September 2017: A Note From Diane

Hello, dear hiker!

Do you love shoulder season hiking as much as I do? For me, the drops in temperature and trail activity make it my favorite time of year.

And the drops of rain? Just another challenge to enjoy, right?

I've been as busy as a squirrel this month, collecting lots of tidbits for you!

That's why this month's newsletter brings you 2 chances to be a famous hiker, 4 reasons to get kids out on a hiking trail, a heads up on a fee free day coming up soon, some funding news, healthy prescriptions for Vermont hikers, and a big announcement from Hiking For Her.

Plus, the newest HFH articles to keep your trail time fun and safe, including a rain pants review to help you handle those drops of liquid sunshine with ease.

Let's take a look at all the squirrelly news...

So You Wanna Be Famous? Option #1

Hiking For Her gets all kinds of emails.

Some messages are asking a question or sharing a resource. Others are offering something unique to pass along to you.

That's how I can offer you TWO chances to be famous for the thing you love to do: hike.

Opportunity #1: A starring role in a movie. I am not making this up!!

Instead, I'm quoting from the email I received:

"The film is called THE MOUNTAINS ARE A DREAM THAT CALL TO ME and is about an older woman who treks the Annapurna Circuit in the aftermath of her son's death. On the trail she meets a younger Nepalese man who she befriends and continues to trek with."

"The film is about their relationship and what they are looking for along their journey. It is a quiet film, more about the atmosphere of the Annapurnas than about theatrical performance."

Here's the kicker: "older" hiking woman means 70+, or perhaps 60's. Score one for us seasoned female hikers!

Little to no acting experience is required, although it wouldn't be held against you. What they seek is a "real" hiker, and that sounds a lot like the folks who read this newsletter.

So if you're interested in speaking with the film producer, please send me an email with the subject line FILM (diane@hiking-for-her.com) and I'll put you in touch pronto.

So You Wanna Be Famous? Option #2

Starring in a hiking movie not your thing?

If writing is more to your liking, you'll want to check out this charity Wild Writing Competition.

Theme: Wilderness & Wellbeing. All you have to do is write about how an adventure or an experience in nature helped to change your life.

There are prizes, but the best part (in my opinion) is a donation to a charity of the winner's choice.

In addition, the winning 500 word essays will be published on The Armchair Mountaineer's blog.

Get all the details here: Writing Contest

Latest Hiking For Her Articles

Just in case you don't subscribe to the HFH RSS feed (a bit like a free electronic newspaper in your inbox), here's a list of the latest articles to check out:

Over the summer, I had many requests for beginner hiking advice when it comes to buying gear and outdoor clothing.

It finally dawned on me that a Beginner Gear Guide would be a great resource to put into the hands of anyone just starting out.

Or anyone wanting to put the best stuff into the hands of a beloved hiker as a gift. (Yes, sometimes in emails I get to act as a virtual gift shopper, and it's a lot of fun!)

So here's the final product to share with you:

Did You Hear This Fantastic News?

REI announced the recipients of their Force Of Nature Fund, to the tune of a million dollars.

What's so sweet about this news? The money is targeted to organizations which actively work on getting women and girls from all backgrounds and abilities into the outdoors.

Please take a moment to read through the list of recipients, it's pretty impressive.

And if by chance you're involved in any of these organizations, it would be wonderful to highlight your first hand experiences in an upcoming newsletter.

You know the drill! Contact me: diane@hiking-for-her.com

Vermont Hiking Prescriptions

This almost seems too good to be true, but I assure you, it's real.

Vermont physicians wrote prescriptions for free day passes to state parks, allowing patients to do what we all know makes you feel great and keeps you healthy.

Doctors noted that a dose of outdoor activity results in great benefits: increased energy and revitalization (what I call the hiker's buzz), while warding off depression and tension.

No word on whether this Park Prescription Program will be extended, but it would be great to hear from a hiker who used the program. I'm guessing you know how to contact me!

Check out the Vermont park prescription program - link no longer works -

Four Scientific Reasons To Take Kids Hiking

We covered the arts (film and writing), now let's turn to science to explain why hiking is so darn good for everyone!

The Outdoor Project shared four big reasons why kids should be outdoors.

They include the benefits of regular movement (balance, sensory awareness and obesity prevention), reduced odds of developing myopia (near sightedness), the microbial benefits of getting dirty, and an increased chance that kids will cherish and preserve nature when they become adults.

For an explanation of each of these reasons, and links to resources, read this: Outdoor Project

National Public Lands Day 9/30/2017

We all love free stuff, right?

Don't miss a chance to freely explore a favorite state park or federal public lands, either as a volunteer or a hiker, boater, camper or rambler.

You can find an organized event in your area by clicking on the U.S. map at this link: National Public Lands Fee Free Day Details

Hiking For Her Announcement

As I mentioned, my email inbox is crowded every single day with news, deals, coupons, announcements, and lots of great hiking related stuff.

Stuffed with good stuff, one might say :)

But a lot of it is time sensitive, and it's frustrating to have to wait to share it with you once a month.

Even worse? To watch it slip into irrelevance before I can send out this monthly newsletter to you.

Adding to the feeling of frustration is the fact that I read hundreds of pages of outdoor related articles, journals, blogs, and websites every week. Now that I'm retired from classroom teaching, I spend at least 20 hours per week just keeping current on hiking related stuff.

So not only is my inbox stuffed with good stuff, so am I!

Put all this together, and you can see why I've decided to commit to sending weekly email updates to anyone who would love the latest stuff that never makes it into this newsletter.

Because I hate spam just as much as you do, I will not automatically send you a weekly email just because you subscribe to this newsletter.

Instead, you can read more about what to expect, and how to subscribe in one easy step, here: HFH Weekly Email Updates

That's All She Wrote!

You've heard some great funding news, learned two ways to share your love of hiking as an actor or writer, had a dose of science, and gotten your hands on new HFH resources. Whew!

Not bad for this humble little newsletter which I love putting together for you every month!

And I hope to share even smaller and more frequent doses of hiking news and resources every week with you! I don't want to keep all that goodness to myself, you know ;)

Thanks for reading, and may October trails bring you wonderful vistas along with the usual heaping doses of healthy benefits.

Get out, get moving, get happy!

Happy Trails always.

Diane a.k.a. Happy Hiker

diane@hiking-for-her.com

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!

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