Photo: Neil Alejandro

At the first sign of spring, I tie up my hiking boots and hit the trails. It doesn’t matter if the trails are short or long, crowded or isolated, familiar and worn or new and overgrown. As soon as the weather is ideal for hiking, I take off.

Photo: Mike Miley

For people who might need more incentive than just pleasant weather, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has implemented the Reward Yourself – Hike the Smokies Challenge.

The motivational program begins April 25, the last day of free entrance for National Parks Week. On April 25, people can pick up a free, pocket-sized mileage record book at the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee Visitor Centers in the park. After April 25, the books cost $1.00.

According to the press release about the event:

“The challenge is to keep track and record the mileage from each trail excursion, even if it is the same trail day after day.”

Hikers are rewarded with mileage pins after reaching 100 miles, 250 miles and 500 miles; with more than 800 miles of trails in the park, there will be no shortage of trails to trod. Successful hikers will also be recorded in the park’s “Hike the Smokies” 2010 web records.

Community Connection:

If Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a bit too crowded for you, there’s plenty of space to find inspiration in Glacier National Park.

Photo: Alaska Dude

1. Stay on the trail.

Especially when mud puddles or photographs are involved, it’s sometimes tempting to wander off the trail. The long term effect is to create new paths that carve up formerly pristine areas. Not only does this look ugly, but it can hurt fragile plants and, over time, denude landscapes. Better to get your shoes a little dirty or sacrifice that perfect photo.

2. Camp in designated areas.

Some predetermined tent sites are poorly chosen, and some plants won’t be affected if you sleep on them. Unless you’re a botanist or an expert in Leave No Trace principles, it’s best to stick to the rule that you shouldn’t make camp where camp hasn’t already been made.

Photo: Darryl Darko

3. Don’t build campfires.

I’m a bit of a pyro, so I’m bummed I can’t build huge bonfires everywhere I go. Still, the truth is that fire rings damage landscapes.

There are exceptions: if you’re in a campsite with established fire pits or rings, either buy wood or use very little dead wood gathered from a wide area without trampling, and don’t leave singed trash behind, you should be OK.

Pay attention to rules that outlaw burns in certain ecosystems or during certain times of the year, and never collect rotting logs: they’re an important part of the forest habitat.

4. Pack out trash.

This one’s pretty obvious with respect to things like plastic bags or granola bar wrappers, but don’t go tossing your orange peels into the forest. They’re biodegradable, sure, but they’re not a part of that ecosystem and food scraps can condition bears and other critters to human food. This is bad news for both animals and hikers.

5. Don’t wash dishes in streams.

For the most part, you should avoid rinsing your cookware in water. The best way to deal with your dinner is to eat everything on your plate, wipe the dishes clean, and rinse utensils with bottled water far downwind from your campsite, using minimal amounts of biodegradable soap. Make sure to pack out any food waste or leftovers.

For more details on minimizing your impact in the wilderness, order a copy of the Sierra Club’s Walking Softly in the Wilderness or check out the Leave No Trace website.

Community Connection

Matador Change has more articles and tips on going green.

Learn about how a Chinese festival is encouraging rock climbers to reduce their environmental impact.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Photo by cm195902

National Park Week is April 17-April 25, 2010, and while many people will want to take in the parks from scenic overlooks and viewpoints, there will probably still be plenty of space left on the parks’ trails. You can find an array of hiking opportunities at these national parks:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Tennessee and North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountains have more than 800 miles of hiking trails running through it, including 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Though Great Smoky Mountains is one of the most-visited national parks in the US, its trails offer plenty of opportunities to explore the back country and view wildlife, including black bears and elk. Trails wind through wooded areas, into valleys, and over mountaintops, many of which have great spots to look out over the park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park — North Dakota

Often overshadowed by South Dakota’s Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park has more than 100 miles of trails. The park’s Great Plains wildlife, including bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs, and its lack of crowds, make the park a great choice for people who want to get away from the traffic of national parks.

Yosemite National Park. Photo by glennwilliamsspdx

Yosemite National Park — California

At 1,189 square miles, Yosemite National Park is roughly the size of Rhode Island. Within its borders are approximately 800 miles of hiking trails, including the strenuous trek up Half Dome, which usually takes 10 to 14 hours and requires a permit from the park service during weekdays.

Several other trails in the Yosemite Valley are pleasant day hikes, though Tuolumne Meadows in the northern section of the park is a more isolated trek. Those interested in a longer hike can check out portions of the John Muir Trail, which crosses through the park.

Shenandoah National Park — Virginia

With more than 500 miles of hiking trails (101 of which are part of the Appalachian Trail), there’s plenty of hiking in Shenandoah National Park. Nearly 40 percent of the park’s land has been designated as wilderness area, and there are countless waterfalls scattered throughout the park. The 1.4-mile Dark Hollow Falls hike is one of the most popular in the park, while others, such as the one to Overall Run Falls, require more strenuous or longer hikes to reach.

Isle Royale National Park — Michigan

Isle Royale is the largest island in Lake Superior. The park itself consists of this island and approximately 400 other smaller islands, and is not accessible by car. If you make the effort to get to the park, expect to be rewarded with few crowds and 165 miles of hiking trails. At 40 miles long, the Greenstone Ridge Trail is the park’s longest, and runs from one end of Isle Royale to the other. Most people take four or five days to complete the hike.

Community Connection:

Feeling risky? Browse this list of some of the most dangerous hikes in the U.S.

Photo: madpai

On March 15, 2010, 29-year-old Skurka left for a 4,700-mile hike around Alaska, which is being called the Alaska-Yukon Expedition. The hike will take approximately 7 months to complete. Skurka will use skis, foot and a packraft to complete the journey.

The trek will cross into six U.S. national parks and two Canadian national parks. Skurka will also spend time hiking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range and on the Iditarod and Chillkoot Trails. He’ll also have to float on the Copper, Yukon, Peel, and Kobuk Rivers.

Throughout the course of his hike, Skurka will only cross eight major roads. He anticipates covering 24 percent of the expedition on skis, 28 percent by packraft and 48 percent by foot.

Skurka is not a novice to long-distance treks. According to his website, he has hiked more than 23,000 miles since 2002. On his resume of extreme hikes are the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail, 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route.

His ability to complete 35-45 miles a day is in part due to his ultralight packing strategy. The packraft, for example, weighs a mere 4.5 pounds.

Despite being so remote for the majority of his hike, Skurka’s adventures will be updated via a blog at National Geographic Adventures as well as a Twitter feed at @andrewskurka.

Community Connection:

Andrew Skurka isn’t the only person currently chasing a personal hiking milestone. For more inspiration, follow the story of blind hiker Mike Hanson, who is currently thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Photo by dmott9

Although there is still some debate as to whether or not the world is still in a deep recession, unemployment rates are holding high. With uncertain futures and few jobs available, some recently unemployed are viewing the hit as a time for personal growth and taking to the trails.

Up 200 hikers from 2008, 1,425 hikers started the Appalachian Trail in Springer Mountain, Georgia in 2009, with 343 finishing the trail in its entirety on Mount Katahdin in Maine. A recent article in Backpacker Magazine provides anecdotal evidence that the recent spike in thru-hikers is largely due to unemployed hikers with plenty of time on their hands.

Photo: Nicholas T

A recently laid off Rusty Towery tells NPR “I have no major responsibilities yet in life, so might as well do something like this while I can,” he says.

The majority of hikers on the Appalachian Trail are usually recent college graduates and retired folk. “The rest were either people who were able to creatively get lots of time off from full-time jobs, people who work seasonal jobs (that’s me and a few others here, I think), teachers or folks with school related jobs (summers off), or recently laid-off/quit/etc,” Ryan Linn explains on the Backpacking Light forum.

A typical thru hike of the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail takes an average of 6-months and costs the hiker anywhere from $3000 to $5000 not including the cost of gear and other bills they must keep up with while out on the trail.

Photo: Compass Points Media

Hikers can reduce their costs further by resisting the lure of hotel beds and restaurant food when resupplying food and gear in towns along the way.

Still, $3000 is not bad for 6-months of lodging, food, and entertainment, and might even be a good way to stretch your dollar during tough economic times.

Although considered a poor move by unemployment counselors, taking six months off from the job search–and society in general–could actually be a resume builder. Time on the trail definitely builds character, and you never know what potential contacts and employers or collaborators you will meet on the trail.

Perhaps hikers leave the trail more empowered by turning their job loss into an opportunity to fulfill their dreams, thus warding off the “Someday Syndrome” and the return home with greater insight into their next move.

Community Connection

Matador’s Austin Chu turned unemployment into an opportunity, traveling the country to film a documentary about the recession. See The Recess Ends on Matador TV.

Been there, done that? Check out Where to Hike After You’ve Finished the Appalachian Trail for more extreme options.

Photo by Nicholas T

Despite his disability, Mike Hanson is an outdoorsman. He’s hunted and fished for over 30 years and is an experienced kayaker and backpacker. He’s well aware of the dangers of hiking such a challenging trail.

Hanson has spent the last several years testing out a special GPS receiver that will guide him on his route by plotting waypoints, like campsites and sources of water, and using special text-to-speech capabilities to keep him within 10 feet of his path. He gave the system a test run on a 30-mile hike through Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Photo by Nicholas T

Hanson will be accompanied on his hike by filmmaker Gary Steffens. Steffens plans to document the entire hike, following but not interfering with Hanson’s navigation.

Why the quest? Hanson is a huge techie, and he recognizes that technology used to assist the blind has improved drastically in his lifetime. He started out by using a device to write Braille, and has grown independent enough to live by himself, navigating with his GPS.

However, Hanson says that most of the world doesn’t recognize the blind as capable, which he believes is the reason that about 70% of visually impaired people are unemployed. With the hike, Hanson wants to prove that blind people can be independent.

Hanson will need $25,000 to complete his campaign, but has only raised $9,000 so far. He is accepting donations on his website. More information is available on his Facebook page.

Community Connection

Wondering how Hanson does it? Check out these tips for visually impaired travelers.

Photo By:Tatters:)

To find out what it takes to be a hut master, I contacted Dave Herring, executive director of Maine Huts and Trails. He said that being part of a hut crew is much like other jobs at lodges, with the difference that there’s little job specialization at the smaller huts.

“The crew does a bit of everything,” said Herring. They “clean, cook, provide info to guests, stack wood, patrol trails, et cetera.” Hut crew are full-time, year-round staff, and generally work ten-day shifts followed by three to four days off.

Having the right expectations before applying is key. According to Herring, the most common misconception held by applicants is that they’ll be outside all of the time.

“They do get plenty of time to get out and recreate,” he said, “but the jobs are primarily indoors.” Aside from some trail work in the summer and running groomers to keep the trails ski-able in winter, the essential duties are hut-related.

Employees handle jobs ranging from keeping the boilers and fireplaces going to cooking for up to 50 guests. They also spend time refilling the solar electricity system’s lead-acid batteries with water, adding wood chips to the composting toilets and cleaning up after guests.

And the perks? “Living in incredible places. Interacting with really interesting people, guests and other staff.”

Getting the Job

Photo By:mckaysavage

There are two main full-service hut systems in the US. The Appalachian Mountain Club maintains eight huts, while the smaller Maine Huts and Trails runs two, with a third scheduled to open later this year. Both make it easy to apply for hut crew positions with instructions listed on their websites.

With only four crew members working each hut, competition can be higher than for many other jobs. A resume outlining relevant experience will help your application move to the top of the pile.

Because of the customer service involved, the biggest qualification for getting a job with a hut system is previous experience working with the public. Herring said he is always looking for “outgoing personalities and a strong desire to work with a team of others to serve the visiting public,” and that “food service and outdoor skills are a plus.”

Hut employment opportunities exist in other parts of the world as well, with several full-service hut systems in Europe and New Zealand. In addition, hut systems that aren’t full service, like the 10th Mountain Division Huts in Colorado and the Mount Tahoma Trails Association in Washington, need volunteers to stock pantries, stack firewood, and maintain trails.

Community Connection

Matador Trips shares The Most Spectacular Treks Worldwide.

There is no room in a fastpacker’s pack for comforts like Lexan wine glasses, solar showers, or gourmet trail food, so it’s certainly not for every backpacker. But by using a combination of trail running and hiking, fastpackers can travel upwards of 30 miles a day.

Hardcores take it even further and travel without tents or stoves, fueling themselves with energy bars, cold instant coffee, and jerky, while making shelters out of tarps or sleeping on the ground.

Photo by Author

As grueling as fastpacking may sound, you won’t need to rest as much, and may actually enjoy carrying a pack more if you lighten your load. Without distractions like GPS and multi-tools, you’ll likely find it easier to connect with your environment too.

Essential Gear

Basically, fastpackers strive to cover as much distance as they can in as little time as possible by carrying only the essentials.

You’ll need to get a lightweight backpack and limit your gear to a sleeping bag, shelter, food, and water. Any lightweight daypack will do, but shoot for a model that weighs less than 3 pounds and holds 20-30 liters, such as Black Diamond’s Octane Pack.

Choose a lightweight sleeping bag and sleep in your clothes to cut the amount of insulation you’ll need. To drop even more weight, leave the sleeping pad at home or try out an ultralight inflatable mattress.

You can create a decent shelter out of a tarp or a poncho, but if you absolutely cannot go without a tent, find a lightweight single wall tent that weighs no more than 3 pounds.

Where to Go It will take a few trips to truly master the art of ultralight backpacking. Start out with an easy 8-10 mile overnight hike or a favorite trail close to home.