Ropes courses are not just a team-building destination for corporate retreats. They are also a relaxing combination of a few favorite outdoor activities: The best ropes courses involve hiking to and from the site. Climbers can often put their bouldering skills to work along the course. And, of course, ropes courses give you a few […]
If you’re a lover of good, crisp writing, spellbinding adventure and the great outdoors, then there’s little not to like about Alex Hutchinson’s badass piece in the New York Times on canoeing in the Yukon. The first-person narrative chronicles Hutchinson’s ten-day mission down the Snake River in the Peel Watershed. Â The river drops over 4,000 […]
‎”If my decomposing carcass helps nourish the roots of a juniper tree or the wings of a vulture–that is immortality enough for me. And as much as anyone deserves.” — Edward Abbey Oh yes, Ed, sing that sweet gospel of desert life. Let it whisper through your prose like sand blowing gently across the brush. […]
It’s an old cliché that teens let parental advice fall on deaf ears. Parents often encourage their kids to do something or appreciate something “before it’s too late.” Only years later, after having their own learning experiences, do those teens realize the sensibility behind their parents’ words. As the Northwest Editor of Backpacker Magazine, Michael […]
You don’t have to scour too hard to find a sublime camping spot on the outskirts of Seattle. The city lies within a few hours of a slew of top-tier camping locales, such as Mount Rainier, the San Juan Islands and the Lower Cascades. After visiting for a conference last week, I borrowed a car […]
August marks the Appalachian Trail’s 75th anniversary. In 1937, the 2180-mile footpath was completed, allowing adventurers to hike from the northern end of Georgia up into Maine. The AT is the longest hiking-only trail in the world—and what a blessing to have it for hikers in America. There is no better way to celebrate the […]
In recent years, the National Park System has made a significant effort to make America’s national parks more accessible to those with mobility handicaps. While this can be difficult to achieve in rugged terrain, some parks have done an especially good job. In addition to accessible trails and campsites, these handicap-accessible parks also have wheelchairs […]
Casey Schreiner’s post-graduate move was far from unique. He jumped from the East Coast to the hazy, star-studded city of Los Angeles to get involved in the entertainment industry. Los Angeles did not immediately capture Casey’s heart, but the mountain ranges in the L.A. area converted him into a lover of the outdoors. Gaming enthusiasts […]
When I spoke on the phone to Oregon resident and outdoors aficionado Anne Guthrie, she was hurtling through northeast Oregon on her way to the tiny town of Enterprise. There, she intended to explore the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hell’s Canyon, America’s deepest river gorge. It was a typical weekend for Guthrie, a 27-year-old Oregon […]
by Liz Childers Call me a romantic, but I always find something magical about a sunset. In that short moment when the sun is just about to dip below the horizon and there’s a final flare of light between the dark sky and ground, nature always seems to become quieter. I like to think the […]
