Sometimes you leave a place, but the place doesn’t leave you. Like a burr that sticks to the cuff of your pants, you carry it around with you without even knowing. Don Gayton, a writer from British Columbia, Canada, has coined the term “primal landscape.” It means the landscape a person most identifies with. At … Read more
The six-and-a-half pound maul that I’m swinging around my head travels through autumn sunshine: dull gray, blunt, serious as an elk in rut. It windmills beneath the yellow larch needles and evergreens, their pungent fall odors incensing an already heady mix of dried grass, wood smoke, and sun-warmed bark. A wedge of kinetic energy and … Read more
The world’s best avocado toast? Yeah, I said it. In the last year, I’m almost 100 percent sure that no matter where you live, you have been in some type of food or coffee establishment which serves avocado toast, charging you $12 for a slice of bread with some green stuff on it. It’s the … Read more
We made our way south down the Northern California coast on bicycle, some may have visions of sun-soaked days, bright blue ocean with swirls of white waves, and soft sandy beaches, but summer on the coast generally means one thing: fog. At this time of the year, it fog rolls in and a majestic view … Read more
About 12 years ago, I bought a water bottle with no water in it. I guess it was kind of a thing in the outdoors world, a bottle that you could take with you so you didn’t have to buy several bottles of Dasani or whatever every time you wanted to go on a hike. … Read more
Dear Foam Roller: I think– Oh, you thought I was just going to say “fuck you,” didn’t you? Well, hold on. Well, what I have to say is a little more nuanced than that. I hope you have a couple minutes. I think I’m starting to understand our relationship a little bit, and I don’t … Read more
I’m often defending myself over my dedication to one particular piece of camping gear. “No, really, it’s just such a good spoon,” I’ll say to the confused faces of friends and family. Undoubtedly they think I’m a weirdo for my devotion to a utensil–and not just any utensil, but to this simple, wooden spoon. In … Read more
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’ve always believed this to be true, especially as I got older and energy levels seemed to be scarce. Maybe that’s why coffee became my best friend? Regardless, I still make it a point to start my day off with something delicious, hearty, and … Read more
I still think about our first climbing trip together. I know, I definitely wasn’t your first, and that’s fine…I admit I was a totally inexperienced. But still, you gave great directions. You started with a gentle warning, explaining that this place was “way out there, in more ways than one,” but assured me you knew … Read more
I was with a group kayaking and camping on the coast of south-central Alaska–seven adults, five kids from four years old to twelve. One of the adults was a muscular late-20s man named Everett, a friend who came along to get out of the city for an adventure. A street cop from Aurora, Colorado, Everett … Read more