I have been a recreational hiker for most of my life, spending hours or a whole day exploring the woods. I grew up in the mostly flat Midwest, and except for one climb in the White Mountains of New Hampshire when I was 10, most of my hikes consisted of fairly flat terrain. I moved to upstate New York for graduate school, and occasionally my friends and I would venture a few hours away to the Adirondacks for a hike. But it wasn't until I moved to Washington, DC that I had easy access to more difficult terrain. I started with rock-hopping on the Billy Goat Trail and soon began venturing a bit further, exploring trails (and learning how to hike uphill and down) at Sugarloaf Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, and Catoctin Mountain Park. Luckily, I married someone who also enjoys recreational hiking. When my wife and I sat down to plan our next "big trip", we agreed that we wanted to try a hiking vacation. But where? Neither of us has backpacked, so we weren't inte...
Paddling on the Potomac | Preparing to hike the Alps