Going to the woods was once a part of what it meant to be an American. Visits to the National forests today have declined by 13 percent.

Factors that contribute to this decline are include rising gas prices, the popularity of video games and the Internet, and an increasingly urban and aging population less inclined to camp out.

Critics, however, blame it on fees charged for hiking trails and visitor centers, a proliferation of noisy off-road vehicles and the declining proportion of the Forest Service budget dedicated to recreation.

Read more from the Sun Journal.

The American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience. Together with outdoor enthusiasts across,  the country will celebrate the 17th annual National Trails Day (NTD) on June 6, 2009. It’s a long-standing celebration of America’s magnificient trail system and its countless supporters and volunteers.

On that day there will be about 1,500 events around the country including trail maintenance, hiking, paddling, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, running and trail celebrations.

I like the theme for this year’s NTD. It’s “Take in the Outdoors”, an open invitation to all Americans to get outside, connect with local hiking clubs, outdoor retailers, local parks and recreation departments or federal land managing agancies to experience everything the great outdoors has to offer.

“American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day serves as a gateway to introduce youth and adults to the outdoors and an opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to give back,” said Greg Miller, American Hiking Society president.

This year’s sponsors include Nature Valley, Backpacker Magazine, Merrell, Fetzer Vineyards, REI, YMCA, and American Park Network.

The first National Trails Day was in 1993 and since then has inspired thousands of people and community groups to take part in activities that promote healthy living, protect green space, educate youth and adults on the importance of trails, and instill excitement for the outdoors.

To know more about National Trails Day and the American Hiking Society, go to www.AmericanHiking.org.

Any community organization that would like to host an even should contact Heather Sable, Trail Programs Manager through email at hsable@americanhiking.org or call (800) 972-8608 x.204.

This is the right time to buy camping gear.

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Backpacker Magazine dubbed him as the winner of Badass of the Week, jokingly of course, but what he went through was no joke considering that the guy is 90 years old.

Carroll Dubuar fell face-first down a 60-foot ravine in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, suffering massive cuts and bruises, and a broken rib. The experienced hiker tumbled down off a steep hiking trail. Younger men would be lucky to look and sound as good as Dubuar did on Monday, just five days after the fall.

Dubuar was in good spirits and said that he felt pretty good considering what he just went through. “Gruesome-looking” was the worst thing he said about himself though he winced a little whenever he laughed.

No hospital bed can keep him down very long.

“If I get back on my feet I plan to hike some more,” he told reporters as his daughter, Jan Barkhurst, looked on with concern.He added that he’s not likely to stay in bed much longer and said that those hiking trails are still waiting for him.

The outdoor lover will likely be discharged as early as next week and will go to a care center until he is able to go home. As part of the over-70 group of hikers called “Hotliners”, Dubuar takes part in group hikes every Wednesday.

This weekly jaunt is what Carroll Dubuar is all about. He lives for it and even if you take away his trekking poles and make him wear a helmet, elbow and knee pads and everything, you won’t be able to stop him from going for his Wednesday hikes.

Inspirational!

It’s not that any falcon can close a park but for the protection of the peregrine falcons, officials have closed hiking trails on Precipice Cliff and all around it. This coincides with the pre-nesting period of these falcons.

The Precipice Trail is a popular destination for hikers who also love to watch these birds. They’re also a very challenging climb of up to 1000 feet and recommended only for experienced and physically fit hikers who have no fear of heights.

The closure will be on the side of the Champlain Mountain and is expected to last until late July or early August which is about 5 weeks after the new born falcons will take their first flight. The trail will re-open sooner if the nesting fails.

The Acadia National Park is one of the selected places for the recovery program for peregrine falcons and has been going on since the 1980s.

It is listed as an endangered species in Maine.

Anyone could get lost on a hiking trail especially when the parts of the trail is masked by blown-down trees and fire. It happened to two experienced hikers on the Kekekabic Trail and the lack of trail markings were to blame for the incident.

Dozens of rescuers and volunteers joined the search including 4 aircrafts. In the end the hikers were found safe, but this is not the first time anyone got lost on the Kekekabic Trail. In 1970, a skier lost his way and died of hypothermia.

Following the latter incident the Forest Service marked the Kekekabic by tacking small, blue diamond-shaped signs to trees but nearly all the signs are gone now, and Forest Service officials have been reluctant to replace them.

Hiking clubs have renewed their appeal to the Superior National Forest officials to make the Kekekabic trail easier to follow.

The problem is, rules governing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness prohibit signs and many other man-made objects.

However, Forest Service officials acknowledges the fact that the overgrown condition of Kekekabic presents a public safety issue and are willing to discuss a possible compromise.