Urban hikes combine scenery and history

Above: Photo by John Nelson

When we think of hikes, typically we think of nature. As in something that Rich Landers might suggest, taking you over hill and dale in some rural landscape where bears frolic and antelope play. (And, yes, I know antelope technically are not found in North America, though the term is often used.)

My friend John Nelson, though, thinks of hikes in a more general sense. Oh, Nelson has done his share of back-country hiking, all over the Northwest and elsewhere. But recently, in his role as a blogger and freelance writer for publications such as The Spokesman-Review, he has added another dimension to the definition of hike: the urban hike.

Take his latest blog post, which he writes under the pen name of SkiZer. Nelson and his wife, the former Spokesman-Review food writer Leslie Kelly (referred to in the post as "Mrs. SkiZer"), did a trek through Seattle recently, visiting a number of known spots as well as a few relatively unknown spots as well.

I could add comments about the language that some of the hike's demands evoked in Mrs. SkiZer, as well as the appetite the whole venture whetted in both of them. By why not just let Nelson, a talented writer, explain things for himself.