NPR recently discussed how the recession is luring some to lace up their hiking boots and hit the Appalachian Trail. It has become particularly popular with recent graduates and laid off workers – to the extent that some have started calling it the “Recession Trail” this season. It typically takes six months to “thru-hike” the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine with expenses typically totaling from $3,000-5,000.

Even disgraced South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford attempted to get in on the popularity of long-dstance hiking recently, falsely claiming he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he was really meeting with his mistress in Argentina.

Other popular long-distance United States trails include the Mexico-to-Canada Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.

There are also plenty of quirkier long distance hiking trails in the United States including California’s Bigfoot Trail, the southwest’s Hayduke Trail and Alaska’s Iditarod Trail.

There are long distance hiking trails throughout the world, from Armenia’s Janapar to Turkey’s Saint Paul Trail to Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Just make sure to take proper precautions and use common sense so that you don’t end up in Hiker Hell.