COLUMBIA — Walt's Bicycle Fitness and Wilderness Co. welcomed Steve Henry, author of "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St. Louis," on Thursday evening as Bike, Walk & Wheel Week events continued.
Bike, Walk & Wheel Week is a program sponsored by GetAbout Columbia and is designed to encourage Columbians to utilize more mobile forms of transportation to improve the environment and physical health.
The book is part of a series that provides information to hikers about trails that surround metropolitan areas. A native of Kansas, Henry has biked across the continent twice, led bicycling and backpacking tours and written two other books, "Mountain Bike! The Ozarks" and "The Best in Tent Camping: Missouri and the Ozarks."
When asked for camp stories, Henry had an anecdote about a skunk come to his mind. Years ago on one of his camping trips, Henry decided he was going to sleep outside rather than in a tent. He awoke around 2 a.m. when a skunk began gnawing on some dog food that had been left on the ground, which led to a scuffle between the dog and the skunk. Henry could only put his sleeping bag over his head.
"I was more afraid of that skunk than any bear I've ever seen. Luckily, the dog bore the brunt of it," Henry said.