None of my friends are hikers. Going to places that I've never been before and backpacking for several days by myself just isn't something I want to do. I've done solo traveling to different cites and countries but that's as a tourist. I was looking at various hiking web sites when I started looking more closely at AHS and what they have to offer. With AHS, I travel to a great place like Mt. Whitney, meet folks with similar interest and do trail work. There's always been a Wilderness Ranger type with us that knows the trail and is our leader. Worked on farms growing up and on into college to earn spending money so trail work is similar. My travel expenses for this trip are tax deductable!