• Thermophile.org - This is the famous and incomparable Sarah Boomer website. Lots of detailed stories about hiking and rafting in the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, and other key areas. Sarah is such an outstanding writer that even if you are not interested in the topic, it is fun to read.
• Canyoneering USA - Lots of canyoneering descriptions and photos - for the experienced desert rat
• Trails and Travels - Our buddy Andy Butler's budding web site. He needs to have lots more posted, since we KNOW he has been on lots of great trips.
• Grand Canyon Explorer - Bob Ribokas' definitive site for Grand Canyon hiking, and one of the sites that really inspired us to start TwoHikers.org
• Hiking in Colorado - Steve Fry's definitive and sophisticated site devoted to many of the self propelled pleasures of this truly high country state. A wonderful set of links are included.
• OutandBack.org - Adventures Out and Back - Beverly Smith's budding web site has a lot more to it than first meets the eye. A different approach than we take, and refreshing because of it. Be sure to check out her Resources links usually associated with her trips. Great places to start.
• The Chattanooga Hiking Club - You want to read about hiking trips in southeastern Tennessee? Whew! Prepare to be overwhelmed. Lots of photos with short reports. A nice set of links for this part of the country.
• Wilderness Vagabonds - Lots of detailed trip reports with some photos. Not fancy but lots of "meat."
• Beth's Place: Messin' Around in the Outoors - We ran across this when doing some background research for the Sierra Club's revised trail guide to the wilderness trails of the Cherokee National Forest. Beth has several detailed trip reports from all over the country, with some nice photos of some of our favorite places. Take a look.
• All Things Trudge - Ever want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Take a long look at this site.
• OneDayHikes.com While this is a commercial site, it has some pretty good hike descriptions. If you are going to a new area, and need a "quick fix," try stopping here first and getting some ideas.
• Falling Water - Another detailed AT report, complete with digital calendar.

Digital Mapping Resources

• Google Earth - If you have not used this yet, you can not possibly imagine what you are missing. Imagine the earth revealed: color photos, and oblique views make this must have software for anyone who has even a moderate speed internet connection. As a friend and colleague from the University of Kentucky confessed to me, the first time someone showed this to him, he was up until 2 am playing with it. So fair warning.
• Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection - Maps for practically everyplace on the Planet
• The Washington State Geospatial Data Archive - A wealth of data to be had for the click of a mouse.
• The Utah Geospatial Data Repository - Another treasure trove of digital mapping data
• Terrain Visualization and Flyby Animation Richard Horne's site has a wealth of information on digital mapping and visualization. He was the first to take the late Sol Katz's code for SDTS conversion to "native" digital elevation format and compile it for Windows. Richard also has available for sale his 3DEM terrain visualization software.
• The original TerraServer Site - Use maps or aerial photos to view your favorite places. Suggestion: Use the map first to find an area that you are looking for, and THEN switch to the aerial photo.
• The "Official" TerraServer site - Have not yet studied this in detail, but it looks semi-worthwhile. Note that the resolution of the images may not be as high as that on the Microsoft site.

Wilderness Advocacy Groups - think of the lack of opportunities for solitude without them

• The Montana Wilderness Association Working unceasingly to help preserve Montana's wild heritage. And a local group, the Madison-Gallatin Chapter, right here in Bozeman.
• Tennessee Chapter's Harvey Broome Group (Knoxville) No doubt they had plenty of help, but without the leadership of this group, there simply would be no Wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest.
• The Smoky Mountains Hiking Club While ostensibly a club devoted to hiking, in fact, the wilderness advocacy of this group has been critical in preventing further deterioration of this country's most popular National Park. In addition, they are responsible of the maintenance of the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Walkin' Jim Stoltz Is this a hiking site? A music site? An environmental advocacy site? You decide. We have become reaquainted with Walkin' Jim since we have moved to Bozeman, and have been reminded how much he walks his talk, and sings it too. Jim is an environmental minstral who has heightened environmental awareness all over the US. He is also a member of Musicians United to Sustain the Environment, MUSE, who sell their music in support of environmental causes.
• Foothills Land Conservancy Doing what the Nature Conservancy does on a local scale, protecting land the American Way: buying it. We wished that the general population were sufficiently enlightened to protect special places without resorting to this, but it is better than losing these places to development.
• The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance - Any group that has been hung in effigy in Escalante, Utah HAS to be doing something right. One of the most passionate and articulate protectors of Utah Wilderness.