{"id":14697,"date":"2026-06-09T19:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=14697"},"modified":"2026-06-09T19:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:36:27","slug":"is-this-hiking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=14697","title":{"rendered":"Is This Hiking?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Your feet, to lift from the old song, are made for more than walking. So let\u2019s stop counting steps and start counting experiences to savor. Experiences that reconnect you with your feral soul. Imagine the trail is an onramp to a big, wild playground where you can dance with nature\u2014get wet, get dirty, get<i> human<\/i>. Now get out there.<\/p>\n<div id=\"experience-6a0f2d2a44115\" style=\"position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 100.00%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none\" data-aspectratio=\"1.00000000\"><\/div>\n<h2><b>Cool Off in Cold Water<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Before showers, before bathtubs and hot tubs and saunas, there were just lakes and rivers. Eons later, they\u2019re still the best way to cool off and get clean on a hot, dusty, sweaty summer day. The shock of an icy alpine lake or a crisp mountain stream is more than enough to put you in touch with your primal self. And if you happen upon a rope swing, go ahead and go full Tarzan.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Throw a Summit Party<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s a special occasion or just Thursday, it\u2019s always the right time for a peak party. And when the whole group contributes, it\u2019s surprising how much you can pack in (and pack out) for a summit celebration. Birthday cakes, beverages, decorations, costumes\u2014this is the occasion to splurge. Bonus points if you can make it a surprise party. Triple bonus points if the surprise is that your friend packed in their own treats without knowing it.<\/p>\n<p>And even if bad weather is a party crasher, that doesn\u2019t mean you have to wrap things up early. The <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/en-us\/p\/womens\/womens-jackets-and-vests\/womens-lightweight-jackets-301807\/womens-ridgelite-futurefleece-wind-jacket-NF0A8ERK?color=GM4\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\">Ridgelite FUTUREFLEECE Wind Jacket<\/a> from The North Face helps make summit winds and light rain part of the fun.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2743294\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2743294\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TNF_SS26_Hike_Wind_Lookbook_Wagstaff_20-scaled.jpg?width=730\" alt=\"Ridgelite FUTUREFLEECE Wind Jacket\" width=\"2048\" height=\"2560\" \/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption \"><span class=\"article__caption\">Ridgelite FUTUREFLEECE Wind Jacket<\/span> (Photo: The North Face)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>Wander Without a Trail\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>First, a reality check: In most places, it\u2019s important to stay on trails. In popular areas, trails minimize erosion, and in fragile environments\u2014from alpine ecosystems to living desert soils\u2014a few steps off-trail can cause lasting damage. And, of course, it\u2019s never wise to wander off the beaten path if you don\u2019t have the necessary navigation skills.<\/p>\n<p>But for the experienced hiker in the right wilderness, an off-trail adventure is the ultimate freedom. There\u2019s nothing like pointing to a peak and finding your way there. It makes you slow down and see the outdoors in a whole new way. Check local regulations before heading out, or plan a trip to trail-less hiking meccas like Denali or Great Sand Dunes national parks. Think of it as creating an adventure all your own\u2014one that you couldn\u2019t quite repeat if you tried.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>Named for the most challenging side of the mountain, <\/i><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenorthface.com\/en-us\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\"><i>The North Face <\/i><\/a><i>has equipped explorers since 1966 to reach their dreams. Driven by the mantra of Never Stop Exploring<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/2122.png\" alt=\"\u2122\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" \/>, our expeditions inspire us to test the outer limits of performance and possibility.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The post Is This Hiking? appeared first on Outside Online.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/hiking-and-backpacking\/is-this-hiking\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your feet, to lift from the old song, are made for more than walking. So let\u2019s stop counting steps and start counting experiences to savor. Experiences that reconnect you with your feral soul. Imagine the trail is an onramp to a big, wild playground where you can dance with nature\u2014get wet, get dirty, get human.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}