Want solitude in the wilderness, whether day hiking or backpacking? Sure, many trails are often crowded, but you can find lots of space to roam away from the crowds by following these nine tips.
Thanking the People Who Make My Hiking Guidebooks Better…
Writing a Northern California hiking guidebook for Mountaineers Books always involves lots of phone calls, emails, and visits with the trail supervisors, forest rangers, and visitor center staff who know the most about the trails in their jurisdiction. And quite often these same people read drafts of my hike descriptions for accuracy and to make […]
Hiking and Backpacking Hashtags for Instagram, Twitter, and Other Social Media
Hikers and backpackers, use these hashtags to make your hiking and backpacking posts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media stand out and get more views. This post discusses why you should use hashtags, best practices for their use, and the best ones to use for hiking and backpacking and other related trail/outdoors/adventure activities. […]
Walking the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain
Stephanie and I just saw the excellent documentary film Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago here in Ashland, Oregon. This hike has been on my radar for the last couple of years, never more so than now! Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile trek across northern Spain to the cathedral […]
Federal Court Ruling Could Restrict Access to Private Lands for Hikers
Many hikers and outdoors recreation enthusiasts use private land with the owners’ permission. However, a federal court ruling regarding the 2007 Moonlight Fire on Sierra Pacific land may have a major impact on that. Here’s a press release I just received from the California Forestry Association. You can also read a transcript of a KCHO […]
New Reality Series: Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?
Could be fun! They’re looking for contestants. Here’s a press release I just received… The Boy Scouts of America have recently announced a partnership with Original Productions and the National Geographic Channel to produce “Are You Tougher Than A Boy Scout”, a new series that pits teams of Boy Scouts against teams of adults in […]
In Memory of My Brother Eric Soares, 1953-2012
My oldest brother Eric passed away on February 1 at Stanford Hospital. For more on his life, please see the detailed memorial I posted yesterday on his Tunami Rangers sea kayaking blog: In Honor of Eric Soares, 1953-2012
Early Fall Is Good for Pre-Dawn Meteors in Northern California
The first weeks of fall are a great time of year to see meteors in the pre-dawn sky of northern California and elsewhere. I get up most mornings between 5 and 6 a.m. and head outside into the still quiet with a cup of hot french roast to watch the stars. Lately I’ve seen several […]
Holiday Break at the Northern California Hiking Trails Blog
I won’t be writing many — if any — new posts here until the middle of January. Feel free to read the posts below, and to check out the Archives and Categories (see the sidebar). And if you haven’t already, subscribe to email updates or the RSS feed (near the top of the sidebar). HAPPY […]
The Importance of Educating Girls
The Situation… The Girl Effect…Yes, we’ve come a long way toward gender equality in western countries like the United States, but discrimination against girls and women is still very pronounced in many developing countries, and it begins with the unequal treatment of girls. This excellent video sums it up… Important Data… From The Girl Effect […]
Veterans Day Video — The Reality of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Many combat veterans develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which often disrupts their lives and the lives of those they love. Gene Burnett is a talented musician and songwriter who is also my tai chi teacher in Ashland, Oregon. He just finished a very touching collaborative video of his song “If There Was a Wall” that […]
Complete Redesign of the Northern California Hiking Trails Blog
Check it out! I just had this blog completed redesigned by the same guy who created ProductiveWriters.com, my new freelance writing blog. I wanted to thank my designer publicly, but he’s so good that he gets all the work he needs through personal recommendations/word of mouth and actually didn’t want the public acknowledgment. The previous […]
Black Hiker with Blair Underwood — Funny Short Clip!
A black man goes for a hike… Note: this great vid with Blair Underwood was on Funny or Die, but it has been removed.
Free Online Conference for Hikers Who Are Freelancers, Small Business Owners, and Entrepreneurs
I know some of my readers are also freelancers and/or solo entrepreneurs or small business owners. The International Freelancers Day conference on Friday, September 24th and Saturday, September 25th, has some good speakers that I can highly recommend. I wrote about conference on my new blog/website for productive freelance writers — ProductiveWriters.com. If you’re interested, […]
New Permit System for Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome Hike
Beginning this May you’ll need a permit if you want to climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Here’s all the details from a Yosemite National Park Half Dome press release: Hiking to the top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite National Park. The iconic granite monolith, at 8,842 […]
Forced to Redesign the Blog
Major changes here. I’ve been using WordPress to host the Northern California Hiking Trails Blog from the beginning (July of 2008). However, I’m no expert at blogging or website coding, so I just did the best I could to get the blog up and get the material I wanted in the sidebars. I did a […]
Yosemite National Park’s Tioga Road and Glacier Point Roads Closed For Winter
Well, winter’s officially here in my books. Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park are closed for the winter: The Tioga and Glacier Point Roads in Yosemite are closed for the season. These roads close each fall and remain closed throughout the winter months until weather conditions permit reopening in the spring […]
John Soares’ New Writing Adventure
Yes, I do other things besides hike, write hiking guides, and blog about hiking. Like many other outdoors bloggers, I’m a full-time writer. In my case, I’ve made most of my income since leaving college teaching in 1994 by writing supplements and ancillaries — instructor’s manuals, study guides, test questions, Internet exercises, etc — for […]
Fun Times With Other Outdoors Authors at Village Books
Last night was a big event in the town of Mount Shasta in southern Siskiyou County, with most businesses staying open late and offering goodies and specials to entice visitors. That’s why I was at Village Books, Mount Shasta’s premier bookstore, sitting at a table hawking my two hiking guides, 100 Classic Hikes in Northern […]
Would YOU Vote for a Vegetarian?
OK, it’s not really related to hiking, but it does have to do with culture in rural areas, where at least some of us (including me) live, and where many hikers go hiking. Seems the Republican candidate for governor of the great state of Montana was accused of being a vegetarian! Heavens to Murgatroyd! From the […]
Mount Shasta International Film Festival October 9-12
The fifth annual Mount Shasta International Film Festival runs from Friday, October 10th, through Sunday, October 12th. Festival Founder and Director Jeffrey Winters and a dedicated crew of volunteers (including Jeffrey’s lovely wife Danielle) have gone all out to select outstanding films for you to enjoy. And there’s the town-favorite gala on Thursday, October 9th. […]
Welcome to the Northern California Hiking Trails Blog
Welcome to the Northern California Hiking Trails blog. I’m John Soares, co-author of 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California, third edition and author of 75 Hikes in California’s Mount Shasta and Lassen Volcanic National Park Regions, revised edition. I did a lot of tramping and trekking in the wilderness long before I wrote the books, […]
