Top 7 Places: Trails I Want To Hike

I’ve had a fascination with hiking and long trails for a few years now. I had never been much of an outdoorsman, but while having lunch on my birthday with some friends, one friend brought up the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He said it was long and might take a month to complete. I was fascinated by the idea – it was a challenge based on its scope, but easy in small doses. Upon further research, I found that my friend didn’t know what he was talking about. The idea stuck however, and here are seven long trails that I’d love to hike from end to end.

 

7: E8 European Long Distance Path

This European footpath travels through Ireland, a country I’ve already mentioned being at the top of my to-visit list, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. I’ve picked this path mostly because it passes through Ireland, although having never been to Europe before, getting to pass through so many countries is also enticing.

 

6: New England Trail

My original home, New England, always calls out to me. I try to return as often as possible to visit family and friends and get to enjoy the change in scenery, from fall foliage to winter blankets. It’s a short trail covering only 220 miles through southern New England.

 

5: Continental Divide Trail

The youngest of the Triple Crown routes, the Continental Divide Trail isn’t exactly complete at this point, which leaves it mostly to experienced hikers. The trail follows the Rocky Mountains through the heart of America, from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The CDT is one of the longer paths at 3100 miles.

 

4: Pacific Crest Trail

Another of the Triple Crown trails, the Pacific Crest Trail travels through the west coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington. At 2650 miles, the PCT is about an equal length from the longer CDT and shorter Appalachian Trail.

 

3: Florida Trail

The trail of my current home-state, the Florida Trail racks up about 1400 miles, but has multiple sections where you can choose to go an Eastern route or a Western route. One such fork in the road goes around Lake Okeechobee on either side. Another such fork splits between Kissimmee and Ocala making up an Eastern and Western corridor. I actually live and work less than a quarter mile from the Eastern corridor, which has made it somewhat familiar to me.

 

2: John Muir Trail

I really hadn’t considered this trail until I saw the movie “Mile… Mile and a Half”.  It’s a shorter trail at about 210 miles, but hits beautiful scenery through California from Yosemite to Mount Whitney. It has a short hiking window of July through September due to the amount of snow in the higher elevations, which can even linger into the Summer months.

 

1: Appalachian Trail

“The Green Tunnel” stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, stretching about 2200 miles. It typically takes about four to six months to complete and is considered a social trail due to the number of thru-hikers, section-hikers, and day-hikers. The trail runs through fourteen states, including five of the six New England states, which holds a special place in my heart.

Top 7 Places: Countries I Want to Visit

Another day and I’m still sick, so another lazy top 7 list it is. Top 7 countries that I want to visit – be prepared for a lot of Europe.

 

7: Peru

I mostly want to visit Peru just to see Machu Picchu. An ancient Incan city build atop the mountains, Machu Picchu is certainly an interesting place.

 

6: New Zealand

Home for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, New Zealand has beautiful views all around. From beaches to mountains, New Zealand has plenty of natural beauty for any mood.

 

5: Sweden

One of the Scandinavian countries, of which I would like to visit any of the countries (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland), Sweden has interesting topography as well as an interesting social atmosphere.

 

4: Australia

Considered by some to be its own continent, and by others to be the majority landmass of Oceania, Australia has plenty of sights to see. It also has about five million different animals that can kill you… so there’s always that.

 

3: Egypt

One word: Pyramids. The only remaining Wonder of the World from the original ancient list, the Pyramid of Giza stands as the ultimate man-made wonder. Definitely near the top of my list for sights to see.

 

2: Norway

One of the Scandinavian countries, Norway has both beautiful summer sights and a winter wonderland. The people of Norway seem very chill, like other Scandinavian countries.

 

1: Ireland

I’m a mutt – my heritage includes English, Scottish, French-Canadian, German, Portuguese, and Irish. I’m only one-eighth Irish, but it’s the portion of my heritage that I focus on the most. I want to spend several weeks and really see all of Ireland, especially the rolling green hills. I’m also a fan of the medieval era and castles, which the land of Eire has plenty of. I just hope the weather is nice for some days, I hear it rains a lot.