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David and Phebe Novic became the owners of
The Warming House, an outdoor outfitting store in Estes Park,
Colorado in 1983. Both being former educators, they found
“teaching” people to hike and buy the proper gear an enjoyable
experience. Phebe always said, “Teachers make great retailers.
When people come in and actually “ask” for help, we fall all
over ourselves.”
After hiking in Colorado and spending
11 years traveling to Nepal and many parts of Europe, they
discovered long-distance hiking "inn to inn-style" on a trip
across England. Here was a great opportunity for walkers who
didn’t want a backpacking experience, but loved to hike and
travel.
In 2003, they began Footpaths Of The World,
introducing Americans to the joys of long-distance walking.
Then in January of 2005, they put together a
long-distance route from Estes Park to Allenspark, primarily
for fun and for an article for The Estes Park News. "It was a
suppose to just be a concept about how a long-distance would
look like here," said Phebe. As lodging is always an important
part of the experience, she met with the B&B association
in Estes Park where the idea caught on immediately. "Before I
knew it, they were saying- forget the article, let's do it."
Today the newly established Walter Tishma Way, hiking
and snowshoeing trips in Colorado, and several overseas trips
are offered by Footpaths as guided or self-guided trips. There
is also information on other routes around the world as well
as plenty of gear and packing tips to help you get ready. With
23 years of experience in the outdoor and travel industry,
they know how it's
done.
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