ABC of Hiking News Feed

Wake Up Early with Cleveland Metroparks

Make Cleveland Metroparks part of an early morning routine with a variety of free programs in November:

Hiking for the Young at Heart
Tuesday, November 24 � 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Hinckley Lake Boathouse � Hinckley Reservation
Start this fall morning with a hike through Hinckley Reservation and enjoy the clean crisp air. Hit some of the Hinckley Hills, the lake, and the ledges on a 4- to 5-mile hike. Wear appropriate footwear as trails will be muddy, if it has rained. Hinckley Lake Boathouse is located off West Drive in Hinckley Reservation, between Bellus and State roads in HinckleyTownship. For more information, call 440-526-1012.

Frosty Fields Hike
Saturday, November 28 � 8:30 - 10 a.m.
Jackson Field � South Chagrin Reservation
This is the time of year when morning frost decorates the fields like lace. Hike through the ChagrinRiver bottomlands and soak in the beauty on a 2-mile hike. Jackson Field is located off Jackson Road in South Chagrin Reservation, north of Miles Road in Moreland Hills. For more information, call 440-247-7075.

Wake up early this November and enjoy Cleveland Metroparks-part of your life, naturally!

For more information, contact Bob Rotarori or Julie Dibiasio at 216-635-3200, EXT. 3263 OR EXT. 3275.

Night Hike @ Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center

ORANGE, CA -- The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, a one-of-a-kind themed outdoor learning facility, invites families to take night hikes at its site in Orange adjacent to Irvine Regional Park. Previously inaccessible hiking trails are now available to families two Thursday evenings each month for naturalist-led hikes. Participants ages six and older will be led at an easy pace and taught about nocturnal and crepuscular animals, adaptations of nocturnal versus diurnal animals and constellations. The hikes are from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

"The evening hours are fun times to learn about animals because many animals are particularly active during these periods," says Christine Kirk, director of outdoor education for The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. "Our naturalists are eager to answer your questions about our diverse and interesting Orange County environment."

The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center family night hikes are scheduled for:

� December 3
� December 10

Registration is required. The fee is $5 per person and includes refreshments. To register call 800-436-2119.

The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center is the only facility in Orange County with a complete outdoor education program. Its programming meets California State standards for outdoor science curriculum and was developed to support a range of subject areas, including science, local history and cultural studies. It is the third largest educational campus in Orange County behind the University of California at Irvine and California State University, Fullerton.

Source: www.24-7pressrelease.com

Holiday Home Sales Defy Economic Slowdown

Business is continuing to boom for The Camping and Caravanning Club as holidaymakers keep swapping foreign shores for the great British outdoors.

Advanced booking figures and occupancy rates on Club Sites across the network continue to impress following one of The Club's most successful years on record, with an additional 46,000 bookings having been made since November compared to the same period last year.

And Holiday Home sales are also defying the current economic downturn.

Sales on Holiday Homes are up over 50 per cent on this time last year, meaning that The Club achieved its yearly target in just six months.

In particular, the Club has seen a 66 per cent increase in Holiday Home sales at its Windermere Site and a 50 per cent rise at its Scone Site in Scotland.

Meanwhile, all available Homes have been sold at Lakeside in the Lake District.

And Sites Director Bob Hill feels that there is more to the significant sales figures than just good fortune.

He said: "The Club has worked extremely hard to make sure that its Holiday Homes offer the best of the outdoor adventure, as well as good value for money."

"We are really pleased to see that our sales have risen so phenomenally in what are essentially testing times for most businesses."

"We have never sold any of our Sites in over 108 years; giving owners complete peace of mind that they will always be dealing with one trusted company."

There are also plans to further develop the Homes network for 2010 to cope with unprecedented demand.

With stunning locations ranging from sheltered woodlands in Nairn to the rolling hillsides of Charmouth, the Holiday Homes are becoming increasingly popular.

Exclusive Lodges are available at six premier locations - Boroughbridge, Derwentwater, Lakeside, Rhandirmwyn, Tarland and Winchcombe. For more information please visit exclusivelodges.co.uk or call 0844 770 6860.

Caravan Holiday Homes from The Club are available at Charmouth, Derwentwater, Nairn, Scone, Tarland, Troutbeck and Windermere. For more information visit clubholidayhomes.co.uk or call 0844 770 6860.

Trailspace Names Tom Mangan as Assistant Editor

Trailspace.com has hired Tom Mangan as assistant editor of the outdoor gear website. Mangan will maintain and expand Trailspace's online gear catalog database and write and edit outdoor gear guides, comparisons, and reviews for the backcountry gear guide.

Mangan, an avid hiker and backpacker, has more than 20 years of experience in journalism. He formerly was a copy editor, page designer, and hiking columnist at the San Jose Mercury News. Since 2005 he has written and published Two-Heel Drive (www.twoheeldrive.com), a popular hiking blog covering hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area and now in North Carolina.

Mangan professes no allegiance to gear brands, but confesses a weakness for his Gregory G Pack and vows to replace his five-year-old Columbia zip-off hiking pants just as soon as they wear out. After five years of hiking among the redwoods and coastlines of Northern California, he's eager to check out the North Carolina Outer Banks and the Great Smokies.

"We're excited to welcome Tom to Trailspace," said editor in chief, Alicia MacLeay. "He's enthusiastic about hiking, gear, and the outdoors and is full of ideas to strengthen and improve Trailspace."

Source: www.outdoorindustry.org

Avalanche Awareness Talks by Mountain Madness

Mountain Madness, Inc. announced the company will offer two avalanche awareness clinics supported by Backcountry Access (BCA) and The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE).

DATES: November 18, 2009, 7-9pm and December 16th, 2009, 7-9 pm

LOCATION: Feathered Friends, 119 Yale Ave North, Seattle, WA 98109. 206-292-2210

Guides from Mountain Madness and Steve Christie of BCA will be giving an "expanded" avalanche awareness talk. Key points of discussion will center on information gathering - how to access local avalanche bulletins, weather forecasts and travel conditions - and discuss how to observe "obvious clues" that indicate avalanche hazard. Modern companion rescue techniques will also be discussed.

These talks are appropriate for recreationists of all levels - snowshoers, skiers, snowboarders and snowmachiners - and will provide an opportunity for open exchange. Mountain Madness is an AIARE course provider - a vast majority of students throughout the U.S. attend AIARE courses. AIARE's stated mission is to: "save lives through education."

Suggested Donation of $5: Proceeds go to the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (FOAC).

For more details on this news please visit www.mountainmadness.com.