Blog

A State Park ranger is a good bet for insuring a positive experience on your first group hike. Through our GetHiking! program and our involvement in the Hike NC! hiking...

Of all the things that can stress us over the holidays, there is one thing we can help the non-outdoorsy among you strike from the list. The family hike. Families...

Choosing a new pack can be overwhelming, let our Staff & Osprey help you out. (Jonathan Morua) Backpacks are one of those integral pieces of gear that can make or...

Trail (Shoe) Maintenance: How to Clean Your Chaco Sandals By RootsRated (A handy guide to keeping your Chacos clean. Cody Myers) It’s common knowledge that people who love their Chacos...

By the time Karen Szypulski finished taking the Intro to Kayaking class at Cary’s Bond Park in June of 2012, she was hooked. “I was ready to buy my own...

There is no air conditioning. The facilities are communal (if at all). There may be running water — nearby. Dinner is do-it-your-self, over a fire, caveman style. Oh, and there...

So you you’ve been following our Let’s Take a Walk in the Woods series in this space for the past month about becoming a hiker. You started with the basics,...

The most common questions a thru-hiker gets asked in town typically refer to our food. “What do you eat out there?” “How do you carry enough food for 5 months?”...

So you read our post last week about launching your hiking career — if you didn’t, hit pause and go here, then come back — and were intrigued. You’ve let...

There’s a scene in “A Walk in the Woods,” the screen version of Bill Bryson’s memorable 1998 account of his common-sense-plagued hike on the Appalachian Trail, in which Bryson (played...

-By Jaala Freeman #TrustyPCT- We call them “The Family.” They call themselves “The Lorzigs.” They are three people walking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail–two parents, Jeanne...

Jaala Freeman: The stereotypical hiker–a 20-something person, with a moderate level of outdoor experience, physical fitness and a sports-like demeanor. Reality, however, shows the hiking community to vary widely in...

Travel the major freeways of NC this summer and you’ll likely spy a billboard or three showing the iconic OBX lighthouses. While most people visit the lighthouse grounds, few people...

As a hiker approaches the Kennedy Meadows General Store, at mile 702 on the Pacific Crest Trail, the crowd on the deck erupts in applause and cheers. Each person who...

When Jaala and Tommy Freeman leave on their honeymoon early tomorrow, they’ll be equipped like few other newlyweds. Bear canister? Check. Ice axe? Check. Instant hashbrowns? You bet! Gotta keep...

Most hikers may recognize Randy Johnson as the author of numerous hiking guides in North Carolina and Virginia, a background that certainly helps when leading hikes. But what most hikers...

Umstead Trail Marathoners show that there’s more than one way to prepare for a 26.2-mile day Runners Taking their Mark before the start of the 10th Annual Umstead Trail Marathon...

Wilmington customer Mike McCartney has done his homework and offers insight into backpacking when there is air travel involved to reach your destination. Thanks, Mike – we know many folks...