by Sue Freeman

In 1996 I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, walking for 6 months from Georgia to Maine. On my feet were the highly recommended footwear of the time – the all-leather, above ankle Montrail OneSport hiking boots. Weighing in at 4 pounds, they were like lead weights on your feet. Yes, they were durable. And, you could waterproof them. But, once they got wet, they stayed wet – and weighted more than 4 pounds!

My biggest problem with these boots, and with many other models that I’ve tried over the years, is that my feet sweat. And, once my feet get sweaty wet, they blister. I’m the queen of blisters. In my long-distance hiking career, I’ve tried all sorts of remedies to avoid blisters. The only thing that has worked, is keeping my feet cool and dry.

In addition, I know it’s hard to believe, but since 1996, I’ve aged. Lugging 4 pounds of boots on my feet is no longer an option. That’s why, I’m delighted by the technological advances I’ve seen in hiking boot technology.

The latest addition to my hiking boot line-up is the Merrell Siren Sport Omnifit Shadow. Now that’s a mouthful. But at 1 pound, 6 ounces they’re a lightweight boot with a big name. Slipping them on was like putting on a pair of sneakers – but these sneakers mean business. They have non-slip Vibram soles and a nylon arch shank for support on the trail. The Omnifit part of the name refers to the lacing system. To me, it means the lacing is tied by cords securely to the tongue so the tongue can’t slip out of place. An easy tug and they’re laced tight. And you can easily do the trick of twisting the laces between loops to alternatively snug or loosen the toe box or upper part over that bump on the top of your foot.

What appealed to me about these particular boots was their mesh (read “breathable”) construction between leather bands for support. I run for the hills when a boot lists Gore-Tex or any other waterproofing system. To me, that means a sweat machine and miles of trail misery. I want breathability. Give me a hiking boot that gets wet fast and dries fast and breathes deeply. These Merrells looked like they might deliver, and I was not disappointed. Testing on the trail proved that they are just as comfortable on my sweat-prone feet as they were when I first slipped them on. Goodbye blisters.

One surprise I had with these boots was the insole. Over the years, with all the boots I’ve purchased, the first thing I always did was toss out the insole and replace it with a significant hiking insole. I went to pull these insoles out and found they actually had some cushion and some arch support. They won’t last forever, but I should be able to get a hundred miles on them before they need replacement.

These boots have something else I’ve not seen before – aegis microbe shield. They say it controls odor, staining, and deterioration. Only time and trail miles will tell if that delivers as promised. For now, I’m happy with my new Merrell Siren Sport Omnifit Shadow boots. We plan to enjoy many blister-free trail miles together.

I love the name – as a person with a marketing background, this sings to me. The name is a stroke of genius. I also like the product concept. Sun SWAT is a combination sunscreen and bug deterrent. Back in 1996 as I prepared to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, I had a similar thought. It was important to me to simplify things and to carry the minimum possible. So, I mixed up a batch of combination sunscreen and bug repellent and repacked the combo in tiny vials.

It didn’t work very well on the AT, but that was mainly because as we hiked 8 hours each day, we sweat profusely. Keeping any lotion on became a fruitless endeavor. Besides, the AT is mostly tree covered so we didn’t need to bother with the hassle of sunscreen …. simplify.

Since the AT, I’ve been on thousands of day hikes where my combo lotion definitely came in handy. Now I don’t have to mix my own any longer. Sun SWAT comes in a handy little 4 fl oz spray bottle – much easier than trying to get my mixture to come out of the tiny vials!

Sun SWAT is made by KISS MY FACE, a company that offers a wide range of sun protection options.

Each year in the fall, we head to a gathering of long-distance hikers sponsored by ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distance Hiker’s Association) to visit with like-minded souls, attend workshops on backpacking, watch slide shows about long-distance trails around the globe and to shop for the latest in lightweight gear. Long-distance hikers are an innovative lot. They spend long days in the woods analyzing how their gear isn’t working and figuring out better alternatives. Then, as the snow flies and buries their beloved trails, they return to their homes and in basements, garages and spare bedrooms they create gear that’s better. Better than anything you can purchase at your local sporting goods store or outdoor retailer.

Such was the genesis of our Packas. They were designed and made by Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Edward Hinnant. The Packa is a full coverage backpacking rain parka with a built-in pack cover, made of lightweight sil-nylon. Edward brought a supply of Packas to the 2003 ALDHA Gathering. Rich & I tried them on and immediately bought one for each of us.

Then came “test” time. In April 2004 we headed to England to hike the 190-mile-long Coast to Coast Trail from St. Bees Head to Robin’s Hood Bay and parts of Hadrian’s Wall Trail. England as it turned out, was a great place to test a new rain parka. In 3 weeks of hiking we had one day without rain. The trail took us up over mountain peaks above tree-level where we were pelted by hail in gale force winds and down through valleys where the temperature soared. Through it all, our Packas kept us dry and warm but not sweaty. In the worst weather we wore them with hoods up and fully zipped. If internal heat built up we could open the pit zips, drop the hoods, pull our arms out of the sleeves, and eventually roll the entire jacket portion back into the pack cover. That way, with pack cover on, we were always ready for a quick cover-up when the next downpour began. The Packas were lightweight, yet a solid barrier against rain and strong winds. They worked superbly and we’ve used them many times since then (including on the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska pictured above). Trust us, we’ve tried enough other rain coverage options on our many long-distance hikes to know what we’re talking about.

Check out the Packa and other custom-made sil-nylon gear made by Edward at www.thepacka.com

By DAVE CALDWELL, NY Times, link to original article

HONEST, dead leaves do not have to be so depressing. Stripped and skeletal trees leave more of their surroundings exposed, leading to potentially panoramic views. And, sometimes, those colder-weather tableaus include brilliant vistas of city skylines that were cloaked by the greenery of summer. “You normally go hiking to get away from such things,” said Charles W. G. Smith, an environmental horticulturist and author of several hiking guides, referring to cities.

But without the haze and humidity, distant cityscapes become crisper — almost like dioramas — in late fall and early winter, before the snow flies. Seen from a quiet trail in a park abandoned by legions of summer hikers, the skyline looks different. The vast scene, perhaps, reinforces the viewer’s solitude — and makes cities seem smaller, a little more human and manageable.

A trail with a glimpse of skyline also tends to be close to the city, and can often be reached by public transportation. He goes on to describe eight cities in the Northeast — from Portland, Me., to Washington — with hikes or walks that feature striking skyline views. A group of experts was asked to name the best vantage points. Here’s what was said for New York City:

NEW YORK CITY

Manhattan and its twinkling skyscrapers are visible from so many parks and trails that surround the city that it’s hard to pick the best view, or even just one. Peter W. Kick, who wrote the A.M.C.’s guide to day hikes in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, recommends a six-mile hike to the top of Mount Taurus, near Cold Spring, N.Y.

The hike is of moderate difficulty, but Mr. Kick says it is not necessary to climb to the top of the mountain to catch stark views of Manhattan, about 55 miles to the south. There are several easterly outcroppings of rock that, he says, have skyline vistas that are almost as good as the summit of Mount Taurus itself.

Nearby Bear Mountain, on the western side of the Hudson River off Route 9W, is a tough ascent from the Major Welch Trail, Mr. Kick says. But Bear can be reached via a shortcut from the Appalachian Trail, and the summit and observation tower can also be reached by car. (The road might be closed in bad weather.) “You get to see Manhattan completely, from uptown to downtown,” Mr. Kick said, “and you get the approach down the Hudson to Manhattan as well. The appeal of the Bear Mountain summit is that there’s a 360-degree view.” (Bear Mountain State Park; nysparks.state.ny.us/parks; 845-786-2701.)