HAUTE HOUSE The soul of Provence in the heart of Birmingham ome Accessories ■ Interior Design Charming Gif 85 West Maple ■ Birmingham ■ 248/540-3876 The Finest Redwood & Cedar Play Systems THE DETROIT J EWISH NEWS \list, our expanded shovvroorns Now \\:th 3 locations! Call for the one nearest you Professional installation available S12 (810) 348-6100 21061 Brickscape Drive, Northville, MI 48167 • Enter off 8 Mile Rd. SUMMER PLEASURES HIKE page 9 us in on local lore, and then in- vited us to their home for tea and a Scotch whiskey tasting." The Finks' vacation to Scot- land was just one of 36 vacations they could have selected. Coun- try Walkers offers tours through- out Europe, Central and South America, Africa and the South Pacific — not to mention the United States and Canada. The trips can last anywhere from five to 10 days and the walk- ing distances range from 4 to 12 miles a day and are rated easy (4- 8 miles on gentle, rolling terrain with short ascents and descents), moderate (4-12 miles on rolling terrain with possible climbs up to 1,200 feet and/or uneven foot- paths), or challenging (6-15 miles on rolling terrain with climbs up to 3,000 feet and/or uneven foot- paths). According to Jim Sano, presi dent of Geographic Expeditions and Tre Laghi Travel, luxury walking tour specialists based in San Francisco, the Finks are typ- ical of walking vacationers. Most who sign up for Tre Laghi's trips are in their 50s and are fairly af- fluent. After all, its walking tours through Italy, Switzerland, and France average $3,000 per per- son for an eight-day vacation; air- fare is additional. Along with their growing time and income, travelers in their 50s and even 60s are generally fitter than their parents were at the same age so they're not intimi- dated by such a trip, which can range from "pretty easy to quite rigorous," says Mr. Sano. At Tre Laghi, walking tours are made up of groups of no more than 16 travelers and are led by To contact the American Hiking Society, call (301) 565-6704. For AHS' Volunteer Vacation 1997 project sched- ule (from March through Oc- tober), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to AHS Volluiteer Vacations, P.O. Box 20160, Washington, D.C. 20041-2160. Backroads, call 1-800 462-2848. Butterfield & Robinson, call 1-800-678-1147. Couniry Walkers, call 1- 800-464-9255. Geographic Expedi donsirre Laghi Travel, call 1-800-777-8183.0 two experienced guides who live and work in the area being toured. Guests spend at least two nights in each hotel with accom- modations ranging from luxuri- ous hotels to comfortable farmhouses. "We'd race each other to [soak in] the bathtub when we got back to the hotel. But by the end of the trip, we felt wonderful." Should you want a walking or hiking vacation that's perhaps a little less luxurious, the Ameri- can Hiking Society sponsors Vol- unteer Vacations. Each year, this national non-profit group, based in Silver Spring, sends hundreds of volunteers, from college stu- dents to older adults, to remote locations to build and restore foot trails in national parks, forests and rangelands. Among the destinations to which volunteers have traveled are Utah's Canyonlands Nation- al Park, Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Ari- zona's Petrified Forest National Park, and the Tallgrass Prairie National preserve in Kansas. According to AHS Volunteer Vacations coordinator Chuck Kines, volunteer vacations have made quite an impact on the country's trail systerh for the past 20 years and volunteers contin- ue to be needed. "AHS Volunteer Vacations of- fer a perfect opportunity for trail novices and veterans to combine a unique one- or two-week-long adventure with donating valu- able time to America's trail sys- tem," says Mr. Kines. No prior trail work experience is necessary. Volunteers should be at least 18 years old, in good physical condition, and able to hike 5 miles or more a day. Par- ticipants must provide their own camping gear, including a bro- ken-in pair of hiking boots, and arrange their own travel to and from the site. ❑ (—'