While based in USA and publishing in English, we aspire to an international perspective.

We are interested in what we can learn from other nations, and

keen to explore the past, present and future of shelter systems for long distance-human powered travel in USA.

Note for potential contributors: we interested in posts about huts and trails that connect them.  We don’t pay for contributions and are not interested in posts that are about promoting products and other sites.

Perspective: Sam wears multiple hats in writing about huts, operating variously as: 1.) a journalist reporting on whats happening out there, 2.) a neutral academic observer trying to make sense of the situation in this tiny arena of human endeavor, and 3.) an advocate for more huts in USA and for using them to engender biophilia/environmental ethics in the next generations.

News – Relevant legislation & regulations related to huts, walking, skiing and biking; new huts and systems; relevant people, places and ideas in the news.

Hut systems and how they operate

1. • Mapping of hut systems in the Americas; tracking trends, and the situation and outlook for shelter systems.
   • Operational profiles by and for those who operate hut systems to compare policies and practices – see examples
   • Economics, demographics, and measuring and mitigating environmental impacts;
   • What USA can learn from operations in other nations?  Have begun work on the first in what might become a series of “Country Studies”.  The first is an overview of how long distance walking is supported in Ireland.
   • Specific issues: see operational profile template for a list of topics.

Country studies

Over time, and with help from others, I’d like to compile substantive overviews of how huts operate in 5-8 countries.  The idea is to select countries with differing approaches to supporting long-distance human powered travel, to  study the differences, identify any common approaches, and see what can be learned.  Americans know almost nothing about huts.  As a nation I expect we will not copy others, but instead will create huts systems that reflect our culture.  Alas, that could mean anything!  My hope is that we use huts, as one small method among many others, for cultivating an ethos of biophilia among our citizens.  The aim of this work is to help ensure that we will do this with awareness of what others have learned in their work with huts, not always our strong suit!  In essence, to inform American thinking about the roles that huts might play locally in environmental stewardship by looking at how they operate globally.

So far I’ve completed studies of Ireland (which as no huts!) and am writing up what I’ve learned about New Zealand, the world’s largest hut system.

Emerging, evolving, traditional or alternative shelter systems supporting “living outdoors” for recreation and educational purposes

1. • Home-stays, “Warmshowers.org”-like services, hostels, tent-to-tent, cave-to-cave, Huttopia-like businesses, etc.
   • Ideas and models that could inspire or inform new approaches to hut and shelter systems.
   • Family camps, service trips, and other affordable forms of making it easier for families and young people to stay outdoors for long periods.

Profiles of interesting people – Hut founders & managers, hut masters & staff, architects & builders, etc.

Design, architecture and construction

• Architecture and design of specific huts and systems. Including construction techniques, sustainability solutions, etc.
• Design guidelines, program statements, etc.
• Trail design, configuration, and construction.
• Bringing huts and trails to people, i.e. in closer proximity to urban areas.

Educational role of huts

1. 1. Existing programs: Natural history and sustainability, working with special populations (PTSD, handicapped, schools, etc.), veterans programs, etc.
   2. Potential role in environmental education and cultivation of biophilia.

Environmental protection and mitigation of impacts of huts, walking, skiing, and biking

1. 1. Striking the balance between lowering barriers of access and protecting the environment.
   2. Data on impacts and methods of mitigation;
   3. Environmental ethics related to hut design, construction & operation;

Literary, artistic & spiritual dimensions

1. 1. Ruminations and reflections on the history and meaning of huts, the experience of hut to hut travel, and related phenomena.
   2. Art, music, and other forms of creative expression in huts, on trials, and concerning the landscape and the world of huts and human powered travel.

Should there be more hut to hut systems in USA?  The number of huts, yurts and cabins in USA is growing.  Is this a good thing; pros and cons?  If so, how, when, where, and why?  Discussion of cultural, historical, geographic, political, and other factors in US compared with other nations.

Imaginative re-thinking of huts – Some hut systems in the USA are modeled on the European system, but as a nation we seem to be on the verge of inventing our own version of shelter systems for walkers, bikers, and skiers.  hut2hut.info is interested in exploring alternative venues, audiences, partnerships, etc. for huts systems.   For example, huts don’t have to be only in the mountains or in wilderness areas (formally designated or otherwise); “nearby nature” and urban and suburban trail systems have promise.  Huts as economic development enterprises in USA and around the world.  How can huts and trails can be sited to divert human traffic away from environmentally sensitive areas?

Exploring future models and building cooperation – What scenarios might we consider for development of huts and trails in USA?  What are some of the preferred scenarios?  What policy, advocacy, and professional practices organizations exist in the world of huts and trails, in USA and beyond?  How do these compare with those of other domains, both commercial and environmental?  What sorts of huts and trails coalitions and partnerships might evolve over time?

Trip reports –  The site is not designed primarily to help people find interesting hut walks; every hut system has its own very informative web site.  But Hutmap and Trip Reports are very popular and serve this purpose to some degree.

Essays on long distance walking, skiing, and biking – Ruminations on the joys, beauties, benefits, dangers, and challenges in human-powered movement through the landscape.