It’s our second day in a row hiking in the high Pyrenees, and the French woman I’m with is still wearing the chic blue sundress and khaki canvas ankle boots with braid details she wore yesterday. Her bronzed arms are sculpted from roller derby, local meats and veggies, and life in the mountains. I’d almost […]
Backcountry Fashion: Taking a Few Lessons from French Style Read More »
Four-legged friends are the best hiking buddies—particularly when they carry the wine, hum sweet-nothings in your ear, and provide protection while trekking in the Wild West. Llamas tell an ancient story through their legacy careers as backcountry packers, granting humans assistance with economic livelihood and recreational pursuits. They are also intriguing with their comical appearance,
Llama Packing: Backcountry Hiking is Better with a Four-Legged Friend Read More »
When camping and hiking alone in the backcountry, be fully prepared and ready to experience a uniquely wonderful solo adventure.
Going Alone: Backcountry Safety & Solitude Read More »
If you already have a “lake place” – your own or your parents,’ your friend’s grandparents or cousins, or your Uncle Bob’s – then you likely already have your favorite lake. But for the rest of us, any of the dozens of Inland Northwest lakes can be ours for the loving. To feel the cold
Inland NW Lake Guide 2017 Read More »
It never ceases to surprise me that there are so many unique and out-of-the-way places in the Inland Northwest. Stehekin, Wash., is one such place, and getting there is an adventure in its own right. Because we made the trip during the busy Memorial Day weekend, we could only acquire tickets on the slow boat,
Back of Beyond: Stehekin Camping on Lake Chelan Read More »
The Mission Mountains make a familiar sight to travelers between Missoula and Flathead Lake, their serrated, snow-draped peaks, crowned by 9,280-foot McDonald Peak and its dozen or so neighbors in the 9,000-foot club. Despite appearing impassible to travel, the Missions boast some of the most easily rewarding, high-country day hiking in the Northwest. They have short, shallow-grade trails accessing hundreds of high-elevation tarns with one of
Mission Mountain Lake Hikes Read More »
June 4 is National Trails Day – go for a hike! Check out Indian Painted Rocks, a 6.8-mile round-trip loop trail within the Riverside State Park Little Spokane River Natural Area. wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/little-spokane-river. June is Great Outdoors Month and National Camping Month. In fact, June 25 is National Backyard Campout Day – an easy “staycation.” Play
100 Fun Things to Do Outside this Summer Read More »
As the year’s epic snowpack recedes from Inland Northwest mountain peaks, it’s time for summer adventures. A new Sandpoint-based outdoor gear rental business wants to make enjoying the outdoors easier by limiting some of the barriers that keep many people from doing the trips they’ve always wanted to do. Wanderlust Outfitters offers a solution to
Sandpoint, Idaho—Outdoor Gear for Rent Read More »
Experience the great outdoors on the edge of the city while enjoying live music, educational presentations, and entertaining programs at Riverside State Park. REI and the Riverside State Park Foundation are sponsoring another season of “Wednesdays in the Woods,” a series of free programs at the Bowl & Pitcher in Riverside State Park. The series
Riverside State Park—Wednesdays in the Woods Read More »
One of the best technical day hiking or backpacking backpacks on the market comes with new features, including a lighter, more breathable back panel and more comfortable lumbar-to-hipbelt wrap system. These light, close-hugging, suspension-stabilizing, and extremely comfortable packs come in low-volume and lighter sizes like the 11 and 22 liter options, as well as the
Osprey Talon Tempest Pack Read More »
