What can you do?

Highland Hiking is dedicated to providing the best hiking equipment and advice on the hiking experience. To keep the hiking experience going, Highland Hiking encourages and supports through internal profits the protection of our limited and dwindling hiking locations. Urban expansion, population explosion, global warming, air pollution, government policies are but a few of the issues challenging the existence of quality hiking trails.

City, county, state and federal agencies manage almost all hiking trails; and their shifting priorities do not always lend themselves to developing and maintaining quality hiking sites. The responsibility to protect out trails begins with you, the hiker. The people working for the federal, state and city parks have done an excellent job in providing safe and enjoyable hiking trails. These people are well-educated, well-trained, and experienced. But they are under-funded and under the eventual supervision of politicians.

By continued use of the trails, encouraging others to use the trails and influencing the politicians to protect out trails, the trails will be there for us, our children and their children. Otherwise, the land developers, logging industry, and oil and gas exploration interests will consume the land for their purposes. These interests have powerful lobbies and are contributing Billions to the political decision makers. What impact can we have?

• Use the Trails. The more a trail is used, the more it will be funded and supported by the federal, state, county, and city agencies. Estimates are kept on trail usage and money follows the numbers. These same agency officials are generally not politicians and will dole out the money for the trails being used. While more people on the same trail is generally not desirable, it does promote more trail maintenance and other attention than isolated routes. Most State and Federal land requires day permits helping to fund that hiking trail.
  
  
• Join a Hiking Club. Formal and less formal organizations have been formed to share the hiking experience. Local groups have sprouted out from workmates, common interest groups of camping, bird watching, botany and zoology, schools, and friends. The group will encourage you to get out on a regular basis plus the group can stand together on regulations to promote the use of trails. Politicians fear groups because they can be decisive in a vote count as we have had in recent elections.
  
  Highland Hiking will promote the use and formation of small and large hiking groups to increase the numbers of hikers plus provide momentum to attract the politicians to our side. Highland Hiking will maintain a database of local and nationwide hiking groups for you to join and meet people with common interests.
  
  
• Build Trails. Each major area and some smaller ones as well have volunteer trail builders who meet monthly or so and repair hiking trails under the supervision of the park rangers. This group is your advanced hikers who recognize that their involvement is important to them and fellow hikers. Trail build and repair can be a very strenuous experience of moving dirt and rock, felling trees, step building, sign posting, debris removal, water bridges, vegetation planting, and a variety of other tasks necessary to maintain the trails. Highland Hiking has a direct link to the American Hiking Society, who maintains a state by state list of trail projects needing volunteers.
  
  
• Trail Docents. The more popular hikes have volunteer hiking guides who take novices on hikes explaining rock formation, plant life, animal habitats, trail highlights, history, ecological lessons, etc. Similar to docents at a museum, there is a general level of understanding of most aspects of the hiking trail. Highland Hiking will maintain a database of local and nationwide guide opportunities.
  
  
• Join the American Hiking Society (AHS). In existence for 30 years, AHS has done a great job identifying and supporting the critical issues to Protect Our Trails.
  

AHS has put together a nationwide organization to solicit political support for hiking trail causes. AHS has also done a great job in identifying local, regional and national hiking organizations or clubs who are hiking enthusiasts looking for members. AHS has a state by state listing of volunteer groups you can join.

Membership is $30 annually but it includes subscriptions to American Hiker and Backpacker magazines plus special volunteer opportunities, discounts on hiking books and maps and an electronic newsletter on current events.

The AHS website is setup in the flowing manner:

• Trail conservation and policy contains links to our representative in state and federal elected position, e-mail updates on current legislative actions, and action items in support of protecting the trails.
  
  
• Hiking events and volunteer opportunities are detailed by area plus listings of clubs in your state.
  
  
• The only national alliance of over 200 hiking organizations plus a link to the National trails Fund that doles out monies to grass-root organizations to establish, protect and maintain foot trails across America.
  
  
• News and resources about trail ecology, Leave No Trace principles and related links to other hiking related websites.
  
  
• The Hiker’s Store contains links to publications and maps plus AHS logo hats, shirts, etc.
  

AHS had done a great job of consolidating the hiking issues, clubs, links current events and volunteer projects. Highland Hiking still recommends LocalHikes for the best trail listing and information.

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