Epic, Amazing, Beautiful Treks and Hikes Delighted Rave Reviews

Thrilling, Awesome, Fantastic, Mind-blowing, Eye-Opening Opportunities Abound — Article 2 of a 2-Article Series

Description English: View overlooking the Catawba Valley from the McAfee Knob overlook along the Appalachian Trail. Author Something Original (talk). This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. File: McAfee Knob.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Welcome back to Article 2 of a 2-Article Series. We continue now with more great places to hike or trek that I have experienced or will experience one day. Thanks for following us from article 1.

Virginia

I do not recall being very active in walking, hiking, or trekking while we lived in Virginia. Mom and Dad worked full-time, and my siblings and I attended school. One of the places I would like to check out is the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the state.

The Appalachian Trail is considered the longest hiking trail in the world. More than three million people hike segments of the trail each year. The trail is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships and managed by the National Park Service and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Most trails are forest or wildlands, but some go through towns, roads, and farms. The trail follows the Appalachian Mountains, crossing many of its highest peaks and running through wilderness. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates that about 3,000 people attempt to traverse the entire trail each year, but around 25 percent are successful.

Some people hike the trail from one end to the other, turn around, and hike back to where they started. The trial is about 2,000 miles long, and the fastest recorded time it has been completed in the northbound direction by Joe McConaughy was 45 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes. In the southbound direction, Heather “Anish” Anderson holds the record; she completed it in 54 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes.

These records were the fastest known times for self-supported attempts (no vehicle or crew support). There are also records for the fastest known times for supported attempts northbound held by Karel Sabbe: 41 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes. Karl Meltzer is the southbound support record holder with a time of 45 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes.

The youngest person to hike the entire trail was Juniper Netteberg; she was four years old. The oldest person to walk the whole route was M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart at 83.

Description Map of Appalachian Trail. Author en: User: Plutor. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Subject to disclaimers. File: Map of Appalachian Trail.png — Wikimedia Commons

Minnesota and Texas

While living in Minnesota, I graduated from High School and worked part-time after school. I needed more time for walking, hiking, or trekking. After High School, I entered the military (3 weeks after graduation).

Air Force Boot Camp was in San Antonio, Texas. I got plenty of marching time here, but it was more a discipline thing than anything enjoyable.

Description English: Main Street in Marshall, Minnesota, USA. Author Jon Platek. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. File: Marshall MN 1.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Description English: LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — Airmen participate in a rite of passage shared by all enlisted Airmen — the Basic Military Training graduation parade. The parade of 15 squadrons marked the end of the six-week training period for about 750 Air Force’s newest Airmen. Author US gov. Public domain: This image or file is the work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States. File: Lackland-parade.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Description English: Lowry AFB, March 1987. Author United States Air Force. This image or file is the work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States. File: Lowry Air Force Base-March-1987.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Colorado

Once I graduated from Military Basic Training School, I returned to Colorado. In Denver, Colorado, I learned the inventory management trade. I made it to the mountains several times but only did a little walking, hiking, or trekking.

Ohio

Once I graduated from my technical training school, I discovered that Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio, was to be my first base. I was a young man who had just left the shelter of my family’s home and had to learn how to survive on a military base. I did that, worked a part-time job, and before I knew it, I was marching in the base closing day parade.

The Air National Guard took part of the base and redesignated it as Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base. The city built a new airport and air terminal on part of the base. It is called Rickenbacker International Airport; the Ohio Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility №2 calls the base home, and it is also the headquarters for the Ohio Military Reserve.

Guam

After Rickenbacker Air Force base closed for active-duty military, I got orders to proceed to Guam. I spent my time in Guam working, sightseeing, and swimming.

Description English: Hagatna, Guam, from Fort Santa Agueda. Author English: Abasaa. I, the copyright holder, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. File: Hagatna from Fort Santa Agueda.JPG — Wikimedia Commons

Description English: A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, lands Feb. 6, 2017, at Andersen AFB, Guam. Author Tech. Sgt. Richard Ebensberger. This image or file is the work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the United States public domain. File: Dyess B-1s deploy to Andersen, take over Continuous Bomber Presence operations 170206-F-LP948–046.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Also, while in Guam, I asked my soul mate to marry me. She said yes, so I flew back to Minnesota and got married. She went back to Guam with me.

After Guam, I left the military for a very short period, thinking I could make a go of things on the outside. These were uncertain times in our country. I needed a college degree and ten years of experience to find a job. I did not meet either of those requirements, so I decided to reenter the military.

North Dakota

We asked and got orders to Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. We only did a little walking, hiking, or trekking there, except for Volksmarch once a year. I took up running to stay fit, and my wife and I learned and did square dancing and league bowling. We left Grand Forks after five and ½ years and went to Hawaii.

Description English: Grand Forks, ND, May 17, 2006 — Aerial view of Grand Forks mitigation project building new levee walls, burns, and pumping stations protecting the city from the Red River. Author Brenda Riskey. This image is the work of a Federal Emergency Management Agency employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As works of the U.S. federal government, all FEMA images are in the public domain in the United States. File: FEMA — 29438 — Photograph by Brenda Riskey taken on 05–17–2006 in North Dakota.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Hawaii

As you can imagine, Hawaii has thousands of people who run. I joined the running circuit there, ran 10K races around the island (Oahu), and even ran the Honolulu Marathon. We did some walking to see various sites on the island and went to Kauai, Molokai, the Big Island of Hawaii, and Maui and did the same on those islands.

Description Diamond Head: Diamond Head from the deck of the Mai Tai catamaran. Author VideoFrog. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. File: Diamond Head (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Description **English:** Waikiki Beach, Honolulu — Hawaii. Author Cristo Vlahos. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. File: Waikiki Beach, Honolulu.JPG — Wikimedia Commons

**English:** Bellow’s Air Field from above Lanikai. Author Travis. Thurston. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. File: Bellows AirField.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Alaska.

After four beautiful years living in Oahu, we were fortunate to get an assignment to Anchorage, Alaska. We loved it there and stayed for seven years. In Alaska, people walk, hike, or trek on many trails.

Description **English:** The USS Anchorage departed from its namesake port in May 2013. The vessel is framed by the city’s downtown and the Chugach Mountain Range in the background. Author Jack Connaher. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. File: USS Anchorage in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

My family and I did more sightseeing here, and I continued to run. Our son was in the Boy Scouts and made Eagle Scout here. He also graduated from High School and enlisted in the Air Force. One of our daughters graduated from High School here too.

Description English: Eagle River Park, Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Author Diego Delso (1974–). This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. File: Parque Eagle River, Anchorage, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017–09–01, DD 33.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Portugal

In Portugal, I continued to run. I only did a little walking, hiking, or trekking here. We did get around the island to see most of the top attractions. We watched several bullfights. I golfed several times each week and walked up and down a golf course full of hills.

File: Terceira from space 2020.jpg. Author NASA Earth Observatory. This file is in the public domain in the United States because NASA created it. File: Terceira from space 2020.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Description Terceira — Tourada à corda. Author Luca Nebuloni from Milan, Italy. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourada_%C3%A0_corda_A%C3%A7ores.jpg

Florida

We settled in Panama City, Florida, after my 29-year military career. I began working for the Air Force as a civilian and completed an additional 12 years. We only do a little walking, hiking, or trekking now.

I walk 3 miles each morning when the weather is not too hot. There are trails in Florida that we could hike or trek down, but we have yet to do this. We have gone to the beach several times and traveled in the state.

Description Beach panorama, Panama City Beach, Florida. Author Bart Everson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. File: Panama City Beach Panorama.jpg — Wikimedia Commons

File: Panama City Beach, Florida (J.S. Clark).jpg. Description English: This is a clear west-facing view of Panama City Beach in Florida, USA. It was taken from the viewpoint of St. Andrews pier. Author j.s. Clark/ “Image by jsclark.net.” This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. File: Panama City Beach, Florida (J.S. Clark).jpg — Wikimedia Commons

Conclusion

This article looked at hiking and trekking in Virginia, Minnesota, Guam, North Dakota, Hawaii, Portugal, and Florida. I have been very fortunate to have had these experiences. My purpose in telling you about them is so that you will know something about them if you are ever near any of these places.

There is nothing worse than living in a beautiful and peaceful location and not going to see what there is to see there. I feel the same about visiting a new site, provided you have allowed time to see things. You never know if you will return to that place, so taking advantage of the opportunity to do and see things is important. So, too, is the exercise of hiking and trekking toward your health.

This article is complete. We hope you have enjoyed reading this article series and that it assists you in planning your travel to these locations. Thanks for reading, and please provide any constructive criticism appropriate. We value your time and very much appreciate your reading and commenting.

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