The outdoors define many of us. It dictates the way we spend our time, money and daydreams. It can change our politics, philosophies and perspectives. However, sometimes our social norms and physical differences can lead us to perceive and, it…
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Joining the Therm-a-Rest® family for 2017 is the Uno™ Chair. This little guy is more than meets the eye and is equally at home in the backcountry or at a backyard barbeque. We had the opportunity to sit down with…
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“Are you guys thru hiking?” a day hiker asks while passing. I stop and turn, leaning on my trekking poles, noticing the smell of shampoo and soap. “We’re trying!” I say enthusiastically. I take a step backwards, hoping the person…
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What makes a place special? For myself, I know it when I feel it: when I am present in a place that is not only wild, but also beautiful and rare. That’s what I felt exploring Athelney Pass, a seldom-visited…
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“How much farther do we have to go?” our group asks, desperation on their faces. The sun is still high in the bright blue sky, light filtering and dancing through the forest as we ascend to the sub-alpine of British…
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Chris Zimmerman |
April 27, 2016
After carefully making our way around tide pools, picking lines over beach ball sized boulders, and slogging across loose, gravelly beaches, it was a relief to round the final rocky headland. By this time, we were looking forward to settling…
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Justin McGregor |
December 3, 2015
I only get one chance each summer to spend a full week in the mountains. The week to unplug and explore is easily the highlight of my year. For the past seven years, I’ve joined a group of friends to…
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December 1, 2015
Finding the right camping mattress can be like searching for the Holy Grail. Maybe you’re a backpacker chasing the perfect combination of warmth and weight. Or perhaps you’re a car camper hunting for that ultimate “feels like my bed at…
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Matt Hage |
October 14, 2015
The waterfalls weren’t there an hour ago. Earlier this morning we awoke from our bivouac under the towering sandstone walls of The Maze, a remote labyrinth of deep canyons in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. We’d noticed a drop in the…
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September 30, 2015
You might be quietly sobbing over the end of summer, but fear not. As nearly any backpacker will tell you, fall is really where it’s at. The colors are spectacular, the crowds a bit thinner, and the temperatures so perfect,…
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I wiggled, trying to get situated in my bivy sack, being extremely cautious not to scoot my sleeping pad even an inch farther up or down. Right above my head and right below my feet sat cow pies bigger than…
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June 10, 2015
The art of a responsible backcountry campfire is right up there with the art of the backcountry poo. Both are incredibly enjoyable, in their own unique ways, and both are more frequently practiced poorly than we all might like, leaving…
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