barefootwalk

Alabama is a beautiful small southern state. The state is almost in sea level and the highest point is around few thousand feet which is not very high, nevertheless there are nice long and short hiking trails all over the state. 1- Long distance hiking or thru-hiking: Pinhoti trail is a long trail. More information: http://www.pinhotitrailalliance.org/ 2- Long hikes: Cheaha wilderness: There are many trails in this region. The Chinnabee-Skyway-Pinhoti loop is more common. Pinhoti section is well marked and more challenging than other sections. Chinnabee trail is very busy because it is mainly used for day hike. Trails are a little confusing whenever you approach the river and usually you have to pass to the other side. Camping are permitted almost everywhere  however there are many used campsites. map: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd495949.pdf Sipsey wildeness: There are many short trails in this area you can join together to make a longer hiking trail. When i...

We learn walking by try and error and everybody has a different walking style.  What is good for one person might be less efficient for another person. In general the most important tip is to keep your feet as light as possible. You move your feet much more than any other part of the body so it is extremely important to start the ultralight hiking by ligthening your feet. Light shoes, socks and shorts. I have seen people hike with jeans and it is not a good choice wearing heavy jeans. They also are made of cotton which absorbs the water easily and dries very slowly. I call cottons the big killers of the hikers.

In my opinion navigation is the first and the most important skill everyone should learn. Although many hiking trails are well marked and there are so many hiking videos for the same trail that you can literally have a virtual hike from the comfort of your home but we still hear many hikers are lost in different wilderness areas. So here we go. A- Basic navigation 1- You shouldn't rely on the basic navigation while you are hiking. You have to have minimum tools to navigate safely and this basic part is what you do every step you hike nevertheless every now and then you have to use more reliable techniques described in part B and/or C. 2- Be mindful. You should have a sense of direction all the time. I do it by paying attention to the Sun and comparing the visible land features with the map or satellite picture I have explored before the trip. 3- Exercise your estimation. You can develop a sense of the length by guessing and comparing your estimation with the true value in early hik...

This was a wonderful hiking loop in Weminuche wilderness. I also section hiked one small part of the continental divide trail. The view is spectacular.

This was an amazing trip to west. A short video of Bisti/De-Na-Zin wilderness, New Mexico: Bisti/De-Na-Zin wilderness, New Mexico Valley of Gods, Utah Valley of Gods, Utah Natural bridges national park, Utah Canyonlands national park, Utah Canyonlands national park, Utah Canyonlands national park, Utah Canyonlands national park, Utah Zion national park, Utah Zion national park, Utah Zion national park, Utah Zion national park, Utah Colorado river, Utah Grand canyon, Utah Grand canyon, Utah Grand canyon, Utah Grand canyon, Utah Petrified forest nation park. Arizona Petrified forest nation park. Arizona Petrified forest nation park. Arizona Petrified forest nation park. Arizona Arizona Arizona Arizona Arizona Arizona Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caverns, New Mexico Carlsbad caver...