Grand Teton National Park, I have a bone to pick with you (as my mother used to say when she was mad at me).

A few days ago the Good Hiker crew was looking for a nice short morning hike. Someone suggested we take a boat across Jenny Lake and hike up to Hidden Falls. Sounded lovely. We drove to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and bought our boat tickets. Had a beautiful ride across the lake and started up the trail to Hidden Falls. It was nice, but it was crowded. Really crowded.

By the time we got to the falls, the trail and the “viewing area” were overflowing with people: tourists throwing snowballs; people wearing sneakers slipsliding all over the snow; dorks harrassing the only wildlife in the area, a lonely marmot. Hiking back down the trail later, we had to stand on the side of the trail several times to allow throngs of people to pass. A peaceful mountain hike this was not. It was more like Disneyland.

I understand that national parks attract a lot of people. And certainly, we added to the mass of people. But can’t something be done to try to control the crowds on popular trails? A simple solution in this case would be to limit the number of boat trips across the lake. The boats ran several times an hour, and every trip disgorged a dozen or more people onto the trail.

We had a nice hike and lunch at the falls. And we saw a beautiful moose up close at the dock. But I wouldn’t go to that area again.

Next up, an area in Grand Teton National Park that does manage to limit visitors, making for a peaceful wilderness hike.

You know hiking is good for your health. But do you know just how good it is? If you are heading out for a hike this Memorial Day weekend, take note of all the good you are doing for your body.

Ute Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park

For adults, regular aerobic exercise such as hiking leads to:

• Improved cardio-respiratory fitness (heart, lungs, blood vessels)
• Improved muscular fitness
• Lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• Lower risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
• Lower risk of high cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lower risk of colon and breast cancer, and possibly lung and endometrial cancer
• Increased bone density or a slower loss of density
• Reduced depression and better quality sleep
• Lower risk of early death (If you are active for 7 hours a week, your risk of dying early is 40% lower than someone active for less than 30 minutes a week.)
• Weight control; hiking burns up 370 calories an hour (154-lb person)

Elk poop! On the trail!

Kids get many of the same benefits, including:

• Improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
• Better bone health
• Less chance of becoming overweight
• Less chance of developing risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
• Possibly reduced risk of depression and feeling less stress, more ready to learn in school
• Sleeping better at night

What’s more, hiking exercises almost every part of your body: legs, knees, ankles, arms, hips and butt, abdominals, shoulders and neck. “Hiking exercises your body and your mind, and nourishes your imagination,” says Ignacio Malpica, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer in Boulder, Colorado. “It creates awareness in your eyes and ears and the rest of your senses.”

How Much Time?

How much activity do you need to reap these incredible health benefits? Experts say getting active for  just 150 minutes a week – doing “moderate-intensity” aerobic exercise such as moderate hiking or brisk walking – leads to most of these benefits (reducing risks of colon and breast cancer requires another hour a week). That’s only 2½ hours a week. And you don’t have to do it all at once. Sneaking in a lunchtime hike up the hill near your office counts toward your total, as long as you’re active for at least ten minutes.

If you take part in more vigorous aerobic activities, such as running, dancing, or hiking uphill or with a heavy pack, you need only half that amount of time, or 75 minutes a week, to get health benefits.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado

What’s moderate exercise? You can talk, but you can’t sing during the activity. Vigorous? You can’t say more than a few words with pausing for breath. “When you are doing moderate exercise, you can continue for a long time, and you are breathing rhythmically,” explains Malpica. “With vigorous exercise, you can’t do it for more than a few minutes at a time.”

And if you rack up even more time, the benefits keep growing too. For even more substantial health benefits, such as an even lower risk of heart disease, aim for 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise each week.

Of course, there are other kinds of physical activity. It’s also important to do some muscle-strengthening activities, such as lifting weights or doing push-ups. The experts say do those at least twice a week. You also need to get in some bone-strengthening activity, which occurs when force on your bones promotes bone growth and strength. Here again, hiking fits the bill.

Another plus: you don’t have to be in perfect shape to start. Even if you are overweight, getting physical can lead to health benefits. But don’t run out and climb a 14er if you’ve long been inactive. The experts say if you’re 35 or older and have been inactive for several years, or you already have a condition such as high blood pressure, check with your doctor first. “Hiking is a great way to start exercising,” says Malpica. “Start with easy hikes and work up to steeper hikes that work your legs more.”

Kids (age 6-17) need 60 minutes of physical activity each day, mostly aerobic. They also need regular muscle-strengthening (playing on playground equipment, climbing trees) and bone-strengthening (running, playing basketball, jumping rope) exercise.

Track Your Workouts

Keeping track of your activity can help you rack up the minutes. Note what you did as well as the length of each workout, and tally it up at the end of the week. Watching your progress can be a great motivator.

Use a calendar to track your workouts. Or try one of the many online options, such as MapMyHike.com, where you can map your own hikes and share your routes with others. Other activity trackers can be found at the 2008 Physical Guidelines for Americans report.

For More Information

2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans; US Department of Health and Human Services

Exercise for Children; MedlinePlus, National Institutes of Health

Fitness Fundamentals: Guidelines for Personal Exercise Programs; The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Kids and Exercise; Kids Health, The Nemours Foundation

Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Grand Teton National Park

The Good Hiker crew (me, sister Lisa, and nieces Katie and Susie — the original Certified Good Hikers) are heading to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks this summer for the Fourth Annual Girls’ Adventure Tour.

We’re in the planning stages now. And of course, we do nearly all of it online. (What did we ever do before the Internet? Used the phone, I guess. Gasp.)

Read on to hear about some of the resources we have used to plan this trip. What are your favorite trip-planning sites or other resources? Add some in the comments, or send me an email (cathy@goodhiker.com).

We used Vacation Rentals by Owner for previous rentals near national parks, and found some great houses and cabins. I struck out this time, however, when looking for something near Yellowstone. Everything was too far, too small, or too expensive.

I recalled that my friend Eva Young, a graphic designer, worked on a print magazine called 99 things to do in Yellowstone Country. I started looking through that and its online companion MyYellowstonePark.com. I found some great info on where to stay and what to do.

Moose

Although lots of places were sold out, we booked lakeside lodging at Signal Mountain Lodge, which is right in Grand Teton National Park. Interestingly, the lodge does not have online booking, so we did it all on the phone. They were very helpful, which is why they want you to call, it seems. I did just hear that we won’t have wi-fi in our rooms. That’s okay. I don’t plan to spend a lot of time online while we’re there. The whole point is to get outdoors and away from the LCD screens that dominate our lives. Still, it is always fun to upload trip photos to Facebook in the evenings (so keep watch on the Good Hiker page on Facebook!).

The official national parks site is very helpful. You can quickly find the park or region you are interested in, and from there you can find all kinds of info on policies, activities, etc. For example, here’s the Plan Your Visit to Yellowstone National Park page. My friend Kurt’s site, National Parks Traveler, is also very helpful.

We’ll be getting our National Parks Passport books stamped with Yellowstone and Grand Teton stamps, of course. This list of cancellation stations is handy. Who knew there are more than 20 cancellation stations in Yellowstone? That ought to keep us busy! You can read more about the passports program in my earlier post.

We’re getting our tour t-shirts printed at Vistaprint, using a discount from Groupon. And Lisa and I are sharing planning documents in our shared Dropbox folder and scheduling things on a shared Google calendar. When our travels approach I’ll use Weather Underground for checking weather reports, as well as Google maps to plan my driving route.

We still have a few weeks to plan our adventure to Wyoming. Have any ideas on what to see, what to do, or great trip-planning websites? We want to do some horseback riding, hiking, boating, wildlife watching and more. I’d also love to find a good site for splitting expenses. Please share your tips and ideas!

Update: Coincidentally, Mashable just posted a nice article about using social media while on vacation.

Welcome to all who arrived here from Claire Walter’s fabulous blog Mile High on the Cheap and other Cities on the Cheap!

The Certified Good Hiker Kit is an outdoor education game that helps adults teach kids how to be “good hikers” — how to have fun in the outdoors while staying safe and treading lightly on the environment. I invented the Kit when my young nieces came to visit me in Boulder. I wanted them to be safe on the trail, but I didn’t want to scare the heck out of them with tales of wildlife, so I turned it into a game. They are very proud to be the first Certified Good Hikers, and they know how to handle themselves outdoors. You can read more about Good Hiker and our first hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We are celebrating Earth Day this weekend! And here at GoodHiker we are all about treading lightly on the Earth — while hiking as well as in our daily lives. So to celebrate, I’m giving away 100 Certified Good Hiker Kits this weekend. To get one:

1. Share Good Hiker with friends: Like us on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook buttons in the upper left or lower right corner of this page or the Facebook tab on the toolbar below (or just go to Facebook.com/GoodHiker). While you’re there, share a few words about GoodHiker with your friends! Send them on over here for their own free Kits.

2. Ramble on over to the order page here and use the discount code “Earth” to get your free Certified Good Hiker Kit.

3. (Optional, but appreciated!) Tweet this post using the Tweet button upper right.

Then, learn more about the Earth Day Network organization, and make your pledge to go green. And learn more about environmental issues at my two favorite organizations, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society.

Thanks, and Happy Earth Day!

Catherine

Welcome to all who arrived here from Claire Walter’s fabulous blog Mile High on the Cheap.

The Certified Good Hiker Kit is an outdoor education game that helps adults teach kids how to be “good hikers” — how to have fun in our beautiful Colorado outdoors while staying safe and treading lightly on the environment. Like Mile High on the Cheap, it’s Colorado born and bred. I invented the Kit when my young nieces came to visit me in Boulder. I wanted them to be safe on the trail, but I didn’t want to scare the heck out of them with tales of wildlife, so I turned it into a game. They are very proud to be the first Certified Good Hikers, and they know how to handle themselves outdoors. You can read more about Good Hiker and our first hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The official start of Spring today means more hiking soon! So I’m giving away 100 Certified Good Hiker Kits. To get one:

1. Share Good Hiker with friends: Like us on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook buttons in the upper left or lower right corner of this page or the Facebook tab on the toolbar below (or just go to Facebook.com/GoodHiker). While you’re there, share a few words about GoodHiker with your friends! Send them on over here for their own free Kits.

2. Ramble on over to the order page here and use the discount code “spring” to get your free Certified Good Hiker Kit.

3. (Optional, but appreciated!) Tweet this post using the Tweet button upper right.

Thanks, and Happy Spring!

Catherine

A few months ago I posted about the photo contest being run by the National Park Foundation: the Passport to the Parks Sweepstakes. The winners were announced this week.

I have to say, I’m a bit perplexed by the top prize winning photo. It hardly looks like a case of “treading lightly.” But then, I’m not sure what is going on in the photo, taken by Mike Mamrosh in Glacier National Park. Elf flying perhaps?

The second-prize winning photo, taken by Ramon Esparza, should have taken the top prize in my opinion. It’s a really great shot, and too cute for words. (Not that I’m biased or anything, just because it was taken in my backyard, the Arapahoe National Forest in Colorado.)

Check out all the winners.

Related Articles

• Outdoor Contests: Share Your Photos (or Just Your Name), Win Trips and Gear (goodhiker.com)
• Defenders of Wildlife Photo Contest (goodhiker.com)

As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best days of the year. More daylight at the end of the day, plus the lengthening days overall means more time to get outdoors.

In celebration, I’m giving away 100 Certified Good Hiker Kits. To get one:

1. Share Good Hiker with friends: Like us on Facebook by clicking on the Like button in the upper left corner, the Share button upper right, or the Facebook tab on the toolbar below. While you’re there, share a few words about GoodHiker with your friends!

2. Hop on over to the order page here and use the discount code “Daylight” to get your free Certified Good Hiker Kit.

3. (Optional, but appreciated!) Tweet this post using the Tweet button upper right.

Don’t forget to change the batteries in your smoke alarms, too!

Thanks, and Happy Almost Spring!

When I was an editor at Audubon magazine, I saw a lot of really stunning wildlife and nature photos. I can take a decent shot, but my photos are nowhere near the quality of those professionals.

I wish they were, because then I could enter to win a fabulous prize like the one that Defenders of Wildlife will be awarding this spring: a grand-prize photo tour to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks with expert wildlife photographer Jess Lee. Now, that would be a great trip!

If your photos of wildlife and wild places are top quality, consider submitting them to the Defenders of Wildlife Second Annual Photo Contest. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2011.

Explore a national park this weekend! Admission is free this weekend,  in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Several other free days are planned for this year:

April 16-24
(National Park Week)

June 21
(First day of summer)

September 24
(Public Lands Day)

November 11-13
(Veterans Day weekend)

I love the U.S. national parks. I lived in Yosemite National Park for two months back in the 1980s (and got college credit for it, believe it or not), and I loved every minute of it. The parks always seem like protected little worlds of their own, with their brown signs, friendly rangers and inviting visitor centers.

When I first came across the Passport To Your National Parks program, I was instantly hooked. These small blue “passports” allow you to keep track of all your park visits and commemorate each visit with a dated cancellation stamp, just like a real passport. What could be cooler? I figured they were meant for kids, but I didn’t care. I’ve now been collecting stamps since 1994. My farthest-flung stamp is from the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve visitor center in Yakutat, Alaska (Wrangell-St. Elias, incidentally, is the largest national park in the system). I stopped in there after a rafting trip down the Tatshenshini River in 1996.

The passport program began in 1986 (and it’s not just for kids; many adults collect the stamps). Passports can be purchased at most park visitor centers, or online. Whenever you visit a national park (or monument, historic site, or almost any other Interior Department site), just look for the cancellation station in the visitor center, and stamp your book yourself. If you forget your passport (as I often do), stamp a piece of paper and later tape it into your book.

The passports are divided into sections correlating to geographic regions; each section includes information about the area, a list of region’s parks, and several pages for cancellation stamps. In the standard passport, there are only 4 ½ pages for cancellation stamps for each region, however. If you plan to visit a lot of parks, you might want to get the larger Passport Explorer Binder; it has a loose-leaf binding so you can add pages. Other related items include a Kids’ Passport Companion (for tracking those Junior Ranger programs and nature observations), a blank journal, regional passports, and the annually issued sets of ten picture stickers.

I gave my nieces Katie and Susie passports on our first trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, in 2008, and they’ve become avid stamp collectors (as has their mother!). We’ve had so much fun stamping our passports that they made me this incredible card for my birthday last summer: August 3 stamps from 20 different sites in the National Capital Region. I love it!

By the way, some parks have several different cancellation stamps, indicating the area that you visited. Wrangell–St. Elias NP, for example, has at least seven different stamps! Rocky Mountain NP has three. Here’s a list of cancellation stations (which you can also use as a handy check-off list of parks).

For More Information

Passport Central

National Park Travelers Club (a group of people dedicated to collecting passport stamps — they even host a national convention every year)

Read one family’s story about how they collected more than 500 stamps!