Become a Local Adventurer

Here in the Northeast were in the middle of winter and so far it has been very mild. Unfortunately, things have been very busy for me at work and I haven't been able to get outdoors or post on here as often as I would like to. But just the other day I was visiting the website of a rather famous TV Survival guy and saw he was a member of an explorers club. I checked out the clubs website and thought it was pretty cool. There was information on visiting exotic, far away places that looked very exciting. I realized that there were many places around me that I still haven't explored. It got me thinking about how we are all explorers and adventurers to a certain extent and that we all should all start locally. We should start with our own backyards, especially in the current economic climate. How many of us have driven hundreds of miles to go hiking or camping but haven't thought about the state lands right next door? What about nature centers and hiking paths? A short drive from my house is the Finger Lakes Trail System comprised of 958 miles of hiking trails and sadly, I've only hiked short pieces of it a couple of times. I'm making a resolution to spend more of my outdoor time and money locally this year. Here's a challenge for everyone, find a place to get outdoors close to home, hike it, bike it, climb it, canoe it or whatever then find another and then another.. Let your friends know about it, take them along, start your own unofficial "Explorer's Club" and share your experiences with others. Let's spread the word about the places around us.
Thanks for reading and I hope we all discover something new!
Thanks,
N.E.V.