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ACTIVITIES
 Hot Pick
Hiking
By Bill Greer
The golden aspen covering a Colorado mountainside or maples blazing red in New England hills herald many a hiker's favorite season. At no time do I enjoy foot travel more than when the morning begins with a crisp autumn chill, but I can still set my sights on a high pass or alpine lake.
Sadly, the shortening days warn of the impending snows that will close the trails. While I am happy to bundle in wool or down and ski through an alpine glade, I am never really ready to hang up my hiking boots. By the winter solstice, my feet are itching and my mind is searching for an open trail. So where to head?
Choice 1 - The Tropics. The island of Kauai is tops on my list. While Arizona may have the grandest of Grand Canyons, Hawaii has another. The Waimea River carves the grand canyon of the Hawaiian islands through southwestern Kauai. Hikers can descend 2750 feet from the rim to the river or begin on the canyon floor and follow the river for 14.5 miles. Or try my personal favorite, a walk from atop the head of the canyon toward the north shore and a spectacular vista of Kauai's other great hiking attraction, the Na Pali coast. Don't miss the classic 11 mile trek along the Na Pali coast, to Hanalei Bay, where legend has it little wild men still roam the lush forest. Other hot tropical hiking destinations—Caribbean parks scattered throughout the islands and Puerto Rico's El Yunque, the only tropical destination in the U.S. national forest system.
Choice 2 - The Desert. If a brisk chill sounds better than tropical heat, I say head for the borderlands—the line of parks and monuments that stretch along the U.S./Mexico boundary from west Texas to southern California. Big Bend may have snow in the high country, but the canyons along the Rio Grande are open for exploring. By March, I have found bluebonnets lining the roads and paths. Farther north, Carlsbad and Guadeloupe Mountains National Parks are far more hospitable than in the summer heat. In Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument will be hosting a mammoth bird congregation, and snowbirds, of the human variety, will be flocking to Organ Pipe and Saguaro.Choice 3 - Southern Hemisphere. It's still summer in half the world. So if the tropics and the desert won't satisfy my yearning for alpine hiking, I look farther afield. The Australian outback is blistering, but New Zealand's alps are cool and inviting. The Milford trek is the Kiwi classic, but routes in the national parks of the south island can take you to the fjords of Fjiorland, the glaciers around Franz Joseph or the peaks along the island's divide. Next on my list, Patagonia. My dream is to spend the millennium gazing at the Torres del Paine. Well, maybe next year.
 Read the Cold Pick - Snowshoeing
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