On June 5, hikers will celebrate National Trails Day, an annual recognition of the recreation opportunities and preservation needs within green spaces. For those new to hiking, perhaps the celebration will spark a new interest; the American Hiking Society's (AHS) Hiking 101 portal is a great resource for those looking to get started. Home to information on everything from hiking etiquette to outdoor gear, the site has answers to many common questions. Resources are organized into five sections: Before You Go, Outdoor Skills, Gear, Safety & First Aid, and All About Trails. An especially important section of the site, found within the All About Trails category, discusses racism in outdoor spaces and provides antiracism resources, as well as a list of individuals and organizations to support. These materials, and all of the offerings on the Hiking 101 page, contribute to AHS's mission of "empowering all to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience." [EMB]

"What does it look like to be a respectful and responsible traveler when we're traveling to these other spaces?" It is a question everyone should wrestle with, whether out on a hiking or camping adventure or traveling for other professional or personal reasons. The question is further explored on this episode of the travel podcast Let's Go Together. Listeners will enjoy a 40-minute conversation between host Kellee Edwards, a pilot and travel media expert, and Jolie Varela, a citizen of the Tule River Yokut and Paiute Nations and the founder of Indigenous Women Hike. Varela discusses the history of public land, including the forced removal of and violence against Indigenous people, and how this power dynamic is too often erased from our historical understanding of outdoor spaces. Other central themes within the episode include relearning the ancestral landscape, using respectful language to acknowledge the Indigenous land someone is on, and re-defining "outdoorsy" and outdoors heroes. The episode, and the podcast in its entirety, can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. [EMB]

Scouting for the next grand adventure? The Hiking Project is ready to help, welcoming users to "explore 243,117 miles of hiking trails." Investigate by location using the search bar or use one of the many available filters to narrow by feature. Those looking for the best hiking spots, regardless of location, should check out the Top Hikes page, which recognizes routes with the highest user ratings. Alternatively, visitors can scroll through the Trail Directory (found under the Trail Guide tab), which catalogs hiking destinations by U.S. state or country. The app is also available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for mobile use. One of its notable features is the ability to go signal free, making maps accessible in more remote locations. Because the guide is crowd-sourced, readers are also welcome to submit their own trail information and images (note that submissions are reviewed for accuracy before content appears on the site). Contributors may even be honored with a feature on the Best Photos page. [EMB]

Though the first image sparked by the word "trail" may be a secluded natural area, other types of trails also exist. For example, the Portland Women's History Trail, which is divided into seven sections and highlighting two centuries of groundbreaking women, encapsulates history in the places it was shaped. Weaving through downtown Portland, ME and several neighborhoods, visitors can walk along several miles of historical landmarks. Thanks to this digital exhibition, people can also expand their historical knowledge sans any exercise. Readers may want to begin with the About the Trails section, which provides a brief background. Then, click through the seven sections to digitally meander historical landmarks, people, and events. The embedded text and images make for an authentic and educational adventure. Viewers can also explore directly on the Map or by clicking through an alphabetized list of Sites. The project is a collaboration between the University of Southern Maine, Maine College of Art (MECA), Maine Humanities Council, and Maine Historical Society. Funding was provided by the Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) for Digital Maine. [EMB]

Whether a new or experienced trail enthusiast, everyone should always be conscious of responsible recreation. In fact, this theme has been widely shared using the hashtag, #RecreateResponsibly. At the link above, readers can access a toolkit by the same name, created by the Recreate Responsibly Coalition. After entering the site (by clicking any of the landing page links) select the "Get the Toolkit" button in the top right corner to access the guide in one of several languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and American Sign Language. The toolkit contains sample social media messages to share responsible recreation guidelines and links to other resources, such as the Native Land map (a tool to search and acknowledge the Indigenous land users are on). The site also features a blog and a Resource Hub with a bevy of information, from inclusivity resources to materials curated by outdoor activity (e.g., cycling or skiing). Readers can also check out the coalition on social media: Instagram (@recreate.responsibly), Twitter (@RecreateInfo), and YouTube (Recreate Responsibly). [EMB]

Squid Notes (formerly Papyrus) is a tool for taking handwritten notes on Android devices with an active pen, a passive stylus, or a finger. Notes are stored using a vector graphics engine so that they will not pixelate when zoomed and look great "at any zoom level." New notes pages may be blank, ruled, or graphed and can be either infinite in size or constrained to a number of standard paper sizes. Squid Notes can import PDFs or images that can then be annotated (e.g., to grade papers, sign documents, or mark up images). The resulting files can be re-exported as PDFs or images, emailed, shared via Evernote, and more. When a user's device is connected to a projector, Squid Notes can also provide a virtual whiteboard. Squid Notes is available via the Google Play store. [CRH]

TimelineJS is a JavaScript library for building "visually rich, interactive timelines." It is designed to be immediately functional without extensive custom code. In the most basic implementation, users construct a Google spreadsheet containing their data and tell TimelineJS where to find it. The example timeline on the project's front page was created in exactly this way. Clicking the "Make a Timeline" button on the site's landing page, users can locate step-by-step instructions showing how to create a timeline in this way. More experienced developers can customize what is displayed with their own CSS and JavaScript code using the reference material listed under Technical Documentation (found near the bottom of the landing page). The TimelineJS developers primarily test in Google Chrome but follow web standards such that the project should work in any modern browser. [CRH]

Readers gearing up for summer adventures may want to return to the highly regarded AllTrails app (featured in the 11-20-2020 Scout Report), the perfect companion to "find your next trail."

"Remote" takes on many meanings with AllTrails, an app that helps users prepare at home for future explorations or find a safe and socially-distanced "remote" hiking spot. On a mission "to kindle the spirit of adventure," this platform helps nature lovers find and share their favorite outdoor spots. AllTrails connects users to more than 200,000 trail guides, personalized based on parameters they set. For example, readers can search by location or trail name, enter basic information about the difficulty, length, and type of hike they are looking for, or narrow by accessibility options (e.g., wheelchair friendly paths). The app takes over the work from there (so users can save their energy for the actual exploration). Each tailored result includes a basic trail description and reviews, helping readers find the perfect trail for their next adventure. Though the "Pro" version of the app requires a low monthly fee, users can create a basic account for free. A web-based version of the platform is found at the link above, or users can download the mobile app (available on the Apple App Store and Google Play). [EMB]

Comment on or rate this resource