Before rubber lugs, hikers used hobnails

Prior to the invention of rubber lugged soles (Vibram) in the late 1930s, there was a great debate as to whether hikers should use hobnails or calks. Hobnails, which have been used since antiquity, are specially shaped iron nails that are inserted on the bottoms of soles to provide traction on snow, ice and rocky terrain. Calks were similar, except that leather or cork was used to provide the traction.

As far back as the Roman Empire, soldiers have used hobnails for traction in various terrains. By the 1500s, miners, farmers, and laborers were using them as well. In 1574, Josias Simler published a book on travel in the Swiss Alps. In one of the chapters, he included information on how to use a primitive crampon device, which he described as “resembling the shoes of horses, with three sharp spikes in them.” By the late-1700s, mountaineers were using hobnails, and were eventually adopted by hikers. The topic of whether to wear hobnails, which type, and which pattern, were frequently discussed and debated in books and various outdoor publications prior to the invention of Vibram, including early national park visitor brochures.

Below is an alpine boot ad from H. Harden showing hobnails in the “Swiss Pattern.” This ad originally appeared in Rock-climbing in the English Lake District by Owen Glynne Jones in 1911.

You can read more about early hiking footwear in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• My new, improved and expanded edition on the history of hiking is now available on Amazon

Avalanche Warning Issued By The Flathead Avalanche Center

The Flathead Avalanche Center in Hungry Horse has issued a BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING for the following areas: NWS Missoula MT - MTZ001 (MTZ001)...MTZ002 (MTZ002)

* WHAT...Strong to extreme winds coupled with recent and ongoing snowfall will create very dangerous avalanche conditions.

* WHERE...Slopes above 5000 feet in the Whitefish, Swan, and Flathead Ranges, and the Lake McDonald and Marias Pass areas of Glacier National Park

* WHEN...In effect from Thu 06:00 MDT to Fri 06:00 MDT.

* IMPACTS...Natural and human-triggered avalanches are very likely. Avalanches will release in the surface snow and on weak layers buried several feet deep, resulting in large to very large avalanches.

* PRECAUTIONARY / PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Avalanches may run long distances and can run into mature forests, valley floors, or flat terrain.

Consult http://www.flatheadavalanche.org/ or www.avalanche.org for more detailed information. Similar avalanche danger may exist at locations outside the coverage area of this or any avalanche center.



              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• My new, improved and expanded edition on the history of hiking is now available on Amazon

On this date in hiking history: The Green Mountain Club is founded

On this date in 1910, the Green Mountain Club was established for the distinct purpose of building The Long Trail, which became the first long distance footpath in America.

The club was founded by James P. Taylor and 22 other hiking enthusiasts and community leaders to construct a footpath that would follow the main ridge of the Green Mountains. Moreover, like many clubs in Europe, the trail was built to help promote tourism in Vermont during the summer months. The second article in the club constitution states that: “The object of the Club shall be to make the Vermont Mountains play a larger part in the life of the people.” Before the trail was even completed, the state was already reaping rewards from its existence. The June 21, 1922, edition of the Morrisville News and Citizen acknowledged that: “The value of the free publicity that the Long Trail brings to Vermont, cannot be told. Leading magazines and great city newspapers have told of the glories of sun rises and sun sets seen from these mountain tops.”

The Long Trail now travels 272 miles across the length of Vermont, from Massachusetts to Canada. Volunteers began construction in 1912, and completed the last section on the northern terminus in 1930. The Long Trail would become the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail.

You can read more about early trail development and the first hiking clubs in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• My new, improved and expanded edition on the history of hiking is now available on Amazon

Yellowstone National Park’s first grizzly bear sighting of 2026

On March 9, Yellowstone biologists working in the northern part of the park reported seeing the first grizzly bear of the spring season. The bear was observed in the backcountry scavenging on a bull bison carcass.

The first reported grizzly bear sighting of 2025 occurred on March 14. In 2024, it occurred on March 3, and in 2022 and 2023, March 7.

When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Bears may react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding on carcasses. Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in early March. Females with cubs emerge in April and early May.

All of Yellowstone is grizzly and black bear country: from the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful.

Bear spray has proven effective in deterring bears defending cubs and food sources. It can also reduce the number of bears killed by people in self-defense. While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm by visitors is a violation of park regulations.





              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• My new, improved and expanded edition on the history of hiking is now available on Amazon

Margaret Stevenson – The GOAT

The following an adaptation from my new book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking:

In 1960, Margaret Stevenson took up hiking to relieve severe back pain. Sixteen years later, at the age of 64, she became the first woman to hike every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. Shortly after her death in 2006, the Tennessee House issued a joint resolution honoring Ms. Stevenson. It read, in part:

WHEREAS, Mrs. Stevenson will be fondly remembered as the first woman to hike all 900 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains, logging 3,000 miles a year for 40 years, more mileage than she put on her car;

In 1997, at the age of 84, she registered her 718th ascent of Mt. LeConte, the third highest peak in the Smokies. This would be her final trip to the top of the 6593-foot mountain. Sitting just below the summit of this legendary mountain is the LeConte Lodge, which can only be accessed by one of five backcountry trails. After her death, Stevenson’s bronzed hiking boots were put on permanent display in the dining room of the lodge. The authors of LeConte Lodge: A Centennial History of a Smoky Mountain Landmark, named Stevenson as one of the “Greatest Of All Times (GOATs) of LeConte.”

You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.