There are so many ways to explore the world. Whether its on your own two feet, the back of a horse, the bench of a canoe or the four wheels of a skateboard, the important thing is that your outside having your best adventure.
Growth is about pursuing new opportunities that stretch us beyond our comfort zone. It's about venturing boldly into the unknown. Unless we assume that risk there will never be that chance of success.
Explore the most popular trails near Fayetteville with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
Nothing gives you deeper satisfaction than gazing at a mountain peak or leafy ridge from the peacefulness of your camp site, knowing that you got yourself AND your gear there using the strength of your legs and your trail smarts.
Hiking rest stops are a chance for the visitors of natural parks and rambling pathways, to rest, reenergise and sometimes even spend the night.
When you want to head into the wilderness and bring along some the comforts of modern convenience, you'll probably reach for the lantern. A lantern really can be a decent option for a static location.
Many college students hope to do a little hiking over their summer break. Wichita native Megan Taylor did little else, trekking about 1,200 miles from Pennsylvania to Georgia between May 21 and Aug. 30. It was her second and final leg in completing the 14-state, 2,186-mile Appalachian Trail. "It was really a life-changing experience," Taylor said. "It really makes you look at the world differently.
"It takes a lot, but it's worth every day and every step." She now hopes to help others better enjoy the outdoors as she works toward a career goal of becoming a university professor in outdoors recreation. Neither the climbing nor academia was a childhood dream. It was late in a six-year hitch in the Kansas Air National Guard that she confided to a friend that she would like to try something challenging, like maybe running a marathon.
"He said I should go climb a mountain, and I liked the idea," Taylor, 28, said. "At the time the only mountain I'd heard of was Pike's Peak so I packed my bags, went and climbed it. That weekend totally changed my life."
Her desire to learn more about mountaineering in 2008 sent her researching colleges where it could be incorporated into a career. She now has a bachelor's degree in outdoor recreation from Southern Utah University and is set to graduate from Minnesota State University.
