When I was seventeen, I signed up for a 5-day backpacking trip into the wilds of the Colorado Rockies. The first day out, the guides passed around baggies of “gorp”, an energy-inducing homemade trail mix. By mid-afternoon, we started to feel the weight of our packs and the emptiness in our bellies, but our guides […]
Aperitif: Eating Well in the Backcountry Read More »
Beaver fever, iodine tablets, “Cathole” digging, bear-proof containers—these are just a few aspects of backcountry adventuring, where you can enjoy exceptional landscape beauty and natural serenity with your children. To better understand how to start planning, here are some ideas and recommendations. Begin with a “backcountry lite” experience, or seeking out enough primitive wilderness without
Navigating the Backcountry with Kids Read More »
Clearwater Crossing is one of the best starting locations for a variety of trips into the proposed Great Burn Wilderness. Located just over the Montana border, several of the trails connect to one another and can be combined to form loop trips of varying distances. For one of the less-frequently traveled routes, try the Mud
Hike of the Month: Mud Lake Loop (Lolo National Forest) Read More »
Over three decades ago, long before one of the popular outdoor gear brands we wear and use today even existed, Spokane resident Paul Fish designed a better backpack, and soon he was making them by hand out of his living room. It wasn’t long before he opened his own outdoor gear shop, Mountain Gear, to
Mountain Gear hosts 35th Anniversary Sale Read More »
I consider myself both a backpacker and a fisherman, but if I’m honest with myself I have to admit that I’m not a die-hard proponent of either pastime. It isn’t often that I have backpacked without some other goal or motivation in mind and, if the fishing isn’t good, my enthusiasm wanes quickly, and I
Hiking and Fishing Washington’s High Country Read More »
Whenever we relax and play at a lake, we connect to nature and that place where deep memories were made. Whether a lake park or remote, wild setting, our region provides abundant opportunities for those connections—for every recreation style and water sport. Maybe you’re looking for new places to launch your kayak or ski boat,
Inland NW Lake Guide 2018 Read More »
A night is the perfect solution for long summer days, when extreme heat can take its toll on a hiker’s willingness to get outside and play.
What to Know Before Going on a Night Hike Read More »
The Blitz is a low-profile running/fitness belt made to hold essential dry goods in a water-resistant, non-bounce pouch. Its most common use is likely as a running belt, but I rode with one strapped to my waist for 130-miles bouncing along on rough mountain bike trails and mostly forgot it was there until I needed
Fitletic Blitz Running Belt Read More »
I prefer hiking in trail running shoes or light-weight hiking boots, but there are times when a more burly, waterproof hiking boot with better ankle support are a good idea. Like dodging prickly pear and sidestepping down scree piles on Hells Canyon ghost trails; slopping your way along long-neglected Bitterroot Mountain trails still holding slush
AKU Alterra GTX Hiking Boot Read More »
Pass a college campus on a spring day and you’ll see them: flocks of teens and twenty-somethings, temporarily in full relaxation mode, supine in their nylon, portable hammocks. It’s hard not to feel envious. There are few things we can all agree on, but who among us doesn’t want to be cradled gently, swinging in
How to Relax with a Hammock Read More »
