Ladies Hiking

Where else can you get together to talk about your favorite hikes, mull over your questions about walking in the woods, and get inspiration from other women who hike just for the joy of it?

That's why we're here: to inspire each other, to share our trail tales, and to connect over something we love to do. Call it walking, call it hiking. You can even call it low-impact aerobics if you're intent on hiking fast!

We're all learning as we go, and we're true believers in grassroots communication. We share what we've seen, what we know to be true for us. We hope our thoughts will inspire you to take to the hills.

And then come back here and share your adventures with the rest of us.

Read What Others Say About Ladies Hiking

An interview by Ultimate-Ultralight-backpacking.com -

"Judith Harlan is an outdoor enthusiast with a unique perspective on hiking. She is happy to hike city streets, around her neighborhood, woodland paths or sandy beaches. To Judith, hiking need be no more complicated that taking a walk. Learn about this refreshing outlook in this interview. ... JUMP ME TO THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW.

Why do I hike?

Meet Judith Harlan, Ladies Hiking Editor, as she ponders her attraction to walking in the woods.

I love walking. City streets, neighborhoods, beaches, and especially paths in the woods. When does walking become hiking? I think it’s that magic moment when the mind turns away from bills, office, daily news and turns toward the surrounding view.

Some of my favorite hikes are those that could equally as well be called walks in the woods.

Sometimes I walk fast, sometimes slow. I like having a goal, such as, oh, I’ll hike to that lake there and have my picnic lakeside. But I also like it being OK to NOT reach the goal and still enjoy my walk, have my picnic on a knoll beside the path possibly, or at the foot of a tall tree.

As I walk, I like to look at little flowers and ferns alongside the path. Sometimes I’ll bend down to within two inches, just to see. Sometimes I’m seeking vistas, hiking to scenic views over ocean bluffs.

Mostly, I just like feeling fresh air in my lungs, a breeze against my body as I walk, and my muscles in motion. I like the way the green forest relaxes my eyes and the way a view from the top of a hillside stretches my imagination. I like how hiking takes me away from my everyday irritations and passing concerns. I imagine that I walk ‘past’ problems, leaving them behind me on the trail. And if I’m smart, I let them lie there, invisible debris, when I return to my car.

Hiking, for me, is simply walking in the woods, walking on the beach, through a park, through unfamiliar city streets. Walking into new possibilities. I hope to encourage you to walk in the woods, too. Call it hiking if you will, have fun with hiker’s picnics, with finding beautiful paths to follow.

Keep it simple. Hiking is walking.