I’m a little late getting things updated, but I don’t want you miss out on this sale.

Here are the details:

Altrec just received a huge shipment of North Face Closeouts - discontinued colors and styles at deep discounts.

• 200+ North Face Styles and Discontinued colors on sale
• No Coupon Needed
• Prices good until they sell out

Click the banner below to check out what’s available.

There’s still time to take advantage of some great deals on skis and accessories at Backcountry.com.

Save up to 30% on skis, boots, bindings, and more.

Featured brands include:

• Salomon
• Black Diamond
• K2
• Garmont

Featured Killer Deal:

Dynastar Trouble Maker Alpine Ski

Click the banner below for complete details.

I took a little time today to make a few casts with the flyrod, to see if I could catch a Crappie or two. Not much luck with that. Its probably a week or two early for them to really bite well. I did manage to catch the photo below, right behind HikerCorner.com headquarters, just before sunset.

Spring was certainly in the air today with a high temperature of around 75 degrees. The plants and trees should be coming back to life fairly soon, ushering in a new season of hiking expeditions. That’s the plan anyway.

Most of you are probably familiar with Altrec.com and their great service. Well, now they make things even better by providing you with a chance to take an extra 25% off their already low sale prices by Entering Coupon code Lucky25 at check out. This is a great opportunity to save Big on top brand gear.

This is the info as it was sent to me by Altrec:

Offer an extra 25% off Sale Goods for the next 48 hours. We have a ton of products already on sale and we need to get it out the door to make room for spring and summer products.

Details:

• - Use Coupon Code Lucky25
• - 25% Off already on sale gear and clothing
• - Expires Friday at 10am PST

Simply click the banner to receive your savings.

This offer only lasts until 10 am PST Friday, March 9th, 2007.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the 2,175-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail, will be holding their 36th Biennial Conference from July 13-20 at Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ.

This will be a great event for ATC members and non-members to take part in workshops and learn more about the Conservancy itself. This year’s activities will include hiking excursions, youth programs, and a lot more. You can find complete details and registration information by visiting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website.

The trail was originally conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921, and the first section was opened from Bear Mountain through Harriman State Park to Arden, New York, on October 7, 1923. Completion of the trail was achieved in 1937, and features the lush scenery of the Appalachian Mountains as well as thousands of species of plants and animals. Some of these include the American Black Bear and theTimber Rattlesnake.

Here’s a photo I took looking South on the Appalachian Trail towards Roan Mountain in August 2006.

I finally traded in my old pair of Salomon Pro Treks for a new pair of Nike Air Zoom Tallac Pro GTX hiking boots. There were definitely some immediate contrasts between the two. Most notibly, the Pro Trek felt as though they were already broken in right out of the box. That however, may have proven to be negative. The Nike boots were far stiffer and required a lot more break in time. This may be directly related to durability. Now that they’re broken in well, they are as comfortable as my previous boots.

I’ve worn the Air Tallac Pro boots to work several times, and they’ve made one official hiking trip. So far they’ve proven themselves worthy of the money spent, and will probably hold up longer than the Salomons. Don’t get me wrong, the Pro Treks served their purpose, but some of the material began to seperate from around the sole a little sooner than I would have expected. They did take quite a bit of punishment though. I won’t be taking it easy on the Tallacs in the future, and we’ll see if they take what I and nature have to dish out. Perhaps I’ll take them to my favorite stomping grounds this spring.

Some Official Info:

Excellent for light hiking and even a little minimalist backpacking, the waterproof and breathable Nike Air Zoom Tallac Pro GTX offers the performance and feel of an athletic shoe without giving
up key support for load-bearing endeavors. While it certainly wouldn’t be the best choice for weeks of backpacking beneath a 60-lb. backpack, the Nike Air Zoom Tallac Pro GTX is great with a day pack, especially if you intend on sticking to the trail and covering short distances.

Altrec.com is currently featuring big savings on the following jackets:

Featured:

• Arc’teryx Women’s Delta AR Jacket
• High warmth-to-weight ratio 6.9-oz. Polartec® fabric
• Full front zip with soft chin guard
• Laminated hem drawcord

More Jackets:

• Roxy Junior’s Comet Jacket
• Burton AK Lightweight Fleece Jacket
• Patagonia Women’s R1.5™ Jacket

I don’t always get to go hiking and/or backpacking. Sometimes I actually have to earn a living. Here’s a photo of some prescribed burning I was working on today to improve quail habitat for a private landowner in SC.

My camera wasn’t readily available when there were opportunties to take a few pictures that would have been far more impressive.