Enjoy the Outdoors!
Saturday September 24 2011, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, along with 31 other trail clubs will be launching Family Hiking Day. In part, supported by REI, Family Hiking Day is a great opportunity to get families to enjoy the outdoors together. The event will be held on National Public Lands Day and coordinating with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.
So I urge you to grab your family and head outside. Whether it be a short stroll with the grandparents or an all day hike with the super fit family spend some time together in the best place of all… in the woods!
The ATC has a few links to help your family plan a hike:
If you are looking to plan a hike in Western, MA I can help pick a hike for your family, just contact me.
If you do participate I would love to have you share your family hike story here at huskyhiker.com… contact me!
Trashed Campsite
Leave No Trace, also known as LNT is something we should all follow to the best of our ability in the backcountry. Keeping the land that we love as pristine as possible for other to enjoy for many years to come.
The beginnings of can be traced back the 1970’s and 1980’s when the US Forest Service and the National Park Service started to teach their visitors how to have less impact on the land. The Sierra Club, Boy Scouts of America, and the National Outdoor Leadership School had all played a big role in what LNT is today.
Leave No Trace can be summed up in seven principles,
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare: Plan your trip thoroughly, when presented with unexpected situations most resort to solutions that can degrade the outdoors or put themselves at risk. Common scenarios are improperly located campsites, excessive trash, and improper campfires.
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: Damage to land when surface vegetation is trampled takes a long time and lots of work to repair. Trampled land leads to unusable campsites and soil erosion. Keeping pets leashed is helpful to this principle. Plants grow by the inch but die by the foot! In high use areas LNT suggests people hike and camp together to avoid further damage. In areas of little use or off trail travel LNT suggests spreading out when hiking and camping to avoid new trial, and campsite creation. Read more »
The Massachuetts Outdoor Expo (or Big MOE) is an opportunity for families to learn about fishing, shooting, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and a whole bunch more outdoor activities. This will be the 13th year for the Big MOE, and best of all it’s FREE… Free parking and admission!
From the Big MOE website:
A Brief History:
The Massachusetts Outdoor Expo, fondly referred to as The Big M.O.E., started out with a group of sportsmen and women who wanted to create an opportunity for kids of all ages to learn more about outdoor skills, wildlife and conservation. They approached the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club in Sturbridge to host the Mass. Outdoor Expo, due to its central location, facilities and the connections the group had to the club. An annual event was born!
A couple years later, members of the Mass. Outdoor Expo group approached FAWNS, (Facts About Wildlife & Nature Society) a non-profit group founded in 1998 to promote the connection of people to the outdoors. FAWNS was interested in promoting educational experiences focusing on the outdoors. A “natural” connection between the Expo group and FAWNS was obvious. A partnership was formed and FAWNS became the organizing entity supporting the Big MOE.
Hope to see you there!
The Mass. Outdoor Expo is September 27, 2009 from 9am to 4pm at the Hamilton Rod & Gun Club in Sturbridge, MA (directions)
Carter Pond
The Rock House Reservation is located in West Brookfield, MA right along rt9. The 135 acre park was established by the Trustees in 1993. I grew up in West Brookfield and used to go here when I was a kid with my mom. We would hike up to the house that overlooks the lake and have lunch and watermelon. The house is now a “museum” that has some info about the rock house’s history…
We did the “outer loop” using the Inner loop trail (red), Outer loop trail (orange), Fullam trail (blue), and the Fire Road. I hiked with Miss HuskyHiker, my Brother and his
The Rock Shelter
girlfriend. My Brother and his girl have been out on two more hikes since, so I think I might have got them hooked on the outdoors…
At the Rock House they allow horseback riding and hiking/skiing/snowshoeing only no Mountain Biking and I have never seen any horses or traces of any horses. No Fishing or boating is allowed in the pond either. This park is rich with history and a great place to stop if you ever find yourself in the area…
This Saturday June, 13th is National Get Outdoors Day. Federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry all over the country get together to offer activities to help get people doing stuff outdoors. You can find a full listing of locations and events at the National Get Outdoors Day Website (http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org). Some of the activities you will find include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, rafting, ect. So check the location listing load your kids up in the car and head outside…
One of the outdoor activities I enjoy is fishing. In most states you need a license to fish. On June 6th and 7th the state of Massachusetts allows anyone to fish license or not, I am sure this is to get people “hooked” so they will purchase a license. All license fees go to the MassWildlife Program. I think most states offer this program and it usually falls on this weekend, here is a list of free fishing days (double check the info on your state wildlife web page) or just search google for your state and free fishing day…
You still need to follow fishing laws so make sure you read up a little before you head out. Most states limit fish you can keep and size.
So its time to dig out that old fishing pole and head outside for a couple days… If you have ever though about giving it a try now is the time… Get out and just enjoy being outside!!!
Welcome to my blog. My name – Jim. I have decided to share my journey of dramatic weight loss as I hike through the local mountains in New England. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts where hiking trails were abundant and beautiful. Needless to say, hiking soon became a favorite activity of mine. But, like most young adults, life was moving fast and the time to enjoy the trails began to diminish. Along with the poor eating habits that developed, I began to really pack on my weight.
I wasn’t myself. I was tired, so tired. Because I really enjoy hiking, geocaching, biking, kayaking, camping and outdoor adventures, I didn’t want my weight to be an issue any more. I am inviting all of those who enjoy the outdoors or/and are overweight to follow my adventures. Who knows where we’ll end up!
My adventures, here on these pages I will be sharing all my adventures in this journey. Hikes I go on, awesome food I cook, camping trips, gear I buy, reviews, pictures, rants and raves, you know the usual.
hiking, outdoors, random fun, Uncategorized | Husky Hiker - Jim Bradley | 
8/24/2011 8:21 PM | 
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