Gretchen Pardon was one month and more than 270 miles into her Appalachian Trail thru-hike when she realized she had to leave the trail. It was March 23, less than two weeks after the World Health Organization had officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, when she walked into the city of Hot Springs, NC expecting to…
Ah, life on the trail and in the mountains. It’s beautiful, it’s challenging, it’s…whoops, not supposed to go that way!? If you love the outdoors, you’ve undoubtedly run into scenarios where your adventure hasn’t gone exactly as planned. You forget to bring an essential piece of gear, wildlife intervenes in unexpected ways, or the weather,…
Getting your kids out into the backcountry with you can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a parent. Hiking by day and reading bedtime stories (by headlamp) in a tent by night will create fond memories of exploring the outdoors. That being said, the first time out is the make…
After a few days in the great outdoors, the last thing you want to do when you finally get home is tackle the task of cleaning your gear—we get it. But, as any outdoor enthusiast knows, gear is pricey stuff—and that’s if you buy it once. However, putting in just a little bit of time…
From the North Cascades and Great Basin borderlands of Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho to the most obscure depths of the Greater Yellowstone and the boreal waterways of the Upper Midwest, plenty of sparsely populated and wild places remain in the contiguous United States. We’re lucky enough to still have headwater basins, desert canyons, and anonymous…
There are two truths about duct tape during a thru-hike…
The strenuous, sage-lined, two-mile hike leads to a series of about six crystal-clear, waterfall-fed pools that overlook the majestic peaks of the Salmon-Challis National Forest.
Whether you’re backpacking, climbing, paddling, or biking, here are seven underrated outdoor adventures across the U.S. to keep on your radar.
Hitting the trails in the wintertime brings with it a whole different level of adventure. The uncrowded mountains all to yourself, the challenge of navigating snow-covered trails and unpredictable weather, and the mug of hot chocolate at the end of a long day are all enticing enough on their own but put them together and…
Going on a day hike can be an exhilarating experience that leaves you with a sense of accomplishment and a renewed connection with nature.