Author: Monica Marty
Article source: http://www.treadmill-walking.com/. Used with author's permission.
Picture this. You are stuck at home knee deep in household
chores. Your mind wanders from taking out the trash to hiking
on a scenic trail with heart pumping terrain. You are an avid
hiker and yearn to strap on your hiking gear and hit the trails.
Unfortunately, a hiking trail adventure is not in the cards for
you today, but you can find the next best thing by logging onto
your computer.
The Internet is filled with interesting websites dedicated to
hiking and outdoor sports. Many hiking websites are packed with
information about hiking gear, trails, and hiking vacation.
However, you want more then just basic information. You desire
to connect with other hikers. You are hungry for more
information, experience, and the friendship of other hikers.
Seek no further than hiking discussion boards and forums on the
Internet. You can swap hiking stories with pals from around the
globe. Discussion boards and forums allow you to ask hiking
questions and receive many insightful answers and perspectives.
Most importantly, you will feel a part of the hiking community
even when you are unable to make it out to the trails.
There are a myriad of hiking discussion boards and forums to
participate in. New forums pop up everyday as more and more
people link up to the global community on the Internet. Some
discussion boards and forums are free while others require a
small fee. The key is to take advantage of the personalized
forums and learn from fellow hikers. Often times you will hear
the "true" story regarding hiking gear, trails, and vacations.
For example, you are interested in taking a hiking trip out
West. You've scanned through different websites for
information, but you want an insider's guide to the trip. Read
through discussion boards as many forum members can provide an
unbiased account of their trip as opposed to a hiking
advertisement that depicts the hiking vacation as spectacular.
The "true" story may not always be negative, in fact it may be
better then advertisements claim. You can also garner tips from
the discussion board to make your hiking adventure the best it
can be.
Following are two hiking message boards to get you started.
Mountain Zone.com:
http://forums.mountainzone.com/mz_tools/forum/ This
information intensive website about hiking and other outdoor
sports has a great discussion board. The two main topics of the
discussion board are hiking and gear. If you go into the hiking
forum you will discover topics ranging from snowboarding to
hiking trails. You are allowed to post a message to the boards
once you create a free user name and password.
Trailplace.com:
http://trailplace.com/portal/forum_display.php?id=6 This is an
Appalachian Trail resource site. Discuss everything you'll need
when hiking the trail. They also present a forum for hiking in
general. The message boards are used frequently and will supply
you with ample information.
You can still feel connected to the hiking world even when you
are sitting in your living room. Keep yourself current on
hiking news, trails, and gear. The Internet brings hikers from
every region of the world together. Join in the fun and log on
to your computer right now. Monica Marty is a hiking fan and the webmaster of
http://hikingtrailfinder.com/ where you will find a directory and information on Hiking
Tags:
| 
Print this page
