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Man, I Really Miss My Long-Gone Dirtbag Gear Shop

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It was on a busy thoroughfare in San Luis Obispo, California, occupying a squat, rectangular building with a brick facade in the front, yellow plaster walls, and a green awning with gold lettering that read: Granite Stairway. The sort of building that looked like it had once been a ho-hum insurance office. Bland. Forgettable. Except … Read more

Rockfall Changes World-Famous Teton Skyline Forever—Well, Until the Next Rockfall, That Is

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That’s the vantage from which Teewinot Mountain, the Grand and Mount Owen align in a composition that evokes what Fritiof Fryxell called the range’s distinctive “gothic note.” “I slammed on the brakes.  There it was in profile. That’s what caught my eye and blew my mind.” – Paul Horton, Climber The triumvirate’s “converging lines of spire … Read more

Meet the ‘King of the Ocean’

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To sit down happily atop Kilimanjaro, 20,000 feet into the sky, to rest your weary and battle-scarred 74-year-old bones, there to expire from effort, is, perhaps, not at all a bad way to pass from this world to whatever comes next. Late in life, Doba paddled solo across the Atlantic Ocean three times. He was … Read more

Raise a Glass to Capitol Reef National Park

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Capitol Reef National Park, in Utah, is, even amidst the seemingly endless red rock landscape of the Southwest, a universe unto itself. Green valleys amidst sandstone cliffs, multicolored towers, and canyons, everywhere canyons. More Than Just Parks is back with another incredible video and we couldn’t help but share it here.  – Justin Housman  

We Pledge Allegiance to Duct Tape

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For the answer, we went straight to the experts: the good people behind Duck Brand duct tape. And yes, to clear up any lingering confusion (not to mention an age-old campfire question in and of itself), the actual material is called duct tape, not duck tape. However, Duck Tape is the formal name of the … Read more

Who Cares What You Look Like When You’re Doing Your Thing?

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Editors note: this piece was originally written with surfers in mind but really, it applies to any outdoors activity where fashion plays a part or where a participant might have concerns about how one’s ability level will be perceived. Also, Craig is a real person, and I hope he has read this. – JH   … Read more

The Shoes We’re Hiking In This Fall

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If you haven’t read my treatise on why boots are the vastly, inarguably superior option over trail runners, maybe start there (or listen, here). This will be a decidedly trail runner free zone. At least this month, until I try a pair of Brooks Altra Merrell Featherlight Trail Runner 3000s and declare those to be … Read more

Tom Hornbein, Legendary Everest Pioneer, Dead at 92

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In May, 1963, Jim Whittaker summited Everest from the South Col, becoming the first American to reach the highest point in the world. But later that month, several members of the American team set out to climb Everest from the West Ridge, never before done, a route that required traversing the peak to descend the … Read more