Trailspace Blog Trails

Hikers and backpackers know there are a lot of different land management agencies out there: National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, state parks, local municipalities, and so on. Then there are various land designations: Wilderness, national park, national preserve, wild and scenic river, national monument, to name a few.

It can seem confusing, and you might be tempted to say, "who cares? I just want to hike."

As users of these lands, we all need to care, because the rules of the land determine what activities you, and your fellow outdoorspeople, can and can't do. For example, you can hunt on Forest Service and National Preserve lands, but not in National Parks. You can mountain bike on lots of BLM land, but not in federally designated Wilderness.

For outdoor recreationists, knowing the rules of the land is an essential part of being prepared.

via Leave No Trace

FYI, the map above, comes from nationalatlas.gov, which has a wealth of printable, customizable, and dynamic maps with data like terrain (naturally), precipitation, volcanoes, vegetation growth, congressional districts, invasive species, and more.

Organizations involved in building and protecting hiking trails can apply to the American Hiking Society's 2010 National Trails Fund. Now in its ninth year, the fund has awarded nearly $466,000 to 128 grassroots organizations nationwide working to establish, protect, and maintain foot trails in America. Awards range from $500 to $5,000 per project.

Online applications must be submitted by midnight on December 15. Grants will be awarded in April 2010.

The American Hiking Society considers projects that:

• have hikers as the primary constituency, though multiple human-powered trail uses are eligible;
• secure trail lands, including acquisition of trails and trail corridors and the costs associated with acquiring conservation easements;
• will result in visible and substantial ease of access, improved hiker safety and/or avoidance of environmental damage. Higher preference is often given to projects with volunteer labor; and
• promote constituency building surrounding specific trail projects — including volunteer recruitment and support.

For more information: www.americanhiking.org/Our-Work/National-Trails-Fund/Application/

Does Trailspace's series of articles on planning a thru-hike have you dreaming of tackling a long-distance trail like the venerable AT? Whether you're in the dreaming, planning, or done-that stage, you may want to watch America's Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail on Tuesday, November 10, at 8 p.m. (EST) on the National Geographic cable channel.

The documentary explores the landscape and regions of the 2,175-mile trail, as well as its hikers, volunteers, angels, agency staff, and scientists. The program will air again at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, and at 4 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, November 17. 

For more information and video clips: National Geographic Channel

This sad, and strange, news comes from the CBC News:

A 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto has died after being attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, who went by the stage name Taylor Mitchell, died overnight at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. She had been on tour in the Maritimes.

Mitchell was hiking on the Skyline Trail when she was attacked Tuesday afternoon. She was taken to the hospital in Cheticamp, then airlifted to Halifax in critical condition.

Park officials said Mitchell was walking the trail alone. They said other hikers managed to scare off the coyotes and call 911.

Full story

via Backpacker

Halloween is approaching, and I’ve been thinking about haunted and spooky hiking trails and mountains. Here are a few tales and sources to get you started, in case you want to add some excitement to story time around camp. Share your own tales below.

Beware of mountain spirit Pamola — or your own peak’s “der berggeist” — while hiking Maine’s Katahdin.

Starting locally — because all good ghost stories are local — Mainer Stephen King has plenty of horror novels, but for an outdoor fix consider his psychological novella The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. In it a 9-year-old girl gets lost on a family hiking trip on the AT and fears she’s being hunted by “The God of the Lost.”

The presence of a mountain spirit or ghost (der berggeist in German) is longstanding and appears across cultures. In Maine we have Pamola, an Abanaki spirit (half moose, half eagle) who lives on and protects Mount Katahdin. According to the Penobscots, Pamola did not welcome mortals on the mountain and it was taboo to climb the peak. Pamola would cause bad weather—snow, ice, wind, and fog—to confuse those who dared climb its mountain.

Over in New Hampshire, Mount Washington has its own summit presence and ghosts, as well as haunted AMC huts and apparitional hikers, all covered in Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire by Marianne O’Connor. (Also read “Slamming Doors, Cries for Help” in the AMC’s Appalachia, Winter/Spring 2009. The mental image of faces in hut windows freaks me out.)

For a broader scope, Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America’s National Parks was written by former park ranger Andrea Lankford. It has tales of a crying ghost in Yosemite, a 4-year-old from 1891 haunting the AT near Bluff Mountain in Virginia, mischievous “jumby” spirits in the Virgin Islands, and “flying saucer hot spot” Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. (www.hauntedhiker.com)

You don’t have to believe in ghosts or “hard-to-explain” events to have a spooky hike:

Margie Cohen of the American Hiking Society told me the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama is particularly spooky to her. Part of the trail is on a severe ridge in a designated Wilderness Area. Due to the ridge’s hydraulics there have been some small plane crashes, but because it is a designated Wilderness Area (no mechanization), the Forest Service does not remove the crashed planes. “So, while you’re hiking, you can come along a plane wreck that has been there for many years,” said Cohen. “I think that is pretty spooky.”

So, what spooks you on the trail? Share your own spooky hiking or backpacking story here.

I’ve ordered my own copies of the haunted hiking books mentioned above, but will probably stick to reading them while off the trail.

I like maps. Here’s a nice one of scenic and historic National Trails in the United States.

The original PDF version is much bigger (23" x 16.4"). I’d love to print it out and put it on my wall. You can download the PDF from the U.S. Forest Service website or by clicking on the map above.

Unfortunately, I can’t recall where I came across this map, but thanks to whomever pointed it out first.

If you want to help protect National Scenic Trails, read about the American Hiking Society’s support of a new bill, HR 1912, the Complete America’s Great Trails Act.

A grizzly bear fishes for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, in another great shot from The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Ken Burns’s upcoming documentary debuts September 27 on PBS.

The above photo is by Craig Mellish of Florentine Films. You can download it and other inspiring images to use as wallpaper on the PBS site.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Festival and Biennial, a week of celebrating and learning about the 2,170-mile Appalachian Trail, will be held July 17-24 at Vermont’s Castleton State College.

Events include more than 60 guided hikes, workshops on subjects from hiking the AT to natural history to LNT, trail work, exhibits, evening speakers and entertainment, and a keynote speech and preview by Dayton Duncan, co-producer and writer of the upcoming Ken Burns/Florentine Films series, “The National Parks: America's Best Idea.”

Register or see the full schedule of events at www.vermont2009.org

June is Great Outdoors Month, and here's the latest effort to get people outside and active:

The second annual National Get Outdoors Day will be held this Saturday, June 13, with events across the country. Events are open to all, but especially target urban families and youth who rarely engage in outdoor activities, and other first-time visitors to public lands and waters.

Families and kids can try activities like orienteering with a map and compass, geocaching, casting, pitching a tent, and testing sleeping bags. Participants will be invited to follow-up events this summer, including wildlife hikes with rangers, introductions to mountain biking and fly-fishing, and kayaking and rafting. Any equipment needed will be provided.

National Get Outdoors Day event sites are located across the country, including metropolitan city parks, where access by public transportation and walking is widely available.

Information about volunteerism on public lands and job opportunities through AmeriCorps and Forest Service hot-shot fire crews also will be available.

For more information: www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org

Today—Saturday, June 6—is National Trails Day.

Find local events, like the one below, at the American Hiking Society’s website.

Cranberry Glades Naturalist Hike
Richwood, West Virgina

The event will consist of a nature hike on the Cow Pasture trail which borders the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area and the Cranberry Wilderness.

The 7.8 mile Cow Pasture trail loop is of moderate difficulty and the terrain is characterized by birch and hemlock forest, old pasture, and river crossings. There will be a brief history about the glades, and while hiking we will do some easy trail maintenance (removing limbs and brush from the trail). (U.S. Forest Service)

For more info and events: www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx

Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day.

Find local events, like the one below, at the American Hiking Society’s website.

Bus Trail Re-Route
Fairbanks, Alaska

Clear trees and brush to re-route a trail from private land to State of Alaska DNR land. Wear work clothing, sturdy boots, and gloves. Bring tree and brush cutting tools. If you bring a chainsaw, please bring safety equipment such as hard hat, safety glasses or face shield, and protective chaps. The work site is about one mile from the trailhead. (Interior Trails Preservation Coalition)

For more info and events: www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx

Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day.

Find local events, like the one below, at the American Hiking Society’s website.

Dawn and Dusk Trail Walks
Cerrillos Hills, New Mexico

Two cool guided trail walks. The first will be an early morning trail hike, concentrating on the beautiful flora that grace the hills, but also watching for early birds and late moths.

Then join us for a twilight-to-night walk in the hills. We'll 'listen' for bats with a special device and use our five senses to discover the nightlife in the hills and the heavens above. (New Mexico State Parks)

For more info and events: www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx

It’s National Running Day today.

Want to participate? Lace (or Boa) up your trail runners and get out for a trail run. Goal accomplished.

For more info: www.runningday.org

Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day.

Find local events, like the one below, at the American Hiking Society’s website.

Making Maps with GPS and GIS
Cumberland, Maine

Learn to use the equipment of GPS and GIS at one of three locations. Led by experts from the Center for Community GIS, the trainings will offer indoor and outdoor hands-on experiences. Data you gather will help our trail mapping efforts. (Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust)

For more info and events: www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx

Mark your calendars for this coming weekend. Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day.

Nearly 1,500 events will take place around the country and most are free and open to the public. Whether you like hiking, trail running, walking, paddling, biking, horseback riding, trail maintenance, or nature walks, there is outdoor fun for every age.

You can find local events at the American Hiking Society’s website. I just counted more than 50 events happening here in Maine, including trail maintenance projects, informative nature walks, and a map making event, in addition to many hikes.

(Some events may take place on dates other than June 6. So visit the website to find out about your local happenings.)

If you’re planning an event on National Trails Day, be sure to register it on the AHS site for other folks to find.

For more info: www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx