Hi!

I live south of Munich, Germany in the foothills of the Alps so naturally I love to hike, ski, mountain bike, basically anything outdoors at this point. I've already climbed the tallest mountain in Germany (3000m) so I do a lot of my hiking in Switzerland and Austria. I'm looking at several 4000m peaks for next season. I particularly like hikes where there are climbing/rock wall sections.

I started to hike on a whim actually. My now ex-boyfriend invited me along (on a hike way above my skill level) and I just fell in love with climbing mountains. There's really nowhere else I'd rather be. We've since broken up, but I'm not planning on letting that stop me. In fact, we still hike together quite often. I'm really hoping to do some trekking in South America and in the Himalayas eventually, but right now I'm just sticking to the Alps.

Scarlet, your photos are gorgeous! I am lucky enough to live in Colorado with tons of hiking within a few miles. I love to backpack and camp in the summer but my backpacking buddy and I just broke up so I'm afraid I won't be doing much camping this coming summer. :sad:

Scarlet, I your photos!

I live in northeast PA, not exactly in, but not far from, the Poconos. No mountains like Scarlet's around here, but lots of wooded trails, streams and lakes. And since I started running, I discovered some decent trails that start less than a mile from my house, so when I don't run on them, I like to take the dog for a hike. Most people wouldn't consider a Pekingese to be a good hiking companion, but he does a good job! His name is Beavis (and it suits him entirely too well) and he's a 7 year old one-eyed rescue. We've had him about 5 years.

From yesterday...


He won't go *around* any puddle we see, but he'll hide if I say the word, "bath."


Beavis getting lost in a pile of leaves.


To quote Jane's Addiction, "Coming down the mountain!"


After about 4 miles, I was surprised he still had energy to run across a field.


But when we got home, he was like, "Mommy tried to kill me!"

Thanks for starting the group. Two things I enjoy very much are hiking and bicycling. Each has its own unique rewards. I’ve been doing both as long as I can remember, despite years here and there when I have not been able to do them as much as I wanted (or needed) to do.

One of my favorite places in the world is the Red River Gorge Geological Area. It’s a several-hour drive for me to get there, so I don’t go as often as I like, but when I do, I never, ever regret it. I explore all kinds of trails there but one I admire a lot is Auxier Ridge:



I love to hike in silence, listening to everything around me, relaxed and payin attention. I love the smells, particularly the pine needles up high. And I love the total restorative feeling I get while I am hiking, like everything else in the world just doesn’t matter, and I am where I should be.

Happy trails!

:flowerforyou:

All of the pictures are beautiful. I wish I could travel and go hikin in some of those places! There are a few areas I love to go hikin @ around my area but never have ppl to go with me:brokenheart:

Don't be afraid to go alone! I do some hiking alone and I've found that other hikers/climbers are some of the most friendly welcoming people I've ever met. Every single hike I've ever gone on I've always made new friends with people along the way.

Totally wrote my hiking history and experience in the other thread, but here are some Fall pictures. Unfortunately, the vibrant colors and picture quality have been compromised a bit in order to share. I have an entire collection and short descriptions of my adventures at www.facetothesunshine.blogspot.com













[img]]http://i53.tinypic.com/k4ezxf.jpg[/img]

totally beautiful photos!!

broadsword7, cannot believe you posted about the Gorge! I am actually headed there today after work (a bit of drive from mid tn)....have a hiking/retreat weekend with my best friends that we do every year and its beautiful there in the fall. Use to go to school in Louisville and a group of us hiked there all the time. Will post pictures when I get back. = )

GreenLifeGirl, have a great weekend at the Gorge! I grew up in Louisville, went to grade school, high school and college there. I was always making trips out there, and still do to this day.

The photo above was from a day hike there on Oct. 29. There are few more here:
http://virtualdrifting.smugmug.com/Other/October-29-2011/19803448_tWTf4L/

Hi and thanks for inviting me. I'm afraid I don't have awesome stories and photos to share, though. Actually, I did some canoeing and backpacking back when I was a teenager and loved it. As I'm getting more fit, I'm also starting to re-explore the pastimes that I used to love.

Right now, I live in upstate New York (not NYC - much further north in the state of New York) in a small city called Oswego. It's right on the southern shore of Lake Ontario and is beautiful in the summer. I live within driving distance of the beautiful gorges in the Finger Lakes and I'm not unreasonably far from the Adirondacks. Winter is always horrible here, but I'm already looking forward to spring. :-)

Boo-hoo, can't put pics up, tried image code etc.
HELP!
(Pretty please)
PS Sorry for hijacking the thread /:o(

Hi all! I grew up in the Black Hills and romped around there quite a bit as a kid but that was many years and pounds ago. I live in Western Nebraska and I love to camp and am getting back to hiking. I am starting on the local trails and really look forward to hiking in Colorado and Wyoming and of course my beloved Black Hills. Looking forward to hearing all your stories.
Pat