Karen Berger

Karen's features, cover stories, longer articles, and essays have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Travel + Life, France Guide, Islands, Men's Fitness, Backpacker, Scouting, Child, Weight Watchers, Family Circle, the New York Times, NY MetroSports, Hudson Valley, Out Here, Via, Westways, AMC Outdoors, and many other publications. Karen has been a contributing editor at Backpacker and the hiking expert for GORP.com,; Her current "Outdoor Smarts" column for Scouting is a two-time EdPress Award finalist. Other on-line articles have been published by TravelClassics.com, Discovery.com, Away.com, and Epic.com.

Articles

Many of the following are available for reprint. Any of these articles can be revised, updated, expanded, or tailored for your publication. I'd also be happy to develop new articles based on any of the following subjects.

National Geographic Traveler
* A Town of Two Tales. 600-word "Trips" piece about the Bayeux Tapestry and Normandy beaches.

National Geographic Books
* Journeys: 500 Adventures of a Lifetime (Contributor)
"Montana's Continental Divide"
"Crusing in Tahiti"
"Heli-Hiking in British Columbia"

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel
* In the Footsteps of the French. 2500-word feature about French-style gites, hotel chains, and refuges.

Travel + Life
* Of Witch Doctors, Rambutans, and What News of Waking Up. 1000-word cover feature about studying Swahili in Zanzibar.

Islands
* An Isle of One's Own. 850-word personal essay on the childhood dream of owning an island.
* Guardian of the Reef. 1500-word article on the establishment of Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar, the word's first private marine conservation park.

France Guide
* Hiking in France. 700-word feature on hiking in the Alps and Provence.

AWAY.com.
* Deep Freeze. Winter adventure in Alaska, including Skiing, Dogsledding, and all things icy: Ice Climbing, Ice Carving, Ice Fishing and more.

GORP.com. (original articles)
* Top 10 Base Camps in America. Great Places to Pitch your Tent and Chill.
* Luxembourg's GR-5. Europe's Best-Kept Hiking Secret.
* In the Footsteps of the Gods. A walk through olive groves and history on Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula.
* Ultralight Backpacking. Three-part series on strategies and gear that can turn pounds into ounces.
* Tramping Kiwi Style. Intro to hiking in New Zealand.
* New Zealand's Great Walks. New Zealand's eight most popular hikes, including the Milford Track.
* Volunteering: How to Give Back to America's Trails.
* French Long-Distance Hiking Trails. France's Grandes Randonees offer 60,000 kilometers of walking trails.
* I'll Kayak Manhattan! Learning to paddle under the gaze of Lady Liberty.
* Africa's Other Mountains. Climbing Uganda's Mt. Elgon, Kenya's Mt. Kenya, and Tanzania's Mt. Meru.
* Hiking the Pyrenees. 600 miles from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean on foot across one of Europe's most rugged mountain ranges.
* Coast to Coast England. Hiking across England.
* Scotland's Southern Upland Way. Hiking across Scotland.
* Depayse in Paris. A novice traveler learns that becoming comfortable with disorientation is the key to becoming a traveler.
* Off-Beat Autumn. Three colorful destinations. Virginia's Chincoteague Island, Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness, and Wyoming's Wind River Range.
* The Low Down on the High Life: Trekking in Nepal. Descriptions of Nepal's most popular treks and a comprehensive guide to traveling there.
* Underwater Archaeology. Combining scuba diving and historical detective work on Tanzania's Mafia Island.
* Skills Columns. Karen developed and wrote dozens of articles for GORP's comprehensive hiking section.
* Ask the Expert. Karen answers scores of reader questions from how to make backcountry coffee to how to pitch a tent.

TravelClassics.com
* A Toast to Belgium. Walking across a country that boasts one king, two languages -- and 500 kinds of beer.

Scouting
* The Best 50-Mile Hikes. 2000-word travel feature on five 50-mile hikes nationwide.
* Lightning! 800-word feature on how to stay alive when Thor makes YOU his target.
*Outdoor Smarts. Karen's regular column in Scouting Magazine is a two-time EdPress award finalist. In her more than 40 columns (so far), Karen has covered every aspect of the outdoors life from weather to myths to tracking to winter sports to paddling to health to safety and more. To see a complete list (and to link to the articles themselves) click here.

Men's Fitness
* Fitness Hiking. 2,000-word feature on mountain hiking for health.
* Take a Hike! 2,500-word cover story on hiking basics.

Family Circle
* Greetings from Camp Mom. 2,000-word feature about the establishment of a small business focusing on fitness for moms in Westchester County, N.Y. For Walk off the Weight.
* Awesome Autumn Ambles. 2,500-word feature about fall walking destinations. 7 destinations, nationwide. For Walk off the Weight.
* Happy Trails. 2000 words on "What to Wear Out There" and "Fast Fixings for the Trail" for hiking special section, Walk Off the Weight.
* All Season Workouts. 3,500-word feature on how to keep an exercise regime in any season. For Walk Off the Weight.
* The Perfect Picnic. 1,500 word feature for special pull-out section. Walk Off the Weight.
* Does Your Fridge Need a Makeover? 1,500-word interview with healthy-eating chef Kathleen Daelemans. For Your Personal Planner.
* Take A Hike! 3,500-word instructional piece about working out by hiking. For Walk off the Weight.

Backpacker
* No Snow Zones. 3,000-word cover story. Destination round-up of warm winter hikes nationwide.
* The High Life. 3,000-word cover story. Destination round-up of best mountain hikes nationwide.
* Envy the Cactus. 3,000-word feature on hiking the 800-mile Arizona Trail.
* The Over-the-Hill Gang. 2,500-word feature on senior hikers.
* Going in Circles. 3,500-word cover story on 12 loop hikes nationwide.
* Trail Tunes. 1,500-word feature on backcountry music-making.
* A Stake in the Future. 2,000-word feature on management of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
* When is a Trail Finished? 650-word sidebar on the Trust for Appalachian Trail Lands.
* The Ultimate Gear Test. 3,000-word feature on long-distance hikers' gear.
* Love on the Rocks. 3,000-word cover story on how couples can hike together more successfully.
* When Backpackers Dream. 3,500-word cover story on hiking 8,000 miles on the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide national scenic trails.

AMC Outdoors
* Welcome to Club A.T. 1500-word essay/report on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
* Ski the East's Best. 3,500-word cover story. Destination roundup on the Northeast backcountry ski destinations.
* Lead On, McDuff! 1,000-word instructional column on leading hiking trips.
* AMC in the Bronx. 1,200-word news article on community action project.
* The Home Stretch. 2,000-word cover story on hiking New England's Appalachian Trail.

N.Y. Metrosports
* No Car? No Problem. Feature on outdoor destinations reachable via public transportation.
* No Car? No Problem Column. Continuing series of short columns on outdoor destinations.
* A New Yorker's Hikers' Guide.

* Hudson Valley
* And the Orchestras Play On. 1,500-word interview with local conductors about their season and community outreach programs in New York's Hudson Valley.
* Postcards From Home. 3,500-word feature/round-up on Hudson Valley B&Bs and Inns.
* Spring Break. 3,500-word cover story/round-up on Hudson Valley B&Bs and Inns.
* Let's Get Away! 3,500-word cover story/round-up on Hudson Valley B&Bs and Inns.
* On the Appalachian Trail. 1,500-word article on hiking the AT in New York.

Child
* Happy Trails. 1,500-word instructional piece. How to introduce kids to the outdoors.

Weight Watchers
* Knowing the Score. 750-word back-of book humorous essay on fitness machines rating your fitness.

If interested, please ask about my older articles, including several pieces for the New York Times, and more than 20 articles about music and musicians, including interviews with James Galway, Dave Brubeck, Alexis Weissenberg, Peter Serkin, Shlomo Mintz, and Janos Starker.