June 2016: A Note From Diane

Hi!

It's June already, can you believe it?

I know your trail time is precious, so I'll get right to it this month. Thanks for reading!

A Funny Thing Happened...

A funny thing (as in good news/bad news funny) happened to me a few months ago: a publishing company sent me a book contract.

Seems the Hiking For Her website reads like a book!

You might think that's the good news.

But have you ever read a book contract?

The archaic language boils down to signing away the rights to the way your words and images are presented and used, today and forever, throughout the world. This includes "technology yet to be invented".

So I filed the contract under "you've got to be kidding", and went on to the good news: I published my own book titled Best Tips For Women Dayhikers, on Amazon.

If you're curious, take a peek here.

The book condenses all of the website trail advice on dayhiking, while providing lots of new tips and resources.

Click the photo of the book cover in the link above for a free preview of Chapter 1.

Another thing I've learned: Amazon reviews from readers are really important.

Please consider leaving one if you read the book, because it boosts the chances of this book getting in front of the intended audience: women who want to get the most out of this wonderful thing we call The Hiking Life.

Another Way To Find Trail Joy

I've never met Regina Reiter, but I recognize her as a kindred hiking spirit.

She wants to get women out onto the trail just as much as I do.

Her approach is to work with women who want to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT), in a six month long online group coaching program.

By any chance, could that be you?

If you register by July 13th, you'll save half of the program's cost.

I have no financial arrangement with Regina, so don't feel that I'm pushing the program on you. I just thought it was a creative solution to working with the doubts and fears that women hikers have when tackling an ambitious hiking goal.

Nature Based Insect Repellents

I pulled out my bottle of DEET (highly toxic but highly effective insect repellent) the other day and found myself, as usual, thinking YUCK!

There's gotta be a better way to keep mosquitoes at bay while hiking.

And there is.

Take a look at these fragrant and free Do It Yourself (DIY) Natural Insect Repellent Recipes!

Free Maps

Hikers are all about destinations, right?

Maps are just one part of the safety equation for reaching your destination.

I found two free sources for U.S. hiking maps, and wanted to share them with you.

1,053 free National Parks maps, listed by state, will get you plotting your next hiking trip. Find them all here. (link no longer active)

You can also go to the original source of National Park Maps at the National Parks Service.gov.

Your Emails

I love opening up the emails I receive from you, dear reader.

But I hate seeing the "undeliverable" message pop up when I attempt to send you a reply.

It makes me frustrated and sad, because you think I don't want to respond to your question or comment.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

So if you send me a message and don't immediately receive a "got it, and working on a reply" message in return, something went wrong.

Please send your message again, double checking that your email address is spelled correctly.

Or use a different email address.

And if you've ever sent me a message and gotten no reply, please try again. Together, we can outwit those pesky little email gremlins.

Here's my CONTACT link, in case you want to say howdy right now!

Women Only Outdoor Opportunities

I ran across this interesting "summit" for women who crave outdoor time in the company of other women.

It's a collaboration between REI (U.S. gear co-op) and Outessa.

Looks like all you have to do is show up and all of your desires and needs will be taken care of!

Speaking of REI...

Every month I add lots of new information to the HFH website.

This was one of the motivations for writing my book: to make it easy for you to find the information you're looking for.

It's getting harder every month to wade through all of the pages!

If you're interested in reading only the new stuff on the website, use the RSS feed link to get updates.

Or bookmark that link and visit it weekly to see the freshest content.

Another way to locate information on the HFH site?

Use the search box, highlighted in bright green on any page.

Which brings me to the newest tip I want to share with you so you can jump on it: REI's Fourth of July clearance sale.

Happy June Hiking!

Don't ever forget that you are a strong, smart trail woman. And getting better all the time!

Today, on my 60th birthday, my heart is full of joy and thankfulness for the abundant hiking trails we love to explore. And for you, my virtual trail buddy.

Best wishes for Happy Trails Always,

Diane a.k.a. Happy Hiker

diane@hiking-for-her.com

Or stop by these HFH pages for a little hiking inspiration:

HFH FaceBook