footprint lm

Rich and Sue Freeman decided to make their living from what they love—being outdoors. In 1996 they left corporate jobs to spend six months hiking 2,200 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. That adventure deepened their love of the outdoors and inspired them to share this love by introducing others to the joys of hiking.
Since most people don’t have the option (let alone the desire) to undertake a six-month trek, they decided to focus on short hikes, near home. The result was the first edition of Take A Hike! Family Walks in the Rochester Area. They went on to explore hiking, backpacking, bicycling, skiing, and snowshoeing trails, waterfalls, and waterways for paddling throughout central and western New York State.
Along the way, they kept discovering unique and beautiful places in this region. Driving to the trails and waterways often took them down back country roads were they saw unusual “potato” houses (to quote an architectural student visiting the area from New York City). Of course, these weren’t potato houses at all. They were cobblestone houses. They not only inspired the architectural student, but they inspired the Freemans to find out more and share their find with others. Cobblestone Quest is the result of that curiosity. This is the Freemans’ 14th guidebook.

Since beginning their new career writing and publishing guidebooks, the Freemans’ have pared down their living expenses and are enjoying a simpler lifestyle. They now have control of their own destiny and the freedom to head out for a refreshing respite or to follow a new interest when the urge strikes. Still, their life is infinitely more cluttered than when they carried all their worldly needs on their backs for six months on the Appalachian Trail.

In the Spotlight

Hike the Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada

The Bruce Trail is a 465 Mile (800km) hiking trail that follows the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston (near Niagara Falls) to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Most people hike it via day hikes, but using it as a...

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  Central America

  Backpacking across Panama on the TransPanama Trail

  11 years ago

  The TransPanama Trail is a new long-distance hiking trail across the length of Panama from Columbia to Costa Rica. Hike from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean - almost anyone can do it using the narrow isthmus of Panama. Panama is a short...