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There are many ways to find true north if you get disoriented while hiking. Though it may sound easy to walk in a straight line, it’s actually simple to get off-course. There are many ways to getting back on track, that is back to true north. Here are some simple methods: First method is to get a needle and cork, or something to make the needle float. Once placed in the water, the needle will turn and point to true north. See the rest of the methods for finding true north here. How about you all, what other ways have...

Charleston, S.C., As Sean Hannity stood onstage Friday with Ted Cruz before a packed audience at the College of Charleston's Sotille Theater, the Fox News host announced that "a few special guests" were backstage. "Moments before we came out here, you got a big endorsement," Hannity said. With less than 24 hours until the South Carolina GOP primary, Congressman Mark Sanford, the state's former governor, emerged from behind a velvet curtain. The crowd went wild, and Sanford then spoke for one minute about why he was supporting Cruz. Sanford mentioned the importance of upholding the Constitution and how impressed he...

Only the Essential: Pacific Crest Trail Documentary Wild Confluence Published on Dec 2, 2015 The cinematic story of a 2668 mile thru-hike on America's premiere long distance footpath, the Pacific Crest Trail. Learn more at http://www.wildconfluence.com/ote In the summer of 2013 Casey Gannon and Colin Arisman thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with cameras in hand. "Only The Essential" is the story of their 5 month, 2668 mile journey on foot from Mexico to Canada across the wilderness of California, Oregon, and Washington. Filmed entirely by hikers.

Michael Meyers was found dead shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday, about 11,000 feet up in the mountains in an area of the John Muir Wilderness, according to Deputy Coroner Investigator Jeff Mullenhour. Meyers, an experienced hiker and climber, was hiking the area by himself. He was due back in Los Angeles on Nov. 11, according to his family. The UCLA physics student was driving a Dodge SUV, which was discovered Thursday at the Mount Whitney trailhead. Items belonging to Meyers were found Friday in a recent avalanche debris field near Mount Irvine, the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a...

(CNN)For two years, the whereabouts of Geraldine "Gerry" Largay had confounded authorities in Maine. Largay, a 66-year-old experienced hiker from Brentwood, Tennessee, disappeared while trekking the Appalachian Trail in July 2013. Hundreds of people searched for her. There wasn't a single clue. On Wednesday, a single person, a surveyor, came across bones, clothing and gear just over a half mile from the trail.

"Whoa! Let's hope there's no DEET in that," says Phil Cutti, brewmaster at Headlands Brewing, biting into a paper-thin seed pod with overwhelming notes of bug spray. Scratch that plant off the list. Our group of nine is eating and smelling its way along a forested path to the top of San Francisco's Mt. Sutro, searching for something cool to use in a to-be-determined experimental Headlands beer. As we try everything from minty-sweet hummingbird sage to little tannic dust balls that look misleadingly like blueberries, I keep a close eye on Cutti, trying to figure out where he's going with...

A Renton house cat seems to think he's a dog, and his exploits on local hiking trails is earning him celebrity status online. Move over birds and hikers; there's a new cat in town, and he walks the backcountry trails like any hiking dog would -- like he was born to hike. "We think he might be part dog," said Anna Wilson. His name is Paddington. His parents, Bryan and Anna Wilson, got him at the Seattle Humane Society as a kitten last summer, where they instantly detected his courageous spirit and their connection. "Kittens can be cute and cuddly...

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.