No one should die without seeing the coast of Maine from Acadia National Parks. This is one hike that I highly recommend.

August 15: We woke to rain after sleeping like babies. Once the sun was out, we headed to a hike that we had planned called Huegenot Head and Champlain Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine.

The hike was 3.3 miles and supposedly would take two and a half hours. I'm not sure who's counting the minutes or how old the person is, but we like to stop and smell the flowers and did the hike in 3.5 hours. We found one area strenuous and much of it challenging, but the hike was gorgeous and worth the challenge. This hike begins at the Tarn parking area. We found the granite staircase. We love this kind of trail in spite of the physical work it requires. We started out with about 1,400 steps. Sure the steps were well defined and we had forest next to us eliminating the fear of falling off of them, but still, that's a lot of steps when you're going up a mountain and gaining 1,100 feet in elevation.

After the 1,400 steps, we hit some switchbacks. This is the kind of hike I call "rock climbing." I'm 5 feet 4 inches and with rocks like that, I'm pulling myself up to get on them and onto the next one. When we weren't "rock climbing" the trail was almost straight up. There's an elevation gain of 1,100 feet.

The summit was incredible and a perfect place for a picnic. We were looking at Frenchman's Bay but didn't see any seals or other critters. We had company but it was alright becase we all shared our stories of how we got up. We could have come to this summit any of four ways including using a ladder. At that time I had never done ladders so chose the rocky way. I had also been told that one way up the trail was so steep that I would be on my hands and knees clinging to the side of the mountain and trying not to look down to lots of air. Many of us wondered where the Starbucks was and when the helicopter would be coming to take us down!

We found out that we had our hike to ourselves for the most part because of the four ways up. The Precipice Trail, which is how some came up, is said to be the most difficult on this side of the island. The trail we went up is Tarn. We decided to go down Bear Brook Trail, which felt like an easy descent after the climb up. One negative about Bear Brook Trail is that we ended up on Route 3 and then had about a mile walk to our car. I would have preferred hiking to our car.

Diamond Head State Monument is located on the island of Oahu in beautiful Hawaii. This is a must-do hike. It can be seen just about anywhere on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. (Unless you're diving!)

When we arrived we were told by a person in a kiosk (there was no Visitor Center) to be back by 6 p.m. because the gate to the parking lot closes then and if we missed it, we'd be sleeping there. In fact, the gate didn't close at exactly 6 p.m and, if we had wanted to spend more time, we could have found parking outside the gate.

The trail was well maintained and, for the most part, pretty easy. There were handrails all the way up the 1.4 mile round-trip hike. This was a short hike, but really nice. We encountered some lava we had to climb up, but I'd call this hike great for the whole family. Although easy, it's a steep 760-foot crater, so I found wearing hiking boots to be a good idea. We also always carry binoculars and this was a great place to have them, along with the necessary sunscreen and a cap. There was no shade so having lots of water helped also.

Once we got to the top we had a gorgeous view. It felt as if we were on top of the world. It was one of the most impressive views I've ever seen. Along with the beautiful blue water, we saw hotels and a lighthouse.

We headed down at about 5 p.m. and it was still quite warm. Be forewarned: there was no water or bathrooms on the trail or at the top of Diamond Head.

We spent about two hours doing this hike. Even at that time of the day there were plenty of people. There weren't enough for me to call the observation posts crowded, but close to it. If I were to go again, I'd go early in the morning when it wouldn't be as crowded or hot.

This trail is great even if you have no interest in seeing President Hoover's summer house.

We loved a couple of hikes in Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The entire area is spectacular. One hike was once called Camp Hoover Trail. It is now known as Rapidan Camp Trail.

There are three trails: Rapiden Camp via Mill and Laurel Prongs (The Appalachian Trail) which is a 7.4-mile, somewhat difficult loop with streams and cascades; Rapiden Camp via Rapiden Fire Road, which is 12 miles round trip on a dusty road that is closed to public vehicles, and the third: Rapiden Camp via Mill Prong Trail. (Trail maps are available once you arrive.)

The trail we took is four miles round trip. It isn't a loop, but an in and out. There are markers on the road. Rapiden Camp is at mile marker 53, where you'll find the trail head. Note that the sign says Rapiden Camp-Laurel Prong-Hazeltop Loop. You'll park at the Milan Gap parking lot.

Our guidebook called our hike and the 7.4 hike "strenuous." Another paper calls this hike "moderate." This one really depends on your ability and experience. It was steep in places, moderate in others, woodsy in much of the area and, because it was raining when we were there, the narrow trail was muddy.

Shenandoah National Park, like many others, has bears. They are black (or brown) and usually don't attack unless provoked or if you come between a mom and her cubs. Although we didn't see any, one guy told us he did as he made his way down. We saw bear droppings and were told by the ranger who lives on the property that the creatures do roam about. In fact he showed us another giveaway: tree bark chewed by a bear looking for bugs. Oh Dear.

You'll pass a catch-and-release pond and two stream crossings. You'll see some small but pretty cascades along the way. Since it had been and still was raining, this was a bit of a challenge. We got there just by chance for a 2 p.m. tour and talk. The Prime Minister's Cabin is open to the public, but Rapiden Camp was the summer retreat of President Hoover. His house is called the Brown House; you will not be able to enter without a ranger. It's worth it!