Hiking Archives - Page 7 of 8

Easy Guidelines for Hiking to Lose Weight!

Most recently updated January 9th, 2023

So, you’ve been getting into hiking lately, and really love it. You are energized, and less stressed than you’ve been in a while.

You also think you could burn calories hiking and hike to lose weight – and that’s absolutely true!

The question is, do you need to train like you’re going to climb Mount Everest to make it happen?

Probably not.

But wouldn’t you want to be fit enough to hike Everest if you got the chance?

My goal is to always stay fit enough to do anything – whether it’s an afternoon playing disc golf or a week hiking the Inca Trail – with just a little bit of extra training if I need it.
Continue reading Easy Guidelines for Hiking to Lose Weight!

Trail Signs and Tokens – Practical and Sentimental Journeys

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Whether you’re exploring in the wilderness or taking a fitness jog in a county park, it’s not unusual to find evidence of other people who’ve visited before you.

Trail sign in Palo Duro Canyon NP in Texas

Most often it’s in the form of trail signs giving practical information.

Sometimes personal tokens are left in an attempt to send a wish or a prayer to a loved one, or even to make contact with some greater universal entity.

You might also see official tributes to people who have contributed in some way to that green space.

Sculpture in the Jean Miro park in Barcelona, Spain

Or more simply, art.

Whatever it is and whoever it’s for, signs and tokens left along the trail are an attempt to communicate with others.

Continue reading Trail Signs and Tokens – Practical and Sentimental Journeys

Post Library

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

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Click on the headings below to browse posts in I’d Rather Walk’s top categories:

Fitness & WellneSS

Info to help you get fit, eat a healthy diet, and promote wellness in your life.

ASTHMA HEALTH

This page includes posts with helpful information for active asthmatics.

GEAR Info and TIPS

Info on how to use and where to find the best gear for your day hikes, thru hikes, camping trips and other outdoor sports.

If you’re looking for gear with the IRW Logo, Holiday-themed items or something fun to give as a gift – especially our snarky T-Shirt collection – take a look at our IRW Merch Shop.

GENERAL HIKING INFO

Hiking info for families, beginning hikers and more advanced trekkers.

HIKING DESTINATIONS

Hiking destinations in the USA, Internationally, and local trails close to home.

See my Travel Resource and Adventure Travel pages for more destinations and trip planning tips and deals.

OUTDOORS WITH KIDS

Helpful tips and info for outdoor activities for kids, plus kid-friendly destinations for families and children of all ages.

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Tips for Your Visit to Arches National Park

Most recently updated July 31st, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

When I was planning my Utah hiking trip, I asked for advice from hiker friends who had visited the area before:

Which National Parks should I visit? How much time should I allow for each park? Which trails are a must-do?

I was grateful for their insights, and found the advice to be mostly accurate – except for when it came to hiking Arches National Park.

Some feedback I got was that I didn’t need to plan for more than an afternoon at Arches National Park hikes, but we spent a day and a half there and still didn’t get to everything.

Entry to Fiery Furnace are at Arches National Park

While it could be said that Arches isn’t very challenging for expert hikers, there’s no doubt that it is breathtakingly beautiful for everyone!

Continue reading Tips for Your Visit to Arches National Park

Springtime in the Desert – Utah Hiking One Week Plan

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Recently I did some hiking in Utah, specifically visiting several of the famous Utah National Parks. The trip to southern Utah was primarily to hike, but also to take in the beauty of the desert in the Spring.

Hikers on the Queens Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon

Photos can’t convey the scale of the mountains and desert, or the multitude of colors and rock formations we drove through while crossing southern Utah – but I tried anyway.

A few of my pics are in the text below, and you can see more in my detailed posts about Arches National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.

This was our itinerary, maybe it could work for you! Continue reading Springtime in the Desert – Utah Hiking One Week Plan

How to Plan Your Multi-Day Hiking Trip

Most recently updated June 9th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 6.8 minutes

So you want to plan a hiking trip.

Great! Like any other event outside of your normal daily routine – hosting a party, having a night out, or even creating a special meal – it starts with planning and research.

Don’t know where to start? I’ll help.

Let’s begin by figuring out what your perfect trip would look like….

Continue reading How to Plan Your Multi-Day Hiking Trip

Wild Things – A Short Hike at the Carolina Tiger Rescue

Most recently updated July 30th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 5.6 minutes

You can go visit the tigers again! — You can go visit the tigers!

Last summer I went back to visit the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC. I first visited the rescue about three years ago.

I originally heard about the organization many years ago, but life (work, childraising, etc) was more than busy enough already, so I let it go.

And then COVID limited all of our activities…

But lately, I’ve been taking another look at local volunteer opportunities – especially those dealing with animals and wildlife.

Saber Tiger and his friend greet the visitors.

The Carolina Tiger Rescue was high on my list of possibilities, and I visited their website to see what I could find.

The facility offers public tours by appointment Fri-Sun, so I reserved a ticket for one of their Friday morning tours. Continue reading Wild Things – A Short Hike at the Carolina Tiger Rescue

How to Get Fit for Active Retirement – Your Bucket List Training Plan

Most recently updated March 21st, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

These days, it’s more important than ever to maintain good health and fitness, no matter what your age.

But you’re busy, and can’t possibly squeeze in time for fitness training around your demanding job, family and household duties. I get it.

Inundated with things that we have to do, it’s easy to put off optional activities – including taking better care of ourselves physically.

But if you (like me and many other older adults) want to enjoy bucket list adventures that include active travel and hiking in remote places, it’s time to start training!

Each year, starting January, I do an 8-week hike training program to get ready for upcoming Spring hikes – and beyond!

It’s really to get fit for outdoor adventures in any month after weeks of Winter hibernating and celebrating 🙂

Read on to learn how you can personalize your training, with our without my 8 week plan, to help you get ready for adventure at any age!

Continue reading How to Get Fit for Active Retirement – Your Bucket List Training Plan

Lodging Options for Unhappy Campers

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Camping is not everyone’s cup of tea.

It could be due to health considerations, or maybe you don’t enjoy all of the setup and planning – or you could just really appreciate modern conveniences on your vacation.

Whatever the reason for your preference, there are some good options to camping available, even in more remote places.

Some people think that you always have to camp out if you want to do any really interesting hiking.

Camp with bath house and dining hall at Torres del Paine

That’s really only true for some very wild or undeveloped areas, where you need to backpack for more than a day to get to your final destination.

My recent hike on the W Trek in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine national park is one example where there were few alternatives to camping if you wanted to go deep into the park.

There are similar longer remote stretches on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, where you may have to camp for a night or two because you’re so far away from civilization – which is kind of the point for those kinds of trips 🙂

That said, there are a wide variety of beautiful and interesting day hikes – in and out in the same day – that may be found both in the US and internationally, with opportunities for lodging other than camping out.

Continue reading Lodging Options for Unhappy Campers

Starting Small – How to Hike with Kids in Tow

Most recently updated January 18th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Have you suddenly become a home-schooler and/or a remote worker because of the new social distancing requirements?

Hopefully, this won’t last forever.

Meanwhile, you could take the kids outdoors for a hike to make it feel a little less oppressive.

In spite of my asthma, I’ve always been an active person.

Becoming a mother didn’t change that, or my desire to be outdoors in Nature.

But it did change how I could participate if I wanted (or needed) to include little ones.

Here’s how I did it!

When I first discovered recreational hiking, I was working at a full-time tech job, a single mother of a toddler with few babysitters around, and my closest family was 1500 miles away.

So most of my activities (outside of work) included the company of my little Mini-Me, and hiking was no exception.

Continue reading Starting Small – How to Hike with Kids in Tow