Hiking. Tell me all about it.

[emotional leper]

Wow. . . don't think I've seen you blush before.

I have a ready made excuse: I'm not blushing. I'm commiting autoerotic asphyxiation.

Wait a minute... lemme try that again.

I'm not blushing. I'm flushed.

Aw, nutbunnies.

Fine. I blush. Yes, it's amazing. I still have a functioning circulatory system. Be shocked and amazed!

[Wyldewode]

I have a ready made excuse: I'm not blushing. I'm commiting autoerotic asphyxiation.

No words, really. . .

[emotional leper]

I have a ready made excuse: I'm not blushing. I'm commiting autoerotic asphyxiation.

No words, really. . .

[Wyldewode]

Must admit. . . can't figure out what it is that you won't say, when you'd say the above in your defense.

[emotional leper]

Must admit. . . can't figure out what it is that you won't say, when you'd say the above in your defense.

I'd never toy with someone's heart maliciously.

[Wyldewode]

Must admit. . . can't figure out what it is that you won't say, when you'd say the above in your defense.

I'd never toy with someone's heart maliciously.

Never said you would. . .

[emotional leper]

Must admit. . . can't figure out what it is that you won't say, when you'd say the above in your defense.

I'd never toy with someone's heart maliciously.

Never said you would. . .

I'm just 'elucidating' that category of things I would never say.

[Wyldewode]

Understood. And congratulations for helping me completely hijack my very own thread.

[Sunbaneglasses]

What is the difference between hiking and walking? Is it the boots? Is it some cross country aspect? Is it in the details? I would hate to tell my wife that I am going for a walk only to later be accused of lying because I actually went for a hike.

[emotional leper]

Understood. And congratulations for helping me completely hijack my very own thread.

I merely whisper a few words here and there. Others work for my own ends well enough.

[aliantha]

What is the difference between hiking and walking? Is it the boots? Is it some cross country aspect? Is it in the details? I would hate to tell my wife that I am going for a walk only to later be accused of lying because I actually went for a hike.

All of the above, maybe. I think hiking implies a longer distance over uneven terrain or on an unpaved trail. (Which is why you need the boots -- better foot and ankle support.) Walking can be uphill, too, of course, but the surface would be graded/paved.

Actually, I'm just making this up. Anybody got a better definition?

[Zarathustra]

Hiking is something you do in the woods. Walking is something you do in the park.

Hiking is hard. Walking is easy.

Hiking takes hours (or at least one hour--if it didn't, I'd make fun of you for using that term to describe what you just did). Walking can last as long as it takes for your dog to relieve himself.

But I have a feeling we're taking Sunbaneglasses too seriously.

[Ki]

hiking with malik is hard..he kicks my ass!

[Wyldewode]

Remind me not to go hiking with him until I'm a pro. . .

[Wyldewode]

Okay. I back on the hiking thing. . . this time seriously. I went hiking on Independence Day, and I've caught the bug for hiking. So much so that a friend and I are talking about hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail next summer.

Anyway, we're getting started by increasing our walking stamina using the Eowyn Challenge. We're trying to log 458 miles (the distance from Hobbiton to Rivendell) by Christmas.

Still taking advice too.

[Auleliel]

Okay. I back on the hiking thing. . . this time seriously. I went hiking on Independence Day, and I've caught the bug for hiking. So much so that a friend and I are talking about hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail next summer.

Anyway, we're getting started by increasing our walking stamina using the Eowyn Challenge. We're trying to log 458 miles (the distance from Hobbiton to Rivendell) by Christmas.

Still taking advice too.

Sounds like quite a goal. Good luck with it!
In addition to everyone else's suggestions, I recommend a digital camera and a good pair of binoculars, for viewing and recording interesting flora and fauna as you go. I have several pictures of deer, beavers, etc. that I have seen on hiking or camping trips, sometimes within ten feet of where I was standing. It's fun to look at the photos and remember some very cool hiking/camping experiences.