New to hiking for weight loss

Hi everyone, I live in Boulder Colorado which offers a TON of hiking options although I've always just done it for leisure and never considered it a weight loss activity! Now I'm seeing hiking as a strenuous activity and not just a walk in the woods. I've found a lot of helpful information on a site called protrails dot com. It's sent me to some really neat places and has information for several states.

I hike 2-3 times a week, sometimes just for 2 hours before work but sometimes for 4-8 hours on the weekends. It's great to live in a state that offers everything from leisurely nature walks to 14,000 foot peaks. I want to climb my first 14er this year (Mount Bierstadt) and add to the list every summer. Unfortunately the 14er season is short: July through mid-August.

If anyone else in this group lives in the Boulder area and would like a hiking buddy, let me know!

thanks for the info on that trail site, that was great.  Now I KNOW I don't want to take the Angel's Landing trail in Zion's. ha ha ha But I found several I do want to try, so thanks again!

The Angel's Landing Trail in Zion NP is amazing.  Many people turn back once it starts to get scary but it is absolutely worth it.

Hi,

Well, I live in Illinois which means that we don't have the mountains, but we do

have some beautiful river trails, we have Lake Michigan, and we have some beautiful parks with waterfalls and canyons.  All great hiking!  I'm fairly new to it.  I've mainly done the neighborhood walking thingie for the last 15 years but I've gotten complete sick of that.  I knew that my great walking legs and feet would go to waste if I didn't find an alternative.  That's how I thought of hiking. This is something my hubbie wants to do also.  I've wanted him to get into a better fitness routein as well.  Hiking answers it all. 

I'll let you know about Apple River Canyon.  We're suppose to go Saturday.

I get excited when Angel's Landing is mentioned anywhere!  I am 57, plus overweight by 30# and I climbed Angel's Landing.  If I CAN, YOU CAN!  It was perfectly alright to stop and catch my breath when I needed to.  I find hiking when it is earlier in my day helps as I have the energy to stay motivated.  Hope you don't cross yourself out on Angel's Landing.  Just a thought...

I could probably HIKE Angel's Landing, but I am terrified of heights, absolutely frozen-and-unable-to-breath kind of terrified. Seeing the chains part convinced me against it. ha ha

Hey Morgan!  I also live in Boulder!  I did the first and second flatiron yesterday up at Chatauqua and it was the perfect morning for it.  I was going to hike Sanita today, but decided to give my knees a rest.  I love longer hikes and backpacking and camping too, but it's great that there is so much right here in town.  Being from Santa Barbara, CA, another location with great trails right in town, I don't think I could live in a place without great hiking!

I am recently taking a short break from employment, so I have a lot of time to hike!  Hit me up sometime and we should go hit the trails.  I love new hiking buddies! :)