Once upon a time, your correspondent was an avid hiker, backpacking a few times a year and dreaming of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Then life happened - jobs, wives, children, the usual suspects - and those dreams got shelved next to the camping gear. But a recent first camping trip with the kids rekindled the outdoor itch, and just in time: enter A Trail Tale, an interactive trail journal from Andy Moliski, with help from his brothers Adam and Alex.

This digital trek renders the trail in gorgeous pixel art that'll hit you with a wave of '90s Sierra point-and-click nostalgia. Alex's original score layers nature sounds, acoustic guitar, strings, and even a hint of clarinet - because why not? It's the kind of soundtrack that makes you feel like you're actually out there, minus the blisters.

Each day you click through brings landmarks and a game-like UI partially inspired by Oregon Trail. Spoiler: nobody dies of dysentery here. Clicking on Andy pops up a menu of icons covering his journey, his mental state, and even some poetry. There are little icons for things that affect his fortitude and morale meters - inclement weather, picturesque scenery, the works.

It's dangerously easy to lose hours wandering through Andy's adventure. And it's got your correspondent wondering if it's time to dust off the hiking boots and tackle some more of the AT for real. Maybe the kids are old enough now to appreciate the suffering. Or at least the s'mores.