Blog
Hiking is at an all-time high! Blame COVID.
Did you get outside in 2020? Was it your first time? The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) recently reported that last year 160.7 million Americans, or 53% of the United States population, ages 6 and over participated in outdoor recreation at... Read more →
Mission of Hiking Trails for America
At the request of Bill Kemsley, Founding Publisher, Backpacker Magazine, I sent him a memo outlining the facts driving our mission. *** MEMO Date: 5/20/21 To: Bill Kemsley, Founding Publisher, Backpacker Magazine From: Jim Kern Re: Closing the Gaps... Read more →
Our National Scenic Trails and issues Congress must address
As many of you know, I’m working on a book about the state of our National Scenic Trails. It’s not all good news. But if you enjoy our natural world and outdoor recreation in the U.S., and if you like... Read more →
#KernBlog: Look at the Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation
July 2020 – Outdoor recreation is a thriving industry, and growing larger every year. According to a recent report by the Outdoor Industry Association, “The Outdoor Recreation Economy,” outdoor recreation generates $887 billion in consumer spending annually. This includes outdoor... Read more →
Jim Kern accepts resolution from FL Governor Rick Scott and Cabinet
It was about 10:30 during the Florida Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, September 20, that Rick Scott turned to Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam and said, “Commissioner Putnam would like now to recognize the 50th anniversary of the founding of the... Read more →
New HTA Website!
Hello! I am happy to announce our new website that will focus on closing the gaps in the National Scenic Trails. Ten out of 11 have gaps and we are on a mission to gain Congressional approval for this important... Read more →
Jim Kern was featured on the front page of the St. Augustine Record!
Read the original article HERE We are very excited to announce that Jim Kern was featured on the front page of the St. Augustine Record! Jim, founder of the Florida Trail Association (FTA), was interviewed by the local paper to... Read more →
Progress at the OR Show!
The mission of Hiking Trails for America, closing the gaps in our National Scenic Trails, was very well received at the huge Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City last week. Read more →
Seeking Industry Support
Just two weeks ago I made another trip to Washington DC to talk again with our lobbyist, Destry Jarvis and others, about advancing our cause in the next session of Congress, but more specifically to meet early, right after the... Read more →
Europe 2016. Dubrovnik, Montenegro, France
Just spent three weeks in Europe hiking. I landed in Dubrovnik, visited the old walled city and then drove north through Montenegro to hike in Dermator National Park, the country’s largest. From there I returned to Paris, took the fast... Read more →
Travels Through Nature in the Panhandle, Cont’d
Jim and Rich’s Travels Along the Panhandle–Cont’d. St. Mark’s River: Where the Aucilla meets the Wacissa: Hiking on the FT along the Aucilla Sinks: Read more →
Travels on the Florida Trail in the Panhandle
Let me tell you about a beautiful part of Florida most Floridians have never heard of and fewer still have seen. I’m talking about the rivers and streams that flow south out of Georgia and Alabama across the Florida panhandle... Read more →
You Can Help!
Things are rolling. Hiking Trails for America has employed Destry Jarvis, brother of John Jarvis, director of the U.S. Parks Service, to guide a legislative campaign to implement our mission. We cemented this relationship this week. We have known for... Read more →
Big City Mountaineers
This is a short story about a young lady named Amy Tam. In 1989, my son Drew, a real estate associate of mine, Jerry Gault, and I took a disadvantaged teen from downtown Miami on a high-adventure backpacking trip in... Read more →
DC Visit
A week ago I spent the first two days in Washington, DC. Monday morning I met with Destry Jarvis, brother of John Jarvis, Director of the National Parks Service. I told him Hiking Trails for America had been formed to... Read more →
Seeking Support for our Mission.
I was looking forward to taking a key Marco Rubio supporter into the Big Cypress on February 8 with a back-up date of February 20. The chief ranger at Big Cypress National Preserve said the water is too high now... Read more →
The Saloon Door Story
I have a trail story for you ….. In 1978 the American Hiking Society, newly formed, wanted to make some sort of grand appearance in the political arena. I was the founding president of this new organization. We had a... Read more →
The Surgeon General on WALKING!!
Earlier this year the Surgeon General issued a report calling for people to walk more for better health. It’s called Step It Up! It’s the Surgeon General’s call to action to promote walking and walkable communities. To print the complete... Read more →
Appeal to Senators
The following letter was written to Florida senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio. It’s self-explanatory. There is a lot riding on what these senators could do for trails in America. ________________________________________ November 18, 2015 Senator Bill Nelson 1301 Riverplace Blvd.,... Read more →
You have waked me too soon…
Sedentary living has reached epidemic proportions BRITAIN’S health department calls it “the silent killer”. Others have labeled it “the new smoking”. Lack of physical activity has crept up the list of global causes of death to fourth place, after high... Read more →
The best remedy …
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, then there... Read more →
HikaNation, 35th Anniversary
It’s ancient history now, but at the first board meeting of the American Hiking Society, Bill Kemsley, founder of Backpacker magazine, told the group we ought to come up with a splashy event to announce that AHS was now up... Read more →
Bill Bryson Interview with AT Journeys
No doubt everyone who reads this blog will want to see the film, “A Walk in the Woods,” released September 1. A good picture of the two lead actors, Robert Redford and Nick Nolte appeared on the cover of the... Read more →
35th HikaNation Reunion in Estes Park
I’m attending the 35th Hikanation reunion in Estes Park this weekend. Two years after the American Hiking Society was formed in 1976, the new board wanted to create a little splash and do something memorable to announce our arrival. The... Read more →
“Virtual Reality” and “Real Reality”
Time Magazine (Aug 17, 2015) had a cover story on “Virtual Reality, and why it’s about to change the world.” The writer, Joel Stein, says, “Virtual Reality is nearly upon us. So I tried every major and minor version out... Read more →