ajtestbed The first time I camped out by myself, it was nearly out of spite. My 30th birthday was rapidly advancing on me as I cautiously weighted one-by-one baby steps, finding my own way in the world after ending a three-year codependent relationship with an alcoholic. During those three years, the things I’d dreamed of doing … Read more
One of the many beautiful things about spending time with a saguaro cactus is that while you’re doing it, you’re not thinking at all about money. Who needs money when you have Carnegie gigantea and all its resilience before you, when you can access the entirety of the Sonoran Desert just by standing still, next … Read more
I didn’t realize it was a date until he grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. Maybe I was naive, but I also don’t think I’m the first person who’s ever been confused about whether or not a hiking/biking/climbing outing was actually a date. We had pedaled for a couple of hours on our … Read more
A couple years back, I stayed at the Glacier Point Ski Hut over New Year’s Eve with my wife and a few of our friends. A pleasant ten-mile cross-country ski to the hut, some celebratory NYE champagne from a couple splits of bubbly we carted in, a great starry-skied view of Half Dome at night—what … Read more
Some of my favorite backcountry moments have been spent squatting for shelter from a pounding rain beneath the branches of a tree or in a rock cave, even though some of those times I’ve been cowering in fear as thunder booms nearby. I swear, sometimes I’ve even been able to detect a faint whiff of … Read more
Toothsome sweet potatoes, assertive poblano peppers, and flavorful black beans, wrapped up in a crispy corn tortilla. These vegan tacos deliver a smoky Southwestern sensation with each and every bite. Last year we visited Organ Pipe National Monument in southwest Arizona. As the sun set over a majestic field of cacti, we decided to make … Read more
Adventure Journal has a steady stream of new readers, and occasionally we repost our most popular or favorite stories so new visitors can discover them. This is one those posts. I went for a trail run not long ago and logged almost two hours through the tall grass, wildflowers, and absurdly steep hills in my … Read more
“OH SHIT,” I wrote in my journal. “All the light was just sucked out of the sky. The woods are VERY DARK.” It was my first solo backcountry trip, and I was crouched beneath a hastily erected tarp on a tiny island in a big lake in northwestern Maine. I was terrified. From 7:00 p.m. to … Read more
A new take on classic grilling fare, these hamburgers bring together a variety of complementary flavors into a simple camp-friendly meal. First, the onions are caramelized using a small sauté pan. The key here is to keep the heat low and don’t rush them. The savory and slightly sweet flavor that develops as a result … Read more
A while back, physicists announced they’d found proof that the theory of the massive expansion of the universe in the split second after the big bang was true, an idea that was both simple to grasp and impossible to comprehend, and while the smaller details of their finding have slipped away from me, there was … Read more