July 31, 2012
by David Ryan
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Wandering Through SW Portland, Oregon – Part 2

Don and I parted company when we got back to the bus stop. He headed home with his dog, and I caught the next bus headed for downtown Portland. While on the bus, I noticed a small set of stairs on the other side of the road leading to a path. I immediately pulled the chord to signal the driver to stop and got off the bus directly across the street from the path. 

If you’ve read The Gentle Art of Wandering you know that wandering is about seeing and letting what you see determine where to go. Wandering is not a station to station activity; you have permission to go in the direction of whatever catches your attention. Continue Reading →

July 30, 2012
by David Ryan
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Wandering Through SW Portland, Oregon – Part 1

Last week I had the opportunity to do some wandering in Portland, Oregon.

I began the day by taking a bus to SW Portland to go on a short walk with Don Baack. Don chairs SW Trails PDX, an organization that promotes the development of Urban Walking and Bike Routes in SW Portland. Don was also the force behind the development of the popular 4T Trail in Portland. I visited Don to see some of the work being done by SW Trails PDX.

I met Don at a bus stop and we started following one of the urban routes developed by SW Trails PDX. The urban routes take advantage of sidewalks, road shoulders, trails and open space to help people get around town by foot.

SW Trails PDX performs many tasks to make these routes possible. Sometimes it is identifying a city-owned right-of-way that can be used as a trail; other times it is getting a road shoulder widened; or it could be raising the money to install a drinking fountain or providing the citizen volunteers to build a section of trail.

The urban route we were following soon left the road and entered a forest that is actually an undeveloped street right-of-way. The path took us down a volunteer-built stairway:

  Continue Reading →

July 25, 2012
by David Ryan
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Second Edition of Appalachian Trail Book – Now Available

Ten years ago I wrote Long Distance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail for the Older Adventurer. The book is an invitation to the long distance hiking experience and is designed to help those 45 and older prepare for a long distance hike. If you are looking for an amazing experience, a long distance is something to consider.

The book has been well recieved by the hiking community and has been one of the better selling Appalachian Trail books for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. But like anything, things change and it was time to bring the book up to date.

The Second Edition of Long Distance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail for the Older Adventurer is now available. The book can be purchased for $11.50 from this site, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Amazon.com.