At first glance, Washington, D.C., may seem like a large city with an inescapable amount of people and politics. Even the sightseeing-worthy national monuments and museums will find you elbow-to-elbow with equally contemplative tourists. While touring the traditional D.C. monuments is all well and good, Renee...
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During a phone interview with Kyle Kellams of KUAF, I mentioned how hiking and writing about trails go together for me. I couldn’t imagine doing one without the other. He said, “So, in addition to being a thru-hiker, you’re a ‘thru-writer.'” I thought, what a cool...
Read MoreWe all blinked, summer came and passed, and now fall is knocking at our doors. While beach days may be behind us, the promise of crisp air, fresh apples, and pumpkin everything make fall basically the best season. If you live in a sprawling city like Philadelphia, it...
Read MoreHere are a few photos from an assignment I thought up during a morning hike on my home trail. I took a photo using my smartphone camera every 100 steps, allowing myself to move up to ten steps from each stopping point to locate a...
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This August marks a big milestone for the Appalachian Trail—its 80th birthday! That’s 80 years of hikers following the famous white blaze. To help celebrate, over the next few weeks we will be highlighting our favorite parts of the Appalachian Trail with our favorite AT authors. To...
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Halfway Done! This chunk of five hikes includes hikes #26-30. The research and revisions for 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Boston is now officially half done. I am just a little excited. Now on to the rest of the summer and the rest of the hikes!...
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Residents of the Ozarks hanker for higher elevations this time of year. I wish Arkansas had an 8,000-foot mountain, but it would be crowded with the whole state huddled at the top through July and August. Fortunately, there is a place where you can sometimes escape...
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Now that the New England winter has abated (although as I write this on June 1st, Killington Ski Resort is still open for its last day of skiing for the season!), it’s time to get back into hiking for my 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Boston book....
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Hiker-dog and I scouted the Marinoni Scenic Area recently in preparation to share with Chuck Dovish of Exploring Arkansas. Chuck’s program is aired by Arkansas Educational Television Network. He has done programs since 2005, so finding an area of Arkansas he hasn’t covered was a challenge....
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As a child, I thought writing was magic. For real writers, words must flow without effort in finished form, or so I thought. My senior English teacher was Inez Taylor. She was pretty tough but got me excited about writing. I worked particularly hard on a short story...
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