Covering more distance in a shorter time—that’s the essential reason for ultralight backpacking, which is something Eli and Anna Brown have been doing together for six years. They got particularly interested in the concept “after a very slow and unsuccessful attempt at hiking the Snoqualmie to Stevens stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail,” Anna says. […]
What’s Your Gear?: Eli And Anna Brown: Ultralight Backpacking Read More »
Outdoor folks can seem somewhat nutty at times. They talk a lot about gear, GPS waypoints, and the wild things they’ve done or seen in the woods. They wear a lot of fleece clothing, carry around a 32-ounce BPA-free water bottle, and always seem ready for a hike. They adore organic food, recycling, bike racks,
Squirrel Away Your Dollars A Low-cost and local holiday gift guide for outdoor nuts Read More »
Talk about loving what you do and doing what you love: frustrated by having to drive to Spokane or mail order his kayak and climbing gear, John Crock started Hyperspud Sports, an outdoor gear store in Moscow, ID, originally selling equipment out of his own house. Twenty years and a signed lease later, Crock says,
What’s Your Gear?: John Crock, Canyoneering Read More »
JULY IS A GREAT TIME OF YEAR to take a bike tour. In this month’s column, I’ll explain some basics about how to prepare and try out your first loaded bike tour. By loaded, I’m assuming that you’ll be carrying, at a minimum, a change of clothes, but more likely, you’ll be hauling a tent
Everyday cyclist: Bike Touring 101 Read More »
The e-mail message arrived unexpectedly on August 22, 2007. “Wanna come to Kilimanjaro, end Sept into early Oct? Pretty short notice, but would be fun having you along!” The author of the e-mail, Dr. Douglas R. Hardy, is a close friend whom I have known since 1981 when we taught together at North Country School
Climate Change on Kilimanjaro Read More »
Two months ago I wrote a Road Trip column about taking quick overnight bicycle camping trips. I try to squeeze in at least one of these solo camping trips each month this time of year. As I mentioned in the Road Trip column, one-nighters are great because you can forget stuff and generally be less
Everyday Cyclist: Bike Camping With Kids Read More »
This is the kind of story I used to read in the Drama in Real Life section of my grandparents’ Readers Digest-one of those harrowing winter stories in which a group of intrepid adventurers treks out into the wilderness, only to have something go terribly wrong and leave them fighting for their lives. This is
Jess Walter: The Urban Outdoors Read More »
By Derrick Knowles, Juliet Sinisterra, & Jon Snyder We’ve compiled five of the coolest outdoor jobs in the Inland Northwest (and one of the worst). Each of these individuals get to spend time outside on a daily basis and get paid for it–we think that is pretty cool. A lot of them are also making
Camping is one of those simple, all-American activities that’s gotten way too complicated in our high-speed, high-tech modern world. Gear is great for getting you out for a safe and satisfying adventure into the wild, but you don’t need a Patagonia shopping spree or even a Cabela’s catalogue to outfit yourself for an old-school camping
Old School Camping: Going Lean, Mean, and Green Read More »
Hovering seventy feet above the “Going-to-the-Sun Road” and grasping onto a garden hose bolted to the rock wall, we slowly walked forward with our toddler perched on my husband’s back. We knew she wouldn’t remember her first backpacking trip in Glacier National Park, but we wanted to complete an overnight hike, and we knew it
Backpacking with Baby Read More »
