ABC of Hiking News Feed

Prescribed Burn Planned at Oak Mountain

A prescribed fire is scheduled for Oak Mountain State Park today, February 9, 2012, weather permitting. The burn is part of a Wildland Fire Academy Class, which consists of fire professionals attending a course taught by fire officials from the City of Pelham Fire Department. The class is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service in Alabama.

The bulk of the class is made up of students from various resource management and fire control professions. They include members of the Alabama Forestry Commission, Structural Fire Departments, the U.S. Forest Service and Alabama State Parks Division.

The purpose of the exercise is to create a realistic scenario based on a prescribed fire near the park entrance covering 10 acres to control unwanted vegetation. The prescribed burn exercise will enable participants to better provide for the safety of firefighters, improve the command and control of fire suppression efforts within the park, and to better coordinate prescribed burns in the future.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com .

Loreen Niewenhuis' Upcoming 1000-Mile Hike

Author Loreen Niewenhuis walked the perimeter of Lake Michigan in 2009. Her bestselling book "A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach� chronicles her adventure along with the geology, ecology, and other fascinating aspects of this Great Lake. "A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach,� published by Crickhollow Books of Milwaukee, spent several weeks on the Heartland Indie Bestseller List in the summer of 2011.

When Niewenhuis turned 45-years-old, she felt compelled to break out of the day-to-day routine and take on a big challenge. She decided to walk all the way around her favorite place: Lake Michigan. "Instead of having a mid-life crisis,� Niewenhuis said, "I had a mid-life adventure!�

In 2012, Niewenhuis will undertake another 1000-mile hike, one that allows her to touch all five Great Lakes. "During my hike around Lake Michigan, I became captivated with the Great Lakes, our vast Inland Seas. I decided that one adventure wasn't enough. I wanted to touch all five of these amazing bodies of water and to explore their importance in my next book.�

Niewenhuis's adventure will begin in April 2012 along Ohio's shoreline on Lake Erie and continue along most of the edge of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This part of the hike will allow her to touch lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan. Then, she will hike two stretches along Lake Superior's coast: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising and the Estivant Pine Preserve near Copper Harbor. Finally, along the fifth Great Lake, Lake Ontario, she will hike on the Canadian side from Toronto east to the Sandbanks Park near the point where Lake Ontario egresses into the Saint Lawrence River. The grand finale of her hike will be the approximately 15 miles from the city of Niagara-On-The-Lake on the shores of Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls on the Niagara River Recreational Trail in Ontario. She will invite people to join her for the finale in October.

In her adventure this year, Niewenhuis will explore how important the Great Lakes system is to the entire country. "These five lakes contain 90% of the fresh, surface water in the nation,� Niewenhuis points out. "And tens of millions of people get their drinking water from these lakes. They are vital to the region and the nation and we need to be better stewards of this amazing natural resource.�

This journey will give rise to her next book tentatively titled "A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Walk: The Adventure Continues Along the Shores of America's Vast Inland Seas.� Crickhollow Books of Milwaukee will publish the book in early 2013. Follow Niewenhuis's journey on her blog.

Please learn more about Niewenhuis, her writing, and her adventures at her website (http://laketrek.com/) and her blog (http://LakeTrek.blogspot.com)

One World Trekking announces new Himalayan treks

One World Trekking (OWT), a 24-year leader in Himalayan adventure travel, has announced a selection of new trekking options for travelers looking for a once in a lifetime experience in 2012.

The new trips expand on an already impressive array of adventure travel opportunities that mix exotic culture and history with epic hiking in the kingdoms of the Himalayas.

Among the new itineraries for 2012 is a Luxury Lodge hike along the foothills of Nepal's stunning Annapurna Range. By combining a hike through picturesque Hindu villages with the luxury of the Ker & Downey Lodges make this an excellent first trekking experience. For the on the go, adrenaline junkie, our new Nepal Multi-Activity trip combines a scenic flight to Mount Everest, day hikes, whitewater rafting and paragliding.

Those looking for a longer trek and want to rough it a bit more, may want to check out OWT's newest treks. First, there is the September trek around the sacred peak of Kawa Karpo located in China's Yunnan Province. This incredible journey follows an ancient pilgrimage route around one of the Buddhist world's most holy mountains. In October 2012, OWT will be offering their first trip into the remote Tsum Valley of central Nepal. Hidden by giant snow-capped Himalayan giants, the Tsum Valley's sheltered location has enabled its rich culture and heritage from being influenced by the outside world.

Please visit the One World Trekking website (www.oneworldtrekking.com) to learn more about these trips, or to review all of their trekking options for 2012.

One World Trekking is an adventure travel company offering small group and custom tours to the world's great mountain areas such as Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Everest, Annapurna, Ladakh, Morocco, Patagonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Slovenia and beyond...

2 Backpacker Mag Editor's Choice Awards for Boreas

On January 19, at the annual Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Backpacker magazine awarded Boreas two 2012 Editors' Choice Awards for the Lost Coast 60 and the Buttermilks 55 backpacks. Given annually, Backpacker magazine's Editors' Choice Award, the most prestigious award in the outdoor industry, recognizes gear for its outstanding innovation in design, materials, and performance.

These two award winners represent the simple design genius and true uniqueness of Boreas. The company is the brain child of San Francisco based design collective, lowercase Designs. The desire to have high functionality and clean design is gracefully translated by them within Boreas bags. Both the Buttermilks 55 and the Lost Coast 60 highlight Boreas's progressive design and minimalist aesthetic through hidden daisy chains, tool loops, and a ribcage design that strengthens the integrity of the backpacks. "This recognition from Backpacker is a great honor and achievement for the Boreas Team and our design vision,� says Boreas and lowercase co-founder and developer Tom Newth. "We want to make great gear that isn't overly complicated and should be simple yet innovative in both form and function. Our first product offering of packs has been successful and we can't wait to introduce our future gear.�

Backpacker Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Dorn said about the award, "no other magazine or website conducts in depth field-testing as vigorously or impartially as the crew led by Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter� (with pack). All winners must excel under extensive field-testing conducted by Backpacker's team, who take hundreds of new products into the backcountry every year.

The complete list of Backpacker 2012 Editors' Choice Award winners will be officially announced in the magazine's April Gear Guide issue, on newsstands March 6, 2012.

Boreas makes outdoor equipment for everyday use: beautiful, practical, hardwearing gear for passionate people with things to do. Boreas believes the best outdoor products are neither complicated nor expensive, that they should be as versatile as the person using it, and that there's no reason to compromise form for function.

lowercase is a design firm led by Tae Kim, Alexei Tcherepanov and Tom Newth. Formed as a design collective in 2008, the San Francisco studio works on projects centered around user driven product innovations and brand design.

Active Women Find Adventure This Season

BOZEMAN, Mont.--- AdventureWomen, Inc., the oldest worldwide adventure travel company for active women over 30 is kicking off their 30th anniversary celebration in 2012 with an exciting lineup of spring and early summer adventures for women only.

These "spring fling� girlfriend getaways offer active women the chance to plan a great escape this spring:

Be a Caribbean Queen: Set sail in the Caribbean's British Virgin Islands on this women-only sailing adventure for some sun, sand, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sailing. On this trip, guests cruise the British Virgin Islands on a marvelous luxury yacht, the Cuan Law, the world's largest trimaran sailboat that's equipped with every amenity. Women can soak up the sun and scenery while choosing from adventures like sea kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling, dining on decadent cuisine, or enjoying the views from the canopy deck onboard the boat. $2995 pp ($800 deposit). Departure date: March 4, 2012

Hit The Trails in Arizona: Explore the Sonoran Desert and surrounding landscapes during its lush and magnificent spring bloom on a desert hiking tour that's just for women. Highlights include hiking through famous Saguaro National Monument, the Chiracahua High Country (home of the Apache warrior Geronimo), the Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon, and much more. Hikers are accompanied by an expert naturalist guide through desert canyons and rushing streams on some of Arizona's most spectacular hikes. Guests also visit the historic town of Tombstone and enjoy accommodation in a luxurious Arizona Resort set in pristine natural surroundings high in the foothills above Tucson, and a delightful hotel in Sierra Vista. $2895 pp ($600 deposit). Departure date: April 14, 2012

Experience The Wild Side: For women who want to experience the wild planet in action, this journey to see the great apes of Uganda and Rwanda is one for the "bucket list�. On this women's adventure vacation, guests will have close encounters with endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Other highlights include chimpanzee tracking, game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a boat cruise through the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel, learning about Rwanda's fascinating history and inspiring recovery, unparalleled wildlife viewing, accommodation in luxury safari camps, lodges, and hotels, and much more. Starting at $7995 ($1500 deposit). Departure dates: May 14, 2012 and May 29, 2012

AdventureWomen, Inc. is offering these girlfriend getaways and more to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2012. For more information about spring, summer, fall, and winter girlfriend getaways with AdventureWomen, visit www.adventurewomen.com