Where does the happy medium lie between hiking and birding?  Although my
spouse enjoys the outdoors, she finds the stop and go nature of birding
frustrating.  For her, hiking is homage to the cardio-vascular gods.
Perhaps the right combination lies in brisk periods of hiking punctuated
with short pauses to observe birds.  "PowerBirding" could become the next
outdoor trend complete with specialized equipment, clothing, organizations,
tours and competitive events!

Tom Marko
Olney, MD
Montgomery Bird Club (MOS)
Email: 

-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Janet Millenson
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 1:06 PM
To: 
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] A.T. report 7/4/2004

Hmmm, from these postings it sounds like there might be an interest in
running some combination hiking/birding outings (or even overnight trips).
Like Jerry Tarbell, I find it frustrating when hiking with a group that
doesn't stop to observe birds or other wild things. Even when I'm the
leader, I'm reluctant to make a lot of stops if the group is expecting a
brisk walk in the woods. On the other hand, most birding trips don't involve
more than a few miles of ambling along, not enough exercise to balance the
rest of the week spent sitting in front of a computer.

So, if anyone has some trip ideas, let me know. I lead hikes for local
chapters of the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Sierra Club (anyone can
come along; membership not required) and both groups are always looking for
new activities to put on their calendars. Alternatively, we could set these
up as MOS outings.

Janet Millenson
Potomac, MD (Montgomery County)

----------------------------------------------------------------
"Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot