So much to look forward to, so much to plan and dream about and then to enjoy, and this newsletter will help with all of that.

This month, a new giveaway, an update on REI trips and classes, tips on how to get started on planning a 2025 backpacking trip, snowshoeing tips, Lyme disease updates, and more.

Here it is, with my best wishes for great January hiking!

REI NEWS

REI Co-op announced that they are canceling all scheduled 2025 trips and classes, and won't be offering them going forward.

Here are the details:

REI cuts employees and events

INSPIRING YOUNG HIKER

In summer 2024 he (and his intrepid father) spent more than three weeks in the Sierra Nevada backcountry and completed the John Muir Trail.

AND raised $3,000 for Save the Redwoods League.

Meet him here:

Saving the redwoods

SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL

Far away from large towns and the hustle & bustle of civilization?

For a less traveled but historic trail, look no further than the Superior Hiking Trail.

I describe it here, along with some hiking tips: Superior Hiking Trail

This podcast digs into the history with Rudi Hargesheimer, who also wrote a book about the SHT:

History of Superior Hiking Trail

THIS MONTH'S HIKING TIP

Here are all the tips (and a dose of tough love) you need to get started on planning a backpacking trip:

Backpacking trip planning

SNOWSHOEING, ANYONE?

Unless you get back ONTO your favorite trails even if they're snowy.

To get started with the great sport of snowshoeing (or pick up a few new tips and tricks if you already are a "shoer") including what to wear, eat, carry and know, it’s all here for you!

FYI: These tips are all based on my decades of snowshoeing in the Cascade Mountains of WA State, so they're trailworthy.

Snowshoeing safety and comfort tips

LYME DISEASE AND HIKERS

I have several resources for you, including my own tips for hiking in tick country:

What to know about tick bites and Lyme disease

For those who hike (or plan to hike) in Washington State, take a look at a big collaboration between a graduate student at the University of Washington, Washington Trails Association (WTA) and the Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH).

Hiker-submitted trip reports on the WTA website were analyzed for tick sightings. A map was created, and resources were developed to mitigate tick-borne disease risks while hiking.

Hiking toward health

Read this medical research abstract (summary) to see how we’re getting closer to a Lyme vaccine for humans (there are 4 currently available for canine hikers).

Human vaccine against Lyme

Here's a news release with more information about a possible vaccine which kills the tick(s) before the disease agent can be transmitted to the human:

Clinical trial results for Lyme vaccine

HIKING FOR HER GIVEAWAY

Since snowshoeing is top of mind (at least in this newsletter), how about a snug pair of versatile gloves to protect your hands against the cold?

Enter for a chance to win a pair by February 15. Details on the gloves and how to enter can be found here:

Hiking For Her Giveaway Details

Just a note

Nothing glamorous, just well tested over the years and very much appreciated by me on each and every hike.

And I'll share all my hiking tips and suggestions for each and every one so you can see why I'm recommending them to you - and giving them away.

To demonstrate I really mean it, look at this plethora of hiking glove tips, trail tested by yours truly and suitable for a wide range of weather conditions: Best hiking gloves

January 2025

Best wishes for wherever you wander, and as a wise man once said, "Not all who wander are lost".

To which I would add, "Or perhaps are lost in the best possible ways".

May hiking be your solace, your therapy, your safe place this year :)

Happy Trails,

Diane a.k.a. Happy Hiker

diane@hiking-for-her.com

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