If avoiding crowds is your goal, I would avoid Acadia anytime but in the winter, or the parts of spring and fall that are closer to winter. ... View more

@Earthmom, I'm not a fan of crowds either! Here are a few of my favorites. As far as non crowded parks go, I really like Lassen Volcanic National Park (peaks, all kinds of volcanic activity, they have a place called "the fantastic lava beds" that lives up to its name. Also, Great basin national park is an amazing destination (lakes, glacier, awesome caves). Lava beds National Monument is surprisingly amazing. You get to walk through tunnels and caves created by lava flow. The amount of exploring available is awesome. ... View more

@Buzz281, I would see two ways: one would be to get on your own bike. I think kids always want to be like their parents in some way. Another one is if you have a friend with a child who balance bikes, it'll spur them on. Be patient, and have the bike available to him/her on outings, etc. I think it'll come eventually! My nephews all balance biked, and once they did it made walking with them much faster! ... View more

Bikes are excellent value used. You have to know a bit about it to make a good decision, but bikes tend to be super sturdy, and their value goes down after a few years. Bikes are definitely my favorite piece of "gear" to buy used. Otherwise, I think REI's used section typically has only stuff in good condition. I wouldn't buy a helmet used, but stuff that's meant to last, like packs, tents, some clothes, etc. should be safe ... View more

I'm not sure I understand what the theme of this festival is... Music, Meditation and Yoga? ... View more

North lake Tahoe is never too crowded, if you backpack in deep enough. There may be some snow leftover above 8000' right now though. The emigrant gap area is the same story. ... View more

I would set myself a goal. Sign up for a race in a few month's time, and set yourself a goal, based on your current fitness and how much you want to improve. Then make a training plan to realistically get to that goal. Make sure to ease into it though. If you have something very specific you're working towards it's a tremendous motivator. There are a few training apps out there you can use. You can also find training schedules on google. If you want to go all out, hire a qualified trainer to set up a training program with you and monitor your progress (the more you invest into running, the easier it'll be to keep yourself accountable). Another thing that will help a lot, is if you can find a friend to do it with you.  Scheduling runs with someone else makes it so much easier. You can also look for local runs in your area (look on facebook, meetups, ask a local running gear store). They usually will tend to accomodate every pace. A motivator for me is to run on trails. But I'm lucky to have those to spare in my area. You can also vary it up once in a while with cross training. You can replace a scheduled run with a bike ride, provided you go twice as long (time-wise) and keep your heart rate up. If you have to do it alone, maybe you can find a friend or a neighbor that has a dog that could use some running too? I know that's helped some people. Also remember to keep your goals, and the primary motivators (the reasons you started running) in mind. Monitor your progress, as you continue, you will find yourself going faster/further, and that can be a great motivator. ... View more

I did a similar 10-day trek in Peru. I'm assuming you'll land in cuzco. I would spend a few days in cuzco before the trek. That should help tremendously. Rest! It'll be tough on your body, so make sure you get plenty of sleep to recover. Drink lots, avoid caffeine. Something that works wonders in Peru is coca leaves. Hotels will have them available for free for people. It is highly recommended that you chew some, it is very helpful in overcoming altitude issues. People also have coca tea, although that doesn't work as well. There is some special mountain mint tea that is supposed to help too. Ahead of time, you can do a lot cardio, just to get your overall cardiovascular fitness up. Basically the fitter you are in that area, the quicker you can adapt to the altitude. Something I recommend, if it's possible in your area, is stairs running. Literally run up and down stairs. I remember there was a competition in the local ball field where I used to live. It's not as uncommon as you might think, so look it up, you might find some people to do it with you. This isn't strictly altitude related, but something that was interesting during my trek is my wife, who swims a lot, hikes and backpacks frequently had a hard time with her knees, because the trails there can get very steep, much steeper than our local trails were at the time. Whereas, I, being a runner, had a much easier time. Somehow, my knees must be better conditioned being a runner. She trained on the stair masters before we went, but going down is what killed her. She had never trained going in that direction. ... View more

I was backpacking in late fall in the sierras. I hadn't been especially careful about the forecast, it had been perfect for days, but it started to completely pour. I had a goal in mind so I kept going up, and further into the wilderness. My rain gear wasn't adequate for such torrential rain, so I eventually got soaked. So long as i kept moving it wasn't too bad, I wasn't too cold. Thinking I'd figure it out at camp, I just kept on doggedly. The temperature kept dropping and by 5 pm, it was getting near freezing. At that point I was far from any trail back, pretty exhausted, and getting really cold. Then it started to snow. I dropped my pack, bushwacked to the top a of a ridge and miraculously got network. It showed a snow thunderstorm at night and all day the next day. I genuinely got scared of hypothermia, and considering I was supposed to summit a couple of peaks the next day the lightning storm kind of got me terrified too. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep my sleeping bag dry. I managed to call a trail angel's number I had for that area and met her at a forest road. I think she might've saved my life.  Maybe I was too cautious? But in the moment I was getting desperate. ... View more

I listen to music with 180 bpm. I find I do best if my stride is about 180 steps per minute, so this helps me keep pace! Something that will motivate you, but alos kind of put you in a sort of trance, whatever that is for you. ... View more

My phone is my favorite piece of gear that has multiple uses. It's a book, a spare flashlight, a GPS, it has maps, guides, a camera (I have a wide angle lens for it too), a music player (with headphones - don't play music out loud, other trail users and wildlife don't like that!). Depending on the network situation it can also be used as an actual phone. ... View more