The sight of trash in the Ozarks sometimes interrupts my enjoyment of the walk. I try to contain my emotional response to seeing an abandoned cup, because it confuses Hiker-dog. She’s always happy in the woods and worries if I’m not enjoying my time, too. I’ve...
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Getting to travel for work is great—in theory. It sounds exciting to get out of the office and go to new cities and sleep in nice hotel rooms and not have to worry about the daily grind. But many of us know the reality of these...
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Some cities are an obvious outdoor paradise. Mountains loom large over buildings. Trails lead directly to back doors of offices. Visitors flock there on vacation. Residents tube to work. Other cities are less outdoorsy to the naked eye. They look urban and full of concrete and...
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Looking for some inspiration to get out on the hiking trails around the nation’s capital? The Washington, D.C. area offers a wide range of scenery and terrain options for every level of ability. Authors Rachel Cooper and Renee Sklarew will share tips on choosing the...
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The secret's been out for a long time now—Asheville is one of the coolest towns in the country. And if you're only including towns east of the Mississippi, it's probably the coolest town. Which also means this small slice of heaven nestled in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is...
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My love for local bookstores was solidified during college when I worked at Adams Bookstore in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Mr. Adams was like a mentor to me during that time. I wrote about his influence during those crucial years in another post. In 2016, I learned of...
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Bob and I walked the first 160 miles of the Ouachita (Wash’-i-taw) Trail before and after Christmas, so only the last 63 miles stood between us and completing our thru-hike. Several things occurred to keep us from getting back out there, but May 2-6 was...
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If you know even a small amount about paddling, you've probably stumbled across the Nantahala Outdoor Center, or NOC. Many people today see the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) for what it has become: a seminal Southeastern paddling hub and profitable business. What they don’t know is...
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Over the past week and a half, Jennifer Pharr Davis has been thru hiking the Alabama Pinhoti Trail. She ventured south from her home in North Carolina to bring attention to what she's coined as "The Goldilocks Trail" (because everything about it is perfect) (duh,...
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Saturday, March 31, was our day to walk the few miles needed by Hiker-dog to complete the 180-mile Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT). Of course, the OHT keeps growing, but the first 165 miles qualify for thru-hiker bragging rights. Hiker-dog has walked or run every inch of the...
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