Zen And The Art Of Not Packing Shit You Don’t Need
byI once packed a can of chili ten miles into the backcountry. It weighed 15 ounces and it only contained 560 calories—about as much…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 142
by“The rules of our running group is that if I collapse, you make sure I’m dead before you call 911.” (video) A fascinating use…
Hiking Meetup Groups You Probably Shouldn’t Join
byLOCAL SINGLES HIKING GROUP So, are you single? So are we! And we’re always looking for more attractive, fit, single folks to join our…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 141
byYou don’t have to love cats or off-key singing to love this film (video): Yes, animals do use wildlife crossings (includes a photo of…
How To Tell People At The Gym You’re Not Climbing The Dawn Wall This Year
byNowadays, every time you’re at the climbing gym, people are coming up to you and asking, “So, are you climbing the Dawn Wall this…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 140
byYou might have a suspicion that this film is not exactly what it seems, and you might be able to confirm that around the…
Nostalgia Is A Mother
byLast Wednesday, around the ninth switchback in the M Trail at the University of Montana, my legs and lungs screamed at me to stop,…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 139
byI had the pleasure of watching this film last fall and being on the jury at the Kendal Mountain Festival China to give it…
Summer Is Here And We Will Sweat Without Shame
byThat’s right. I know, it’s hot outside, and perhaps if I took a Lyft to meet you for coffee or lunch, I might not…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 138
byWhere do hallucinations come from? (video) A collection of classic New York Times essays about surfing. “Unlikely Hikers is an antidote: a climber perched…
10 Animal Twitter Accounts That Will Improve Your Life
byThere’s a lot of stuff on social media that can be a huge bummer. Fortunately, the animal kingdom has provided some inspiration for social…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 137
byExactly two minutes of sights and sounds of New York, brilliantly edited (video) If this set of Daniel Kibblesmith’s Twitter jokes doesn’t make you…
The Story Of The First Ascent
byYou think that last pitch was tough? Do you know about the first ascent of this climb? Well, you’re in luck. I can tell…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 136
byI’m not saying you don’t love mountain biking—but do you love it enough to weld your own bike out of scrap metal? (video) “The…
Learning To Be Funny
byProbably every other time my friend Lee and I came to the end of an approach hike at the base of a climb, dropped…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 135
by“Dogs, in general, are so resilient. They’re so much braver than we are. They take hell with such class.” —Lya Battle, whose sanctuary is…
What Happens When You Leave Cell Service Behind
byHere’s a thing you may have experienced: You’re about to head out on a trip in the outdoors, for three days or longer. You’re…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 134
byBilly Yang takes a look at the Born To Run Ultra Marathons (video): My friend Jeff Thrope writes about his move from L.A. to…
20 Things That Take Longer Than Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold’s Ascent of the Nose Took
byOn June 6, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold broke the speed record for climbing The Nose of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot route that takes…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 133
byIf you need more evidence that northern Norway does not suck (video): “The Posh Club, it has been joked, puts the disjointed hip in…
Dream Big, Work Hard, Be Kind: A Message For 2018
byLast week, I gave the address at the commencement ceremony for the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning. It was a great exercise in…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 132
byMeet Maxine the Fluffy Corgi (warning, this has an f-word in it):(video) Al Humphreys gives us a look behind the scenes of self-shot adventure…
The People-Pleaser’s Plan For Climbing A Mountain
byHey, I was wondering if you might want to go climbing this weekend? I think it’ll be really fun—if you’re up for it. I…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 131
by“I’ve never done anything that has that kind of resonance or effect. Things become iconic for reasons you don’t know. It’s not intellectual or…
Nature As An Airbnb: A Review
byFor a quick getaway last weekend, my friends and I planned a three-night stay in nature. Nature is not listed as an Airbnb rental…
Friday Inspiration, Vol. 130
byYou’ll probably never see a more inspiring trip report from a toddler than this one, thanks to our talented friends at Gnarly Bay (video):…
Summit Day
byA couple hundred feet from the top of Avalanche Gulch on Mount Shasta last Monday morning, my friend Abi and I had a check-in….