June 2018: A Note From Diane

Hello, hello!

June has rolled around again, bringing a plethora of hiking news to share with you!

So let's jump into the freshest of the fresh (which reminds me of the bear scat in the middle of a recent trail ... but that's a story for another time).

Newest Hiking For Her Stuff

I reviewed two new KEEN trail footwear options this month:

I also created and freshened up some articles appropriate to July hiking:

Practice Your Topo Map Skills

How To Handle Sore Feet After Hiking

Hiking And Camping Equipment: Any Overlap?

Car Camping For Hikers

A New HFH Feature

Somehow or another, there are over 500 pages of trustworthy hiking tips on Hiking For Her.

But I'm not getting any older ;)

However, I AM keenly interested in adding only hiking information which is relevant and important to you.

But how will I know unless you tell me?

So please use the link below to share what you'd like more of. Get as detailed as you'd like!

Once the busy rush of the summer hiking season is over, I'll pull out that list and get to work for you.

I really appreciate you taking a few moments to let me know how I can make Happy Trails a reality for you. It's the entire reason Hiking For Her was created in 2008.

Hike Just Because ... And For A Cause

Trey and Maddie Cason, two young idealistic hikers, are planning to hike the whole Appalachian Trail this summer to raise money and awareness for GHNI.org.

The goal they've set: to raise $100 per mile for the sponsorship of four villages in Asia in order to raise the standard of living.

Their short video explains how you can join this effort by hiking one hour, one day or weeks on end to raise awareness and funds toward their goal.

Be sure to watch it to the end, because they drop their somewhat formal demeanor to reveal the "true" Trey and Maddie. Very cute!

Safe Wildlife Distance Campaign

Enjoy some entertaining memes and a smart message: keep your distance, please! It's the right thing to do.

Safe Wildlife Distance

New Meaning: Young At Heart

How many days a week should a person exercise to maintain the overall health of her arteries?

This question gains importance with middle age (45 y.o.) or older hikers, because blood vessels stiffen with age and increase the risk of heart attacks.

A recent study asked the "how many days" question, and found this answer: Humans have small, medium and large size arteries; the smaller arteries rely on fewer days of exercise per week than larger ones to maintain overall health.

Bottom line for hikers: Maybe a daily walking habit makes sense! Here's why:

Medium-sized arteries need two to three days a week of 30-minute exercising to minimize artery stiffening, but for larger arteries, exercising four to five days a week is needed.

So why not take a 30 minute walk on your off trail days?

2018 Recipients: National Trails Fund Grants

I love when local hiking projects get funded, because it means even more hikers of all ages are going to enjoy outdoor time.

Recipients of generous grants this year include:

• Bayou Land Conservancy, Texas • Dracut Open Space Committee, Massachusetts • Friends of the Cheat, West Virginia • Jefferson County Historical Society, Pennsylvania • New Castle Recreation Department, Pennsylvania • Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, California • Oregon Natural Desert Association, Oregon • Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance, New Mexico • Trail Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

You can use this list of U.S. trail groups, hiking clubs, and organizations if you'd like to get involved in trail efforts near you: American Hiking Society's Alliance List

New Tick Study Results

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released results supporting the idea that clothing treated with insecticide permethrin really does deter ticks (thus minimizing the dreaded Lyme disease connection).

That's why Insect Shield clothing from big outdoor brands should be a consideration for you if you're hiking in tick country.

The study, and an example of protective hiking clothing: - link no longer active

However, there is another approach to repelling ticks (and mosquitoes), using a portable insect repellent device from Thermacell.

The natural compounds in the humble mum plant are aerosolized in an ingenious, lightweight device. This link also shares their field test results:

HFH Giveaways

You have a few more days to enter to win some plant based, highly nutritious, lightweight hiking food.

And don't overlook the exclusive giveaway for the readers of this monthly newsletter.

You need the password HAPPYTRAILS and the link below to enter for your chance to win a Kindle copy of Hiking For Her's e-book of day hiking tips for women hikers. Exclusive Giveaways PW Protected

If You're In Seattle Area

A brand new guide from Mountaineer Books, entitled Swimming Holes of Washington, just came out. The co-authors, Anna Katz and Shane Robinson, would love to meet you at these events:

It Happens Every Time!

Lots more to share but don't want to bloat your in box, so will put the rest into my weekly email updates.

There's a link below to sign up for a short update every week of the year, including flash giveaways (like the one I have planned for the first week of July).

I thank you most sincerely for reading all the way through to the end of this little newsletter. It's a highlight of my month to gather up the news and send it out to you!

May all your trails be amazingly safe and enjoyable this month.

Happy Trails,

Diane a.k.a. Happy Hiker

diane@hiking-for-her.com

Did you receive this newsletter from a friend?

Stop by these HFH pages for a little hiking inspiration! Likes, comments and shares are always appreciated.

Hiking For Her

Some of the links in this newsletter and on the Hiking For Her website may be affiliate links.

What does this mean for you?

You create a small miracle when you buy hiking gear through those links, by allowing a small percentage (low single digit) of your purchase price to flow into the HFH coffers.

What's so miraculous about that?

You receive great gear that has been trail tested and approved by a seasoned hiker. You pay nothing extra. AND you help keep the free hiking tips flowing to your virtual trail buddies.

Wow!

And a sincere Thank You for your vote of confidence in Hiking For Her. It means a lot!