Journal
Essentials for Snowshoeing
Do you feel ready to try snowshoeing for the first time? Read our guide to the essential things you need to know and have below. That way, you can ensure that your experience is a fun and enjoyable one, and not one where anyone ends up feeling cold or miserable because they came unprepared.
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7 Tips to Survive Winter Hiking
There's no doubt about it: winter's here, and lots of people are cozied up inside on the couch with hot chocolate. However, just because there are subzero temps outside, it doesn't mean that you have to give up on spending time in the great outdoors. Winter can be the best and most invigorating time for outdoor activities—especially for hikers.
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3 Tips To Stay Dry
At the very least, getting wet can can be uncomfortable and make the outdoor hiking, trekking, snowshoe experience less enjoyable. At its worst, getting wet in freezing temperatures can create a serious survival problem. Take a look at these 3 helpful tips to stay dry on your next outdoor adventure.
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3 Surprising Reasons that You'll Enjoy Winter Hiking Plus the Top Winter Hiking Trails
I know, it sounds crazy to go hiking during the winter. But believe me when I say that some trails are just better for hiking during the winter! In this post, we’ll discuss 3 surprising reasons on why you’ll enjoy winter hiking.
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To the Roof of Africa with Iron Pauly
Mt. Kilimanjaro – Volcano in Tanzania, Highest Peak in Africa, Tallest Free-Standing Mountain in the World We recently caught up with four-time Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier and two-time 70.3 World Champion racer, Paulene Williams, a.k.a. Iron Pauly, after her recent summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro to find out more about her experience scaling the tallest mountain in Africa. Pike Trail: What were your motivations on making this climb? Iron Pauly: Well, this has always been on my bucket list. With the pandemic putting racing on hold, I thought it would be the perfect time to train to do this climb. I’d have the time to switch sports for an entire season! But more importantly, I wanted this to mean more than me. I met Daisy and Mike from Working Dogs for Warriors at their 9/11 memorial ride in 2020 and learned more about what the foundation was about. So I wanted to raise money for them.This was the “bigger” meaning. The higher calling for making this climb. To raise awareness in the fight against PTSD… to raise money for the foundation towards funding a puppy for a vet. And so many things came through while doing so. We did get a puppy donated to the foundation and also raised some money through the generosity of our community. Pike Trail: Awesome! We wouldn’t be able to enjoy our freedom without the sacrifices our veterans have made. They served us and now it’s really great to have a way to give back to them. We really applaud your efforts in supporting this worthy non-profit organization. If others would like to donate, where do they go? Iron Pauly: You can go to their website: http://www.workingdogsforwarriors.com/ Pike Trail So please tell us about your experience climbing the tallest peak in Africa. What were the highlights, and lowlights of your journey? Iron Pauly: Wow. Where do I start? Most unforgettable. Spiritual and soul-searching. Magical in some moments, and definitely a test of grit. Africa is so beautiful. Easy to fall in love with, hard to forget.I documented each day of the Kilimanjaro journey on my Instagram @ironpauly in detail - so my followers can see and feel what I saw and felt, and also so I could always look back and remember.What I didn’t disclose until I got back was that during this journey, I was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. I’ll quote what I wrote on IG. But to explain, with pancreatitis, the digestive enzymes that would normally travel by tubes inside your pancreas and empty into your upper intestine, become trapped inside your pancreas. This causes pain and scarring. The trapped enzymes slowly cause severe damage to your pancreas.Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are:•Severe belly (abdominal) pain that may be constant or that comes back•Pain in the upper belly that spreads into the back•Pain in the belly that gets worse when you eat•Nausea and vomiting•Weight lossThrough the weeks leading up to Kili, up until the day before I left, my doctors were busy conducting tests… CTs, MRIs, and bloodwork to ensure it was safe for me to climb. I was cleared to climb but was cautioned that I would be in pain and may have to seek medical help for it. And so I was in severe pain very early into summit day which was a 14 hour day. Go into my IG and read the account of my battle with the pain and panic… it was pretty intense there for a hot minute. I was in severe pain, snow blind, near hypothermic, dehydrated too. Hahaha.But my partner, my guides, they helped me get through it. It takes a village. We got through it. And it was amazing. The roof of Africa… 19,341 feet was spectacular. Pike Trail: Tell us about the Weather and overall Climate Conditions? Iron Pauly: Well, to say it was cold is an understatement. It was -4° F plus wind chill. Winds were steady at 20-25mph. Our water bottles froze. Our water bladders and water hoses froze.We survived on a few sips of hot tea from a hot thermos our guide brought up from his pack. We didn’t stop but twice for a quick sip. We couldn’t and didn’t want to stop for fear of being too cold and hypothermic. When it’s that cold, you wanna keep moving. Pike Trail: Brrrrr.!! How long did it take? Iron Pauly: 4 days up, one day of acclimatization at 13,900 ft, 2 days down.Summit day was almost 14 hours. It took 7 hours to summit from base camp, then 2 hours and change to descend to base camp. We had lunch, packed camp, had a short nap, and descended to lower camp to prevent acute mountain sickness.Pike Trail: Just incredible. How long did you train for this trip? Iron Pauly: Well, I started training officially in the winter. So maybe around December, for the June 25 summit. I think I bought my tickets and then wrote my plan. Hahaha! Pike Trail: What gear did you use? How did you decide on this gear? Anything you wouldn’t pack again? Iron Pauly: Wow. That’s tough. Kilimanjaro is tough. The mountain is so steep, you go through five ecological zones to get to the summit. One thing that was a staple every day was my Pike Trail gaiters!!! Check out my photos. I wore them every day. From the rain forest to the alpine Desert, to the rain, sleet, and snow!!! Gear included: Pike Trail Hiking Gaiters La Sportiva Hiking Boots 30L Osprey hiking pack with 2.5-liter bladder Lululemon Long sleeve base layer (light on warmer days, heavier ones on colder days) Lululemon light 750- fill down jacket Eddie Bauer 750-fill heavy down jacket (summit day) Lululemon fast and free tights Merino wool socks Pike Trail trucker hat on warmer days Lululemon beanie on cold days 3M heated gloves for summit day Chemical hand warmer for summit day Rudy project defender sunglasses I tried them all in training - so I’d pack them again. But if I were to go back, I’d probably bring another jacket and rock the Michelin man look on summit day. Hahaha! I was freezing!!!! Pike Trail: Talk about the people that did the climb with you. Maybe share some experiences that you had with the locals. Iron Pauly: Ah. Is this the part where I cry? You want me to cry huh? Ugh. Ok. Well, let’s not do that. I will give you a brief background…. Daniel and I have trained together for a few years now. I told him about this trip and (he may kill me for telling the public about this) over wine, he just went ahead and booked everything to go with me! (Not the first time, btw). Sorry, Daniel!! Anyway, we have a way of pulling each other through the dark side of racing and training when we are hurting, having been each other’s race Sherpa and training partner for a few years. So when things got hairy for me at Kili, he knew exactly how to get me through it. I’m grateful he was there. John, our guide, Ndemi, our assistant guide, were just top Notch. They were prepared, selfless, and knew the mountain like the back of their hands. We had the absolute best team on that mountain. Ok, I’m already emotional so I’ll just give you an excerpt from my IG recount of summit day. And I’ll leave it there…. “I, I, I ….” I say in absolute panic, hyperventilating, and unable to take a breath… I stop and turn around and try to say it again, unable to form the words, unable to take in a breath…. I felt like an animal had ripped my stomach open and a large rock had crushed my entire chest…. I had been fighting this pain for hours and I was losing the battle…. My pupils fully dilated in terror… I look at Daniel in desperation …. “I, I, I….” Again, not forming the words. I was in complete distress….. Help me, my brain called out. The wind was howling. I was fading. My Brain screamed again, Help. He was steady. Calm. “What can I do? What can I do? You’re ok. What can I do?” And it was the calm to the chaos within me. It woke me up. It gave the Warrior in me one more fight. I was experiencing pain very early, and with no words exchanged, my guide John would reach his hand behind him to help pull me up every time we had to step up. Sherpa in every sense of the word. What can I say? It takes a village. I couldn’t let my Warriors down. I couldn’t let Daniel down. I couldn’t let my family down. And no, I wasn’t about to let my inner Warrior down. I had been fighting the pain for 5 hours. Yes, I had one more fight left in me….. So I go back to the Dark side, where the darkest and most evil of your demons lie….. pain, self-doubt, uncertainty, and yes, the evilest of them all…. quit. And I go into battle…. Bloody, battered, weary…. But unwilling to die. Not today. Snowblind, in pain, near hypothermic, and almost at a crawl’s pace… Temps at -4 degrees, winds relentless at 20-25mph…. With my patient guides and my steady partner by my side, we make one final push to Stella Point, and then to Uhuru Peak. I had taken the American flag from California to the roof of Africa at 19,341 feet. The tallest free-standing mountain in the world. This is for my Warrior Family…. Pike Trail: Whoa Serious Chills there!! I’m out of questions after that - anything else you want to add? It’s certainly been the most unforgettable experience for me. Having summited the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Experiencing it with one of the most special people in my life. But more importantly, I am so humbled to have been a part of such an outpouring of love from a community that wanted nothing more than to give back to our nation’s heroes. Someone so special donated a service puppy to the foundation! A service puppy! Who, by the way, has been awarded to a vet already! And countless people donated to the cause. That’s what really matters; that people made a difference. My cup runneth over.
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Leg Gaiters — Protect Your Legs and Ankles While Trail-Running or Hiking | NewsWatch Review
Consumer UpdateIf you’ve ever gone hiking or camping, and if you’re doing it right, you’ve packed a number of vital accessories, tools, and gear.While this is an important step in making sure you are ready for whatever nature might throw at you, carrying too much can be quite unwieldy. If that’s the problem, then Pike Trail is the solution.Pike Trail only designs and produces pocket-sized outdoor gear. Their packable gear is Proudly Designed in Columbia, Missouri. Perusing their site, you’ll see convenient products like pocket blankets and sleeping bag liners.One of their most popular products is the ultra-compact hiking gaiters. Gaiters protect your legs and ankles from the elements. Leg Gaiters - Protect Your Legs and Ankles While Trail-Running or Hiking | NewsWatch Review from NewsWatch Television on Vimeo. They can be worn for nearly any type of outdoor activity, whether it be trail running, snow-shoeing or hiking in the snow with crampons.An adjustable drawstring allows a tight fit around your calf, while the length can be adjusted with a buckle. Easy to get the perfect fit, no matter your height.But what really makes these hiking gaiters unique is their rugged design. These bad boys were built to last no matter what Mother Nature throws at them.Their durable polyester layers prevent water, snow, dirt, and debris from dirtying or damaging your clothes. And their anti-tear polyester won’t rip and offers protection from the elements.The buckles are made with stainless steel and have velcro tape and metal press studs to ensure they are easy to put on and stay in place throughout your entire hike. And keeping in true Pike Trail fashion, they come in a lightweight and compact carry bag, so you’re able to pack them without taking up too much valuable space or weight.Of course, you still want to look good which is why there are plenty of color options to fit your preference. There’s Digital Olive Drab ARMY Camo and the very cool DEFENSE FORCE CAMO – basically, you’ll have gaiters to match your gear and your personality.They come with an adjustable drawstring that fits around your calf, while the length can be adjusted with a buckle.So they’ll fit anyone of any height. Beyond the gaiters, Pike Trail offers other lightweight products that you’re going to want to check out, like their pocket blanket and sleeping bag liner.You can purchase your gaiters or any other Pike Trail products by heading to PikeTrail.com or on Amazon today.
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Geared For Success — Local Entrepreneur Hits the National Spotlight
By Olivia DeSmitAs previously seen in CEO Magazine https://insidecolumbia.net/2019/09/25/geared-for-success/Josh Hendershott has always been a lover of the outdoors. Hiking, fishing, hunting and camping are his escape when the stress of his career as a senior spine specialist for NuVasive gets to be too much. But, his love for being in nature goes further than helping him unwind. In 2017, it enabled him to launch his own line of outdoor gear products. “I love to hike, fish, hunt — basically any activity outdoors,” Hendershott says. “I started researching hiking products and had an idea for lightweight packable pocket-sized gear. I came across a product called a pocket blanket and it was okay — but it wasn’t waterproof and I knew that I could create one that was a lot better.”Hendershott’s first product, an improved — and waterproof — pocket blanket, rapidly materialized from an idea into a product sold globally. He partnered with friends Patrick Bryant and Colin Schuster to do a photoshoot on his property near the Missouri River and Pike Trail was born. “My family (my three daughters, my wife and I) and a few friends, hand-cut a trail on our property that wound through cedar trees and opened up to a bluff that overlooked the Missouri River. We had a lot of really great times on that trail — and put a lot of hard work into it. That’s where the name for the company comes from.” Pike Trail began selling pocket-sized gear, ranging from 1 to 3 pounds, on Amazon.com, using the photos taken on Hendershott’s property. “Our gear is mini-sized, which means it’s as small as we could get that piece of gear to be,” Hendershott explains. For example, the pocket blanket is about the size of an outstretched hand and can fit in most pockets or be attached to a backpack with an included carabiner.Things were relatively calm in the world of Pike Trail until Hendershott received a call a few months ago from The American Movie Channel (AMC) Network, which produces and airs popular shows such as “Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead.” An executive had ordered a Pike Trail product off Amazon and liked it so much that he decided he wanted to learn more about the entrepreneur behind the idea. “I got a phone call from the AMC office saying that they wanted to do a shoot with our products, and that turned into a review lasting more than 2 minutes on a show called ‘NewsWatch,’” Hendershott says. “It reaches 96 million households across the country and features interviews with celebrities and America’s Top Entertainers such as Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Mila Kunis (just to name a few), breaking technology, new gaming and the latest gear from emerging entrepreneurs.” The review aired on Aug. 26 and featured Pike Trail’s gaiters, which unlike traditional hiking gaiters, fold up and fit into a little bag and are ruggedly designed with stainless steel buckles to last longer. Leg Gaiters cover the gap between your shoe and pant and keep snow, dirt and water from going into your shoes. While the gaiters were featured on “NewsWatch,” Hendershott’s favorite product he’s created so far is the sleeping bag liner with a full-length zipper. “It’s great for camping and for traveling in general. You can use it when you’re sleeping in a hotel if you don’t want to sleep on their sheets and are worried about bed bugs. You can use it in your sleeping bag when you’re camping for several days. My kids love using it on sleep-overs at their friend’s houses. There’s just so many different uses for it.”Currently, consumers can only purchase Pike Trail gear through the website — PikeTrail.com — or on Amazon.com. This was a great way to start the business and test the products on a mass scale, Hendershott says, but he’s hoping to branch out locally. “We’re selling globally through Amazon, but we aren’t selling in local shops, like the Alpine Shop and Walt’s Bicycle & Wilderness. I’d like to start selling a lot more locally to support our area businesses and provide gear for our great community. And if this gets big enough, I’d love to either start or support a charitable foundation. I have a passion for kids that never really get to experience the outdoors — those that have never been taken fishing or hiking and maybe don’t have the means to do it,” he says. “Being in nature is very important for me and since I’m in a stressful work environment, connecting with nature brings me back to ground zero. I think everyone should be able to experience that.”
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From Passion To Profit — Local Entrepreneur Celebrates Success and His Roots
By Olivia Desmit As previously seen in Inside Columbia Magazine https://insidecolumbia.net/2019/10/01/from-passion-to-profit/ What do spine surgery and camping gear have in common? A lot, according to Josh Hendershott. The spine-specialist turned inventor launched a line of pocket-sized camping gear in 2017 and recently one of his products was featured on “NewsWatch.” But, according to Hendershott, the idea for his company, Pike Trail, started much earlier than 2017. “I remember carrying a Swiss Army knife when I was as young as 6 or 7,” he says. “My grandpa who fought in WWII gave me his old one and I carried it everywhere I went. It was my prized possession and became my first piece of pocket-sized gear that I couldn’t live without.” As Hendershott’s love for camping, hiking and fishing evolved, gear similar to the Swiss Army knife started amassing. “Since we usually relied on our feet as opposed to a motor to get us to our destination, lightweight packable gear was key. I was always thinking about how we could reduce weight and improve quality. From these experiences, Pike Trail was envisioned years before it was brought into existence.” And after marrying his wife, Erin, and helping to bring three daughters in the world, his collection of outdoor gear continued to exponentially grow. “Gear took on a whole new meaning of importance!” he says, laughing. He and his family’s love for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and kayaking not only helped inspire the concept of Pike Trail, but also the name.“My family (my three daughters, my wife and I) and a few friends hand-cut a trail on our property that wound through cedar trees and opened up to a bluff that overlooked the Missouri River. We had a lot of really great times on that trail — and put a lot of hard work into it. That’s where the name for the company comes from.” Things were relatively calm in the world of Pike Trail until Hendershott received a call a few months ago from The American Movie Channel (AMC) Network, which produces and airs popular shows such as ‘Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead.” An executive had ordered a Pike Trail product off Amazon and liked it so much that he decided he wanted to learn more about the entrepreneur behind the idea. “I got a phone call from the AMC office saying that they wanted to do a shoot with our products, and that turned into a review lasting more than 2 minutes on a show called ‘NewsWatch,’” Hendershott says. The review aired on Aug. 26 and featured Pike Trail’s gaiters, which cover the gap between your shoe and pant and keep snow, dirt and water from going into your shoes and fold up and fit into a little bag and are ruggedly designed with stainless steel buckles to last longer. When it comes to working both as an entrepreneur and as a spine specialist for NuVasive, Hendershott says it’s a big adjustment. “Dealing with international suppliers requires either staying up very late or waking up very early to answer emails and communicate my needs,” he says. “Since, I’m an early morning person I’ve dedicated the 4:15 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. slot of my day to handle this aspect of Pike Trail’s business. I feel both spine surgery and Pike Trail work perfectly in tandem. Both actually make me better in each particular field; I’m constantly looking for ways to improve surgical instrumentation for my surgeons and am in constant collaboration with Dr. Jeff Parker (a local Columbia spine surgeon) on ways to improve spinal implants and devices.” For other entrepreneur-hopefuls, Hendershott has one piece of advice: Stick to what you know and are passionate about. “This will be the fuel that gets you through all the challenges, setbacks and obstacles that keep most from ever realizing success,” he says. “It must consume you and if it doesn’t, it probably isn’t for you, so find something you’re more passionate about and start the process over. It’s hard work for sure but I believe when you find it, you won’t really notice how hard it really is. It becomes an obsession and the effort required to make it a success will just naturally flow.”
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