Essays

Four decades behind the camera have provided plenty of campfire stories for longtime nature filmmaker David Vassar.

Fire season in California—and the West in general—is a disaster we've engineered ourselves

Those orange peels and apple cores may not be as harmless as you’d think.

As the Colorado continues to recede, what happens to those who've depended on its flows?

In a landscape of doubt, a single rainstorm can make a big difference.

A new trespassing law, combined with a new stand your ground law, could get you shot.

How a 30-something fledgling mountain biker finds true life wisdom on a Colorado singletrack.

In the face of drought and extreme fire danger, Flagstaff resident supported national forest closures

The losses from wildfires are hitting home in the Golden State.

Not that YOU'D ever need this skill, but maybe you know someone who might.

He's everything she wants—except for being a partner in the great outdoors. Should that be a deal-breaker?

Our sense of what is normal in the backcountry is evolving—will it become like South Korea?

Nothing good will come from it.

She doesn't get a lot of vacation days. She's just better at vacations than you are.

What would happen if you had an Aron Ralston moment alone in the backcountry?

Try to get 'Country Roads' out of your head. Go on, just try.

Navigating the excitement for the best and fear of the worst when your partner's climbing a huge mountain.

An American creation story.

Two new books bring uncommon insight to the issue of staying wild in a progressively urban world.

There are just three steps. Even we can remember three steps.

Thinking about skiing, missing skiing, ready for winter.

Do not be boring and forgettable. Do not lead an uninteresting life. Your mission starts here.

The arc of a life bends toward...what, exactly?

Ignorance is ruining the trails—and by standing idly by and letting it happen we're all to blame.

Rushing through the stages from panic to acceptance when a mass of water looms.

Relying on an old model to effect radical change ain't gonna happen.

Wine and cheese might improve over time, but your wet, recently used pile of adventure kit does not.

The idea that outdoor recreation leads to meaningful conservation rests on a big ‘if.’

Finding praise, admiration, and respect for the wildness in these creatures.

Nobody knows you like your first and longest climbing partner—so how do you say goodbye?

Patagonia is ubiquitous. Supreme is scarce. Should the outdoor brand steal a page from the fashion retailer?

Finding adventure thirty minutes at a time.

Do you tote literature into the backcountry? You're not alone.

He had orange-ish hair, no patience, and no skills. Hmmm....

People are suing on behalf of wild places. Do these suits have any chance at all?

An act that was passed unanimously by the Senate is now itself in peril.

It took moving east to appreciate the freedom of lots and lots of public lands.

What happens when a Type A in sports, work, and life is diagnosed with MS.

Will ticks be bad? When will leaves pop? The emerging science of ecological forecasting aims to answer.

A few helpful tips from a woman whose curtains are made from a t-shirt and an old dress.

Think globally, clean up your act locally.

Federal acreage leased for development is effectively public in name only.

When it comes to cold, hard dollars, your and my land more than delivers.

Hint: take a cue from the animal kingdom.

On an odyssey of a ride, water cuts through the imagination like a path through the woods.

‘Cause it’s more than a hobby.

A delightfully sweet love letter to a missing partner.

Money is the root of the industry, money is the root of the issue.

Replacing colonial or imperialist nomenclature with native names is both healing and teaching.

A half-century on, the book's message stands in high, acidic relief.

Along with 10 top solutions.

A love letter to the places where skiing is enough.

Sometimes all it takes to make a space seem wilder is absence

Do you compare your outings to others' and sometimes feel less than? Maybe a little perspective is needed.

Zinke's radical agenda includes cutting 4,000 jobs and $1.6 billion from the budget.

From a surprising first meeting to a lifetime of companionship, he is a hiking partner without parallel.

The copters can go beyond annoying to become a danger. What's the solution?

In this divisive time, a call to listen to the voices that speak without words.

When you need an excuse to disappear into the wilderness for a few days, it's hard to beat: 'Because it's [...]

It turns out that skiing doesn’t make everyone happy.