A hiking trail sign at Two-Heel Drive, A hiking blog

Hiking blogs are the slot canyons of the Web: they dwell in a narrow niche. While some of us glom readership from folks Googling the trails we write about, some of our most avid readers are other bloggers. So, hiking bloggers, why not tap into that and write about a totally fab hiking blog you’ve come across in the past month?

Once you pick out the blog, write a review, just like you’d do for a pair of socks or new day pack. State what the blog does well, and politely point out potential improvements. What’s in it for you: Google juice from when the blogger writes the obligatory post thanking you for the review. This matters because Google thinks links from inside a post are way more relevant than, say, links in your blogroll, and it bumps your page-rank upwards accordingly.

Haven’t found any cool blogs lately? Scan my list of hiking/camping bloggers on Twitter. If you’re a Twitter user, add the hashtag #hikingblogs so we can track everybody who joins the festivities.

Need a sample? I reviewed Jeff Clark’s Meanderthals. When I had review posted, I went over to his site to check my links and lo and behold, he had already reviewed Two-Heel Drive. Just a coincidence, I swear!

(Incidentally, you needn’t be hiking blogger to join in — you can write a review on your Facebook page by using the “Notes” function, post on your homepage or use one of popular blogging platforms like Tumblr or Posterous).