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The storied Appalachian Trail, which begins 2,190 miles away in Georgia, ends here, with a final scramble up Maine’s highest peak — some of it nearly vertical, much of it blocked by boulders. For those who have trekked five or six months, Katahdin’s iconic summit is an exhausting challenge with a rewarding end.“It takes your breath away,” said Chuck Wood, 64, a hiker from Norristown, Pa. “Just to be there, it’s like an audience with the Lord.”But that experience is now in jeopardy. Faced with increasing crowds and partylike behavior by a few — including an ultramarathon runner who celebrated...

A Midlothian woman survived a bear attack Saturday at Douthat State Park in Bath County that left her with 14 stitches in her back and 14 in her leg. An adult female black bear believed to be the attacker was tracked and killed early Sunday. The bear attack prompted the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to close several miles of trails on the west side of state Route 629, which was scheduled to be reopened today. Laurie Cooksey was hiking Saturday with three of her four children after a day of canoeing and camping the night before. When they...

What you’ll see: An early spring has transformed Henry W. Coe State Park into one of the best parks for mountain biking anywhere in America. At 87,000 acres, it’s the largest state park in Northern California. A 250-mile network of ranch roads and trails — including my favorite, the ride from Hunting Hollow to Kelly Lake — makes it a cyclist’s paradise. Location: Henry Coe is in remote Santa Clara County, surrounded by Morgan Hill (access to park headquarters), Gilroy (access to Hunting Hollow) and Bell Station (during special events, access to Dowdy Creek entrance and Orestimba Wilderness). Bike to...

86-year old scientist squares off with media mogul over Colorado trail.Oprah Winfrey is not being neighborly. The media mogul and billionaire is being sued by Charles D. Goodman, a retired physicist from Berkeley, over her plans to close off housing trails near a "megamansion" she's building in the Colorado Rockies, according to the Denver Post. Goodman's lawsuit says that Winfrey is part of a "below-the-radar deal" that will see hiking trails near Telluride, which Goodman and his family have hiked "for nearly tree decades" shut down, the newspaper reported. His attorney says that easements to access the trails were "erased"...

FULL TITLE: Spot the predator: Would YOU be able to tell if a snow leopard was stalking you? Try to find the animal in these photographs These rare photographs of wild snow leopards reveal just why the elusive animal is so hard to spot. Pictured strolling across the face of a mountain, the endangered big cat is barely visible against a background of rock and shale. Experienced wildlife photographer David Jenkins, 41, braved temperatures of over minus 20 degrees centigrade in an effort to get a glimpse of the creature. Scroll down for video But after two weeks enduring the...

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Three Appalachian Trail hikers who were stranded in the snow without shelter have been flown to a hospital by helicopter.

2,184 Miles: From Georgia to Maine on Foot, ( 13:16 ) Cornerstone University Documentary 2013 Final. Join Zac Tolsma and his friends as they experience the Appalachian Trail.

Watch the 7 minute 17 second video Beauty Beneath the Dirt: Thru-Hiking 101. It's brief description : Everything you need to know about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 7 minutes. For the story beneath the surface... check out: http://beautybeneaththedirt.com.

The Colorado climber criticized for abandoning his injured dog on a mountain has agreed to give up custody of the dog to one of its rescuers. Anthony Ortolani, 29, originally said he wanted custody of his dog Missy when she was rescued by a team of hikers after surviving eight days on the mountain. Since then, Ortolani has received intense criticism and even death threats over his decision.

Gun and Rifle manufacturers, I want your attention. I've been looking for a rifle/shotgun to take on a long hike, and there's not many choices. Take a look at Henry's U.S. Survival AR-7. It's a good product for backpacking, but too small on caliber. The fact that when it's packed inside its waterproof stock, it can float if dropped into water, and can be retrieved and will still work, is a great deciding factor. But being a .22LR is a detractor. Now take a look at the Rossi Circuit Judge and their many different variations. I like the 3-inch Magnum...

My brother and I are taking our first steps on the Appalachian Trail in 2015. We will start in Georgia and complete the trail in Maine. Any Freepers ever done a thru-hike? Would like any advice/stories anyone may have.

An afternoon hike turned into an overnight ordeal when a couple, whose 80-pound dog joined them for the trek, couldn’t make it back down the trail.

Our state flower is the California poppy, a perennial wildflower that begins to bloom in late winter with April being the usual height of its blooming season. The best spot to see it in all its glory is in Los Angeles County, at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve where the elevation and climate are ideal for the flowers, which bloom spectacularly in the spring. With the right balance of rainfall and sunshine, there are years when all 1,745 acres of the Reserve are ablaze in orange poppy blossoms.

HUNTERS AND FARMERS AND THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY.....TAKE HEED.... My fellow friends and family, We have killed 57 rattlesnakes on two separate ranches this year. 24 @South bend & 33 @ Murray, since mid May. Not one has buzzed! We provoked one fair sized boy with a stick and he coiled & struck at the stick a couple of times before he buzzed up and rattled. The purpose of this explanation is that I have been hearing the same from fellow ranchers and hunters in regards to the lack of warning with rattlesnakes. I had lunch with a...

Hiker Joseph Bohlig dies after falling into volcano NewsCore February 17, 2010 12:19PM Hiker dead after rescue efforts delayedBelieved to be alive after initial fallFell 457 metres into volcano's crater Mount St Helens looms over Spirit Lake, still full of debrisfrom the volcano's 1980 eruption A MAN who fell into the crater of north-west America's Mount St Helens volcano died after rescuers were forced to abandon their bid to save him overnight, it emerged today. The 53-year-old's body was recovered by a US Navy helicopter after rescue attempts began again this morning. He was named as Joseph Bohlig, KPTV reported....

Something doesn’t smell right. Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter gave his press conference yesterday announcing his withdrawal from his re-election bid. By his own admission, his fund-raising had been going swimmingly. The decision took his staff by complete surprise. And the idea that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wanted to return from the Beltway swamp to take over the governor’s mansion just doesn’t wash. He’s an incurable Washington creature who loves where he is. So, let’s examine Ritter’s did-it-for-the-children card. While one Denver Post columnist lavished praise on Ritter’s ostensible sacrifice for family, other veteran observers point out that it doesn’t add...

FRESNO, Calif. — Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon - just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty."

Tired from a hike? Rescuers fear Yuppie 911 Hikers are increasingly relying on personal locator beacons, just in case Ted S. Warren / AP updated 2:00 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2009 FRESNO, Calif. - Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon — just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the...

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon -- just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst ''tasted salty.'' If they had not been toting the device that works like Onstar...

Several weeks into Tom Lange's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, some fellow hikers voted him "Least Likely to Succeed." It was hard to blame them. Lange, an Ohio State graduate and longtime Columbus resident, was older (50) than the average trail hiker, overweight, and limping along on a badly injured foot. But while appearances justified the doubts, nobody knew the depth of Lange's inner fire. "I wanted to prove to myself I could do something really, really hard," he said. "I had quit things before, and I wasn't going to quit this." He didn't quit, despite the foot, stomach...