One of the reasons for me starting this blog is that nobody else had done it already. I sorta wish they had; it would’ve saved me the trouble.

While I was developing this site I did find a few blogs with hiking-related stuff, so how about we take a look at them (they’re also in the “Blogs” list at left):

Procrastination: The personal blog of Hiker Joe in Canada, who also keeps the gorgeous Side Trail site, which has scads o’ pictures and content about hiking and camping. Hiker Joe’s got serious hiking chops — just check out the pictures from this hike along the coast of Lake Superior. You think: how tough could it be, along a lake? Well, the trail is mostly boulders left over from the last Ice
Age.

Dan Mitchell’s Outside: Dan is a schoolteacher who spends his summers in the Sierra. He has a backpacking group called Talus Dancers that goes on big multi-week adventures ever year. Someday I may beg to go along, but first I’d have to introduce myself to the guy. He’s a serious shutterbug, with wonderful nature photography at his site.

Hiker Dude’s Hiking Blog: Another new blog, this one’s been around since the beginning of October. He gets special mention for a link to a page offering animated directions on how to tie knots — because, well, I forgot everything they taught in Boy Scouts (except “be prepared,” which means carrying 10 pounds of junk in my daypack every time I go hiking).

calipidder.com: The site’s keeper posts photo albums from backpacking trips. Keep in mind they just look like they’re having more fun than you… their packs still feel like a ton of bricks after a day on the trail.

Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog: This blog is more for rock climbers, mountaineers and river-rapids runners — you know, adrenaline junkies who like doing stuff that can get you killed (though, mind you, there are perfectly safe ways to do all this stuff, it’s just that the margin for error is smaller and the cost of errors can be fatal.) The writers, though, are hardcore outdoors people who know their business, so if you’re a natural-born coward like me you can get a voyeuristic thrill in reading the words of folks who straddle that fine line between bravery and foolishness.

Yosemite blog: News from the national park by a blogger who lives and works in the valley. Great place to stop in if you’re planning a vist; just don’t get scared off by the reports of lost hikers and people plunging to their demise over the falls.