! Distance: 3.5 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate.

5. Mt. Cammerer: On a clear day, the views from the Low Gap Trailhead to the summit of Mt. Cammerer are unmatched along this rugged, rocky trail. For an even better view, step onto the deck of the stone fire tower, which provides 360-degree angles of row upon row of the blue, Smoky Mountains. Although this trail is the shortest route, remember that the summit reaches 4,928 feet. Distance: 12 miles round trip. Difficulty: Strenuous.

6. Porters Creek Trail: Beginning just outside of Gatlinburg in Greenbrier, the Porters Creek Trail has it all: streams, forests, remnants from early settlers, a little-known waterfall, and in the springtime, a mind-blowing display of wildflowers including bloodroot, hepaticas, and violets that cover nearly every square inch of the forest floor. At the one mile mark lies the John Messer Farm site, where hikers can see a cantilevered barn built around 1875 and a cabin built in the 1930s by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. Distance: 4 miles round trip. Difficulty: Moderate.

7. The Andrews Bald Trail begins at the Clingmans Dome parking area, so you must visit Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the park. Because of the elevation, temperatures can be 10-20 degrees cooler than the lower elevations. The view from the Bald Trail is unmatched, but the course can be challenging. Use a walking stick on the rough parts of the trail, and remember that the first part of the path tends to be wet, so consider waterproof boots. Distance: 3.6 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate.

8. Chimney Tops Trail, on the Newfound Gap road on the Tennessee side, is one of the most popular trails in the Smokies, so if you want to beat the crowds, it is best arrive early in the morning. The early wake-up call is worth it for the magnificent view from the tops. It is only a 2-mile hike to the top, but it is a very steep 2 miles. Distance: 4 miles round trip. Difficulty: Strenuous.

9. The Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail is a path was designed for people with disabilities. The paved and fairly level trail makes it manageable and enjoyable for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities. It is also good option for those with children in strollers and older visitors. Distance: 3,000 feet. Difficulty: Easy.

10. Ramsay Cascades: Hiking in the Smokies would be incomplete if you did not at least attempt a strenuous trail such as the eight mile round trip Ramsay Cascades Trail, located near Greenbrier. The trail runs by a creek and passes through a deciduous forest, leading to the 100-foot Ramsay Cascades Waterfall–the park’s highest and largest waterfall–at an elevation of 2,375 feet. The trail starts out with a slight incline, and then becomes more challenging as you near the cascades. The entire route can take a little over four hours to complete. Distance: 8 miles round trip. Difficulty: Strenuous.

Always remember to look after your health before embarking on a hike of any sort. Bring sunscreen and insect repellent, and carry a first aid kit. Always wear appropriate clothing and ankle-high hiking boots. Always drink plenty of water and keep nourished along the trail. Get yourself in gear and get goingwith so many options for every ability and interest available, the Appalachian Trail demands your footprints.

Learn more about things to do and see in the Smokies at our website at www.PatriotGetaways.com. Just click through to the blog when you get there.

Great Hiking Trails in North Texas: Look Just North to Beavers Bend Resort Park

Great Hiking Trails in North Texas: Look Just North to Beavers Bend Resort Park

The area was named by LIFE magazine as one of the “100 Places To Visit in Your Lifetime” and Dallas Observers voted McCurtain County the “Best Getaway from Dallas.”

You can pick up trail maps at the park’s nature center. There are seven trails you have to choose from, one for every skill level – from serious stroller to avid trekker.

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Trail #1: Take-it-easy route. The South Park trail. 1 mile. For those who want to stay on level ground. Watch eagles fly overhead and wildlife scatter as you stroll by.

Trail #2: The Easy-Does-It Hike. The Junction with South Park. 1 mile. Also a good choice for those who want a less intensive hike and want to get “back to nature” but just a little while.

Trail #3: Beyond Beginner. Beaver Creek Crossing. 1. 5 miles. A bit more challenging. Several steep climbs.

Trail #4: Beyond beginner but not intermediate. Deer Cross – Cedar Bluff. About 2 miles. Some climbs, but not extremely steep.

Trail #5: Walk on the wild side. Cedar Bluff – Beaver Lodge Trail. 6 miles. Lots of steep grades. Designed for the more serious hiker.

Trail #6: Born to hike. Skyline. 6 miles. Steep terrain. Experienced hikers only. If you don’t have time to take the longest route (see below), the Skyline is the next best option. More challenging to some than the Cedar Bluff, nevertheless, you’ll need to be able to withstand elevation hiking. But the views you’ll see will be well worth the climb.

Trail #7: The extreme challenge. The David Boren Hiking Trail, named after the U.S. senator and former governor of Oklahoma. The David Boren Trail offers 16 miles of hiking Trails with 4 miles of multi-purpose ( mountain bike) trails that wander along ridge tops and over creek bottoms. The 12 mile Boren hiking trail runs from south to north. Starts at the low-water dam at the south end of Beavers Bend and then connects with the Beaver Lodge Nature Trail, full of steep grades. The trail is well defined and is a narrow, one-person trail – which means no bicyclists to watch out for.

Find out more about great outdoor vacation getaway ideas near the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex at McCurtain County, Oklahoma at: www.mc-outdoors.com

Numerous waterfalls cascade out of the Cape Breton Highlands, but many are quite remote and difficult to access. Usige Ban Falls is a provincial park, and an excellent, though short, trail system of two inter-connected loops has been constructed. This trail may be found in “Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia, 9th edition”.
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Backpacking or Day Hikes ? Minnesota Superior Hiking Trail

Backpacking or Day Hikes ? Minnesota Superior Hiking Trail

Backpackers or Day Hikers are you looking for a new hiking adventure? Then try this little known treasure of hiking along Lake Superior in Northeastern Minnesota. This Midwest hiking trail is one of the top 10 trails in the nation.

Furthermore, the Superior Hiking Trail extends approximately 270 miles of footpath from Duluth all the way to the Canadian border. It follows a ridge along the North Shore with plenty of scenic overlooks of Lake Superior, waterfalls, gorges, rivers, streams, beautiful wildflowers and abundant wildlife.

Also, the trail is accessible from state parks, forest or county roads. In fact, Superior Shuttle services are available to either hike to vehicle or receive a ride back to your starting point. This service runs from May 21st through October 17th. Other services include food drops, maps for sale, hiking recommendations and tips. Reservations are required and at least 2 weeks advance notice allows plenty of time to communicate your intentions.

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Next, lodging options range from one of the 82-back country campsites to lodge-to-lodge hiking adventures, or hotels in area towns, to state park campgrounds and commercial campgrounds. In addition, there are guided trips and guided day trips available along different sections of the Superior Hiking Trail. Check out the Superior Hiking Trail Association website for more details. There is no need to make reservations, no fees, or permits required to hike or backpack the trail. You can even hike with your dog if you want, on leash of course.

Moreover, volunteers are needed to maintain and build the Superior Hiking trail with camp out work weekends available throughout the summer into September. More information and signup for these weekends are available on the SHTA website. Membership is available to anyone and there is a store/office in Two Harbors that sells, merchandise, maps, hike schedules, detailed trail sheets and guides.

Try something new and challenging and checkout this hiking trail in Northeastern Minnesota. Happy trails!

Polly Mary J. Bowen personal trainer, educator, sports official and outdoor enthusiast currently live in southwestern Minnesota. Ms. Bowen is the owner of Fun Camp Stoves a website, which provides quality camping stoves. She can be reached at www.funcampstoves.com . Camping and outdoor activities have been a part of my life. Thus, the creation of Fun Camp Stoves website, in which sharing my passion with others who love outdoor activities.

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