Now that he's finished his trio of goals, Mathews has turned his eye to trips that he and his wife can do together. Any day now, he might start trying to sell her on visiting the Mount Washington, New Hampshire, weather station in the dead of winter. "Being a Southern boy," he says, it might be interesting to spend some time in the place where the highest wind speed was ever recorded.

No matter the reasons these intrepid trekkers took their first long-distance steps (or first turn around the United States on a bike), the people they meet along the way and the chance to live by their own rules are what draw them back to the road or trail time and again. Says Mathews: "It's really the freedom to do what you want to do."
Walk On >
As the Trails Information Specialist for the American Hiking Society, Ed Talone finds that his mind is out hoofing it even when he's firmly planted behind his desk. Though his road stories tempted us to chuck it all and head out on the road permanently, we asked him to recommend some time-limited hikes to get us going. Here's what he had to say.

Have just a week? Try the 205-mile Superior Hiking Trail above Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota. For more information, visit the Superior Hiking Trail Association at www.shta.org.

Going for a month? Consider a Long Trail trek in Vermont. With 270 miles of footpaths and 175 miles of side trails along the Green Mountains, there's plenty to explore. For more information, check in with the Green Mountain Club at www.greenmountainclub.org.