Meanderthals

Capitol Reef National Park: The Complete Hiking And Touring Guide

Jeff — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:36:14 +0000

By just about any measure, Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah is a sleeper. It falls in the shadow, largely, of the state’s four other national parks. And for most people, a visit to the Fruita orchards, campground, and visitor center is the long and short of their experience with Capitol Reef.

Long, narrow, and rumpled, embracing a wrinkle in the Earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold, this gorgeous national park requires either a four-wheel-drive vehicle or lots of hiking to navigate. From the Cathedral Valley near the park’s northern tip to the Halls Creek Narrows at the southern terminus, the park stretches nearly 100 miles.

A key to exploring a park such as Capitol Reef, with its seemingly endless mazes of canyons, is both a good map and a good guidebook.

During a visit to the park earlier this year, National Parks Traveler’s Kurt Repanshek had the opportunity to both meet author Rick Stinchfield and pick up a copy of his book, Capitol Reef National Park: The Complete Hiking and Touring Guide. This is not your typical national park guidebook. The author spent his professional career in higher education, both as a teacher and as an administrator. Since he retired, he and his wife have spent three months out of each of the past six years volunteering and living in Capitol Reef National Park.

Not surprisingly, the couple has had plenty of time to get to know the national park and discover how best to explore it.

Read full story…

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Don’t Try This at Home

Jeff — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:17:45 +0000

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Mahoosuc Land Trust hosting five-mile hike on new Black and White Trail

Jeff — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:11:16 +0000

The Mahoosuc Land Trust will host a five-mile hike on the new Black and White Trail at 10 a.m. June 1 as part of the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day.

The Black and White Trail stretches from Maine’s Black Mountain Ski Area to the Rumford Whitecap Mountain parking area, according to Jolan Ippolito, development associate of the Mahoosuc Land Trust.

“The Mahoosuc Land Trust owns a stretch of land on the Rumford Whitecap that abuts the Black Mountain hiking trail,” Ippolito explained. “We decided to connect the Whitecap trail with the Black Mountain trail, hence the name Black and White Trail.”

The hike, which begins at 10:15 a.m. at the base of Black Mountain, will be preceded by a brief ceremony. Ippolito said that at noon, or about halfway through the hike, there will be a cookout with hot dogs and drinks.

Ippolito said the hike will be a “moderately strenuous to strenuous hike.”

Ippolito asked that people planning to hike the trail RSVP by May 30 at 207-824-3806 or mlt@mahoosuc.org for cookout or shuttle planning.

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Vermont hiking season starts this weekend

Jeff — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:41:34 +0000

The Green Mountain Club welcomes the start of Vermont’s hiking season. The 10,000-member club which maintains more than 500 miles of Vermont hiking trails looks forward to a number of major projects this summer and fall.

Despite this weekend’s forecast, mud season officially ends in time for the holiday weekend. With more than 200,000 people estimated to use the Long Trail system each year, hiking is a major economic driver for the state.

“We are excited for another great summer and fall of hiking on the Long Trail and all across Vermont,” said Will Wiquist, executive director. “This is the season we expect to see our crews finally breaking ground on a Long Trail footbridge over the Winooski River. It does not get much more exciting than that for Vermont hiking.”

This season, the club’s seasonal trail crew, the Long Trail Patrol, expects to spend much of the summer working on two major Long Trail relocation projects: the Winooski River Valley bridge and relocation in Bolton and Smugglers Notch relocation as part of the renovations to historic Barnes Camp. In Shrewsbury, the club expects to repair the last major stretch of the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail closed due to Tropical Storm Irene damage.

The 103-year old Green Mountain Club built and maintains the Long Trail, America’s oldest long-distance hiking trail. Through the work of about 1,000 volunteers annually and up to 50 seasonal staff, the club maintains more than the Long Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Northeast Kingdom trails.

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Tips on Hiking and Camping with Your Dog at Georgia State Parks

Jeff — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:07:16 +0000

Camping, hiking and walks in the woods. You can do all of that this Memorial Day weekend and all summer long with your dog at a Georgia State Park. The Department of Natural Resources encourages you to do so and is making sure that Georgia’s State Parks are ready for you and your pooch. But before you head out to the great outdoors here are some guidelines to keep in mind.

Camping: More than 40 Georgia State Parks have campgrounds which welcome dogs. Your dogs need to be leashed (6 feet or shorter) and accompanied at all times. Park campgrounds offer hot showers, laundry facilities, and water/electric hookups. Here are some good locations to check out: Fort Mountain State Park near Chatsworth, Mistletoe State Park on Clarks Hill Lake, Reed Bingham State Park in Adel and Skidaway Island State Park near Savannah. Here is a full list of camp sites.

Cabins: If you and your dog don’t care for sleeping under the stars, you can rent a dog-friendly cabin. More than 30 state parks have them. You’ll have to pay a $45 fee and there is a two dog limit. Advance reservations are highly recommended as dog friendly cabins fill up fast. Some of the recommended parks to go to: Cloudland Canyon State Park near Dalton, Seminole State Park on Lake Seminole, Magnolia Springs State Park in Mellen or Crooked River State Park in St. Marys.

Hiking (and Sniffing) Trails: Most of the Georgia State Parks contain dog friendly walking trails. (Tallulah Gorge and Panola Mountain state parks are the two exceptions.) Dogs need to be leashed at all times while on these trails though. Join Sweetwater Creek State Park near Atlanta or F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain for occasional ranger-led dog walks.

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National Get Outdoors Day – Saturday June 8th

Jeff — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:15:23 +0000

Get Outdoors Day is a time to get outside and do something active. It is a fairly new idea that is intended to help lower childhood obesity and promote kids interest in the outside world. Get outdoors day is a chance to try something new outdoors or to do your favorite activity. The primary motive for this day is to get first timers out to a park and get them involved in outdoor recreation.

According to www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org there are a lot of benefits to getting outside. The more connected that people are with the outdoors, the more likely they are to volunteer and contribute to keeping our public lands pristine for the next generation. Another benefit of getting outside is the stress relief that is gained by being active and surrounding yourself in a peaceful outdoor environment. Lastly, “kids have 6.5 hours on a screen per day and are 6 times more likely to play a video game than ride a bike.”

This June 8th, try bringing a friend or family member that does not have a lot of outdoor experience out to your local park to show them what they are missing. When you take them out take the time to teach them the Leave No Trace Seven Principles as well!

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Waterfall trail at Pantertown looking for sweat donations

Jeff — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:24:22 +0000

Volunteers are needed in Panthertown Valley, NC during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, 2013 to help complete a new section of the Wilderness Falls Trail.

The work will entail re-routing the popular trail to make for safer and easier access to the waterfall below. There will be no more than five miles of hiking, and the work will be completed by 2:30 p.m.

REI Asheville is providing giveaways for those who show up, plus each volunteer gets entered into a drawing to win camping gear. Volunteers will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the western entrance to Panthertown Valley at the Salt Rock Gap trailhead, located at the end of Breedlove Road in Cashiers, NC.

All ages and skill levels are welcome. Trail tools will be provided and volunteers are asked to pack a lunch, bring plenty of water, wear good shoes, and bring a pair of work gloves and pruners if you have them.

www.panthertown.org or friends@panthertown.org or 828.269.4453 for more info.

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How to Select a Good Trail for a Child

Jeff — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:41:27 +0000

How do you know what trail is best for children to hike? Maybe you live near a park or national forest and pass a trail on your way to work or when running errands. You may have overheard other hikers or parents talking about them. Even then, you probably don’t know much about those trails or if they’re right for you and your family’s hiking experience.

Start by making a list of potential trails to hike. To do this, go online and look for trails near your house, or where you’ll be traveling, simply by entering the name of the town and “hiking trails” in a search engine. Many of the websites you’ll encounter will be blogs, discussion boards, and chat rooms about hiking. They can give you insights on what to expect on the trail and problems encountered.

After listing five or six potential trails, narrow them to the ideal one by considering these factors:

Local weather and seasons
Length
Elevation gains
Quality of trail
Uniqueness
Dangers

Using these various factors, decide which trail will best match your children’s abilities and interests. You may need to go on a couple of hikes and learn by “trail” and error what your children like best.

Get more details…

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Trails for Change

Jeff — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:25:13 +0000

Over the next year and beyond, Joshua Tree National Park will combine community fitness programs with citizen science volunteer opportunities to provide an amazing “Trails for Change” experience for visitors.

As part of a 2013 Active Trails grant, the park will partner with several local and national organizations to encourage members of the gateway communities and all park visitors to exercise their bodies and minds.

“Trails for Change” will incorporate three park trails of varying difficulty for participants to improve their health while making meaningful scientific contributions – a benefit not only for visitors, but the park’s trails too.

With a range of outdoor activity options, including more than 300 miles of trails, this program will increase awareness of the park’s resources along with the plant communities present in the park. New and old visitors alike can appreciate the beauty of Joshua Tree National Park.

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Volunteers needed to maintain Appalachian Trail

Jeff — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:30:13 +0000

A lot of the trail work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is done by volunteers. There is another service opportunity June 1.

It is the 21st National Trails Day and volunteers are needed to help maintain the Appalachian Trail.

Volunteers need sturdy shoes, adequate drinking water and will need to pack a lunch. At the end of the day, volunteers will be treated to a picnic at Melcalf Bottoms and get a commemorative T-shirt.

There’s a $25 registration fee, which goes to sponsor trail projects in the Smokies.

For more information or to obtain a registration form, visit the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park website at: http://www.friendsofthesmokies.org/events.html or contact Holly Scott at (865) 932-4794.

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