Paralyzed Hiker Tackles the Appalachian Trail

It's easy for a small injury or nagging pain to leave you on the shelf for a while as a hiker, but when there's something you've dreamt of tackling for a years you won't let anything stop you.  That's the case for Ohio woman Stacey Kozel, who despite becoming paralyzed two years ago, is living her dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail thanks to a pair of computerized leg braces.

A Taste of Backpacking Through Asia

So much of the talk of backpacking and long distance hiking revolves are the big three; the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. And even more of the backpacking talk focuses on the United States.  But have you taken time to travel the world with a pack strapped to your back? Seen the sites of the forests of Germany or the mountains of Switzerland or Nepal?  How about taking a few months and backpacking Asia.  So many vastly different cultures with unique people, traditions, attractions and history.

If you've never had the time or money to spend three months backpacking Asia, you're in for a treat.  And rather than three months, you'll get a quick sample in just 60 seconds.

Backpacking in 60 Seconds from Jordan Taylor on Vimeo.

A Bucket List Hike

I'm still fairly green when it comes to hiking. I'm getting in to shape more and more with every day hike. I'm feeling stronger with every hill and more confident in my abilities.  But I mentioned in the first post on the blog that one of my goals for the very near future was the venture to the Adirondacks and hike the highest peak in New York, Mount Marcy.

My fitness isn't where it needs to be just yet, so while Marcy is still on my list to check off as a major accomplishment it likely won't be this summer.  But this clip from Campology keeps me wanting to get out on the trail, get in shape and reach the summit.

The Allegheny 100: A True Hiking Challenge

How am I just finding out about this now?  In researching an unrelated blog topic I came across the Allegheny 100 Hiking Challenge.

The A-100 as it's called by those in the know, of which I am now one, challenges hikers to trek either 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles on a stretch of the North Country Scenic Trail in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest. It's all done over a 50-hour span.

The Online Outdoor Community; Are We Really Battling Each Other?

I was doing my usual cruising of other hiking blogs around the internet to see what other hikers are doing and talking about when I came across something that was a little concerning for me. Apparently within the Outdoor blogging community people are attacking one another in comment sections and social media sites. 

Over at Arizona Day Hiker site boss Jason Cleghorn(@JasonCleghorn) talked about a couple of members of our community that have been berated and humiliated by other members of our community for reasons unknown, or reasons that amount to basically nothing.

A Birthday Celebration for Nature Lovers

The news is great for Canadians, and anyone visiting Canada and looking to explore the outdoors. As we close in on the nation's 149th birthday, a day when Canadians will be granted free admission to the national parks, it is a great chance to remind readers what is in store for next year at the parks.

As part of Canada's 150th birthday the Government of Canada announced that admission to all national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas will be free for all visitors in 2017.

The Kindness of Strangers in Scotland

Today's story comes from Scotland, where a pair of university students decided to hike all over the country without using any money, putting the test the Scots' reputation of being generous.

The two intrepid adventurers, Tom Langhorne and Cameron Hyde, left from Aberdeen on Scotland's east coast with nothing but the packs on their backs, a bag of rice and a bag of oats and one week later they returned to their doorstep after traveling well over 400 miles. And they did it all without spending a cent.

Day Hikes: Rattlesnake Point & Mount Nemo

I haven't gone missing, I assure you.  Sometimes life gets in the way but i'm back with a post for you.  What I wanted to do today was re-hash one of my latest day hikes; what I'm calling 2 hikes, 1 day.

The hikes weren't much, but I hadn't been out in a while and I needed some me time. I wanted try something new and fresh so I opted to see what Conservation Halton had to offer. Halton Region is a hidden gem in southern Ontario and comprises the cities of Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills and all the towns in the area.

Google Street View Going Off-Road

Google is everywhere! And this summer that everywhere is going to include over 1500 kilometres of forest and mountains in British Columbia.

The initiative is a partnership between Destination BC, Northern BC Tourism and the Internet giant, with the hopes of showing off the the beautifully unique terrain of Canada's west coast.

Man Makes Interesting Discovery on Utah Trail

Have you ever been out on a hike and stumbled across something you've never seen before?  Maybe an colourful flower or a piece of gear left behind by another hiker. Or maybe you stumbled across the fossilized skull of a mythical primate... Wait, what?

Great Things Happen When Guys Go Camping

Easily one of the best things about getting outdoors and hiking or being active is meeting like-minded people to share stories and experiences with. There’s something motivating about meeting someone in your travels and hearing their stories about hiking through the places you want to go, or experiencing something you thought wasn’t possible for you.

In addition to the feeling of accomplishment and peace from going out into nature, these interactions are ones that I cherish and it was in preparation for The Portly Hiker blog that I stumbled across a group with similar goals to my own.

Let's Start at the Trailhead

Who is the Portly Hiker and How did we get here?

It only seems fair that if I share my thoughts with you, that I let you know a little about me and how I got to this point, give you a little background on me as a hiker and a person, what motivates me to hit the trail.

I’m rapidly approaching my 35^th birthday and I’ve been hiking for about a year.  Yes, you read that right! About a year. Approximately 52 weeks. Roughly 365 days.  Not very long at all. I don’t claim to be a hiking expert. In fact I’m quite clearly the opposite. I’m about as green as they come when it comes to hiking, backpacking and even camping.  I was never the outdoors type.