ajtestbed Did you know we’re holding thousands of stories in the AJ archive? It’s true. All of which we’ve presented for free, all these years (Speaking of which, maybe you’d like to support our work here, or, even better, subscribe to the print journal, as a way to treat yourself?). Anyway, today, we wanted to bring … Read more
Today, we’re out adventuring ourselves, so we dug into our big gear shed of archival stories to pull out this beauty for new and old readers alike to enjoy. – Ed. As he crawled back down to base camp after shattering his leg on the descent from 20,813-foot Siula Grande, after his climbing partner had … Read more
Hikers are flooding our public lands, so I ask the question: Why can’t people just leave the poor rocks alone? They stack them into monoliths, paint them, write rude words on them. Who looks at a magnificent 350-million-year-old rock and thinks: “That rock needs a makeover!” First point: graffiti is deplorable. I do not want … Read more
College is supposed to open your eyes to new possibilities, which makes it the perfect venue for a course with Sterling College’s newest adjunct professor—climber, bikepacker, reformed salesman, and bespoke pack-builder John Campbell. Last spring he helped a group of 10 students design and build their own backpacks on a trio of industrial sewing machines … Read more
Today would be Sir Edmund Hillary’s 102nd birthday. The man was so even-keeled, consistent, and determined, it’s almost a surprise he isn’t still climbing somewhere, his long, mournful face pointed up at a sun-washed peak, alone in his element. Humble, filled with perspective from being among the (likely) first two people to reach the summit … Read more
It was a cloudy day in Boulder, Colorado, and after two long hot weeks on the road, my motivation to ride was waning. I was doing my best to procrastinate, but as the day progressed the realization that I might not get to ride my bike set in and I shuffled out the door around … Read more
Trina Moyles looked at the job description for a fire tower lookout job in northern Canada’s Boreal forest and lingered for a moment on this line: Only highly self-motivated individuals can overcome the loneliness and often monotonous routines of the lookout observer’s way of life. That’s me, she thought. And she clicked send on the … Read more
Trina Moyles looked at the job description for a fire tower lookout job in northern Canada’s Boreal forest and lingered for a moment on this line: Only highly self-motivated individuals can overcome the loneliness and often monotonous routines of the lookout observer’s way of life. That’s me, she thought. And she clicked send on the … Read more
Singing sands, they’re sometimes called. Massive sand dunes, when dry enough, can produce eery, haunting sounds as wind whips the top layer of sand creating a static electricity charge and release. At least, that’s one theory. Scientists still don’t know exactly what causes the sound. The tallest sand dunes in the world are in the … Read more
America’s Test Kitchen, that venerable source of invaluable beta about recipes, cooking techniques, and kitchen hardware, adores OXO products. Relatively inexpensive, sturdy, very well-designed and easy to use, OXO utensils like spatulas, can openers, tongs, and the like already make pretty good camp cookware in their regular kitchen form. But OXO has just released a … Read more