Sunday, August 17, 2008

Nice Piece on Hiking Precautions

When I'm not running, and I have the chance to get out of town, I like to spend some time on the trails. Not necessarily trail running (though that's a blast as well), but simply putting on a pair of hiking boots, grabbing some water and energy bars/Gu/gorp (peanut M'ms, mixed nuts and raisins are a fave), and going for a nice relaxing saunter. It's a great way to get a workout in and cross-train, while putting a lot less pressure on my aching legs (enough of the pounding on the pavement, already).

In New York, my favorite get-out-of-NYC-jail places are on the trails in and around Bear Mountain and Cold Springs/Breakneck Ridge (basically, something that's in reach of some public transportation). In New Hampshire, it's the White Mountains, especially the Presidentials. Just finished a week away in Maine in the mid-coastal region, and stumbled across a well hidden blueberry patch (mmmm, wild blueberries)

Of course, we all need to be careful, because unexpected things can happen, especially when you're on your own and help isn't anywhere nearby. So, articles like this, that appeared in today's Boston Globe magazine, are a welcome reminder. What I liked about the story is it didn't create the doom and gloom scenarios that can happen, but the realistic situations that *do* happen and what you can do to mitigate any problems that might occur.

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