With first signs of spring appearing, it's a good time to get outside

We've reached that time of year when boots all over South Sound leave little clods of dried mud all over the place.

I've noticed gritty little souvenirs of late-winter walks on the floorboards of the car, on the doormat and even in my kitchen.

It's a beautiful sight.

Hiking is something just about all of us can do — whether it's a short jaunt on a neighborhood trail, an all-day trip on a loop trail or a weeklong backcountry extravaganza.

I love to get into the backcountry, but most of my hiking happens within a mile or two of a parking lot or my driveway.

I've tromped around tabletop-flat Pioneer Park in Tumwater a few times since the rains let up, and I've seen little kids bouncing along — and folks well into their 80s stepping out as well. Each step is a celebration of who we are and the wonderful country where we live.

You don't have to have $1,500 worth of backpacks, technical boots, sleeping bags, tiny stoves, cute little cooking sets and bags of mysterious freeze-dried dinners to get started with all of this.

You can find local trails of a mile or less and set out with sturdy sneakers — the light hiking kind are best — and see the world wake up from winter.

Bring along a map of the trail, rain gear, a cell phone — and tell someone where you're going — even if it's just a jaunt on the up-and-down paths in Olympia's Watershed Park.

Hikers are usually the first to know that the birds of spring are flitting around, that deer are shedding antlers or the alder trees are budding out. The thing is, hiking is part of almost every outdoor activity, and it's an easy way to get your body moving after weeks of crummy weather.

The high country is buried under the heaviest snowfall in years, so a lot of those trails might not open until the summer. But there are a lot of trails at lower elevations to try, and South Sound's many urban trails are wonderful.

If you want to do a little hill training, try Watershed Park, Priest Point Park, Tolmie State Park or the trails at The Evergreen State College. If you want to start out flat and easy, Pioneer Park in Tumwater, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge or even a long hike along the beach at Westport or Ocean Shores are the way to go.

Going — anywhere — is the important thing.

There are hundreds of great hiking guides at local bookstores and outdoor stores. Leaf through a few and buy one that has details on hikes that catch your interest. If you've never hiked before, start slow and stay local.

Take the short local hikes and contact Olympia Mountaineers to learn more skills. Maybe you'll find yourself lugging a backpack, tent and sleeping bag up and up and up to the Lena Lakes this summer. Or maybe you'll get to know our casual local hiking really well.

Know that hiking is addictive and might make your time on the planet more fun — and perhaps a little longer.

If you enjoy your walks, why not try a weeklong volunteer vacation with the Washington Trails Association?

Some of the work parties are for experienced, very-fit hikers, but others are less challenging and a great way to see new parts of our world.

Lauren Braden, WTA spokeswoman, said that hikers in their 60s and 70s often join trips.

WTA offers trips that range from car camping to 1-to-3-mile hikes to lung-burners that require a 6-mile hike with 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

Hikers work on trails at their own pace.

"Volunteers work for three days, get a free day off and then work two more days," Braden said. "We have lots of people come back year after year."

WTA brings in fresh delicious food on llamas or horses. You'll eat fresh produce, salmon and other treats that are usually not part of a backpacking trip.

Volunteers pay $150 for the week — $125 if you're already a WTA member — which is a screaming deal.

No prior trail work experience is necessary.

If you don't have a week, WTA also has one-day, overnight and weekend volunteer trips.

"There is plenty of free time for swimming, hanging around camp — and hiking," Braden said.hed