Greetings and welcome to Walking The World, your Guide to the Great Outdoors!

For more than 20 years I have been designing and leading adventure travel programs in more than 30 destinations around the globe. It’s been an unbelievably fun, exciting and rewarding experience. There is nothing quite like spending a day being physically active in the outdoors whether it’s hiking, biking, rafting or snowshoeing, of meeting the local hill tribes in the mountains of Thailand, witnessing lava exploding into the sea in Hawaii, savoring a fine wine in Tuscany, rafting a pristine jungle river in Costa Rica or watching the brilliance of a sunset in Utah’s Canyon Country.

One of our primary goals is to help you discover this magical planet we live on. Some of you are already veteran travelers while some of you may be just beginning your travels. Either way, I would invite you to consider that whatever your age, experience or physical condition, you can achieve whatever magical adventure you’ve always dreamed about. Whether it’s hiking to Machu Pichu, rafting the Grand Canyon, photographing grizzlies in Alaska or just meandering through the hidden canyons of Utah, you have what it takes to make your dreams come true.

True, it may take some additional training, planning or conditioning, but with the right help and guidance, many things are possible. While you might not summit Mt. Everest, it’s possible that you might find yourself on a trek in Nepal. Whatever those dreams may be, encourage yourself to start doing something today that will help them come true.

We’re here to help in any way that we can.

I would also like to invite you to share your ideas, outdoor tips and unique adventures with us and our readers. If you have an inspiring quote about the outdoors that you love, a great photo you’ve taken on one of your trips, a recommendation for a special destination or fabulous winery you’ve discovered, please take a moment to get in touch.

At Walking The World, adventure travel is our life. It’s our passion. It’s what we do. It’s what we love. I hope that you too will find yourself being pulled by the call of the wild and the great outdoors.

I would like to leave for now with two quotes, one from two brothers who grew up exploring the hidden corners of the Sierras in California and one from Edward Abbey.

“One of the best-paying professions is getting ahold of pieces of country in your mind, learning their smell and their moods, sorting out the pieces of a view, deciding what grows there and there and why, how many steps that hill will take, where this creek winds and where it meets the other one below, what elevation timberline is now, whether you can walk this reef at low tide or have to climb around, which contour lines on a map mean better cliffs or mountains. This is the best kind of ownership, and the most permanent.

It feels good to say ‘I know the Sierra’ or ‘I know Point Reyes’. But of course you don’t–what you know better is yourself, and Point Reyes and the Sierra have helped.”

Terry & Renny Russell—ON THE LOOSE

and….

“…there is another world waiting for you. It is the old true world of the deserts, the mountains, the forests, the islands, the shores, the open plains. Go there. Be there. Walk gently and quietly deep within it. And then–

May your trails be dim, lonesome, stony, narrow, winding and only slightly uphill. May the wind bring rain for the slickrock potholes fourteen miles on the other side of yonder blue ridge. May God’s dog serenade your campfire, may the rattlesnake and the screech owl amuse your reverie, may the Great Sun dazzle your eyes by day and the Great Bear watch over you by night.”

Edward Abbey in BEYOND THE WALL

In Adventure,

Ward.

Greetings from Walking The World!

It’s finally cooled down a bit in Colorado, but today I’m heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet with, as the people at OR describe it, “the largest gathering of outdoor companies in the world.”

More than 20,000 professionals in the outdoor industry will be attending this event. Fortunately, with those kind of numbers, I have a media pass which will help me navigate through everything a bit easier.

One of my roles at OR will be to interview as many company reps as I can on all the new products they’ll be offering. I’ll be posting many of the video blogs of these interviews on this site, so if you’re interested in anything in the world of outdoor gear and clothing, stay tuned.

If you have any specific questions on outdoor gear, clothing or companies that you’d like to have more information on, let me know and I’ll see what I can find.

Oh, yes, if you haven’t been to Costa Rica, check out our December 2008 trip to this magical tropical paradise. It’s always been one of my favorite destinations in the world.

Have a fabulous day. Now, lace up those boots and head out for some adventure!

Ward Luthi

Walking The World

Welcome to my travel blog.  Check back regularly to see where I’m traveling, view scenic photos, hear about the foods and wines of the region and experience the joy of walking the world.