Henry Perangelo spent much of his life as a scuba diver. In fact, it wasn’t until he took a job on the Caribbean island of Saba, shortly before retiring, that he, a scuba diver, discovered hiking. He continued hiking after moving to the Northeast three years later and began taking weekend backpack trips. It wasn’t until five years ago or so, when he and his wife retired to Cary, that he became more interested in backpacking, but still taking trips typically in the 2 to 3-night range. Then, in...

When Jess Lancaster was growing up in northwest Indiana, her family took a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains, and Jess was smitten! She moved to Nashville in 2009 to finish her undergraduate degree, and started hiking near home and in the Cumberland Plateau region of eastern Tennessee. In 2013, she started the shehikestn.com, and has been promoting hiking in Tennessee ever since. As she states on her website:"I’m based in Nashville and determined to prove that middle Tennessee is just as ...

This week, we share some regional trail news —including the opening of a photo exhibit at Tennessee's Norris Dam State Park — and talk about 5 of our favorite resources. Below are the pertinent links for those 5 resources:American Hiking SocietyRoad closings. Here are links to some of the sites mentioned: Blue Ridge ParkwayN.C. Department of Transportation\Great Smoky Mountains National ParkNorth Carolina State ParksNorth Carolina National Forests (Croatan, Pisgah, Nantahala, Uwharrie)Vi...

The Vicious Circle had the Algonquin Roundtable, "Friends" had The Perk, and the "Cheers" gang had their beloved bar. And backpackers? Backpackers have The Campfire. Now, non-campers generally believe the purpose of the campfire is to keep warm, maybe cook food. But backpackers know otherwise. Yes, a good fire helps us stay awake past 6 o'clock on a winter trip. But it's also the nexus of conversation, of talk about anything, and everything and nothing. "Seinfeld" gone wild, if you will.This ...

In a short episode this week we look at 2020's COVID-crowded trails and contemplate whether they'll continue to be as popular once restrictions begin to ease.In the news, we look at:Access opening to the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest. Learn more about Dolly Sods here.A new Superintendent named for the Blue Ridge Parkway.Ascent WV, a new program intended to draw adventurous remote workers to West Virginia through a $20,000 incentive program.For more ...

This week we look at the world of FKTs, or Fastest Known Times, which saw record activity in 2020 (and 2021 promises to see even more). We listen in on a conversation with the holders of three FKTs set in 2020, one for the entire 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and two — male and female — for the Pitchell run, from Mount Pisgah to Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, a stretch of trail that gains 11,400 vertical feet in 62 miles!The conversation comes courtesy of our friends at the Frie...

It's been a newsy week. This week we look at:Seasonal campgrounds and other facilities opening on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Shenandoah National Forest and in national forests in North Carolina and Virginia. Also, 91 new acres have been added to the Carvers Gap area of the Pisgah National Forest courtesy the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.For more on campground openings, visit GetGoingNC.com.

This week we talk with Richard Harris with the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, who fills us in on this 285-mile companion trail to the Appalachian Trail. Like the AT, the BMT starts at Springer Mountain, Ga., but takes a more westerly route north, to Fontana Dam on the southern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From there, it traces the eastern border of the Smokies to its northern conclusion at Davenport Gap.Key links promised in the podcastBenton MacKaye Trail Association. H...

In this week's episode:Retail Therapy. We introduce a new feature, Retail Therapy. Sure we're all about the spiritual release of being outdoors — but being outdoors in good gear doesn't hurt. In this debut of our Retail Therapy segment we walk into the Great Outdoor Provision Co. shop in Chapel Hill, N.C., and ask: "What's latest gear we've gotta have?" Chad's answer: the On Cloudventure hiking shoe. For details on the shoe:Cloudventure women'sCloudventure men'sNews. If the weather's warming ...

This week we chat with Smith Raynor, N.C. State Parks Trail Planner, about North Carolina's 9 State Trails. Helpful links follow:Fonta Flora State Trail:Burke County’s Fonta Flora State Trail site (where you’ll also find trail maps)Fonta Flora State Trail Facebook pageDestination By Design’s Fonta Flora pageAs for the N.C. State Trails program as a whole? This week’s GetHiking! Southeast podcast interviews Smith Raynor, N.C. State Trails Planner, to learn more about the the program, the trail...