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When choosing travel companions for those summer adventures, it’s important to come to a clear understanding of what the word “hike” means.

Is it a short, leisurely stroll through the woods where the trail ends at the beach or a day (or two) of tempting death?

If you have no intention of shuffling off the mortal coil just yet, these six hiking trails described by Brittany Johnson at Sierra Club should be avoided at all costs, but for you daredevils out there, take notes and make reservations!

Mist Trail, Half Dome, California

Tucked away in world-renowned Yosemite National Park, the Mist Trail attracts thousands of visitors every year to climb to Half Dome’s 8,836-foot-high peak. Hike through beautiful pine forests, bustling waterfalls, and what seems to be a vertical staircase before reaching the steel cables that will take you the last 400 vertical feet to the top of the dome…

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Although it’s well maintained, don’t let this trail in Arizona’s stunning Grand Canyon National Park fool you. It’s actually no walk in the park. Trekking across this dirt path could mean enduring temperatures of up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit over a very steep 9.5 miles. From rim to river, hikers of this trail push through a vertical climb of 4,380 feet and back. And judging from past hikers’ experiences, it is as intense as it sounds…

Full story at Sierra Club.

Extreme hiking.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons