I went on a day hike yesterday in North Carolina
Fun!  I have always wanted to take up hiking, but don't know much about it/
It's called hiking in the US and Canada, meaning a longer, vigorous walk, mostly on trails and footpaths.
Do you need special shoes to participate in hiking?
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is about long, though the exact length changes over time as parts are modified or rerouted. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy describes the Appalachian Trail as the longest hiking-only trail in the world. More than 2 million people are said to take a hike on part of the trail at least once
Hiking
Hiking is the preferred term, in Canada and the United States, for a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails (footpaths), in the countryside, while the word walking is used for shorter, particularly urban walks. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, the word "walking" is acceptable to describe "all forms" of walking, whether it is a walk in the park or backpacking in the Alps. The word hiking is also often used in