All Blog Posts (117)

Once again I am amazed at the effort and energy that Paul K. commits to these great walks. A giant Thank You from a somewhat sore but happy walker, Jay L.

While FreeWalker walks are known more for their mix of environments, they always include a good portion of Mother Nature. Here's an article on a study that just makes sense. Allergies appear more common in environments that are compromised or limited.
Not having enough contact with the natural environment is  one reason more city dwellers are developing allergies and asthma. That is,…

"Americans now walk the least of any industrialized nation in the world," says writer Tom Vanderbilt. 

Talking with Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep about what is wrong with Americans' relationship with walking, Vanderbilt says, "The main thing…

Paul,

Thank you for organizing another great event. The challenge, fellow walkers, the support (Andy, Mike, & EMS), the route all made for a fantastic experience.

Jay

What if the city built a huge public park in the heart of Midtown, stretching half a mile over seven city blocks? As Midtown began to creep West toward Times Square in the 1970s, a quirk in the zoning between Sixth and Seventh Avenues led to a string of towers in the middle of the block, all with public…

Now here's an interesting concept. How about pedestrian/cyclist only bridges spanning Manhattan. What about charging each cyclist a toll of $.50 each way to help support the projects. This is the brain-child of the famous transportation genius, Sam Schwartz, aka ‘Gridlock Sam.’

This is no joke. Sam sees a recent downturn in four-wheel…

We completed the first semi-organized event of 2012 with a 12-mile walk from Trenton to Princeton this past Sunday, Mar 25th. With a moderate temperature but a threat of rain we had 21 walkers and one canine (Briggs Roe) show up for what proved to be an excellent day for a pretty long…

Here's an interesting case of a really serious walker. Matt Green, after walking across the country, is now dedicating his waking hours to walking every block of NYC, an estimated 8,000 miles! He's out everyday walking a different section and logging his travels.

He starts walking between 10 a.m. and noon and keeps going until the sun goes…

Volvo, the car manufacturer known for its advanced safety, is actually coming out with this air bag designed to minimize pedestrian injury if hit by a car. Looks pretty wierd to me and won't be helping save your bottom half. Opinions are all over the place on whether this is great or a terrible idea.…

Route 22 was the most dangerous road in Somerset County for pedestrians during the last three years of data tabulated by a tri-state group that analyzes federal traffic fatality data. Five of nine pedestrians killed in the county between 2008 and 2010 were struck by vehicles while walking…

Nature Valley, the folks that bring you granola bars and more, now offer a virtual walk along trails in our National Parks. Check out the interactive website http://www.naturevalleytrailview.com/ where you can pick, for example, the Grand Canyon and see…

The author of this article argues that pedestrians have lost the battle of the streets over the years.

The sidewalks and the roadbed — sidewalks were not pedestrian cattle pens, but off-limits zones for vehicles. But that changed over time with the advent of trolleys, bicycles and then cars…

The Lenape Park section of the East Coast Greenway in Cranford has been opened. Big Walk walkers will remember that after Nomehegan Park came Kenilworth Boulevard and street walking for a mile or so. Now, we will cross the street and head into the park on a brand new…

It’s a good thing that we are biologically programmed to forget painful experiences. But what about exhausting or uncomfortable ones? You conveniently forget how much work goes into a tough walk. Or, at least that was my thought as the three of us finally finished out LENAPE34 walk, fully exhausted, at North Broad Street Station in Newark after 10:00 p.m. – 15 hours of nearly non-stop walking. Five other walkers had already made the entire…

I woke to the alarm at 4:45 wondering about the weather. I’m sure I heard rain but I knew, based upon conditions the whole week, that there was no easy way to call this day.  Rain was in the forecast, but it looked more like off and on showers. So, there was no good reason for cancelling. There were about 40+ walkers confirmed, although I knew that was not going to be our final count on a day like today.…

This 5+-mile segment is actually the same beginning trail for the L34 and represents an immediate challenge as you ascend South Mountain for a couple hundred feet right from the start. At a little after 9:00 a.m. on Sep 25th the trail was quiet for most of the way. Between Risa Olinsky, Nadeem Firoz and myself we had enough collective experienced to remember the route, although the trail blaze markers looked like they were in good shape from last…