The great thing about hiking is just about anyone can do it.  All you need to do is lace up them boots, get outside, and start hiking.  But with anything, there are different techniques and levels of skill.  Most of the basics have never left my noggin’, but I know there is a lot to learn about the fine art of hiking.  So I’ve hit the books.  I’ve dug into the pile of boxes in my room marked “You’re Eventually Going to Use This Stuff So Don’t Throw It Out” and found my library of hiking and camping-related texts.  Amongst the stuff was my collection of National Geographic Adventure magazines, some dating back to their earliest issues.  I found a whole bunch of hiking books: The Best in Tent Camping: Southern California, The Best in Tent Camping: Oregon, The Hiking Engine, and the Holy Bible of outdoor life, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.

Since finding this loot, I’ve spent hours pouring over the pages of the books and magazines. Some of the articles are a bit beyond their expiration date, but hiking news rarely goes sour.  In fact, I’ve been able to gather a few ideas for my upcoming multi-day trips, expecially my Sequoia trip which starts on Wednesday.

Along with my hiking-related books and magazines, I’ve also gone through all of my hiking and camping gear. I’m a total gear head and have enough camping stuff, I call my closet my own personal REI. I’m currently going through everything and seeing what I need to bring for five days of car camping in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.

I found a long-lost book amongst the winter gloves, gaters, and medical kits: my copy of Sequoia National Park: A Complete Hiker’s Guide. Inside the book are sticky notes of places I hiked (and wanted to hike) on my first and last trip to the park in 2007. Also stuffed within its covers was a waterproof topographical map of the park, an informative pamphlet on the park, and handwritten notes (by me) on where to stay, important phone numbers, and other useful bits of info that I’ll be able to use on this trip. Jackpot!

This will be my last post for a while. I hope to come home from Sequoia next Monday with enough hiking reports to double what I currently have. Happy trails!