We thought it might be relaxing, possibly even sedentary--and we couldn't have been more mistaken. After 8 days of walking on Scotland's West Highland Way, we decided on something completely different to follow: a week on a self-piloted, hired narrowboat…
Call it a busman's holiday. Some people may think we're crazy to go hiking on vacation. After all, hiking guidebooks are what we do for work. But we love the U.K., and it had been too long since we visited. We'd…
I admire people who get up early. In my opinion, they get to experience the best part of the day and can accomplish more by sun-up than other folks do by sun-down. I don’t always get up early, but when…
When I decided to hike to the top of Mount Crested Butte, I didn't expect to end up in the local paper. Sometimes you can do a lot more than just hike when you climb a mountain. My recent visit…
When it comes to trail adventures, for us there's only one thing better than a good guidebook, and that's local knowledge straight from the source. So I feel fortunate that in July I was able to visit my sister Barbara…
The North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is often called its quiet side. Perhaps most well known is Bryson City's Deep Creek Campground and trailhead, but did you know there are two entrances to the Park at Bryson…
Once spring arrives in the Blue Ridge, it’s a non-stop parade of wildflowers blooming nearly everywhere. On show beginning in mid-June: rhododendron maximum or rosebay rhododendron. This is the tallest and showiest of the three rhododendron species native to our…
As we move into prime hiking season, it's important to remember human impact on the environment and how it can be minimized, whether you're on an extended backpacking trip or a simple day hike. These seven principles provide guidelines for…
We’ve had a lot of requests for Jim Parham’s Waterfall Hikes of North Georgia this week. All the rain this spring has made for spectacular waterfalls in the region. That got us thinking: What defines a waterfall? To answer that question, here’s an…
Jim Parham has been out on the trail this spring, doing field work for a backpacking overnight guidebook to north Georgia. Along the way, he's had time to ruminate on an essential piece of adventure gear—one that might surprise you. Every…