Blinded by the wind and stung by the cold, we set up our camp as the day grew dark around us. The two of us had snowshoed to Dogsled Pass, deep in the Talkeetna Mountains of south central Alaska. We hoped to explore nearby alpine valleys over the ...
5 Winter Survival Tips You Need to Know, According to the Boy Scouts
When the days grow cold and short, a lot of people use that as an excuse to stay indoors. But with a little bit of preparation and forethought, you can hike and backpack all through the winter without an issue. The Boy Scouts of America keep a ...
How to Pick the Perfect Backcountry Campsite
The sun set to the north that day, at least as framed by the steep walls of the Chugach Mountains, casting a golden light over the valley. Up in the alpine, 4,000 feet above sea level, we watched the day end. It was a good campsite and one of the ...
How One Woman Prepared to Race in the Iditarod
Gliding across the snow on a dogsled is a perception changer. Traveling by dog team opens up the wilderness. In a world filled with mechanical transport, allowing a team of Alaskan huskies to pull you across a frozen muskeg or through the taiga is a ...
3 of the Best Winter Snowshoe Adventures
Floating across the frozen backcountry on snowshoes is a unique way to see the wilderness. But finding a place to go out and enjoy the snow can be hard. A good summer hiking trail may not be a good snowshoe hike, but areas that are hard to access in ...
Review: Stay Warm with Eberlestock’s -22 Degree Euro Down Sleeping Bag
Looking up through the spruce trees, I could see the stars, bright and sharp overhead. A cold breeze blew all night, and the day had been cold enough to half-freeze my water bottle while I hiked. But tucked into my sleeping bag in a bivouac camp, I ...
Kifaru Slick Bag: A Zero-Degree Sleeping Bag Made for the Wilderness
The chief debate among people searching for a cold-weather sleeping bag is the choice between down and synthetic fill. As a rule, down fill is lighter and more compressible than synthetic fill. However, down clumps when it gets wet and loses much of ...
3 of the Most Beautiful US Hikes for Viewing Fall Foliage
When the air turns crisp and the days get shorter, it’s time to put on an extra layer (or two) and prepare to take in one of nature’s most aesthetically pleasing seasonal changes — fall foliage. Fall is one of the best times to hike — it’s cool but ...
Logging in Alaska: The Complex Battle Waged Over Tongass National Forest
From thick coastal forests to high alpine peaks and sprawling glaciers, Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest stretches over 16.7 million acres. If the Tongass were a state, it would be larger than West Virginia — but it’s also almost devoid of ...
The Basics of Layering Clothing for Fall Hikes
Outdoors clothing needs to meet the conditions a hiker will face. How hot or cold is the climate? How intense is the planned activity? Is rain or snow in the forecast? What about changes in elevation? Outdoors people are often told to “dress in ...
The Art and Craft of Picking the Perfect Campsite
Any hiker planning to spend a night outdoors needs to choose a good campsite. This may seem obvious to the experienced outdoorsman, but any pro knows that no one is above refreshing the basics. And let's face it, sometimes the options aren’t obvious. ...
The Black Rifle Coffee LMTV: The Most Insane Food Truck in America
Sometimes a run-of-the-mill coffee shop is not enough. Sometimes a converted military vehicle working as a mobile coffee shop makes more of a statement. Enter the Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) LMTV. Weighing in at 19,000 pounds, this Light Medium ...
3 Iconic Hikes in the Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain range in North America. Webs of ridge lines and towering peaks wind through the western United States, and every hike finds a new way to impress travelers. From daunting technical ascents like Grand ...
4 of the Best Hikes in the Northeast
To many, the American Northeast can be summarized as the New York-Boston corridor — but there is so much more to see. From scenic coastlines to serious mountain ranges, there are many options for people who love the outdoors. Though this region has ...
4 of the Best Hikes in the Midwest
They don’t call them the flyover states for nothing — many simply see the Midwest as flat, uninspiring land between the mountain ranges. No doubt, it’s hard to compete with the spectacular scenery of the far western states. However, the vast swathes ...
5 of the Best Day Hikes in the Southeast
From the Louisiana swamps to the Virginia mountains, the American Southeast may lack the towering vistas that inspired people like John Muir and Ansel Adams, but Appalachia has tremendous charm and beauty. Thousands upon thousands of miles of ...
3 of the Best Hikes on the American West Coast
The vistas of the American West have inspired people from John Muir to Ansel Adams to venture into the wilderness. Stunning mountains, clear lakes, and rushing trout streams draw all brands of travelers who enjoy spending time outdoors. Stretching ...
Lewis and Clark: The First Independence Day West of the Mississippi
Isolated and far from home, the members of the Corps of Discovery celebrated the Fourth of July three times in the wilderness in 1804, 1805, and 1806. Led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, the expedition left St. Louis in ...
Historic Hikes: 4 Must-Visit Trails for History Buffs
Almost any hiking area has some sort of history tied to it, but sometimes a historical connection makes a hike even more special. When we walk over old trails, we see what others saw and get a sense for their universe. History is never far from the ...
Get Outside, Stay Outside: Stop the Bugs Coast-to-Coast
Whether you’re in the woods, on the trail, or camping in your backyard, summer insects are a fact of the outdoor life. They can range from mildly annoying to seriously dangerous, but with proper care, it’s relatively easy to reduce the risk. While a ...
5 Scenic Battlefields Every Hiker Should Visit
To hike on a battlefield is to hike through history. The artillery pieces used for bombardments are silent now, either used as decoration or removed entirely. In many places, in fact, the signs of the bygone conflict are hard to see. Hiking is a ...
The Top 7 Thru-Hikes to Tackle in North America
Sometimes a day hike or a weekend backpacking trip isn’t enough. If you’re feeling the call of the wild — that urge to be outside and survive in the elements for an extended period of time — you’ll want to consider long trails meant for ...
Review: The New Zeta SL Jacket from Arc’teryx
Whether battling the rain in North Carolina or winter backpacking in Alaska, layers that are lightweight, portable, and versatile are an essential piece of gear for any outdoorsman. The new Arc’teryx Zeta SL jacket is a lightweight raincoat that ...
3 American Outdoor Hot Spots You Have to Visit Before Winter Ends
When the days get short and cold, many people take that as an excuse to hunker down in the comfort of their homes. But a harsh winter often opens up new outdoor experiences, and there’s nothing quite as beautiful as a snow-covered landscape under the ...
Don’t Let Lack of Gear Stop Your Outdoor Adventure
We started our hike at sea level, right beside Silver Bay in southeast Alaska. It was quite warm, and I was wearing a running shirt and light hiking pants. For footwear, I only had an old pair of Nikes. From the coast road we followed a game trail ...
Don’t Forget to Check Your Contour Lines — Especially in Alaska!
We heard the danger before we saw it. A whitewater creek in a narrow valley. My uncle and I stood there on the bank, within sight of the road but blocked by this uncrossable water. Over the snowy ridge to the northwest, the sun was almost down, and ...
This Chest Holster is the Perfect Backcountry Rig for your Sidearm
The bear stood about 20 feet to our left on the hillside. In that instant the world around us became still, the river didn’t seem so loud, and, for the first time in my life, I drew my sidearm from its holster. We stood there — me, my father, and a ...
My Favorite Hiking Boots: Lowa Renegades
Our campsite was next to a small alpine lake in the North Cascades, not far from the Canadian border. It was day five of a nine-day trek, and before making dinner I sat down on the shore and looked out over the lake. Even as I relaxed, I still had my ...
Can the Black Diamond Storm Headlamp Survive the Alaskan Outback?
The Alaskan summer sun set late in the day over the mountains. Even when it fell below the horizon, the sky was still not entirely dark; but in the boreal forest, where we had set up our camp, it was. Even as the others went to sleep, I was not ready ...
