Barefoot Sisters Book Series

Has anyone read the Barefoot Sisters Book Series about these two sisters, Isis and Jackrabbit their trail names, also known as Susan Letcher and Lucy Letcher who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia and then turned around and headed back the other way? I am currently looking for nature adventure books to read over winter break and Amazon recommended this series to me since last summer I read the book Becoming Odyssa. I must say that after reading information posted about these two women, I am very inspired by them, not just as a women, but also as a hiking/adventurous myself. I mind my I would like to say one day, I hope to hike the Appalachian Trail with other people but I hardly doubt I will ever have enough strength and motivation to do so, since I love the outdoors but am not so happy sleeping in a tent camping. So for me to experience this long hikes, I will continue reading about these people and dream about what it would be like for them. Another reason I am inspired by these women is for the reason they are named the barefoot sisters, these two women hiked the entire trail BAREFOOT! which takes months to complete and the weather conditions can vary from snow to sweltering summer heat. Sounds crazy right, that is what I thought, but because of this interesting experience, I will be hopefully reading about their experiences during winter break.

What other books should I be reading about nature, and outdoors experiences I might not ever have the chance to do? I would love to hear from you and am always open to new and creative ideas and experiences. Also please let me know if you have read either one of these books and what your opinions of them were, according to comments on Amazon and Ebay these books are amazing.

For more information about the BareFoot sisters, or the Barefoot hikers of PA organization, visit:

• http://www.barefoothikers.org/barefoot-sisters.html
• Also read the article about Susan Letcher exclusive interview about Hiking for Mental Health. http://www.hikeformentalhealth.org/exclusive-interview-with-susan-letcher/

Good advice I found for on and off the trail:

Related articles, Other Thru-Hikers Blogs and experiences

• Welcome to my Appalachian Trail 2013 Thru-Hike Blog (oyiabrown.com)
• Welcome to my Appalachian Trail 2013 Thru-Hike Blog (minechoice.wordpress.com)

Nature Book Review: Becoming Odyssa

After reading book review in one of the local outdoors magazines, offered a various restaurant around the area, I was inspired to read this book over the summer. This book is about a young women whom just graduated from college, similarly to myself, in search to find herself, through difficulties faced on every day adventures of the Appalachian Trail. The girl Jennifer in this book, takes off a four-month journey in this trail, which is 2175 miles long stretching from Georgia to Maine, by herself, while meeting up with other thru-hikers along the way, whom compare events that has happened to them.  Through experiences, she comes to realize thru-hiking is much harder than she expected,  with the help of blisters developing, aching muscles, and exhaustion setting in shortly after the start. Although everyday activities seemed to maintain a hard balance on her life, she started to embrace the incredible characters and  Trail Angels around. According to interviews of Jennifer after her adventure was completed, she said she started an over-confident college graduate and became a person she never imagined. Many resource state, Jennifer Pharr Davis became the Appalachian Trail Overall Record Holder is 2011, completing the trail in 46 days, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012, and won Ultrarunning Magazine’s Female Top Performance of the Year in 2011. To check out more information on her, go to www.bluerigdehikingco.com.

Watch CBN interview video of Jennifer, to hear about her experience. Jennifer Pharr-Davis: Becoming Odyssa.

Jennifer not only inspired me as a hiker to reach new goals and ambitions, but also as a young women ready to face the real world. After reading this book, I am encouraged to go out and explore what nature has to offer, but I am not sure I am as brave as Jennifer in terms of going and hiking the Appalachian trail from start to finish on my own. I encourage everybody to read this book and enjoy learning from her problems and experiences, so whose of us who are to scared to do this, will still understand the difficulty people face in hiking every day, and encourage everybody to experience some part of the Appalachian trail, for it beauty. Also if you ever have a chance to become a Trail Angel, as Jennifer calls them, take the chance, who knows one day you might end in book, similar to this book, who makes thru-hikers feel loved and much less lonely at the time.

Another bloggers, book review: http://theactiveexplorer.com/2011/09/15/book-review-becoming-odyssa-epic-adventures-on-the-appalachian-trail/#comment-789

If anybody knows any other excellent outdoors books or magazines, please let me know I am always interested in learning new concepts and ideas revolving my natures surrounding.

Pandapas Pond, Nature Hike- Blacksburg, Virginia

Inside the forest

One of the great places to fishing, trail run, hike, mountain bike and horseback ride around the Blacksburg, Virginia area is Pandapas Pond. It is located about 15 minutes northwest of Blacksburg and located off of US-460. Walking around the pond and wetland is a total of 2 miles with very little changes in elevation, and is perfect for runners, walkers, and parents with kids.

Today instead of walking around the pond, I decided to challenge myself a little more, by mountain bike riding on the Poverty Creek Trail, which is roughly 7.2 miles around trip and serves as the main trail to many others intertwined in the woods. From the parking lot, the trail starts wide, smooth and descends than shortly becomes hard and more challenging, crossing over Poverty Creek three time, if the creek is not all dried up like it was today, while trying to maintain balance over the rocky terrain on the paths. While travel this trail and any others around this area, you need to be courteous while riding on this trail, since you are sharing it with not only other bikes but runners, walkers, and horses as well.

Several other trails, bikers, hikers, and horse riders,  undertake are the Horse Nettle Trail, which is 3.0 miles ascending over 600 feet with the difficulty as hard, Jacobs Ladder, which is a 1.3 mile vertically steep track with the difficulty to be the hardest, Snake Root which is 2.3 miles dropping elevation of 600 feet, Old Farm/ Gateway, which is a 1.6 mile climb of over 600 feet, May Apple which is a 1.0 mile flat smooth wide dirt trail and others ranging in different elevations, and difficulty ranging from easy to very hard. Which one interests you the most, and why?

Poverty Creek Trail

Trail Map

Yellow Stickweed

Weird looking bee’s nest

Giant White Mushroom, I found

More Yellow Stickweed

During this ride I saw several amazing elements of nature, enjoyed embracing my surrounding, spent time with my father as well as got some physical exercise. What kept me motivated to keep going, was the burning feelings in my legs going up each and every hill I faced, and the knowing fact that when I do this mountain bike ride again, I will be stronger and will be able to accomplish a much harder trail.  Motto of the Day:You know what your doing is worth it, when you feel the pain!!

Depending on how you want to enjoy nature and its surrounding, Pandapas Pond might be the place for you!!!

The True Definition of “Hiking” and Its Benefits

What do you think of when you hear the word hiking? Is it an activity that involves rocky terrain, streams and mountains or just an easy stroll around a park or nature’s conservatory with friends and family members?

When I hear hiking I think of both options, it can involve hard challenging terrain, streams, lakes or even boulders you have to climb over, on unmarked trails but it also involves walking around a parks and paved paths as long as you are gaining new experiences and examining what nature is giving us in our surroundings. Since I personally do not like running or going to a exercise class on a regular basis, hiking gives me the opportunity to stay healthy and in shape, while also having fun with friends and family.

Some recent studies in the Good Hiker’s Blog, shows hiking can not only keep you in shape but can lead to:

• Improved cardio-respiratory fitness (heart, lungs, blood vessels)
• Improved muscular fitness
• Lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• Lower risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
• Lower risk of high cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lower risk of colon and breast cancer, and possibly lung and endometrial cancer
• Increased bone density or a slower loss of density
• Reduced depression and better quality sleep
• Lower risk of early death (If you are active for 7 hours a week, your risk of dying early is 40% lower than someone active for less than 30 minutes a week.)
• Weight control; hiking burns up 370 calories an hour (154-lb person)
• Decrease stress

So how do you define hiking, is it strictly Wikipedia’s way, “an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain” or something completely different? And what are some of the benefits it has on you?

“Hiking exercises your body and your mind, and nourishes your imagination, It creates awareness in your eyes and ears and the rest of your senses.” – Ignacio Malpica, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer in Boulder, Colorado.