Step up to beat cancer with a chance at a backwoods getaway! This is one sweet mountain cabin that’s owned by my friend Teresa’s parents. We’re taking donations for the American Cancer Society in which you can join the drawing for a week-long stay for up to 6 people  in the woods.  Yes, you heard [...]

Open 365 days a year, your nearest Florida State Park is a perfect place to take the family out for a Christmas hike after the presents are open … and you can buy a family pass at the ranger station, too, as a last-minute surprise gift! All state parks are open today so remember those [...]

Saturday September 26 is National Public Lands Day, a day to get outdoors and get involved in restoration and care of our public lands. This annual celebration:

Educates Americans about our wonderful natural resources
Builds partnerships between land management agencies and local communities
Encourages volunteers to help care for our public lands

Here’s how you can participate in a [...]

Who first encouraged you to go outside? Was it your parents? Mine sure did. We had a great backyard full of plants that I only recently learned were very rare and special, a North Woods habitat filled with ferns, mosses, princess trees, club moss, and nodding lady slippers. I’d make little trails in the backyard [...]

Florida’s hiking season is upside down from the rest of the USA, so while everyone else is gearing up to get outdoors, we’ve turned the boil back down to a simmer. That doesn’t mean we give up! In summer:

Hike between daybreak and noon to take advantage of cooler temperatures
Use plenty of bug spray and sunscreen
Take [...]