The Perpetual Tourist

www.keenfootwear.com

With luggage restrictions and fees getting a little out of control, we’re all looking for ways to lighten our loads. Shoes have always been a big space hog in my bags, but I’ve had to break my habit of packing a shoe for every occasion.

The search was on for the one pair of shoes that would suit all my traveling needs. I guess most folks would just wear their favorite sneakers, and I could’ve done that, too, but sneakers are a pain when going through airport security, and they’re not exactly great for a beach trip or wading in a river.

For a while now, I’ve been coveting a pair of Keens. They’re those funky new shoes that you’ve been seeing on all your hippie friends’ feet lately. Maybe it’s just the granola talking, but I think these are some sexy shoes. So as a present to myself back in June, I finally bought a pair of my very own.

I’m not going to lie; it took a long time to break these babies in. I had to wear bandaids on the backs of my heels for a few weeks. But it was worth it. These shoes are fantastic.

They were originally produced as water shoes, so they’re great for playing around in rivers and mud. But then people started wearing them on hikes and realized they were great for just about any outdoorsy activity. (That’s also when the price went up from $50 to about $100 a pair. Dang.)

I wear my Keens every day, and when I travel, they’re the only shoe I pack. They slip right on and off, so they’re no trouble in a security line, and you can tighten them on your foot with one tug at the elastic. They’ve been swimming with me in the James River, they’ve been hiking, they’ve been to a wedding (okay, they don’t make great formal shoes, but I like to think I pulled it off), and last week I took them for a run. I’ve tested their limits in every way I can think of, and they’ve held up amazingly well. I love them so much, I’d buy more pairs, but I don’t need to. My first ones are still good as new, only without the blisters.

www.keenfootwear.com

You can find a list of online retailers here, but I’d recommend trying on a pair first. They run pretty small, and I had to go up an entire size when I bought mine. They come in men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes, and Keen keeps adding more styles to their brand. I still like the original designs best, and you can get them in all kinds of funky colors (mine are fuschia).

Do you have a favorite travel shoe? Tell me about it in the comments.

I love flying in and out of Portland International Airport. The airport itself is very cool, but the real appeal is getting a bird’s eye view of all the major peaks of the Cascade Range. Even though it’s a few hundred miles away from Portland, Mount Rainier in Washington is one of the most imposing sights on the skyline.

Whenever I see people with window seats on the plane not staring out at the mountains, I am convinced they have no soul. My husband says it’s just that they grew up in the area and the mountains are an everyday sight for them. Whatever — the mountains of the Pacific Northwest are just as stunning to me now as they were the first time I saw them, and if I could see them all the time, I’d never look at anything else.

If you think the view from the sky is stunning, just wait until you see Mount Rainier from its own slopes. Mount Rainier National Park is open all year, but the most popular time to visit is mid- to late summer, when more of the mountain is accessible. Summertime can be crowded at Rainier, so mid-week is the best time to visit if you come during this peak season.

In the spring, you’ll find waterfalls created by melting snow, or later in the year you can take in the vibrant colors of the fall, but remember that weather conditions will dictate how much of the mountain you’ll be able to visit. Don’t expect to get anywhere by car if you come in the winter!

Non-motorized boating and fishing are permitted in most of the park’s lakes, but keep in mind that they are only ice-free for a short window, usually from July to October.

As you might expect, there are plenty of hiking trails around Rainier. If you plan to camp overnight, you must obtain a permit, available at any of the park’s ranger stations. Never hike alone, and always inform someone else of your plans so that they can notify authorities if you do not return when expected. Check the latest wilderness alerts before leaving for a hike or climb.

Snow starts falling each year in late October, making Rainier a great place to enjoy snow sports like skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, showshoeing, and sledding. Conditions can get hazardous, so stick to the designated areas for these activities, and never go out alone.

For accommodations at Mount Rainier, there’s no better place to be than Paradise, an appropriately named area on the south slope of the mountain. The historic Paradise Inn has just reopened following two years of renovations. Paradise is the park’s main winter-use area, and also home to its main visitor center, the Jackson Visitor Center. Roads in and out of Paradise are kept plowed throughout the winter.

For more information about accommodations and things to do at Mount Rainier, visit the national park website here.

Yellowstone National Park is one of those places everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. It was the first national park in the US, and it is certainly one of the grandest, surrounded by the towering Rocky Mountains and featuring more wildlife than most zoos and geysers unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. But there’s something you probably haven’t heard about this place: it smells horrible.

Trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas leak out through cracks in the ground, especially around the geysers in the park, which makes the place smell like rotten eggs. I’m not trying to sell timeshares in Wyoming, so I’ll be honest with you: the smell is damn near unbearable at times. I would have enjoyed my trip to Yellowstone much more if I’d had a decent sinus infection.

The odor is a definite bummer, but it is by no means a reason to avoid the park. Yellowstone is one of the most lovely places I’ve ever been, and I guess that unless you want to dress like Michael Jackson (a lot more acceptable in the 80’s), there’s no real way to prepare for the stench. Still, I think it’s only fair that visitors be warned so they can at least brace themselves…

The nearest major airport to Yellowstone is Salt Lake City, about five hours away, but I’d recommend flying into Jackson Hole if you can find a good deal. It’s more convenient to the park, and the drive to Yellowstone from Jackson Hole, Wyoming takes you through Grand Teton National Park. You might as well make it a twofer when you visit this area, because both parks are really gorgeous — and Grand Teton smells like regular fresh air!

The climate in this area (northwest Wyoming) is one of cold winters and mild summers, which makes it a popular summer vacation destination. Expect crowds if you come in the peak season. When you visit in winter, you can take advantage of better hotel prices and guided snowmobile tours. It sounds like a lot of fun, and it would be nice to avoid great masses of people, but I still think summer is the best time to see Yellowstone.

For one thing, the weather is pretty nice (as opposed to bitterly cold), and even though there won’t be any snowmobiling, you have many more options in the summer, like camping, hiking, boating, and fishing.

Of course you’ll have to visit Old Faithful. So named because it is one of the few geysers in the world that actually erupts on a predictable schedule, Old Faithful shoots boiling water up to 184 feet in the air approximately every 90 minutes. Be patient, though, because the schedule isn’t entirely precise. Sometimes smaller eruptions precede the real deal, and when I visited the geyser, it started gurgling a few minutes after a crowd started to assemble. It burped up some smelly water for a little while, maybe five or six feet high, then settled down. Everyone was pretty bummed. “That’s it?!” Most of the crowd left to explore other parts of the park, so my folks and I were some of the only witnesses of that hour’s real eruption, some fifteen minutes after the teaser.

Old Faithful is the most famous attraction, but Yellowstone has plenty of other charms. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was my favorite place when I visited. Several lookouts along the canyon offer incredible views of the Upper and Lower Falls, at 109 feet and 308 feet, respectively. Along some of the park’s hiking trails, you’ll come to petrified forests, which are really not forests but rather groups of petrified trunks. Still pretty cool.

And then there’s the wildlife. Yellowstone is home to dozens of endangered species, as well as animals that you just don’t see anywhere else. One memorable sighting on my trip was when my parents were talking about how they’d like to see a coyote.

“There’s one,” I said, pointing to the coyote that had just sauntered past our car. “And there’s a bear.” Remember to practice smart camping techniques if you pitch your tent in Yellowstone. The animals really are everywhere.

Even with threatening bears and that awful smell, I put Yellowstone in the top ten places I’d like to see again. It was worth the inconveniences the first time around, and knowing what I’d face on a return trip, I’d still love to do it all over again.

According to the calendar, summer doesn’t officially start for another week and a half.  Even so, the past two months have been oppressively hot in most of the country.  If it gets hotter still in the real summer, I think I’ll move to Antarctica and live there until it all melts.

It is incredibly uncomfortable to be outside for very long in heat like this, but I’m an outdoorsy person, and I belong out there.  Getting in the water is usually a nice way to stay cool, but when I went for a swim in my neighborhood pool, it just felt like I was in a giant bathtub.  That’s why my friends and I made plans to go tubing down the James River today.  Tubing is a summer tradition, and if you’ve got a river, you can go.

No matter how hot the bathwater in my pool gets, I can always count on the James River to be cool and refreshing.  Tubing is just what it sounds like — you sit in an inner tube and float down the river for a couple of hours.  It’s not exactly an extreme sport, but the route that we’re taking today will take us by a rope swing (slightly extreme) and a part of the river where you can get out and go cliff diving (definitely extreme).  If you’ve never gone tubing before (and even if you have, really), you should go with a professional company rather than just blowing up a raft and setting yourself off down the river.

The James River Runners, the company that I’ve always dealt with, doesn’t actually send a guide down the river with your group.  They just provide the tubes and life jackets and take you by bus to the launch point so you don’t have to worry about coordinating cars.  I’d guess this is how it works with most tubing outfits.

Lots of people take coolers of food and drinks when they tube.  You can just put the cooler in another tube (with a bottom instead of a hole) and let it float along with you, but it can be a bitch to keep track of your cooler.  Someone always has to tow it and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t flip over.  In my opinion, it’s not worth it, but some folks will tell you it’s not tubing without a case of beer.

You should always wear shoes when you go tubing, because the river bottom can have sharp rocks and other hazards.  Teva sandals are my preferred tubing footwear, because it’s no problem if they get wet and they won’t come off my feet like flip flops will.

Sunscreen is a must, because you’ll be out on the water for several hours.  Since bugs love rivers, I’d recommend a sunscreen that is both waterproof and insect-repellent.  If you’ve got somewhere you can put it, bring it down the river with you and reapply every hour or so.

True, you’re just sitting in a tube for three hours and floating, but there’s something really fun about tubing — it’s why five of my buddies are blowing off work this afternoon to come with me, and we keep going back summer after summer.  It’s a great group activity, and fun for all ages.  Next time the heat drives you back indoors, get your friends together and get in the river.

When I was in second grade, my class “adopted” a whale when we were doing our ocean lessons. Researchers sent us photos and information about our class pet, and we watched a lot of slide shows of whales. I think we all thought of them as sort of mystical creatures that only folks with the absolute best connections would ever have the opportunity to see for themselves — you know, people who were tight with the president or something.

I guess this notion sort of stuck with me over the years, because I had no idea that regular people could go on whale watching tours and see real live whales in their natural habitats, until my friend Amy, self-proclaimed Whale Geek, started talking about all the whale watching she does. I grilled her on the subject so that I could pass on some information about what could be a fascinating hobby, or just a one-time adventure — great for individuals or family excursions.

Amy does most of her whale watches in the Gulf of Maine, off the coast of New England. She says that this is one of the best places to go whale watching because these waters are highly productive feeding grounds, with one of the best researched populations of humpback whales on the planet, because they are so easy to reach and study. And these humpbacks, Amy says, tend to be the most dramatic at the surface, giving onlookers quite a show as they eat, play, and go about their daily business. For a photographer like Amy, the North Atlantic is a great spot to take roll upon roll of film (or fill up a memory card).

All whale watching tours will have naturalists on board. Usually these are professional researchers who are there to give information and answer questions you have about the whales. If they have been working in the same area for a while, they will often be able to identify specific whales and give lots of details like the animal’s age, how many calves it has, and more. Sometimes the naturalist may just be a college intern, who won’t be able to give you as many details. When researching different companies for a tour, Amy suggests asking them about their naturalists, and going with the more seasoned scientists.

A typical whale watching tour will last 3-4 hours. Since you are going out into the animal’s natural habitat and not a large tank at an aquarium, there is no way to guarantee what you will see. Check with the company, as most offer coupons for another trip if you don’t see any whales your first time out, or if the trip is canceled for bad weather.

Here are some of Amy’s tips for a first time whale watcher:

• Bring a jacket, a hat, and sunscreen. It’s almost always cooler out on the ocean than it is on shore, as well as windier. You need to protect yourself from the sun — but be sure your hat has a chin strap, or you might lose it in the wind!
• Book your first whale watch with a smaller company; not someone with giant boats. The more crowded a ship is, the harder it is to get a good look at the whales, which can be frustrating.
• Be patient. It can take a while to get to the whales. Maybe you want to spend this time talking to the naturalist, asking questions.
• If you are prone to sea sickness, take something before you go out on the boat.
• Keep an open mind. When you go into it with lots of expectations, you are bound to be disappointed. Remember that these are wild animals, not Shamu doing tricks for you at Sea World. You don’t get to see a whale breach (leap out of the water) every time, but when you do, it’s really magnificent. Just enjoy watching these beautiful animals in an environment that not many people ever get to see.

Thanks, Amy, for all the helpful information as well as all the photographs used in this post! Visit Amy’s brand new whale watching website here, and check back regularly for photos from her latest trips.

When I was a junior in college, I had the opportunity to travel to Australia with my interterm class. Interterm is the three-week session in January at my alma mater where students can either get a dreaded requirement out of the way quickly, or go on trips or take a class that can’t be offered for a full semester (I got to take a swordfighting class my freshman year). One of my history professors took a group of kids to Australia each year, and I was lucky enough to be one of those kids.

If you want to get to Australia, this is a great way to do it. Traveling in a group made it much cheaper than going on my own, and going with a prof who’d been twenty times already was great, because he pointed out all the little things we might never have noticed as novice tourists of Oz. Our group spent time in Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, and we packed more into our time there than the Travel Channel could fit in a six-hour miniseries. For now I’m just going to focus on a few of the little things that you may not think about seeing or doing that made my time in Sydney spectacular.

Paddy’s Markets

People who like to shop will want to set aside a whole day to spend at Paddy’s Markets. If you’re not a real shopper, maybe four or five hours will be enough for you. Paddy’s is part mega-mall, part flea market, and it’s HUGE. I literally spent a whole day there and saw maybe 50% of it all. In the lower area, vendors set up booths and tables just like a flea market, and sell everything you can think of — food, clothes, souvenirs, jewelry, and so much more — all at very reasonable prices. When I was there, the US dollar was worth two Australian dollars, but now the currencies are trading almost one for one. Still, the prices are low and you’ll be able to stretch your spending money at a place like this.

Opals

Australia is famous for its opals, and once you get there, it will be impossible to miss all the stores selling the gorgeous gems. These make a great gift for loved ones who don’t get to make the trip with you, so keep that in mind. When you buy any high-dollar item in Australia, you will be charged the local taxes, but you can get a special receipt from the stores that allow you to recover this tax money when you leave the country (if you are not an Australian citizen, that is). Remember when traveling with opals that they are very fragile gems — pack them carefully.

Boulder opals and black opals are the deeply colored, dark stones you’ll find. These are much more rare than the white or milky opals typically seen in jewelry. They will be more expensive, but they’re cheaper in Australia than anywhere else, so if you want them, this is the place to buy. I had a very good experience shopping at Flame Opals in Sydney, but there are plenty of other opal vendors all around. Do some comparison shopping before settling on the first thing you see, because there are so many choices!

Indian Food

Australia has a large population of Indian people, and there are lots of Indian restaurants all over Sydney. The food isn’t Americanized like it is in the Western hemisphere, and I’ve had few meals in my lifetime as delicious as the Indian food I ate in Sydney.

Keep in mind when you dine out anywhere in Australia that tipping is not expected like it is in the US. Tips are always appreciated, of course, but servers are actually paid real wages and restaurants do not put this burden on their customers. A 10% tip is very gracious, and is about the most that would be appropriate for good service. If you are dining with large groups, tips are somewhat more expected, however.

Wine

Australian wine isn’t exactly world famous like French wine or Napa Valley wine, but Australia is the world’s 4th leading wine exporter. According to a coach (not “bus”) driver I had on a tour, Australia only exports the worst of its products — Foster’s, Kylie Minogue, and its bad wines. (His words, not mine.) In other words, just because you haven’t found good Australian wine elsewhere in the world, that doesn’t mean you won’t find it in Australia. I definitely recommend sampling the local wines when you dine out.

Sydney is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I hope one day I can afford another trip back. Maybe I should get in touch with my old professor and see if he’s accepting applications for chaperons. I’d recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit. Of course you’ll want to see all the things the city is famous for, like the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, and all the beaches, but you’ll be shortchanging yourself if you skip over all the little things that give the city so much flavor.

Enjoy your trip down under, and please bring me back some opals:)

I’m in the middle of an extended stay in Oregon, which has quickly become my home-away-from-home. I came here for the first time just six months ago, but I have the benefit of a knowledgeable personal guide. My husband grew up here, and through his work with FedEx, has memorized every back road and corner of this state. He shows me new things every day, though, and I feel like he could write this blog for me and keep it totally fresh without ever talking about anything other than his home state. Today’s will be an Oregon-inspired but not Oregon-specific post.

I’ve learned that Oregonians love their wind sports. Wind surfing is huge on the lakes, rivers, and the Oregon coast in the summer months. It looks like a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to my chance to try it, but on Sunday I witnessed a popular Oregon activity that I didn’t even realize existed: paragliding. I’ve seen parasailing and I’ve seen hang gliding, but this was new to me, and I instantly wished I could join in the fun. Of course I’ll need to get an anti-anxiety prescription first, but it is something I’d like to try one day. For now, I just watched from the beach below in Oceanside, Oregon as paragliders kept launching themselves off a cliff above and drifting peacefully down to the shore where I stood.

It looked a lot like you were at the mercy of the winds, and I was very nervous that someone would get thrown back into the side of the cliff, or blown out into the ocean, or stuck in a tree high out of reach of rescuers, but despite my worries, everyone made it safely to the ground in basically the same spot, meaning they must have all had a good deal of control over their flights.

Paragliders soar to heights several thousand feet above the ground while harnessed into the glider in a seated position. It looks much more comfortable than hang gliding, which was also going on above me this weekend — the two activities seem to go hand in hand here on the Oregon coast. Instructional classes are available for paragliding newbies, as well as tandem flights for those who don’t feel entirely comfortable piloting their own gliders so high above solid ground (that’d be me).

Curious about what it takes? According to some information I’ve gathered on the sport, paragliding does not require nerves of steel or incredible fitness. Most who’ve experienced it say that any fear of heights or fear of falling dissolves as they take flight for the first time. Furthermore, beyond the ability to run a few steps at your launch, the physical requirements for a successful flight are minimal. Landing a paraglider should not involve hard impact, and steering is more about finesse than strength. Keep in mind, though, that your gear will weigh approximately 25 pounds.

Paragliding is not like skydiving. Skydivers use their parachute to decelerate as they fall groundward, but paragliders are designed to maximize air time, with some flights lasting well over an hour as you glide on the wind currents. It’s not a fast thrill, but a ride you can savor. Depending on how you decide to approach the sport — either purchase a tandem flight package, or go through a training program for solo flight — the cost starts at about $100. I think that sounds totally reasonable.

If you’re not on the Oregon coast, there are plenty of other places paragliding is popular, like Aspen, Florida, California, Australia, and pretty much anywhere else in the world with nice views.

As a travel blogger and wife of a bridge pro, I get to see a lot of the world, and I’m very lucky in that regard. But there are some places I’ll probably never see, like the North and South Poles, for instance. Luckily, I can live vicariously through someone who has been to both these places, and will probably be one of the first people on Mars if that ever happens in our lifetime. My little sister (which is what I call her because that’s what she IS, never mind that we have different parents), Emily Gercke, spent the summer before her senior year in college doing research on glaciers in the Arctic Circle, and then after she graduated, she spent the next winter living on Antarctica (their summertime) doing hydrology research down there.

I’ve never been much of a science person, so her work was never something I really understood much (except for one thing: Global Warming is real, and so frightening I’m glad I don’t understand it better), but her life is full of fascinating stories and photographs from all the places she’s been.

So what’s it like to live at the South Pole?

In fairness, Emily wasn’t all the way to the pole. As indicated by her blog, she was working at a spot on the Antarctic continent about 78 degrees south. Still, it’s a part of Earth that not many people have ever seen firsthand. Antarctica has no native people, and most of its population is made up of scientists who are there temporarily. You can see the continent from a cruise ship if you can afford it, but to set foot on the ice, you pretty much have to be a scientist. Emily spent the Antarctic summer of 2007 living in a tent on the ice with one other researcher.

That’s right — a tent. During the summer, temperatures aren’t as cold as you might think, with highs in the 40’s. But the lows are still low, and you’re still surrounded by ice, and in Emily’s case, you don’t even have walls around you. The sun never completely sets in Antarctica in summer, but rather just circles the sky. It takes some adjusting to be able to sleep, and then more adjusting when it’s time to return home to a place that actually experiences night.

International laws are in place to protect the Antarctic ecosystem, and these laws are extremely strict. No waste of any kind can be left on the continent, so people living there must contain all their waste — natural and otherwise — to be shipped elsewhere. Living in a tent in the bitter cold comes with some glory, but when I learned about this part of the experience, I no longer envied my little sister so entirely.

Most days, Emily hiked several miles to take readings at various streams. Since she and the other researchers were largely on their own throughout their time in Antarctica, they had to go through survival training called Happy Camper School, where they learned how to not freeze to death or get stranded in a whiteout. It’s a pretty cool life to go where no one else has been and camp among penguins and seals, but the reason no one has been there is because it’s difficult and dangerous.

Every couple of weeks, a helicopter would come to pick Emily and her fellow scientists up to fly back to a base where they could organize their research data, sleep on real beds, and take showers. During her helicopter flights, she had great views of the wildlife below — penguins, seals, whales, and more. It’s one thing to view animals in a simulated zoo habitat, but there’s something really spectacular about seeing whales playing in the sea, or getting nose to nose with penguins, the cutest animals on the planet!

While Emily’s life in the field had its perks, like the close encounters with cute creatures, it’s just a little too rough for most people to handle. Even most people who live in Antarctica don’t go into the field like Emily did. They live at research stations in permanent buildings. McMurdo Station is the largest of the American stations, with about 1100 people living there in the summer. It’s a lot like being at college — there are gyms, intramural sports, bars, a radio station, and clubs. Emily said it wasn’t much different from living in the US in winter.

As a tourist, an Antarctic cruise could be lots of fun. Unlike other popular cruises, which are largely just floating parties, Antarctic cruises are led by experienced guides and are made to be educational journeys. You’ll get to see a lot of wildlife in their natural habitat, and beautiful, untouched ice and snow that just doesn’t occur many other places in the world. As a scientist, Antarctica would be an incredible place to work, if only for a short time. You get to be a tourist, too, and see things that only a few people have ever seen before.

It’s not a trip that’s even possible for most people, though, which is why I encourage you to check out Emily’s blog from her time on the continent. In some ways, it’s even better than being there, because you can see her pictures and read her stories from the comfort of a well-heated home, with beds and showers and toilets.

REI is the leading retailer of quality outdoor gear. As the weather turns gradually warmer, outdoor enthusiasts have more and more options (for me, it’s not “summer,” it’s “camping season”). Maybe this is the year that you take up kayaking, or hike the AT, or you’re planning some other great adventure. Either way, you’re going to need gear, and REI has got the best of it.

I like REI not just for their quality merchandise, but also their guarantee. They stand behind their products 100%, so you can return anything you’re not completely satisfied with. Because of the generous return policy, REI sees a lot of returns, but they don’t just put these items back on their shelves. They go into a special stock that REI sells back to members at huge discounts - 30%-80% off nearly new merchandise, and even bigger discounts when the items have some damages. Some larger stores have whole departments dedicated to this discounted merchandise, but most REI stores sell these items at special events called Scratch and Dent Sales, Attic Sales, or Garage Sales, depending on the store.

I talked to an REI employee to get the scoop on these sales. First thing’s first: you have to be an REI member to buy anything at the sale. No biggie — membership is only $20, and you get all sorts of benefits, detailed here. Each individual store is responsible for scheduling its own garage sales, and the schedule is often dictated by the flow of returned merchandise, so check with your local store for details. There are usually about six of these sales per year, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to snag great deals. According to my friend on the inside, the best way to find out about the garage sales is to sign up for Gearmail, which is a store-specific newsletter that will notify you of any special promotions and discounts, including the used gear sales.

So here are some insider tips for taking advantage of the garage sales:

1. Arrive early. Usually, lines start forming at the doors about an hour before opening time. Most of the best deals are gone within the first hour or so of the sale, so if you want the deep discounts, set your alarm clock.
2. Line up at the right entrance. Find out which entrance is closest to where the sale will take place, and be sure to get in line there so you can be among the first to set eyes on all the bargains.
3. Keep in mind that used gear sales are the ONLY time all sales are final at REI. Don’t just buy everything that you can afford. Inspect what you’re buying and make sure it’s what you want, because they won’t take it back this time.

Outdoor supplies can be really expensive, especially when you’re looking at the quality merchandise that REI carries. You’ll get your money’s worth even when you pay full price, but before you max out the credit cards, try saving some money in your gear budget so you reallocate those funds for something else — like more trips, more fun, more gear.

One last plug for REI: did you know that the company donates millions of dollars as well as volunteer hours each year toward conservation efforts? Read more about how REI is giving back to nature here.

For the past week, I’ve been able to venture out of my house without a heavy coat. Weather in Virginia is tricky, so it’s hard to say if I can safely pack my winter clothes in the back of my closet now, but it’s nice to have a taste of warm weather to come, anyhow. If I’ve successfully shaken the flu by tomorrow, I’ll probably go for a hike this weekend. If only I had six months free, I’d be starting the Appalachian Trail this weekend. At least I have time to tackle a familiar section of it for now.  But if you have six months of free time, here’s your chance to join the elite ranks of the Appalachian Trail 2000 milers — that is, those that hike the entire 2,175-mile trail from Georgia to Maine (or Maine to Georgia, or some other route that covers the entire trail). Most thru-hikers take the northbound route, starting in March or April at Georgia’s Springer Mountain.

75 miles of the AT lie in Georgia, and it’s a good place to get warmed up for the rest of the hike, as you’ll have some strenuous climbs, but mostly lower elevations than the rest of the trail, so you can prepare your lungs for what’s ahead. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most difficult, Georgia receives a difficulty rating of 6. You can find out early in your journey if you’re going to be able to handle the entire hike.

If you’re only planning a day hike, wait until the late spring and early summer months for the nicest weather and fewer crowds, as Georgia is crowded with thru-hikers and Spring Breakers in March and April.

You’ll walk through the state’s self-proclaimed hiker’s paradise, the Chattahoochee National Forest, and cross many creeks and springs, but no major rivers or lakes in this section of the hike. Don’t be surprised if you find cold weather and even snow in the higher elevations of northern Georgia, which is also subject to more rain than the rest of the state. There are bears along the trail, but there have been no reports of bears attacking hikers. However, they will steal your food if you leave it in reach, so when you camp at night, you should hang your food from the bear cables provided at each of the shelters.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommends this guidebook for Georgia AT hikers. For more information about planning and preparing for a thru-hike, visit the ATC page here.