Grand Canyon, courtesy National Park Service

Yes, that means you can get free entry at the 147 national parks that charge admission. There are so many parks to choose [...]]]>

Grand Canyon, courtesy National Park Service

Yes, that means you can get free entry at the 147 national parks that charge admission. There are so many parks to choose from… where shall we go?

Patagonia is hosting a free adventure movie at their Santa Monica store – this is the third of a series of “First Monday” adventure films.

This month they’ll be showing a film called Gum for My Boat, about a Bangladesh Surf [...]]]> For the local Southern Californians…who won’t be at the Outdoor Retailer show in Utah…

Patagonia is hosting a free adventure movie at their Santa Monica store – this is the third of a series of “First Monday” adventure films.

This month they’ll be showing a film called Gum for My Boat, about a Bangladesh Surf Club who create a community through surfing. How do they integrate surfing with Islamic culture? We’ll have to watch and find out!

Date: Monday, August 2nd
Time: 7:30 PM
Cost: Free!!!
Location: Patagonia Santa Monica store

I had never heard of “National Geographic” music. It is an eclectic mix of “Amazon” inspired music (as in the Amazon jungle, not the online store!) Hey, it’s free, so the price is right!

Yep, that’s right. I will do my best to help you win.

Here’s the deal. The famous non-profit National Outdoor Leadership School is hosting a contest in partnership with the apparel and gear brand Patagonia. They are offering 6 prizes, with [...]]]>

NOLS Students Enjoying the Beautiful Wind River Range, Wyoming

Yep, that’s right. I will do my best to help you win.

Here’s the deal. The famous non-profit National Outdoor Leadership School is hosting a contest in partnership with the apparel and gear brand Patagonia. They are offering 6 prizes, with the Grand Prize being a 30 day all expenses paid trip to the gorgeous Wind River Mountains in Wyoming as a student in their classic NOLS Wind River Wilderness Course. This is a $4,000 trip!!

My friend over at NOLS let me know that they’ve only received a handful of entries so far (5 to be exact)! And 3 of them are from NOLS staff, who aren’t allowed to win anyway. So the 2 people who have submitted videos are automatically going to win one of the 5 tremendous prizes below if no one else enters. The contest ends 10/31/10, but the sooner you get your video submitted, people will have a chance to view it and vote.

Hiking Lady readers can do better! The way to win is to submit a very short video about “What is your dream expedition?” Pretty easy! And it doesn’t even have to be fancy, cause their are several categories of winners: most viewed, most creative, most inspirational, most low-tech, and funniest!

I WANT A HIKING LADY READER TO WIN! Why? Because this trip would be a fantastic experience for anyone who wants to hike in one of the most picturesque landscapes in America. And the runner up prizes are very impressive too.

How to participate:

• Film a short video of yourself. If you don’t have a video camera, remember that most digital cameras have a video mode. Your smartphone may be able to record the video… even iPods now have video recording features! So lack of video equipment is NO excuse.
• Create a YouTube account. Believe me it is quick and easy. I’ve done it (check out TheHikingLady on YouTube)


NOLS Students Learning Essential Skills

• As an extra incentive, for the first 2 Hiking Lady readers that submit a video for the NOLS contest, I will send you a copy of the bestselling NOLS paperback, “Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country”
• Submit your video here.
• And as soon as you’ve posted your video, post a link to it in the comments section below. That way I will be able to send the first 2 Hiking Lady readers who enter copies of the Bear Essentials book, and Hiking Lady readers who are too chicken to film themselves will vote for you and help you win!

So dear friends, good luck!

And if I haven’t convinced you, check out this page for runner up prize details, all of the details, rules, regulations, red tape, fine print, etc. Bottom line – NOLS is giving out a great trip but no one seems to know about it!

The good news – Altrec.com is offering a discount code right now through Monday night. Which means… I just bought my second Dryflylite Long Sleeve Shirt and paid just $48.71! Since Altrec offers free shipping over $45, I got free shipping too!

Discount code: SUMJULYS [...]]]> ExOfficio makes great hiking tops, but they are sooo expensive!

The good news – Altrec.com is offering a discount code right now through Monday night. Which means… I just bought my second Dryflylite Long Sleeve Shirt and paid just $48.71! Since Altrec offers free shipping over $45, I got free shipping too!

Discount code: SUMJULYS The typical great brands are excluded, but not ExOfficio this time

Definitely a nice way to start the weekend. Now it’s time to hit the trail!

Cheap and Patagonia? It is very rare to hear those 2 words in the same breath. Patagonia’s summer sale starts July 21 and runs through July 29.

A lot of Patagonia’s super high quality stuff that is rarely on sale is now 30% off!

Amazon has a great selection [...]]]> For those of you still in college, this is a great deal! Amazon is offering a free 1 year subscription to Amazon Prime for college students. You can get unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping, with no minimum order size. Too bad I’m not in college anymore!

Amazon has a great selection of books of course, but also hiking gear, boots, apparel, backpacks, you name it.

Backcountry.com 4th Of July Sale – Up To 40% Off 10,000 items at Backcountry.com. Expires 7/6/2010.

Also be sure to look at REI [...]]]> Summer is here and it is time to get back on the trails!! And get some good deals on the latest and greatest hiking gear and clothes.

Backcountry.com 4th Of July Sale – Up To 40% Off 10,000 items at Backcountry.com. Expires 7/6/2010.

Also be sure to look at REI Outlet’s deal of the day, and remember you can now get anything over $75 shipped for FREE to your home!

Free Stuff!!

There are always a lot of offers for free things out there that I’m sure will be of interest to my fellow hikers. Check these out:

Free Guide to the National Parks

REI Passport to Adventure for Kids. Your kids can get a cool pair of multifunction binoculars or 4 function whistle.

And there are always contests to sign up for to win free trips and gear…

Oregon Adventurecation Contest! Just sign up by July 18, 2010

Hiking Lady’s July 2010 Giveaway! Enter your email address by July 31 and you’ll have a chance to win this month’s Hiking Lady giveaway: a SteriPEN Traveler UV Water Purifier!

ExOfficio has a contest where you can win a free trip to Jordan; enter by July 31, 2010.

Patagonia is hosting a free adventure movie at their Santa Monica store – this is the second of a series of “First Monday” adventure films.

The movie this month is Red Gold, discussing the proposed open-pit and underground mines at the headwaters of Alaska’s great Kvichak and Nushagak rivers. [...]]]> For the local Southern Californians…

Patagonia is hosting a free adventure movie at their Santa Monica store – this is the second of a series of “First Monday” adventure films.

The movie this month is Red Gold, discussing the proposed open-pit and underground mines at the headwaters of Alaska’s great Kvichak and Nushagak rivers.

Should the sockeye salmon be left alone, or should two mining companies gain control of the rivers’ headwaters? I’ll have to check out the movie to learn more about the controversy!

Date: Monday, July 5th
Time: 7:30 PM
Cost: Free!!!
Location: Patagonia Santa Monica store