In This Issue: Exploring The Barrens Chuck Keiper Trail - Wild Areas, Waterfalls, and Ticks How To Break In New Hiking Boots National Trails Day, Saturday June 2nd Announcements - Hiking Organizations & Outing Clubs Deal of the Month - PA Hikes Baseball Caps Exploring the Barrens With its close proximity to State College and housing developments north of town, The Barrens is a good place for a casual hike during the weekend or even after work during the week. Used by walker, bikers, and hikers alike, trails and dirt roads that crisscross this state gameland offers a variety of hikes, with or without elevation change, and lengths from a half mile to well over ten. This was our first venture into The Barrens and we were not sure what to expect. I had heard many people talk of this location and decided one evening after work that we would head out and do a short hike of 2 to 3 miles. Ten minutes after leaving the house we found ourselves at one of the trail heads, just outside Circleville. [LINK TO TRIP REPORT AND PHOTOS] Chuck Keiper Trail - Wild Areas, Waterfalls, and Ticks The Chuck Keiper Trail is a double loop trail of over 50 miles, located in northern Centre County and western Clinton County. Last year we completed the east loop of the CKT and this spring we decided we wanted to finish up the trail by doing the western loop. The western loop travels across some rough terrain as the trail ventures down off of, and then back up onto, the Allegheny Plateau. These descents on the trail take you down along some beautiful mountain streams as you stroll through the Fish Dam Run and Burns Run Wild Areas. You also get to experience some of the only waterfalls within the borders of Centre County as you hike along Yost Run. We were also "lucky" enough to experience another phenomena of the Chuck Keiper Trail in spring: ticks. [LINK TO TRIP REPORT AND PHOTOS] How To Break In New Hiking Boots I learned first hand how important it is to make sure your new hiking boots are broken in before you set out for a long hike. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your boots are ready for the trail. Put on the same type of socks that you will wear while hiking. Put on your boots and lace them up snuggly. Walk across the room and back and relace the boots if they feel too tight or too loose. Spend an hour in the boots, walking around the house, or until your feet begin to chafe. Take the boots off and repeat this process the next day, extending the time you wear the boots, until the boots feel comfortable. You should also take a long a pair of camp shoes if you are doing an overnight backpacking trip. Changing out of your boots at camp allow your boots to breath and your feet to refresh, ready for the next day of hiking. National Trails Day, Saturday June 2nd On Saturday June 2nd, PAHikes.com and The Hiking Spot will be sponsoring an outing event in celebration of National Trails Day 2007. Held in conjunction with PA Hiking Week, National Trails Day is America’s largest celebration of trails and the outdoors. PAHikes.com and The Hiking Spot will be sponsoring a hike on the Mid State Trail. The hike will start at the Little Flat Fire Tower and be an out-and-back hike of approximately 4.5 miles on top of Fourth Mountain. On this hike we'll see a monument dedicated to Tom Thwaites, the father of the Mid State Trail, as well as many beautiful vistas that look down over the Bear Meadows Natural Area. At the mid-point of our hike we will get to take in the amazing view at the Indian Wells vista before we turn around and retrace our steps. Following the hike, a small cookout will be held with roasted hot dogs, chips, drinks, and smores. Space for this hike is limited, so please contact me at webmaster@pahikes.com if you are planning on attending. Additional details will be provided at that time. [SIGN UP FOR THE NATIONAL TRAILS DAY HIKE] Announcements - Hiking Organizations & Outing Clubs Top of Tioga - The Susquehanna AT Club, Mid State Trail Association, and the Three Rivers Outing Club of Corning, NY are jointly hosting a special weekend event, July 4-8, 2007, day hiking portions of the MST and other footpaths in and near northern Tioga County PA. [LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE HIKES] Do you or your hiking organization or outing club have information that you'd like to share? Planning a trip, fund raiser, or future trail maintenance? Then let the "Go Take A Hike" e-Newsletter help. Submit your announcements to webmaster@pahikes.com. We will post all announcements here each month for everyone to see. [SUBMIT YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS TO THE WEBMASTER] Deal of the Month - PA Hikes Baseball Caps These new embroidered baseball caps are great for wearing on the trail and off. The PA Hikes caps are green/khaki in color. One size fits all with this high quality embroidered hat; simply use the cloth adjusting strap found in the back. Comparable hats typically retail for $17.00 and the price at The Hiking Spot is only $12.95. Use May's Deal of the Month coupon code, MAYCAPS, and get these caps for only $10.95. This $2.00 coupon is good on both the PA Hikes and The Hiking Spot baseball caps. Only one coupon/coupon code per order. Some coupons can only be used once. Other restrictions may apply. This exclusive Deal of the Month offer is only valid for "Go Take A Hike" e-Newsletter subscribers. [GET YOUR BASEBALL CAPS AT THE HIKING SPOT] www.pahikes.com www.thehikingspot.com The Hiking Spot 290 South Main St. Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 (814) 359-4389 webmaster@pahikes.com Click on the link below to unsubscribe