Hiker Blog

Filed under: Hiking, Learning, Asia, Pakistan

Namira Salim is not an astronaut. She does music, art, sculpture and is a peace activist, but among all this she will become the first Pakistani woman to tour outer space. In 2008 she will set out with Virgin Galactic (sister company to Virgin Atlantic) as one of the good will ambassadors for the company. The lucky woman was chosen as a member of Virgin Galactic Founders Club out of some 40,000 registrants. I'm not sure who the other lucky space travelers will be as the story as featured on South Asia Biz only mentions Ms. Salim.

Now this isn't to take any attention off of Namira Salim, but I do art, like music and consider myself a highly peaceful person and I'd like to go to space. You know, I'm just saying this in the event that Sir Richard Branson is reading right now. It never hurts to have alternates and I wonder if they have a blogger in their far-out crew? You know, I'm just going to open this whole thing up for anyone with some extra cash to burn and not just Mr. Branson - be the first to help send a real travel blogger into space. That would be me, Adrienne Wilson of course. Pretty please.

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There's an adage, said Greg Weier, that skiers are made in the summer. "Once the snow is on the ground, it's too late to train," said Weier, a manager at Finn Sisu ski shop in St.
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One morning last April Ann Axtell finished walking her morning paper route in New London, and, with her husband, Warren, by her side, kept on walking.
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Cooler fall and winter temperatures mean good things for local hikers. We can actually return to hiking in our back yard again.
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I don't have a baby, but several people in the circles I run with do have kids. It's nice to see these adventurous folks don't have to curtail their hiking, running, paddling and camping lifestyles just because ...
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Filed under: Cultures, Hiking, History, Learning, Scuba Diving, Airlines

After lounging around and doing as I please during the long weekend and after reading this article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Martinique, I can't keep from wanting to purchase my ticket to zoom off and away. I've long been interested in the French caribbean island, Martinique and for no good reason other than my affection for islands. The story which looks to have originally appeared in the NY Times at some point in the past takes island deprived readers down the 50-mile stretch that has somewhat been forgotten by American travelers. They note that 84 percent of the annual visitors are from Europe, but even with decreased American interest Delta will start weekly direct flights in December. So it sounds as though American interest is back on the rise. I'm down to go.

From their detailed travel tale you'll learn Martinique is more than a French speaking island paradise. It offers Gallic Creole food, snorkeling, hiking and tons of history if you dig combining time on the beach with a visit to attractions like "La Savane des Esclaves." Oh, and in case you've forgotten Martinique is also the birthplace of Napoleon's love, Empress Josephine. One week should be enough for the average visitor though I think I could use three right around my own annual celebration of my birth in May if not sooner.

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Filed under: Cultures, Hiking, History, Learning, Scuba Diving, Airlines

After lounging around and doing as I please during the long weekend and after reading this article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Martinique, I can't keep from wanting to purchase my ticket to zoom off and away. I've long been interested in the French caribbean island, Martinique and for no good reason other than my affection for islands. The story which looks to have originally appeared in the NY Times at some point in the past takes island deprived readers down the 50-mile stretch that has somewhat been forgotten by American travelers. They note that 84 percent of the annual visitors are from Europe, but even with decreased American interest Delta will start weekly direct flights in December. So it sounds as though American interest is back on the rise. I'm down to go.

From their detailed travel tale you'll learn Martinique is more than a French speaking island paradise. It offers Gallic Creole food, snorkeling, hiking and tons of history if you dig combining time on the beach with a visit to attractions like "La Savane des Esclaves." Oh, and in case you've forgotten Martinique is also the birthplace of Napoleon's love, Empress Josephine. One week should be enough for the average visitor though I think I could use three right around my own annual celebration of my birth in May if not sooner.

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Troop 19 recently spent seven days hiking and backpacking at Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
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There's always something to give us the pre-trip jitters. We have premonitions of some unpleasant adventure that awaits.
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Filed under: Hiking, Learning, Gear

Folks here know I am bullish on traveling with your ipod. Yes, you can get obsessive about it and tune out the rest of the world, but I am a big fan of having along a musical and/or learning accompaniment to a trip. That said, the ipod can bring other benefits....in fact, it can save your life.

Just ask Pini Nou, a 25 hiker who was out, well, looking for mushrooms last week when he got lost. Wandering aimlessly around the forest...perhaps having eaten to many fabulous fungus...he had no idea where he was. Then night came and dangers lurked everywhere. Of course, it helped he had his cell phone, which he used to tell rescuers where...about, sort of...he thought he was. And, at about 1 am, when the rescuers got close they saw the light from his ipod, which he'd been using to help himself navigate through some particularly dense underbrush. It then took them less than 20 minutes to rescue him. Everyone then celebrated by eating mushrooms and listening to Pink Floyd on the handy little white device.

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