Hiking
It is 5:30 in the morning. Shawn leaves his home on a bike, pedaling toward a horizon painted in dusky orange, just minutes before sunrise. The only sound that awakens the silence comes from the soft clinking of the bike chain. He steers the handlebars toward a trailhead where his group of fellow walkers awaits. Every Saturday, the group meets to explore Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, on foot. A group made up of foreigners and locals, they share one thing in common: the love of being outdoors and building community. They call themselves “Dili Saturday Walkers.”
This episode of World Footprints explores how culture is experienced, preserved, and challenged through movement and art. From walking the length of Israel’s coastline to preserving Eritrean identity through visual expression, and revisiting the humanitarian themes embedded in Dr. Seuss’s illustrations, this conversation highlights how storytelling shapes our understanding of place, history, and humanity.
India cradles an ancient and spiritual culture that draws visitors from around the globe. Spiritual experiences in the country range from temple visits and yoga retreats to 10-day silent Vipassana meditations. While India is best known by tourists for wonders like the Taj Mahal, our six-month sojourn brought us to many lesser-known religious sights including the source of the sacred Ganges River in Uttarakhand.
As we rounded the final curve to the Hallerangerhaus, the Austrian flag came into view. After 12 miles of hiking, with some calf-burning steep sections, the high mountain lodge in the Karwendel mountains was a welcome sight. I’m not much of a cruise person, and I get restless after too long at the beach. My way of unwinding from the stress of daily life is to push myself into action. Trekking to one of Austria’s high mountain huts was an adventure that strengthened my body and spirit.
Lacing up your hiking boots and hitting the trails is hands-down the best way to immerse yourself in autumn's dazzling display. Whether you're conquering a mountain summit in Virginia or meandering through geologic history in Wisconsin, trails offer a front-row seat to nature's most spectacular show. These overlooked destinations have the perfect trails for leaf-peeping.
Hiking to a waterfall is likely not the first thing that comes to the mind when people are visiting Southern California. Overwhelmed by all the well-known and frequently recommended must-dos, it is easy to miss the smaller and less famous opportunities, especially when it comes to spending time in nature.
Though it’s best known as a religious pilgrimage, walking the Camino de Santiago does not need to be a spiritual journey and people from all walks of life can and do take this adventure for different reasons.
It was a hot summer day when a friend of mine and I pulled into the parking lot of Sombrio Beach, on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We planned to be there for the day and set up a shady spot on the sand to enjoy our ocean views. We were hoping to see some wildlife — a bald eagle, a sea lion, maybe even a breaching whale.
Shengjergj waterfall, which is locally called “Ujëvara e Shën Gjergjit”,offers an amazing 30-meters drop with breathtaking stratified rock formations surrounding the scenery. The water comes straight from the “Mali me Gropa Mountain” and is especially impressive during the fall-to-spring season, when rain increases and snow melts from the mountain tops.
In November 2021, my best friend and I decided to visit the beautiful country of Bulgaria. We knew Bulgaria isn’t really a place for winter vacation (unless you like skiing and snowboarding), but wanted to check out a specific destination: The Seven Rila Lakes!
Bedford Peak can be reached via a 12 km (7 miles) roundtrip hike and is located at an elevation of 1161 meters (3800 feet), offering an outstanding 360° view over the surrounding mountain range as well as the adjacent valleys. On days with good visibility, Lake Matthews can even be seen from there. I had a feeling this would be good, gratefully grabbed my purchase, and headed out.
I recently spent five months hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was an incredible backpacking trip through stunning deserts, mountains, and forests but also a journey of self-discovery. At the same time, my trips were now motivated by self-growth rather than deficiency.
