I was amazed by the variety of mushrooms I saw on the Wonderland Trail. I know some of them are edible, but I've no idea which ones. Click on the gallery to view larger, and leave a comment on a photo if you can help me identify them. … [Read More]
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REVIEW: The Healing Power of the Outdoors in ‘HIGHLINE’
The Highline Trail is a 100-mile trail through the little-traveled Uinta Mountains in northeast Utah. The Uintas are one of the few east-west ranges in North … [Read More]
Featured Post
12 Outdoorsy Podcasts to Keep You Stoked While You’re Stuck at Home
Podcasts can be entertaining, informative, and educational. They are free to listen to, and portable. I like to listen to them on the drive to the trailhead. And … [Read More]
Featured Posts
COVID-19 Park and Trail Closures
A few weeks ago I was planning my training hikes for my Mount Rainier climb. Now I'm hunkered down and my "hikes" are limited to walking the dogs in the neighborhood streets. We don't live near any trails, so that will have to suffice for now. The spread of … [Read More]
Social Distancing on Public Trails
Editor's note: This is a guest post by Sarah Guillermo, a cardiac registered nurse and avid hiker. Nurse here: Can we please collectively check our vibe for a second? The collective panic is just as contagious as COVID-19. But you can choose reason over … [Read More]
Hiking During the COVID-19 Pandemic
UPDATE: This past weekend everyone who hasn't hiked decided it would be a good time to start, and many parks and trails were overrun with people. Some parks reported the highest volume of hikers they had ever encountered, making safe social distancing … [Read More]
Hiking Piestewa Peak from Dreamy Draw
Hiking Piestewa Peak is a famously popular Phoenix-area, StairMaster-like workout that can get really crowded. Most people take the short, direct route up Trail 300. For this year's Arizona Winter Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, I wanted to explore a different … [Read More]
Planning an Ascent of Mount Rainier
Each year at our Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Finishers Party, we do an exercise we call Your Next Adventure. We ask everyone to take an index card and a permanent marker and write down their big adventure goals for the year ahead. The simple act of committing … [Read More]
Hiking Volcan Mountain
The Volcan Mountains are a relatively small range about 13 miles long and 7.5 miles wide. Located east of San Diego, near the town of Julian, this hike up Volcan Mountain gives you a perfect excuse for a weekend trip rewarded with a slice of Julian apple pie. … [Read More]
Hiking Gray Butte from Smith Rock State Park
Gray Butte is not particularly rugged nor jagged. The soft-shouldered butte is home to a cluster of antennas and a utility road the climbs there. But this 13.3 mile out-and-back route begins and ends in beautiful Smith Rock State Park, taking you down across … [Read More]
8 Days Hiking the Arizona Winter Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge
2019 was the first year for the Arizona Winter Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, featuring six iconic hikes based around Phoenix and Tucson. Until this past January, I had never done much hiking in Arizona. The challenge provided the perfect excuse to get … [Read More]
Backpacking the Red Peak Pass Loop in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park features some of the most beautiful backcountry in all of the Sierra Nevada. Surprisingly, however, most people stick to a few main trails – namely the John Muir Trail between Yosemite Valley - Tuolumne Meadows - Donahue Pass and the … [Read More]
What Makes People Go for the Fastest Known Time?
I've thru-hiked the John Muir Trail twice. The first time, back in 1980, I took 25 days to cover the 211-plus miles. The second time in 2010 I hiked it with my girlfriend (now my wife) over 22 days. If I could've taken more time off from work, I would have … [Read More]
Wonderland Trail Day 12: Indian Bar to Maple Creek
Day 12 would start with a foggy climb with no views, then take us plummeting downward 3,805 feet to camp at Maple Creek, our final campsite for the trip. Before we headed out, we took one more look at the ravine at Indian Bar, then started the climb up to … [Read More]
Wonderland Trail Day 11: Summerland to Indian Bar
Two of the most-wanted camps on the Wonderland Trail are Summerland and Indian Bar. They lie just five miles apart. And our itinerary included both of them. The sunrise from our camp at Summerland was a spectacular send off for the day. We'd be climbing … [Read More]
Wonderland Trail Day 10: Sunrise to Summerland
For Day 10 on the Wonderland Trail, we returned to double-digit mileage after three short days. Our legs were well rested, and we were looking forward to seeing Summerland. The trail begins by heading along the rum of the canyon, then turns and drops 2,000 … [Read More]
Hiking to Mount Saint Helena
A peak in the beautiful Mayacamas Mountains overlooking Napa Valley and beyond, Mount Saint Helena will give you the best views all around. In Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, this hike is great at different times of the year and one of the few mountains in … [Read More]
Hiking to Humphreys Peak in the Coconino National Forest
The highest point in all of Arizona, Humphreys Peak towers above the surrounding region. Millions of years ago a massive stratovolcano called San Francisco Mountain stood around 16,000 feet tall, but it eventually collapsed leaving an arc of peaks which rim … [Read More]
Hiking to Mount Elden in the Coconino National Forest
Take a hike up Mount Elden and perch yourself atop Flagstaff. This route starts out on the Fatman’s Loop, then splits off to climb all the way to Elden Lookout standing at over 9,000 ft. From the top you are rewarded with sweeping views of O’Leary and the San … [Read More]
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