Posts Tagged ‘Foot’

November21

What to Pack for a Hiking Trip in Costa Rica

By: JoAnna

What to Pack for a Hiking Trip in Costa RicaWhen my dad and I traveled to the Arenal region of Costa Rica earlier this year, one of our primary goals was to hike … a lot. That’s exactly what we did. During our one-week trip we spent:

* A full morning hiking in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Preserve.
* A night exploring the forest in Monteverde under the darkness.
* A day hiking on private land near San Luis.
* A afternoon wandering the national park trail along the Rio Celeste.
* Nearly a full afternoon exploring the area around Arenal Volcano.

Let’s just say that we did a lot of hiking.

Despite the differences in our variety of hikes, there were similar needs for every one of them. If you’re thinking of spending a lot of time hiking in Costa Rica as we did, here are a few things I suggest you consider and pack in order to make your trip as enjoyable as possible:

Expect rain. I was told that Costa Rica has two seasons: wet and very wet. Prepare for rain regardless of the season by carrying a rain jacket or windbreaker. It also helps to have a hat or hood to keep your head dry.

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August3

Tips for Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts

By: JoAnna

Tips for Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston, MassachusettsWith one full day in Boston, Massachusetts, my husband and I had to figure out how to get our fill of this storied city. How in the world can you cram 250 years of revolutionary history into less than 24 hours?

We were tipped off about the Freedom Trail in Boston before we arrived, and now that I’ve walked it, I also strongly recommend that visitors check it out. Unless you have other specific things in mind that you’d like to do in Boston, spending the day on the Freedom Trail is a good way to see a good chunk of Boston and learn a little something about America’s history.

The Basics:

The Freedom Trail is about two-and-a-half miles long and takes the average visitor two or three hours to complete. We spent a fair amount of time at each of the 16 historic sites along the trail, so the 2 – 3 hour estimate wasn’t relevant to our travel style. Rather, we spent the better part of our whole day in Boston on the Freedom Trail.

It is free to walk the Freedom Trail, and visitors can hop on and off of it as they please, so if you find yourself a bit bogged down by history, feel free to detour into the side streets for a different diversion.

The Freedom Trail is marked with a red brick or painted trail for the entire duration of the walk, so you don’t have to rely on a map or GPS trail.

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May16

Reading: Hike Your Own Hike

By: JoAnna

Reading: Hike Your Own HikeHike Your Own Hike is a bit like The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. It doles out common sense that we should know but need pounded into our heads every once in awhile. Author Francis Tapon isn’t a guru or a life coach, but he is an average person who did a seemingly inhuman thing — hiking the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail — and picked up a few principles that can be applied to everyday life along the way.

The book is split into seven chapters, each one dedicated to the seven life principles Tapon learned on the trail. These principles, which essentially address how to live a happy, healthy and satisfying life, each go into depth about why the principle is important and how to apply the principle to life as well as debunking any criticisms people might have, all under the context of hiking the Appalachian Trail. The seven chapters are also explicitly devoted to seven sections of the trail, so readers hike the trail from beginning to end with Tapon.

Hike Your Own Hike is not a masterpiece nor is it the best written book I’ve ever read, but it’s an important book with an important message and everyone would be wise to read it just to ground themselves in a bit of reality. The book opens with the first principle and also the theme that drives the book: Hike your own hike. That is, live your best life by living the life you want to lead. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you have to do. Go your own pace and your direction.

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April27

Night Hiking in Monteverde, Costa Rica

By: JoAnna

Night Hiking in Monteverde, Costa Rica“We want to take the night hike,” I said, handing the credit card over to the tour operator who was booking our activities in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

“There has been a lot of activity lately,” he said, “but you should know that there’s never a guarantee that you’ll see anything.”

“We’re willing to take that chance.”

***

We arrived at Santamaria’s about 15 minutes before our night tour was set to begin. I was layered up in a sweatshirt and windbreaker, and though it wasn’t cold, I had eerie goosebumps creeping up my arms thinking about the critters we could potentially encounter in the dark forest. I knew that the majority of animals (particularly the snakes and larger mammals) were nocturnal, and I wasn’t quite sure how I’d react when I saw them.

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February7

South Rim vs North Rim | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

By: JoAnna

When most people think of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, they instantly conjure up images of the South Rim. This isn’t uncommon. In fact, many people don’t realize that there are actually two parts to Grand Canyon National Park. Though they’re separated by about twenty miles as the bird flies, getting between the two sides requires a five-hour road trip or 2 – 3 day hike across the bottom of the canyon (which also requires a permit).

Visiting the Grand Canyon isn’t like visiting other national parks. In fact, the two rims are so drastically different that they should possibly be considered two separate parks. They have different elevations, vegetation, atmospheres and activities. Which rim is best for you? Consider the following:

South Rim vs North Rim | Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaSouth Rim

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon receives 90% of the park’s visitors for two main reasons:

1. It’s more accessible from several of Arizona’s largest cities and Las Vegas than the North Rim, which makes it easier to enjoy as a day trip.

2. It’s easier to catch the famous Grand Canyon views. A rim trail with several viewpoints easily accessible from the road makes it simple to enjoy the view without a whole lot of work.

I visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon over Christmas. It was snowy, cold, stunningly beautiful and surprisingly crowded. We reserved a cabin several months in advance and enjoyed the picturesque views from along the trail on the rim, which was especially lovely in the snow. Despite the cold and icy conditions, there were still several tour buses running through the park. Hermit Road was closed to traffic, but the rim trail wasn’t, so hiking along that trail parallel to the road led to almost completed isolated conditions.

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January19

Hiking Pinnacle Peak | Scottsdale, Arizona

By: JoAnna

Hiking Pinnacle Peak | Scottsdale, ArizonaMuch of the desert Southwest is fairly flat with large swaths of dry vegetation consisting of tumbleweeds and cacti. In Scottsdale, Arizona, these expanses of flat landscape give way to several small mountain ranges. Given that there is a highly active population living in Scottsdale, it’s no surprise that hiking is a popular pastime.

On the outskirts of Scottsdale is a well-trod trail that skirts Pinnacle Peak, an aptly named, steep mountain that serves as a destination for both rock climbers and hikers. From the trailhead, the path winds up the side of the mountain via switchbacks, crosses over a saddle, skirts along a second mountain and ends suddenly at the border of the park. Along the trail are expansive views  of the houses, golf courses and desert vegetation spread throughout the Scottsdale area.

Feeling a bit antsy about sitting around after a day of traveling to Scottsdale, we decided to hike Pinnacle Peak for the fresh air and ability to stretch our legs a bit. We weren’t the only ones. The park is very popular, and there were oodles of people who clearly had the same plan we did. Families with little kids, couples and trail runners shared the path with us (though the trail runners were a bit difficult to navigate around at times), and even though it was a bit steep or challenging in places, everyone was able to walk at their own speed. Pull-outs along the trail aided in passing other hikers as needed.

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