Category archives for Hiking
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“I forgot to pack my underwear, but I brought a headlamp!” said Winnie. By now we had known each other five days. We were in a remote, Costa Rican jungle and I couldn’t help but laugh at my new Swedish friend and expedition mate. Her parents named her after the loveable children’s character and bear,…
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It’s that time of year—the eve of summer, when the earth starts to awaken from her long slumber and I get itchy for adventure. After all, it’s what feeds me. Sure, my weekends are packed with fun outdoor forays all year long. But nothing compares to setting your sights on a somewhat scary goal and…
Have you ever considered quitting your job and hitting the trail for something like, say, 3,100 miles? Sounds like a pretty extreme backpacking trip, huh? My coworker, Peter Sustr, just left Outdoor Industry Association to tackle the Continental Divide Trail, a fabled route that follows the spine of the United States from Canada to Mexico.…
Video: Everest-Bound Speed Climber Ueli Steck Learns to Fly for an Alps Triple Link-Up
Posted by Mary Anne Potts on March 28, 2013 Ueli Steck is hard to please. The man, known as “the Swiss Machine,” seems insatiable in his quest to push the limits of speed climbing. His latest vision led him to learn to paraglide in his home country of Switzerland. The goal was to climb three peaks—the Alps’ iconic Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau—in one day,…
“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise, but if I could go to paradise without dying and see all that is there, sign me up.” –Shelton Johnson, Yosemite park ranger, in The Way Home Sign me up, too! It sounds like an adventure. Paradise waits for us when we explore the unknown,…
What would you do if you had worked hard, were set for life, and could do whatever you wanted? Would you retire to a beach in Costa Rica? Gallivant around the world with a pack on your back? Or buy 200,000 acres of land in Chile to nurture into the country’s next national park? Did…
To Hell and Back Across North America’s Deepest Canyon
Posted by Steve Graepel on February 15, 2013 
42 miles, 18,000 feet of climbing, and a swim across the Snake make North America’s deepest canyon a lofty goal. The Grand Canyon gets all the attention: it’s dramatic, beautiful … a natural wonder. It’s well deserved. But here in Idaho, we know that Hells Canyon is steeper and deeper, taking home the prize for…
Two of my great passions are outdoor adventure and travel. When I can combine the two, well, that’s heaven. I find it particularly entertaining when I’m in a foreign land and have to learn a new vocabulary and a different perspective on outdoor pursuits. Take New Zealand, for example. Kiwis are notorious outdoorspeople with a…
You know you work in the outdoor industry when your coworker announces that he’s spending eight days of vacation walking 82 miles alone through Utah canyon country, eating only quick boiled meals, salami, and Snickers. Then he knocks it out in six, charging 17 miles on the final day to retrieve the bike he stashed…
Listen up, people: I need you to act on this by Dec. 14. The outdoor industry is looking for nominees for Outdoor Inspiration Awards, and we want to hear from you. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that if you’re reading this, you’re the outdoorsy type. You like to get outside…
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By Casey Dean No matter where your hiking boots take you, you can enjoy the foods of the world over a Whisperlite Stove. This version of the Indian dish saag paneer replaces the paneer with tofu, but a white cheese instead of tofu would be a great option as well. The Mexican cheese, queso fresco, is a great…
Do you ever feel like you need a good dose of the outdoors to clear the clutter from your head? Last week I was feeling scattered. Endless deadlines, to-do lists, and obligations had been filling my waking hours, leaving little time to get grounded and recharge. I’m sure you can relate. Luckily, I gather with…
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My life moves from one trip to the next, typically a solo adventure documenting the last wild animals that we share this planet with. It’s a dream come true for me, without a doubt, and I feel very lucky to do what I do. However, the more time I spend alone, the more I realize…
Picture this: You’re exploring a pristine backcountry area in a national park. You’ve been huffing up a ridge for some time and are eagerly anticipating the view. When you reach the top, you scan the sweeping valley below you … and see a cluster of houses. At first, you think you must have wandered outside…
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While much of my travel involves adventure and plenty of activity, even the most adventurous of us find ourselves traveling for other reasons. Like business. The modern traveler faces a situation that did not plague the traveler of the far past—we aren’t carrying hundreds of pounds of stuff, nor fixing wagon wheels, wrestling stubborn camels,…
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In the information age it’s difficult to imagine isolated locations where cell phone service and common electrical sockets are non-existent. Yet deep in the base of the Grand Canyon neither exists, however technology does not entirely fail us. Over the years scientists have managed to manipulate light in clever ways, which allows us to transmit…
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A week has passed as we continue to meander our way deeper into the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Our river life has now become routine. Strapping gear down, boiling the dishwater, and diving into the cold Colorado River to cool down consume our days. Our team has collective experiences spanning the corners of the…
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See our Best Trails guide, including World’s Best Hikes: 20 Epic Trails. A canvas of impossibly deep valleys and sheer, striated peaks, Glacier National Park is a masterpiece of the Ice Age. Considered by Native Americans to be the “backbone of the world,” this northern section of America’s Continental Divide sheds water to the Pacific, the Atlantic,…
What do you envision when you hear the word “adventure”? I think of excitement, challenge, the unknown, and probably a little adversity. The thing about adventure is that it gets you out of your comfort zone. And it makes you vulnerable—because no matter how carefully you plan, the fact remains that you don’t really know…
Five lessons of outdoor expedition leadership that will make you a better indoor leader The Google team was stumped and their indecision continued to build. Should they hike the longer, easier way to the left and get drenched in a stream crossing? Or take a direct dry path which would involve some bush-whacking and then…
When I think of classic adventure here at home in the U.S., I think of climbing El Cap and rafting the Grand Canyon. They’re accessible and doable to many, but they are still pure adventure to the core—the kind of experience most all of us are looking for. This is the first live post from…
A lower section of the Grand Canyon, as seen from Cape Royal at the less-frequented but more-spectacular North Rim. Photograph by Alex Noriega, My Shot On September 23 at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, 75 endurance athletes representing 15 different countries will take off on a self-supported, seven day, six stages,160-mile, adventure called…
See our Best Trails guide, including World’s Best Hikes: 20 Epic Trails. Tucked away in the most northwestern part of the Pacific Northwest, Olympic National Park is a waterlogged wonderland befitting of its name: any place so magical must be a dwelling for the gods. Surrounded by bodies of water to the north, east, and…
Ultra Trail Runner Rory Bosio on Loving the Mountains, Yoga, and Not Taking It All So Seriously
Posted by Mary Anne Potts on September 5, 2012 
If you get the chance to hang out with a bunch of ultra trail runners, take it. This breed of friendly, supportive, humble endurance athletes pulls off incredible distances in challenging mountainous terrain without uttering a complaint—except maybe that 100 kilometers instead of 100 miles is “a fun run,” as one The North Face Ultra-Trail…
I’m guessing that you’ve got a few favorite and well-loved trails in your neck of the woods. Maybe it’s time pitch in and help maintain them? This isn’t any sort of guilt trip, so you can keep reading. I’m the first to admit that I don’t roll up my sleeves often enough to contribute to…
