Not only today is Sunday but it’s also November 17th National Take A Hike Day #NationalTakeAHikeDay. I need to get myself out of this chair and Charlie off the internet and we need to venture outside to go on a #Hike. Which would allow us to celebrated #NationalTakeAHikeDay, Would you want to come with Charlie and I on a Hike? If so where would you like to go Hike and why?
National Take A Hike Day is also known as “Take A Hike Day.” National Hiking Day on November 17th may be one of the most important holidays out there. There’s more than 60,000 miles of trails across the Nation. Hiking is great exercise allowing us to burn over 550 calories per hour. Plus, being in the outdoors allows you to get away from your phone and appreciate Nature’s beauty and wonder.
Did you know hiking wasn’t always the fashionable pastime it is today. Before the Subarus and the Jeeps and the Patagonia’s built an industry around the activity, walking of any kind was considered an activity for the impoverished or the vagrant.
Until the Romantic era of the Victorian years inspired the likes of Walden and Thoreau to reconnect with Nature and that, in turn, inspired the landscape architects to design Parks with excellent walking trails looking at you Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame. Walking then became something of the educated, the unhurried, the luxurious.
Until John Muir came along and walked his way through the Sierra Nevada’s in California and demanded that not only hiking, walking, meandering, sojourning, whatever you want to call it be accessible to every American citizen, but that the Country should actively preserve natural areas of pristine ecology and beauty. So in 1890 John Muir petitioned for the creation of the National Park System and we were endowed with “America’s best idea” Yosemite and Sequoia National Park.
Even before Muir, on the East Coast a small group of people had banded together in 1876 to form the Appalachian Mountain Club, which had a goal to protect and preserve all hiking trails along the historic Mountain range, as well as develop new ones.
Whether you prefer to hit the jogging trails in Central Park or are prepping to backpack the entire Pacific Crest Trail, every step on a trail is with a long line of explorers, trailblazers, and activists from before.
How to Observe National Hiking Day
- here’s nothing like getting out in the great outdoors. Grab some hiking boots, a sack lunch, a backpack, and Water, and hit the trail! Once you start, you’ll wonder why you don’t do this more often.
- If your proud of your accomplishment take photos and share your hiking experiences on Social Media! Use hashtags like #NationalTrailsDay and #TakeAHike to inspire others to go out in the great outdoors.
- “Hiking in exotic and diverse locations, all while giving back and building/maintaining trails all around the world. What could be better? Check out the American Hiking Society’s “Volunteer Vacation” for information on how you can make this dream a reality.
Hiking Stats
- If you hike the entire Appalachian Trail, you’ll be walking between five to seven months.
- In 2008, “proximity to trails” was the most important amenity to prospective home buyers (this outranked things like access to shopping, golf courses, security, etc.).
- Believe it or not, hiking makes freeze-dried foods or energy bars taste up to 35 percent better.
Why National Hiking Day is Important
Whether it’s hiking the Appalachian Trail or simply walking a well-worn path, nearly every person of every age can go hiking. Snce you get to choose the location, the path, and often the terrain, you get to decide how much you want to push yourself.
Don’t get us wrong people love gyms. But walking on a treadmill is more akin to what Hamsters experience inside their wheels. To get a better workout, hit the trail. The changes in elevation from flat, to slight incline, to steeper incline, to downhill all help you use muscles that you may not flex everyday. Plus, on a leisurely hike, you don’t feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses in the gym.
Endorphins and Serotonin make people happy and you get plenty of them when you’re hiking. These hormones help fight off anxiety, prevent loneliness and depression, and improve your mood. Plus, if you bring a friend along, you’re sure to have a good time.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
