If you’re a fan of overlanding, even just an armchair one, Tim Slessor should be your spirit animal. In 1955, he led a team that drove a Land Rover from London to Singapore. The expedition took six months, involved a whole lot of impromptu mechanic work knee-deep in mud in all kinds of exotic countries, … Read more
There are more than 3,000 stories in Adventure Journal’s archives, most of which are evergreen, and occasionally we put the best of them back on the home page for new readers to see.—Ed. About 15 years ago I went on my very first overnight backpacking trip. It was also my very first solo backpacking trip. … Read more
“I tend to travel alone with an Irish Wolfhound, good books and a camera. I’m prone towards a gypsy style of travel where destinations are optional and not necessarily desirable.” – Teriann Wakeman – first of her name, mother of Land Rovers and a bonafide encyclopedia on off-roading, truck maintenance and living the good life … Read more
Just one year ago, I wrote a facetious article entitled Dirtbag Lifehacks. I suppose it was only half facetious— I had actually done all eight of my suggestions, but I wouldn’t necessarily call my grandmother to tell her about them. For example, when I’m on long expeditions, I often sleep in exactly the same clothing … Read more
Over the weekend, at the Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve in northern San Diego County, California, Department of Fish and Wildlife officers began citing mountain bike riders for riding in a reserve that is technically closed to bikes but that hadn’t been marked that way for years. CAFDW officers have periodically installed signs informing riders that … Read more
I can deny it no longer: The wetsuit I’ve had since high school doesn’t fit me anymore. The last time my surfing buddy — a brilliant painter named Victor who throws meat cleavers at a tree stump in his spare time — picked me up for an early-morning session in south Jersey, he laughed at … Read more
If one challenge plagues bikepackers more than any other, it’s bulk. While it’s common for backpackers to strive for the absolute lightest gear possible, bikepackers, especially those who ride smaller bikes, face the reality that bikepacking bags have a very finite volume. And while having ultralight gear certainly helps a loaded bike behave with more … Read more
Home is where the Ikigai is…one’s reason for being. For Magali Côté, home needs to be parked at the very edge of every other human’s comfort zone. A page from her life playbook is to change the game as often as necessary to stay passionate about this finite experience, and what better way to do … Read more
It’s easy to take walking for granted, to dismiss it when judged against an outdoors life packed with exciting gear like skis and kayaks and bikes, but it is walking, after all, that is the easiest form of escape. Just get up, put one foot in front of the other, and you’re gone. Across the … Read more
The Douglas fir was 150 feet tall, maybe taller. It leaned over the meadow, a steep green propped against open sky. After the day’s work was through, after the great horned owl’s round vowel had filled everything and faded to silence and filled everything again, I liked to tamp tobacco into my pipe and have … Read more