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The World Is Our Classroom
Part memoir, part guide for parents to insert more hands-on nature activities into their children’s lives, The World Is Our Classroom, How One Family Used Nature and Travel to Shape an Extraordinary Education, by Cindy Ross, is an entertaining and eye-opening look at how much children can learn through experience, given the right environment and circumstances. Ross’s narrative is interspersed with journal entries from her daughter Sierra and son Bryce. Each chapter concludes with a “Nuts and Bolts” section, a “How-to” that can help parents teach similar lessons in a way that is right for them. Avid backpackers, Cindy Ross and her husband Todd had hiked thousands of miles before…
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New Mexico’s Organ Mountains Reward Hikers With Twice the Views
The Baylor Canyon Trail is a six-mile hike in the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument. The trail goes up and over the mountain range through Baylor Pass and is the only maintained trail that goes over the Organ Range. There are trailheads both on the east side, starting at Aguirre Springs Campgrounds and on the west side, starting just off Baylor Canyon Road. We chose the eastern 2-plus-mile ascent to Baylor Pass starting at and returning to Aguiree Spring. Alternatively, you can continue on the trail which ends on the Las Cruces side of the range, for a total of 6 miles one way. A possible side excursion takes…
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The Honest Backpacker Makes Hiking Accessible for All Ages
The Honest Backpacker, A Practical Guide for the Rookie Adventurer over 50, by James and Nicole Klopovic is an encouraging guide to those with the desire, though maybe not the confidence, to get on the trail. Written for older adults, it covers important information that will benefit anyone preparing for a long hike, no matter one’s age. It breaks preparations down into manageable steps and provides guidance on each details: conditioning before a long hike, selecting and using equipment, planning/prepping/cooking /storing food, how to pack, and overall trip planning including contingency plans for when something goes awry. Written in a conversational tone, the book is engaging and highly practical. Checklists,…
