WINE & DINE IN ORLANDO MILWAUKEE GETS CRAFTY SAN ANTONIO’S HOMEGROWN SOUND

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GO_0411_p001_COVER_EDIT.indd 1 14/03/2011 14:22 derness. Wil than t more American It’s a concep was established . Since Yosemite apple pie s of the 500 million acre 890, more than in 1 ically unique and ctacular, ecolog ation’s most spe he public n been placed in t ortant land has culturally imp sts and wildlife- , primordial fore aring mountains d the trust. So re. Here, we aske ll yours to explo h grasslands—a path trails ric off-the-beaten- reveal the best experts to and greatest e sweetest gear ot to mention th re (n ring the wild mo s) to make explo campsite r carry- ver. So pack you tempting than e our boots. on and lace up y It’s time to hike. M A H C R U B

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BY PETER KOCH H O TYPOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACOB THOMAS J

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GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 54 16/03/2011 15:23 ( Great Smoky Mountains National Park ) NOLAND DIVIDE TRAIL TO LONE! SOME PINE OVERLOOK "# MILES FROM ASHEVILLE A steep trail up a fire- scorched ridge delivers you to a rocky outcropping with dramatic views of North Carolina’s mountain country. Get Home Safely As Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s trails and WILDERNESS IS BIG, BEAUTIFUL AND OFTEN UNPRE! facilities volunteer coordinator, Christine Hoyer spends DICTABLE. WE ASKED THE EXPERTS WHAT TO DO most of her days in the field, working on the park’s WHEN TROUBLE STRIKES. 800-plus-mile trail network. But when she’s off the clock, she heads to one place: Lonesome Pine Overlook, a cliff-top lookout three leg-straining miles up the rugged Noland Divide Trail on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky. Here’s why: ! THE VIEW. From Lonesome Pine, the view is southwest into Deep Creek and Lands Creek valleys. “It’s really a spectacular, expansive view,” Hoyer says. ! SOLITUDE. Given the steep climb—it’s more than YOUR CANOE CAP- YOU’RE LOST IN YOU’RE CAUGHT IN 2,000 feet from Deep Creek to Lonesome Pine—and its SIZES OFFSHORE THE WOODS A THUNDERSTORM Jeremy Oyen, Reggie Bennett, Tony Nester, relative isolation from the park’s main travel corridors, American Canoe Mountain Shepherd Ancient Pathways only a tiny fraction of the park’s 9 million annual visi- Association Wilderness Survival wilderness skills tors ever make it to the lookout. (1) Stay with your School company canoe. (2) Have the (1) Ask the following (1) If you’re at high ! A WATERFALL. “There’s a small cascade during the designated rescuer questions: Do I elevation, get down springtime that crosses the trail,” she says. pull the canoe know the terrain? In into the tree line ! THE BURN. We’re not talking the one in your thighs, perpendicular on which direction is the as fast as possible top of his to drain it, nearest road, river or and look for shelter but rather a swath of Beaugard Ridge (the one you’ll then place it parallel town? Can I navigate under a grove of climb) that burned in a 2001 forest fire. “You can see the to his own. (3) Swim there? (2) If you have saplings or immature destruction of the fire,” Hoyer says, “but also the begin- to your canoe on the any doubt, stay put. trees. (2) If you’re in opposite side of the (3) Get shelter from a group, spread nings of [regrowth vegetation that’s] going to take its rescuer, who will wind, rain or sun. out about 30 feet place.” Plus, the fire opened up the views on the ascent. gently tilt his side up. (Most rescues hap- from each other. ! OFF MAP. “It’s not on the $1 trail map,” Hoyer says. (4) Lie on your back, pen within 24 hours, (3) As a general rule, reach your outside so food shouldn’t be if lightning is 6 miles “If people don’t know it’s there, they won’t look for it.” foot into boat. (5) Roll your first priority.) away (30 seconds ! BEARS. Three of the six times Hoyer has hiked S I toward canoe and (4) Start a fire. between lightning B here, she’s either scared a bear off the ridge or seen one. R and thunderclap) or O grab the rescuer’s (5) Drink some water. C ' hand, who will hold (6) Alert a search closer, squat down “If you’re looking to find wildlife, don’t go to our highest- G N I the canoe steady as plane with a signal on your packs and N use trails,” she says. It also helps that there are… N

A you enter it. Know mirror. (7) Wait. ride out the storm.

M ! BLUEBERRIES. “If you hit it just right (mid- to before you go: Don’t Know before you go: Know before you M A I late-summer), you’ll have Lonesome Pine to yourself

L canoe alone. Three is Tell friends or family go: Research local L I

W the ideal minimum. where you’re headed. weather patterns. and plenty of blueberries to munch on,” she says.

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GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 55 16/03/2011 15:23 EVERNEW TITANIUM ULTRA!LIGHT COOK! WARE What do we know about titanium? Well, it’s used in airplanes (like the one you’re flying on), weighs next to nothing and MSR WHISPERLITE INTERNA! lasts a lifetime. What’s more, these pots, TIONALE There’s a reason why cup and collapsible utensils nest together Go Light, MSR has sold this model for 23 for easy packing. two pots, $87; cup, $ 22; years—because it’s the most utensils, $50, evernewamerica.com reliable stove available. Its simple, solid construction means it can Go Far withstand a beating, but is fixable YOUR BACK WILL THANK YOU in the field when it doesn’t. Oh yeah, it also heats food really well. $90, FOR PACKING LIGHTWEIGHT cascadedesigns.com CAMPING GEAR.

STERIPEN ADVENTURER OPTI Unless you plan to lug gallons of water (and, at 8.35 pounds each, you probably don’t), you’ll need this little guy. Fast, reliable and ultralight, it uses UV light to kill bacteria and viruses in even the nastiest of puddles. $90, steripen.com

PRINCETON TEC REMIX Whether you’re lighting your dinner or spotlighting the raccoon that took off with it, this bombproof headlamp has you covered. Three LEDs give off a bright, even SMARTWOOL SOCKS floodlight for camp use, and Socks are probably the a Maxbright LED sheds light most critical yet under- on animals up to 148 feet rated piece of equipment away. $45, princetontec.com on any backpacking trip. A good pair—with decent PACKIT GOURMET Just because cushioning and flat toe it’s dehydrated doesn’t mean it THERM!A!REST NEOAIR seams—keeps your has to taste that way. Not only You won’t worry about frozen ground feet warm, and blisters does Packit taste like real food— or that pesky root jabbing your ribs from forming on them. yummy dishes include “The Big when you doze on this lightweight Smartwool, a favorite for Easy Gumbo” and “Austintacious sleeping pad. Its reflective barrier 17 years, makes theirs Tortilla Soup”—but it’s also made returns warmth to your body while with sustainably raised, with natural and organic ingre- a stabilizing internal truss system superfine merino wool. $16 to dients when possible. Just add keeps you steady atop 2.5 inches of $24, smartwool.com water—and bon appétit. $2.50 to air. Sweet dreams. $150, cascade $7/single serving, packitgourmet.com designs.com

( White Mountain National Forest) wind-scoured ridges—one of which is 6,288-foot Mt. , the Northeast’s tallest mountain—it’s LOST POND!SQUARE a launching point for big treks into the Whites’ most rugged terrain. But there’s plenty to suit less experienced LEDGE TRAIL hikers. In fact, Justin Preisendorfer, a long-time Wilder- !" MILES FROM PORTLAND, ME ness and Backcountry Recreation Manager in White Mountain National Forest, eschewed more obvious This family-friendly loop hike samples the choices—a hut-to-hut trek over the alpine heights of the best the White Mountains have to offer. Presidential Range or a frontal assault on the steeps of PPinPiinkkhham Notch, a deep glacial valley in the White Tuckerman Ravine—for an easier, low-country loop that MMoMouMountains,n is New Hampshire’s easternmost mountain shows off the area’s best features: cliff-top views, river ppassass and a hiker’s paradise. Sandwiched between two crossings, a waterfall and plenty of wildlife.

JUSTIN’S “LEAVE NO Limit group size, because Walk on durable surfaces Keep an eye out for ani- Don’t feed the wildlife. TRACE” HIKING TIPS: groups have exponentially to avoid eroding trails, mals, and give them space. Visit lnt.org for more info larger impact on a trail. especially in mud season. You’re in their home. on “leave no trace” ethics.

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GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 56 16/03/2011 15:24 BIG AGNES FLY CREEK UL$ It’s true there’s no place like home, but out on the trail this is the next best thing. With 28 square feet of living space and a 38-inch-high peak, there’s room to play cards or twiddle thumbs while its double- wall construction keeps the warm in and the weather out. And, at a hair over 2 pounds, you’ll feel like you didn’t pack it. $350, bigagnes.com

BLACK DIA! MOND ULTRA DISTANCE TREKKING POLES Taking a cue from tent poles, these carbon- fiber trekkers are durable and featherweight. They fold in thirds for easy packing and storage so they can go the distance to help you go far on the trail. $150, GREGORY Z"# This carry-on weekender lets you walk GOLITE ADRENALINE THREE!SEASON blackdiamond straight off the tarmac and into the woods. Better MUMMY Have cold feet about camping? equipment.com yet, it gets your goods to camp comfortably, thanks Not in this sleeping bag, which keeps you to Gregory’s new suspension that adjusts stiffness to toasty when the temp dips to as low as 20 match the weight you pack. $149, gregorypacks.com degrees. Special fabric at the head and feet keep heat-sucking tent-wall condensation from soaking through the goose down-filled bag. $370, golite.com PHOTOGRAPH BY GREGOR HALENDA

STEP BY STEP Begin the hike from the Appalachian Mountain Hiking in the White Club-managed Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. The Lost Mountains, with a view of the Presidential Range in Pond Trail crosses a wetland, then ascends gradually the distance through the woods beside the Ellis River. You’ll quickly come to the half-mile Square Ledge Trail that branches to the left. Take it, and climb 500 feet up the side of Wildcat Mountain to Square Ledge, a west-facing cliff that offers a view of the eastern face of Mt. Washington. “Walk around the side of the ledge and then pop out on top. It’s a pretty amazing vantage point from there,” Preisendorfer says. the Ellis River. (Note: The crossing can be challenging, S I B

R Linger for a while before heading back down to so check the water levels.) Another short side trail to the O C $

N the junction and continuing your ascent of the Lost left brings you to the base of 64-foot-tall Glen Ellis Falls, A M

H Pond Trail to the shore of the beaver pond for which it’s which plunges into a deep-green pool year-round. The E G

D named. Keep your eyes peeled here for beaver, but also Glen Boulder and Direttissima trails return you north, N O

M look out for moose. crossing over a small gorge on the way to the overflow Y A

R Hike on to the Wildcat Ridge Trail, which crosses parking lot at the visitor center.

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GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 57 16/03/2011 15:24 ( Yosemite National Park ) What’s the trail like? “It’s an old stage coach road [along] a steady decline MERCED down to the grove. Down in the valley, you wander next to Moss Creek until GROVE you walk right up on the grove. You’re walking through a beautiful forest… TRAIL occasionally you’ll come across an area where sunlight can get through, so there !"# MILES FROM SAN FRANCISCO are patches of wildflowers along the way. Get some alone time amidid You’ve got all the Lodgepoles and the a regal grove of giant Ponderosas and the pine trees, and then sequoias—the biggest living all of a sudden—boom!—you start seeing things on the planet—at the these huge sequoias that dwarf the end of this easy hike. AMONG GIANTS other trees.” A hiker is dwarfed by sequoias in Yosemite National Park In the 15 years he’s been at Yosemite, What kind of wildlife will you there’s one trail Assistant Superintendent likely encounter? “You could encounter Doesn’t it make sense to visit for Public and Legislative Affairs Scott squirrels, chipmunks and other small Mariposa, then? “I think the Merced Gediman has brought his family to again rodents. Mule deer are common, and Grove is a throwback to an earlier time. and again: the Merced Grove Trail, an there are black bears in the spring and You hike out and see [sequoias] in their easy hike that takes you to the park’s summertime, and coyotes—so kind of ‘natural habitat.’ I hesitate to say that, smallest sequoia grove, home to only 25 your typical Yosemite wildlife.” because at the Mariposa Grove they’re of the 200-foot-tall trees. Why not hike to a spectacular also in their natural habitat—but there’s Why the Merced Grove Trail? “Of mountain view or plunging waterfall? a road through it and fences around the three sequoia groves, it’s the least “Yosemite National Park was set aside some of them, as well as a gift shop, visited, and I think it’s just as beautiful for two primary reasons: for preserving bathrooms, parking lots and buses and S

as the Mariposa Grove, and the most Yosemite Valley, and for the Mariposa all of that…. To see a grove like this E G A M

natural looking. Hiking it is about see- Grove of sequoias, which are the biggest that’s not ‘developed’ makes it a really I

Y T

ing Yosemite’s last ‘wildest’ stand.” living things on Earth.” special hike.” T E G

Cathedral Stairs (5.8 miles, 4,300 feet)—An unrelenting ( National Park ) descent begins here, with a series of switchbacks down to the . THE #$% MILES FROM PHOENIX A huge swimming hole, rich human history Breezy Point and, of course, sweeping canyon views make (5.5 miles, 4,420 feet) this a must-hike route into the Grand.

Hermit Rapid Camp (9.7 miles, 2,300 feet)—At this campsite, Tonto Trail Junction Corral named for the roaring rapid where Hermit (6.5 miles, 3,210 feet) (7.5 miles, 3,040 feet)— END Creek joins the Colorado River, there’s a soft, Just before you reach sandy beach on which to pitch camp. Hermit Creek Camp is an old stone mule corral, L and behind it you can ( see where a tram came down, including some of its cables. Once an impeccably maintained trail leading to the luxe Hermit Camp—complete with well-appointed canvas-cloth cabins, an auto- mobile and a dining hall staffed by Fred Harvey chefs—this 9.7-mile Hermit Creek Camp (7.7 miles, 2,900 feet)—The first of rim-to-river path is now much more primitive and remote. But that two official campsites, it has what doesn’t make it any less spectacular. Backcountry ranger Dean Reese, Reese says is “one of the biggest a 12-year Grand Canyon veteran who’s hiked it a dozen times, gives us natural swimming holes I’ve seen.” the lowdown on the trail’s best-kept secrets.

GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 58 16/03/2011 15:25 Best Campsites FIND THE PERFECT CAMP FOR YOU

YOU WANT WHERE TO GO THE CAMP

STARS BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK There’s a reason this high desert wonderland has been hosting an astronomy festival for over a decade: At more (260 miles from Las Vegas) than 6,600 feet and located hundreds of miles from the nearest big city, its sky is one of the darkest in the US. Camp at North or Sunset campground, and crane your neck at the 7,500 visible stars that twinkle overhead.

BIG TREES Not only is riverside South Fork campground set miles from the nearest highway by way of a bucolic, winding (263 miles from Los Angeles) dirt road, it’s also in prime foothill wildflower country. A trailhead in the campground climbs 4.3 miles into the Sierra to the of sequoias, home to , considered the world’s 10th-largest sequoia.

HOT SPRINGS OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK It’s an easy, 2.5-mile hike along a newly rehabbed trail to reach seven small, 98- to 105-degree pools (208 miles from Seattle) along Boulder Creek. Get a permit beforehand to set up your tent at nearby Boulder Creek campground, a primitive site located just across the creek, so you can enjoy a transcendent soak under the stars.

PRIVATE ACADIA NATIONAL PARK Well, it’s not exactly private, but with only five lean-to campsites on 8,000-acre Isle Au Haut, it’s the next best ISLAND (164 miles from Portland, ME) thing. Hop aboard a ferry from Stonington, ME, to access Duck Harbor Campground and its miles of pristine coastal backcountry trails.

BEACH GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL Perdido Key is less than 50 miles from downtown Pensacola, but it feels worlds away with its vast, open SEASHORE (45 miles from stretches of powder-fine sand (which is quartz eroded from the granite heights of the Appalachians). Get a Pensacola, FL) permit and pitch a tent beyond the end of the paved roadway, where the crashing waves lull you to sleep.

MOUNTAINTOP THE ROAN HIGHLANDS, Hike the Appalachian Trail from Carvers Cap over these open, grassy summits, which explode with rhododen- TN!NC BORDER drons, azaleas and other wildflowers in May and June. Pitch your tent just off the trail on 6,165-foot Grassy (78 miles from Asheville, NC) Ridge Bald, where the 360-degree views will allow you to watch both sunset and sunrise.

WILDLIFE WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST, The 235,214 acres of the Flat Tops Wilderness is a playground for the 42,000 elk of North America’s largest CO (194 miles from Denver) herd. Set up camp on a high vantage point like Flat Top or West mountains, and keep your eyes peeled for the elk, as well as black bear, mule deer, marmot, mountain lion, moose, coyote and bighorn sheep.

Hermit’s Rest (0 miles, 6,640 feet)—This singular “rock building” honors the legendary START “hermit” of the Grand Canyon, Louis Boucher. He lived in isolation while Supai Traverse mining the canyon below. (between Santa Maria Spring and Cathedral Stairs)—There are many places where the trail, untouched by a trail crew for 80 years, has been covered over by rockslides Cobbles and erosion. Much of the trail was surfaced with large, hand-fitted rock slabs that make a remarkably Lookout Point smooth walking surface. (4 miles, 4,541 feet)

Santa Maria Spring (1.5 miles, 5,000 feet)—This stone structure, outfitted with a bench and rocking chair and shaded by English ivy—makes for a cool resting spot with potable water. Waldron Trail Junction (1 mile, 5,400 feet)

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GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 59 16/03/2011 15:25 EARN YOUR HEARTY LIVE THE HIGH LIFE WITH A MEAL AND WARM BED CLEAR ECO!CONSCIENCE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SINYA ON LONE MAN CREEK CLUB’S LONESOME LAKE HUT LUXURY RATING : LUXURY RATING : Constant breezes keep this Just because you’re a rugged super-tent cool in the summer hiker doesn’t mean you don’t (as does the energy-efficient need some (minimal) pampering AC), and the cloth walls allow ( Rocky Mountain National Park ) occasionally. Give it a shot at outside sounds to drift to your this hut, located on the side ears at night. You can hike in the of New Hampshire’s Cannon surrounding Texas Hill Country, Mountain. Not only is it an easy go fly fishing in an on-site creek LAWN LAKE TRAIL hike up the 1.6-mile Lonesome or jump into a nearby local "# MILES FROM DENVER Lake Trail, but it also serves swimming hole. But, more likely, hearty, family-style breakfasts you’ll stay in to soak in a century- This 6.2-mile hike climbs a glacial valley to and dinners. What’s more, old clawfoot tub, get a massage an idyllic alpine lake, and quietly tells the everyone gets a bunk with a or just linger in your feather-soft pillow and wool blankets. Not so king-sized bed. Wimberley, TX; 53 story of a disastrous flood along the way. bad after all, is it? Franconia, NH; 102 miles from San Antonio; hillcountry Rocky Mountain National Park was created to show off miles from Portland, ME; outdoors.org sinya.com the best that the spine of North America has to offer. “This is one of the most beautiful parts of Colorado,” says Barry Sweet, a backcountry ranger for 23 years. Here, he tells us about Lawn Lake Trail, a perfect seven-hour hike inside this 265,000-acre pristine wilderness.

The 0:00!Hit the Lawn Lake Mummy Mountain fill the Trailhead in Horseshoe Park view at the head of the valley. High Art before mid-morning, and It’s the perfect place to linger of Glamping start a slog up a series of and have lunch. steep switchbacks. EXPERIENCE THE 2:40 TO 2:55!The trail passes GLAMOROUS SIDE 0:15!400 feet of climbing through a boulder field and OF CAMPING WITH later, at the top of the lateral back into trees, before emerg- GOURMET MEALS moraine, turn around for a ing into the sun-drenched, AND KING!SIZED panoramic view of Fall River. wide-open alpine splendor BEDS. that surrounds Lawn Lake. 0:20!To your left, a rock- and debris-choked Horse- 3:00!Pitch your tent in the shoe Falls tumbles down the backcountry campsite near scar left by the deadly Lawn Lawn Lake, which rests in Lake flood. the crook of the Mummy Range, and explore the area. 0:45!Pass through a devas- A 79-year-old earthen dam GET THE BEST OF PACIFIC TAKE A CUSTOM!DESIGNED tated sandy area just before failed here in 1982, releasing COAST ADVENTURE WITHOUT TRIP TO THE WESTERN you reach the Ypsilon Lake 200 million gallons of water SACRIFICING COMFORT WILDERNESS Trail junction (1.6 miles) that roared down the valley. EL CAPITAN CANYON GLOBAL EXPEDITIONS’ 0:45 TO 1:30!The trail 4:30 TO 5:00—It’s early, so LUXURY RATING : MORMON LAKE, AZ RANCH gently ascends alongside continue up the trail to Crys- It’s one thing to stay in a mouse- LUXURY RATING : the Roaring River, passing tal Lake, one of the deepest infested cabin in the middle of At this private 20,000-acre ranch through aspen groves that in the whole park. nowhere. It’s quite another to beneath the San Francisco Peaks, eventually yield to Ponderosa stay in a luxe cedar cabin with you’ll go rafting and horseback pine forests. 5:00 TO 7:00—Bring a map, a king-sized bed, gas fireplace, riding during the day. At night, because you’ll be going off bathtub and porch that looks raid the premium bar while your 1:40!The trail veers from the trail when you climb 1,000 out on a creek just a short stroll personal chef whips up a multi- river and ascends a set of two feet to the 12,398-foot from Southern ’s Pacific course meal. You’ll get your beauty switchbacks. Scan the slopes summit of The Saddle, which Coast. At El Capitan Canyon, sleep in a regal white canvas tent of Bighorn Mountain (to your bridges Fairchild Mountain schedule in-cabin massages after with a knotted pine queen bed, right) for the mountain sheep and Hagues Peak. Look out busy days of kayaking, hiking the and wake to an air-dropped copy that congregate there. over everything you’ve hiked canyon, cruising on your compli- of the paper. Let’s not forget the and stay to watch the sunset mentary bike or just lazing by the maid service. Roughing it? Hardly. 2:10!Emerge into a high before calling it a day and heated pool. Santa Barbara, CA; 98 Mormon Lake, AZ; 151 miles from Phoenix; mountain meadow where heading miles from LA; elcapitancanyon.com globalexpeditionsinc.com wildflowers bloom and, to back to OFF THE BEATEN PATH Hikers on the the north, the ramparts of camp. Lawn Lake Trail K N A R F

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You can get great deals on car rentals with AirTran Airways partner, Hertz. Visit airtran.com for more information. M A J

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