Season's Greetings,

May Santa fill your backpack with great hiking guides, airplane tickets to the tropics for warm weather walks or, at the very least, a few packets of Java Juice! I'm off into the backcountry this weekend to spend a few nights with friends at a historic cabin -- no quinzhees for me this Christmas. I'll share a spot on the bench by the fire for all of you!

And if you can't make it, here's a few of the latest articles from the Hiking & Backpacking site at BellaOnline.com to keep you company.

Are Water Bottles Safe? - Take Two
News on the bisphenol-A / polycarbonate plastic front as a major Canadian retailer pulls Nalgene water bottles from its shelves.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46619.asp

Hiking Haleakala
Cool hiking in Hawaii? You bet! Ascend to over 9000 feet and explore the other-worldly terrain of Haleakala. You’ll come away refreshed.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47563.asp

Please visit hiking.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Hiking & Backpacking.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Hiking & Backpacking located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=164

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message.

Have a great holiday season!
Megan

Megan Kopp, Hiking & Backpacking Editor
http://hiking.bellaonline.com

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