Trailsnet and ActiveTravelTours Will Be At TBEX 2012

Sure trailsnet.com is all about trails, but it’s also considered to be a travel blog, too. So I am looking forward to attending TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) in Keystone, Colorado this summer. It will be a great time to connect with fellow bloggers, learn new trends in the blogging industry, and enjoy some time up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. If you are a fellow blogger, I look forward to meeting you. For those of you who follow trailsnet, hopefully TBEX 2012 will help me improve trailsnet so it is a useful resource for trail lovers and trail travelers.

I will also be representing ActiveTravelTours.com at TBEX, so I look forward to meeting travel writers and continuing to make trailsnet and ActiveTravelTours the best active travel blogs on either side of the Mississippi.

Trail Searches Going Down on the Internet

Is the golden age of rail trails already behind us in the United States? If you look at Google Insights statistics, it looks that way. It looks as if fewer people are searching for rail trails and trails in general, while far fewer people are looking for bike trails. At the bottom of this post is one of the many Google Insights reports I viewed when looking at trail trends worldwide. Rather than just looking at my results, I highly recommend you do some trail research on your own. I don’t claim to be an expert on Google Analytics or Google Insights. However, it seemed pretty clear to me that interest in trails in general and rail trails in particular is on the downswing in the United States and some other major countries. We could blame it on many factors: economic downturn, competing forms of recreation and transportation, lack of funding, etc. But, of course, those are just excuses. With their many benefits for health, the environment, and recreation, trail use and interest should be on the rise rather than in decline. But enough bad trail news, lets look at some good trail news.

Trail Interest on the Rise in Australia, New Zealand & Canada

Fortunately there is some good news about trails. While internet trail searches are down in the United States and some European countries, searches are up in Australia and New Zealand. I’m not sure about Australia, but I know that New Zealand in particular has recently made a concerted effort not only to build new trails but (and this is important) also to connect their trails and to publicize trails. I can’t emphasize that last point enough. It doesn’t matter how much money, time and work goes into building trails; if they are just a hodgepodge of unconnected lines on a map that nobody knows about, things will start to disappear. Interest will disappear, funding will disappear, internet searches will disappear, trail users will disappear… I don’t believe we have even gotten out of the starting blocks unless we have:

• a complete inventory of every trail in the country
• a firm set of numbers for total trail mileage in the country
• a much better system for categorizing trails that allows people to know what kind of trails are out there and who can use them
• more promotion of trails for everyone of all ages, sizes, shapes and abilities
• a central entity that lists, promotes, publicizes and coordinates trails

To end this on a positive note, one trail statistic is going up worldwide. People are showing a continually increased interest in hiking trails. As you can imagine, I have some thoughts on that, too. But now it’s time to give you a break from my preaching and show you a graphic representation. This is just to pique your interest. Hopefully, you’ll do some searching on your own and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

New Personal Transportation Vehicle for Upright Riding

Trail running is great exercise, but a little hard on the feet, knees and back. Bike riding on trails is lots of fun, but sometimes a pain in the neck, literally. It would be perfect to combine the two. The upright position of running combined with the smooth, rolling cadence of bicycling would make the ideal trail ride. Too bad there’s not a personal transportation vehicle for that. Or is there?

3G Stepper Combines Best of Trail Running and Bike Riding

For those with plantar fasciitis, bad knees or a sore back, trail running can be a real pain. For some bicycle riders, daily bike trips can cause pain in the lower back or neck. But we all love the trail and have a burning need to burn some calories. Fortunately, there’s a wide selection of personal transportation vehicles out there that are much easier on the body than some of the traditional trail transportation vehicles. One such vehicle is the 3G Stepper. Founded by Gary Silva, the 3G Stepper is a fun alternative to biking or trail running. It allows the rider to stand upright while pedaling the vehicle a bit like a bicycle.

Best on Paved Trails or Cement Trails

Although the 3G Stepper personal transportation vehicle can probably be ridden on packed gravel trails or even the road, it works best on asphalt trails or cement paths. I tried a 3G Stepper on the Huntington Beach Trail in Southern California, and it was love at first pedal. I hope to get the chance to demo the 3G Stepper in Colorado where it would be a big hit on such trails as Glenwood Canyon Trail or Platte River Trail near Denver. If any of you have had experience with personal transportation vehicles such as the 3G Stepper or any other stand up pedal vehicles, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.