Picture this. You are stuck at home knee deep in household chores. Your mind wanders from taking out the trash to hiking on a scenic trail with heart pumping terrain. You are an avid hiker and yearn to strap on your hiking gear and hit the trails. Unfortunately, a hiking trail adventure is not in the cards for you today, but you can find the next best thing by logging onto your computer.

The Internet is filled with interesting websites dedicated to hiking and outdoor sports. Many hiking websites are packed with information about hiking gear, trails, and hiking vacation. However, you want more then just basic information. You desire to connect with other hikers. You are hungry for more information, experience, and the friendship of other hikers. Seek no further than hiking discussion boards and forums on the Internet. You can swap hiking stories with pals from around the globe. Discussion boards and forums allow you to ask hiking questions and receive many insightful answers and perspectives. Most importantly, you will feel a part of the hiking community even when you are unable to make it out to the trails.

There are a myriad of hiking discussion boards and forums to participate in. New forums pop up everyday as more and more people link up to the global community on the Internet. Some discussion boards and forums are free while others require a small fee. The key is to take advantage of the personalized forums and learn from fellow hikers. Often times you will hear the "true" story regarding hiking gear, trails, and vacations.

For example, you are interested in taking a hiking trip out West. You've scanned through different websites for information, but you want an insider's guide to the trip. Read through discussion boards as many forum members can provide an unbiased account of their trip as opposed to a hiking advertisement that depicts the hiking vacation as spectacular. The "true" story may not always be negative, in fact it may be better then advertisements claim. You can also garner tips from the discussion board to make your hiking adventure the best it can be.

Following are two hiking message boards to get you started.

Mountain Zone.com:

http://forums.mountainzone.com/mz_tools/forum/ This information intensive website about hiking and other outdoor sports has a great discussion board. The two main topics of the discussion board are hiking and gear. If you go into the hiking forum you will discover topics ranging from snowboarding to hiking trails. You are allowed to post a message to the boards once you create a free user name and password.

Trailplace.com:

http://trailplace.com/portal/forum_display.php?id=6 This is an Appalachian Trail resource site. Discuss everything you'll need when hiking the trail. They also present a forum for hiking in general. The message boards are used frequently and will supply you with ample information.

You can still feel connected to the hiking world even when you are sitting in your living room. Keep yourself current on hiking news, trails, and gear. The Internet brings hikers from every region of the world together. Join in the fun and log on to your computer right now.

Monica Marty is a hiking fan and the webmaster of http://hikingtrailfinder.com/ where you will find a directory and information on Hiking