Hiking is not only good for family outings but is a great way to escape the 9-5 boredom. 

So, why don’t you start planning a hiking trip for summer. Get your perfect hiking backpack or hiking tent and ecsape for a few days.

Vasque footwear, a family-owned company with 45 years of experience in the outdoor performance footwear sector, gets back to its Trail Ready roots with two partnerships that solidify the footwear company’s position in America’s great outdoors. Vasque proudly announces its exclusive footwear partnership with Backpacker Magazine’s 2011 Get Out More Tour, as well as its national sponsorship of the American Hiking Society.

Get Out More is a one-of-a-kind mobile tour that brings the pages of Backpacker to life for audiences nationwide. In the past 10 years the Get Out More road team has traveled to 48 states educating consumers about the skills and equipment they need to get outside and hit the trails.

“Vasque is excited to be partnering with Backpacker, one of the leading outdoor recreation magazines to the hiking community,” states Vasque Marketing Director, Mark Dinndorf. “The GOM Tour gives us the opportunity to reach the trail ready audience through multiple retailers and a variety of outdoor festivals.”

The outdoor footwear company is also partnering this year with American Hiking Society and their Volunteer Vacations program. Volunteer Vacations has been supporting trail stewardship projects on America’s public lands for the past thirty years. They provide volunteer crews that help understaffed and underfunded federal, state and local land agencies and organizations keep America’s trails accessible.

“American Hiking Society greatly appreciates Vasque’s generous support,” says Greg Miller, President of American Hiking Society. “Vasque continues to demonstrate its commitment to help preserve and protect the nation’s trails and beautiful landscapes so people from all walks of life can enjoy the tremendous benefits of trails.”

American Hiking Society offers over 70 projects across the country. Each crew consists of 6-15 volunteers, plus a crew leader. Trips involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to furnished cabins.

For more information on all Vasque products visit www.vasque.com.

Source: www.outdoorindustry.org

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Somewhere between the thrill of the scenic flight in the sleek Cessna Caravan plane, the chocolate covered strawberries, the Colorado wine, custom massage and plush accommodations– those endorphins, the ultimate feel-good hormones, are going to kick in. Valentine’s holiday guests of Gateway Canyons Resort, located just one hour southwest of Grand Junction, Colorado, may choose from three extraordinary weekend packages lined up for the Valentine holiday: Love Is In The Air, Gateway To Romance, and the whimsical Arts, Hearts & Tarts package. All are guaranteed to inspire romance and ignite passion.

For the Love Is In The Air package at Gateway Canyons, a unique and memorable getaway is highlighted by an exhilarating scenic air tour in a Cessna Caravan with Gateway Canyons Air Tours. After a delightful jaunt among the clouds, couples can enjoy all the resort’s other treats: lavish accommodations, a custom massage for two from The Spa at Gateway Canyons, a bottle of Colorado wine, chocolate covered strawberries, fine dining for two at the Paradox Grille, and even a horse-drawn carriage ride. A luxurious destination set in one of the most breathtaking natural landscapes in all of Colorado, Gateway Canyons is located midway on the Unaweep-Tabequache Scenic and Historic Byway. The spectacular Colorado canyon country which encouraged the designation of this route as a scenic byway is even more impressive from the air. The package price for all these amenities and activities, for the February 11 and 12 weekend, starts at $376 per person based on double occupancy.

For sweethearts seeking a more serene experience, Gateway Canyons offers the memorable and inspired Gateway To Romance package. It offers cozy accommodations, a horse-drawn carriage ride, and romantic fine dining at the Paradox Grille. Upon arrival couples will be greeted with a bottle of Colorado wine and chocolate covered strawberries. The Gateway To Romance package, which excludes the spa treatments and air tour, is modestly priced with rates starting at $184 per person based on double occupancy on February 11 and 12.

The Arts, Hearts & Tarts package is offered every Friday and Saturday in February and includes one night’s accommodation, a gourmet dinner for two, a viewing in the resort’s new high definition theater of ‘The Colorado National Monument– Celebrating 100 Years of John Otto’s Dream’, or ‘Hanging Flume’, and a treasure hunt for art in Gateway including fiber arts, paintings, ironworks and stained glass. The Arts, Hearts & Tarts package starts at $124 per person based on double occupancy.

For guests eager to get to Gateway Canyons this winter but unable to make it for a February weekend, the Winter Oasis package is an option that will be available until April 4, 2011. This relaxing retreat combines winter and oasis– two seemingly incongruous ideas– which come together beautifully with superbly appointed accommodations, a massage in the elegant new spa, and upscale contemporary American cuisine at the Paradox Grille. A bottle of regional Colorado wine completes the package. The Winter Oasis package is available with either a one or two-night stay, and package prices start at $199 per person for one night, and $249 per person for a two-night stay.

Through March 6, 2011, Gateway Canyons will be serving winter lodging, dining and spa guests each week on Wednesday afternoons through mid-afternoon on Sundays. Package prices for the Valentine and winter getaways are quoted at double occupancy. Taxes and alcoholic beverages at dinner are additional to quoted prices. To book the Love Is In The Air, Gateway To Romance, Arts, Hearts & Tarts and Winter Oasis packages, call Gateway Canyons at 866.671.4733 or 970.931.2458, or go online to http://www.gatewaycanyons.com/book-now/

via Hiking Lady by Hiking Lady on 8/6/10

Appalachian Trail map – click for PDF

via ABC of Hiking News Feed on 8/10/10

via Hiking Trip Reports :: Hiking Blog on 8/12/10

via ABC of Hiking News Feed on 8/15/10

via Suite101: Backpacking, Hiking & Camping Articles on 8/2/10

A moderate length hike to several Petroglyph Panels up a nice desert canyon in western Colorado with a side trip to a waterfall when the creek is running.