Is there anything more relaxing than a long hike? Whether you’re hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, the Colorado Rockies or somewhere in between, your stress levels will be greatly reduced. The only thing that may be a bit stressful is finding snacks and meals that will keep you energized during a long hike. Many hikers choose beef jerky, nuts and fruit. But, what if you want food that seems more like a meal and snacks that are a bit more flavorful?

When it comes to snacks for your hike, there are several easy recipes available. If you have a backpack that has a cooler compartment, you could package the ingredients to prepare an easy yogurt parfait recipe. This recipe provides protein, calcium, antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber. In other words, it’s the perfect recipe to keep you from tiring out on a long hike.

Keep On Hiking Yogurt Parfait:8 ounce container of fat-free vanilla yogurt, ¼ cup fresh blueberries, ¼ cup fresh raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute, ½ cup granola.

Before going on your hike, place the berries into a sealable container and sprinkle with the sugar/sugar substitute. Next, pour the granola into a zip top bag and place everything into the cooler compartment of your backpack. Don’t forget to pack a tall glass to prepare your parfait in, and a plastic spoon. When you get ready to enjoy your parfait, layer the ingredients into the glass and enjoy. Preparing this recipe during the hike will prevent the granola from getting soggy.

When it comes time for lunch, you need a recipe that will provide you with a variety of different vitamins and minerals. One recipe that can provide what you need to finish a long hike is a chicken and pasta salad. This recipe is easy to prepare and is loaded with protein, fiber and light flavors that won’t weigh you down on a long hike.

Hike Another Mile Chicken Pasta Salad: 1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta (any shape is fine)<br>3 ounces of seasoned, cooked, and chopped chicken breast (add your favorite flavors), ¼ cup chopped bell pepper, ¼ cup grape tomatoes, 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, Cracked black pepper to taste, Sea salt to taste.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chicken, whole wheat pasta, bell pepper and tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine the chives, olive oil, lemon juice, cracked pepper and salt. Gently combine the two mixtures, package in a sealable container and place in the cooler compartment of your backpack.

A hike doesn’t have to consist of boring snacks. You also don’t have to prepare a complicated recipe. Instead, prepare a recipe that can be thrown together minutes before heading off to your favorite hiking location. After all, your time should be spent enjoying the hike, rather than slaving over a recipe. And, while they may be easy, these recipes are still impressive enough to invite a special someone to hike along with you.

Everyone knows that when you stay fit, you feel and look better. But as a working adult, staying fit can be a real challenge. It’s not just about squeezing 30 minutes of cardio into your day – it’s a way of living that focuses on staying active, eating well and living a balanced lifestyle. So, while you do need to make a commitment to staying fit outside of work, there’s a lot you can do to meet your goals by staying fit at work, too.

Take a Look at the Way You Work

A big part of staying fit at work is recognizing the activity level your job requires, and how you respond to it. Do you work strictly at a desk, or do you run errands? Are you standing in one place all day, sitting down or moving around? Do you wait until you have a huge pile of stuff to fax, copy or turn in before you get up to do it? Just being aware of what your job requires and how you work within those requirements is important.

Once you’ve done a quick job check, try to make some changes. Get up and do work as soon as it needs to be done. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Use 30 minutes of your lunch to eat and 30 minutes to take a brisk walk. It’ll improve your mood and your health.

Help for Desk Jockeys

If you’re pretty much tied to your desk, you can still help yourself stay fit while at work. First, check your posture. It’s amazing how much poor posture can affect the way you feel. Sit up straight, with your shoulders slightly back. There are also stretches you can do at your desk during the day. I came across this brilliant little program called StretchWare , which reminds you to stretch at intervals throughout the work day and gives you brief stretching routines to choose from.

Watch Your Mouth

I mean, of course, what kind of food goes into it during work hours. Those brownies that Suzanne from accounting baked for the office? They’ll make you just as fat as the brownies you eat at home. Eating out for lunch can also be expensive and unhealthy, and everyone has had frenzied workdays where they’ve scrounged lunch out of the vending machine. Try bringing your own snacks and lunches to work. If you only eat what you bring, you can keep track of what you’re eating, how much and what’s in it – all things that are important when it comes to eating well. Oh, and the soft drinks? Limit yourself to one or two diet drinks a day if you must, but it’s better to take advantage of the water cooler instead. It’s healthy – and it’s free!

There are a lot of little changes you can make to help yourself stay fit while at work, before you get home to the dishes, the bills and the kids. There’s nothing as satisfying as making your health a priority. By upping your activity level, scattering stretches throughout your day and paying attention to what you eat, you can build a great foundation for fitness in your day-to-day living.

Mount Rainier is spectacular. This combination of two trails is a must do.

We’ve hiked much of the United States and some of Canada. How can I pick just one favorite hike? Should I pick the close-encounter-with-the-grizzly-bear hike? Should I pick the most beautiful hike? Should I pick one with ladders? Should I pick the one on which we got lost? I chose the hike about which I’m writing based on what I like best in a hike – variety of sights and terrain.

Mount Rainier National Park has close to 236,000 acres. The mountain is an active volcano with a range in elevation from 1,610 feet to 14,41 feet above sea level. One of the hikes we did in this must see National Park was recommended by a ranger. We intended to only do the first part of the hike called the Comet Falls Trail, which is 3.8 miles round trip with an elevation of 900 feet. The suggested hike time is three hours. However once we were on the trail we were told by several people that we must go on to the Van Trump hike to Trump Park. We did and though we were exhausted I highly recommend that you continue.

This will make the hike about a 2,000 foot elevation gain and take about five hours. Most people it seems don’t hike to Trump Park because they aren’t aware that there is much more to see. Let’s start from the beginning – You’ll find the trailhead for Comet Falls four miles east on the road heading toward Paradise. Although the

Their Web site notes that the parking is limited, and that there is no more parkingc so have an alternative hike in mind, don’tgive up so fast!

If you find that the parking area is full drive about a quarter of a mile and you’ll see a small parking area on the opposite side of the street. If you drive a bit farther you’ll find more places to park. You might get lucky like we did and get a ride back to our car after our hike by people who got a space at the trail head. This trail is strenuous – perhaps the most strenuous we have done, though not the most dangerous. It’s a safe trail. You won’t have ledges on which to walk or look down to hundreds of feet of air. During our hike to Comet Falls we had the falls on our left much of the time. There were some challenging rocks over which we had to climb; some large branches; and very steep inclines and declines some of which were on pebbles and dirt thus slippery from the mist. The forest kept changing from thick trees to open grass; from shade to sun. The wildflowers were gorgeous. There were patches of them along the way.

One mistake I think some people make is to think that the top of Christine Falls while very pretty is Comet Falls and it is not. You must keep walking to reach Comet Falls. The top of Comet Falls is gorgeous. You’ll know it because there is a flat piece of rock that allows you to get very close to the falls and the mist. If it’s warm you’ll enjoy the moisture. Until you find this landing you haven’t reached the top of Comet Falls! After enjoying a refreshing shower in the mist we were energized to continue up the gruesomely difficult though well maintained trail.

The trail was quite steep. You’ll find large, high granite steps. There were some boulders that at my 5-feet-4-inches tall I had to sit on to get down them and needed a little help to get up the rocks. You are going to see a sign that says “maintained path is ended.” Please keep going. It is very safe and you are not breaking any laws. You will be treated to Van Trump Park and views that are unbelievable. I was a bit concerned that we were sitting on wildflowers but a Ranger who was coming back said it was fine for us to be sitting down.

The area is quite remote so in spite of signs that tell you not to step off the path because you’ll kill the flowers you can enjoy this area. I did try to be careful to sit where there was grass rather than flowers. It’s a wonderful place to have lunch or a snack. By then you’ll need something to eat and drink. Make sure you brink lots of both. Although we stopped in this area, Van Trump Park, a family and a Marine (and the Ranger who was coming back) continued walking. The more you walk the closer you will come to Mount Rainier You will at this point feel as if you can touch Mount Rainier. It was truly one of the most memorable and
spiritual experiences I’ve had.

Other information culled from : http://www.nps.gov/archive/mora/trail/comet.htm

There are no specific areas for camping but with a permit you can backpack overnight. Check the Web site for weather conditions. The day we were there it was beautiful though be prepared to walk in snow. Fires are not allowed nor are pets.Water must be treated before drinking. Have fun! Please take only pictures, leave only footprints and kill only time.

Sources: www.nps.gov/archive/mora/trail/comet.htm