You have to know hiking/backpacking is surging in popularity when TV stars take it up. From the fluffy Saturday section in the Los Angeles Times, a charming interview with the famous drag queen/unway artist RuPaul:
How has your life changed since you picked it up?
I feel great throughout the day because I've gotten so much done so early in the morning. I'm 51 years old, and I feel stronger today than I have in my whole life.
It's also good to experience what a body feels like when it's working at its full capacity. Your lungs are actually doing what they're supposed to do.
This is also my time to meditate and to clear my head, work out issues and listen to music and actually get a good workout also.
By hiking, I really fell in love with Los Angeles.
The fact that you can be in one of the most major metropolitan cities in the world and then be in the wilderness, five minutes from the busiest street in the city, is incredible. It's a great way to center myself in one of the biggest cities in the world.
Now all we need to see on the trail, to prove the trend, is Kobe or LeBron...but for now, RuPaul looks good:
