The First State is the last one to have its own National Park, if a bill introduced on Tuesday 10/20 gets passed.  From examiner.com:

The new National Historical Park…will center on the historic town of New Castle. The town’s historic homes and buildings reflect on the state’s Dutch heritage as well as its Swedish and English roots—including the house in which William Penn is said to have spent his first night in the New World in 1682.

I used to live just outside Old New Castle, and can tell you it’s an awesome spot for History buffs.  It’s sort of like a mini Williamsburg, but with less touristy places and more actual residents.

If you’re up for a quick hike, head down to the spot where William Penn spent his first night in the New World, then follow a mostly-paved path along the Delaware river for a nice out-and-back trek.  Make sure to snap some photos of the many 17th century homes and cobblestone streets in town, and also the many different birds and river-dwelling wildlife along the waterfront’s protected marsh areas.

Hiking comes naturally here at Trailsauce, but it’s clear we have some work to do in the SEO department

Soon Ranked #1 for "Bear Grylls Pee"! Sweet! Is there an affiliate program revolving around Bear Grylls's urine? I could promote the crap out of it <-- Pun completely intended and admittedly juvenile.

Photo from NY Times

If you’re a purist who hates any kind of gadgetry on the trail, you’ve probably become increasingly frustrated over the leaps in technology that have produced smaller, lighter versions of mp3 players, gps units and cell phones, leading to their meteoric rise in use in the wilderness over the last few years.  Well, it’s about to get worse–or if you’re a gadget-lover like me, it’s about to get more AWESOME.  North Carolina-based Semprius has developed an ultra-tiny, ultrathin, ultra-bitchin’ version of a solar cell which could be interwoven into your clothes, pack, hat, or pretty much anywhere else, giving you all the power you need without having to carry around batteries or stop in town to recharge.  The possibilities are endless.  NYTimes via Treehugger

photo from GypsyRocks

This gentleman from Cambridge, MA graciously–albeit unknowingly–volunteered his time to teach beginning hikers everywhere exactly how not to hike.  Thanks, sir!

Jeans — check
Sneakers — check
Garbage bag — check
Out of shape spaghetti legs — check
Random dudes from craigslist — check

Side note: My hiking buddy Suvid and I have a tradition which involves yelling, “Yay, Jeans!” whenever we see someone wearing jeans on the trail.  We’re not trail snobs, but c’mon…jeans?  Plz.  It’s almost as silly as the time George Costanza suggested the Yankees switch to cotton uniforms from a polyester blend.

No.

Princeton, NJ architect Francis D. Treves believes he has the fix for the crumbling Old Man of the Mountain landmark in New Hampshire–reconstruct it using 250 glass panels.  So your idea to fix a granite rock formation that can’t stand up to the elements is to reconstruct it using a more fragile material.  Reallllllly.

The Daily Dirt–Old Man of Glass

Compass Points–Through the mountain glass

Yoga for Hikers

There are many hiking specific workout resources out there, but check out Yoga for Hikers and Backpackers on HealthNewsDigest.com for an interesting change of pace.  The Upside Down Pigeon position has piqued my curiosity, so I pledge to get a pic of myself in said position on my next hike.  Note to self: Wear underwear this time, so as not to scare readers away).

Yoga for Hikers and Backpackers

flickr photo by alykat

A total of roughly $650,000 has been allocated for various projects along the Appalachian Trail as part of the National Park Service Recovery Act.  NJ, NY, VA and VT will all see projects ranging from trail relocation to repair/rehab to shelter renovations.  State-specific details below: