The idea for a Hiker's Dictionary came to me a few years ago when I was speaking to the annual California Recreational Trails Conference, a…
John McKinneyFebruary 7, 2020
When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared before him and said: "I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless." Abraham continued…
John McKinneyJanuary 25, 2020
Is Hiking a Sport? During my long tenure as the Los Angeles Times hiking columnist, my weekly hiking columns were published in several different parts…
John McKinneyJanuary 23, 2020
“What’s wrong with this trail?” the perspiring young sportsman in the Boston Red Sox baseball cap complains to me as I catch up with him…
John McKinneyJanuary 18, 2020
By expressing our gratitude, we can hike from feeling stressed to feeling blessed. A grateful thought toward heaven is the simplest of prayers.
John McKinneyNovember 19, 2019
Let us now acknowledge trail builders, of this generation, generations past and generations to come. Not all hikers appreciate the trail at their feet—but to…
John McKinneyAugust 20, 2019
Maybe it’s the outwardly stern image of the serious exercise-walker, striding with erect posture, a jabbing arm swing, and unsmiling face that suggests walkers can’t…
John McKinneyAugust 10, 2019
Letter from John to the Hikers, a passage from "Hiking the Holy Mountain: Tales of Monks and Miracles on the Trails of Mt. Athos Greece"…
John McKinneyApril 15, 2019
Hike on Halloween and start a new holiday tradition. There's likely a place in your neck of the woods that's just a little bit spooky…
John McKinneyOctober 30, 2018
I love the very idea of a hiker boxes, and of course the huge help they can be to the hiker who needs more food,…
John McKinneySeptember 25, 2018
Introduction from the Trailmaster Griffith Park will always have a special place in my heart. I was born in Glendale, only a mile away from…
John McKinneyApril 18, 2016
Hikers have a sense of humor. Really. Perhaps we project a too serious demeanor as we climb to the top of the hill, prompting non-hikers…
John McKinneyJanuary 19, 2016
Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain, has several faces: a Greek landscape of astonishing beauty; monasteries of an architectural genius that will not be seen again;…
John McKinneyJuly 24, 2015
What are words you associate with hiking? By that I mean the words that describe the feelings (mostly good, I hope) that hiking brings you.…
John McKinneyMay 8, 2015