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Essays
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Rekindling With Fire
An Indigenous writer reclaims her relationship with fire in the landscape of her ancestors.
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Does a Place Still Have Value When It’s No Use to People?
A deep dive into the Hoh Rain Forest reveals surprising insights about the world beyond humans.
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A Grassroots Conservation Effort Can Defy the Odds
When a giant gold mine was planned near Yellowstone, the outdoor community stepped up in a big, big way.
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A Backroad Journey Through Time
There are still plenty of weird, wonderful things to find out West.
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Our World Needs New Outdoor Stories for New Storytellers
The author says we’re in a mess and the answer is telling new stories.
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The Terrifying Humiliation of a Sea Lion “Attack” While Surfing
Impending doom and cuddly marine mammals.
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Searching for Nowhere in the Yukon Territory
A life lived in the throes of adventure, sparked by a search for nowhere.
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The High Gravity of PMS, Climbing, and Adventure
What does PMS mean for women in the midst of a fear-spiking adventure?
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Another Driver in Texas Plowed Into Group of Cyclists—With No Repercussions
Cyclists continue to be viewed as lesser than.
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In the Mountains, It Need Not Be Lonely at the Top (Because There Are Pikas)
A climb in the Cascades to hear the voices of American pikas living at the edge of crisis.
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Why Are We Still So Afraid of Prescribed Burns—The ‘Good Fire’?
Despite the evidence supporting prescribed fires in the American West, policymakers are slow to put it into practice.
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A Trip, and a Bonding Moment With a Vanished Species
Exploring a remote Newfoundland island, one of the last strongholds of the extinct great auks.
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Just How Fat Are the Fat Bears?
Katmai National Park and Preserve’s famous bears from Fat Bear Week are helping provide some answers.
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Please Don’t Pet the Wildlife
So many visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks these days, and so many possibilities for clueless people to…
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Antlers As Disquieting Omen
What if moose, mighty and massive, went the way of bison and other once-abundant species?
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Welcome to Yosemite! The New Pyrocene Park
Glaciers began shaping Yosemite two million years ago, now fire has become the agent of change.
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A Heart Breaks Remembering Afghanistan’s Adventure Riches
I have been raw with emotion the last nearly two weeks. Today, I am just numb. For days I’ve been…
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The Appalachian Trail Can Be Both a Kick Ass Trail and Model of Conservation
The Appalachian Trail, North America’s most famous hiking route, stretches over 2,189 mountainous miles (3,520 kilometers) from Georgia to Maine.…
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In Praise of the Non-Alcoholic Après Beer and Hangover-Free Mornings
Craft brewing is embracing non-alcoholic beer, great news for outdoor athletes looking for a buzz-free après.
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Do Rivers Have Legal Rights?
Providing nature the same rights as people would go a long way toward better protecting it, but then, who ultimately…
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The Wild and the Old Places Do Not Need You
Letting things be is the first rule of the land.
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Trail Weight: Losing 100 Pounds to Hike the John Muir Trail
Andrew Steven knew he needed a change, so he challenged himself to adventure.
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Learning Accountability From Mountains
The mountains don’t accept excuses, and don’t care who you blame for your choices and actions. Lessons we all need…
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Saying ‘Bon Voyage’ to My Beloved, Long-Serving Approach Shoes
On the long glorious life and lump-in-the-throat death of my dear beloved approach shoes.
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“Should We Turn Around?”—The Fine Line Between Foolishness and Bravery
Where precisely that line lies is difficult to say and does not really matter. We know that there is a…
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Ski Towns and the Ski Bums Who Staff Them Ponder Their Survival
Ski resorts are open, but with restaurants closed, and tourism way down, the pandemic might dramatically reshape ski towns we’ve…
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Oh Screen, I Wish I Knew How To Quit You
Does the compulsion to capture, record, and share detract from our outdoor experiences?
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Making Friends With the Very Mountains Themselves
In which the author finds companionship and sociability with otherwise inanimate forces of nature.
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Learning From Turning All Year
If you’re only out there on the best days, you miss a whole lot about your favorite places.
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What Winter Asks of Us
A surprise big dump, a town slowed to a crawl, and learning to love the pre-skiing season.
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Meet the Guy Who Teaches Wilderness SAR Teams About Wilderness
“Eventually every stream will find the way to the sea.” The quote above is from my great-grandfather Clifford. When I…
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Powder Turns and the Art of Living
Mitsu’s eyes seemed to light as he delved into the subject, describing new possibilities and aesthetic nuances. It was like…
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The World Needs Dreamers, Too
Where would we be without being inspired by people who think anything is possible?
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Making Your Own Outdoor Toys Is the Best Kind of Addiction
Teach a person to fish, and they’ll fish their whole lives, or something like that.
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Bikepacking (and Backpacking) Is Running Away from Home for Grown-Ups
Remember escaping on your bike as a kid? Yeah, that was the best.
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Why Do So Many of Us Talk Like Bros When We’re Outdoors?
That’s some epically sick bro speak.
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A Few More Words About Powder Magazine and Powder Skiing
With the news that Bike, Powder, and Surfer magazines are being shut down, as well as the print edition of…
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I Was Bored With Surfing—Letting It Go Helped Rekindle the Flame
How learning new outdoor pursuits can deepen your love of all the rest.
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The Mysterious, Ghostly ‘Third Man’ Who Visits Explorers In Distress
Adventurers at their breaking point often report the presence of an invisible companion. Science might know why.
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When Was the Last Time You Jumped?
Growing up has a funny way of making us hesitate. Here’s for leaping into the unknown.
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17 Great Yvon Chouinard Quotes
Chouinard’s no-nonsense approach to the outdoors has provided a wealth of inspiring one-liners and bon mots.
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Coming of Age in a Wild Place
Craig Childs makes acute observations through the lens of adventure as boys become men.
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Death in the Desert
The tragic warning of a man renting a 4×4 and getting way in over his head outside Moab.
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Living With Post-COVID-19 Is a Thru-Hike Across the Unknown
A fit backpacker is laid low by life with post-COVID-19 symptoms, with no easy answers in sight.
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Is a Big Win for Conservation a Blow to Climate Action?
Pondering the importance of a conservation bill funded by fossil fuel royalties while the economy is (hopefully) shifting to renewables.
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Why We Must Protect the World’s Quiet Places
A coalition of activists, scientists, and park officials are trying to preserve the last quiet places on the planet.
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A Case for Giving the River a Year Off
River trips though the Grand Canyon are way down during the pandemic. One river guide wonders if that isn’t a…
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Can America’s Parks and Preserves Bring Together a Divided Country?
A search of common ground reveals support across political spectrum for wilderness and access to nature.
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The Tricky Path of Regulating Adventure Risks
As people travel more for adventure, governments must decide how much to regulate the risk adventurers take on.
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What the West Takes for Granted
It took moving east to appreciate the freedom of lots and lots of public lands.
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Yes, Awesome Outdoorsy Parents Can Lead Kids to an Awesome, Outdoorsy Life
Think of spending time with kids outdoors as an investment paying off in an adventurous life in adulthood.
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Moving Black Studies Outdoors Brings Nature’s Calm to the ‘Classroom’
In the middle of the city, a connection with the outdoors reminds that nature can begin to soothe many of…
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Conservation Could Create Jobs Boost In a Post-Pandemic World That Needs Them
Research shows that funding conservation and outdoor recreation is one way to help Americans get back on their feet.
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White House Eliminates Protections for Vast Ocean Monument—Experts React
Removing protections in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument will hurt a crucial ecosystem and isn’t likely to…