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a runner and a child finish the 2018 UTMB ultramarathon
essays, Running, ultrarunning November 29, 2018 November 11, 2019

Why Finish Lines Will Get You Every Time

by brendan

I didn’t know why it happened. I was doing OK until the guy with the dog came through, and then, all of a sudden,…

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screen capture from Surfer Dan
Friday Inspiration November 23, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 157

by brendan

[BIG NOTE FROM ME: Today apparently marks three years of me doing these Friday Inspiration posts. Thank YOU for reading them.] I’m giving you…

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graph of amount of money spent vs amount of love communicated
Adventure, Gear, Humor, Satire, Travel November 21, 2018 November 27, 2018

8 Adventure Gift Ideas Over $35,000

by brendan

Here you are again: Holiday shopping season is upon us, and you’re wondering, “How will I get the perfect gift for everyone on my…

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screen capture from What if He Falls? The Terrifying Reality Behind Filming “Free Solo”
Friday Inspiration November 16, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 156

by brendan

A New York Times look behind the scenes of the shooting of Free Solo (video): 25 reasons to keep creating stuff “in this era…

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drawing of vacation control-o-meter
Travel November 15, 2018 November 13, 2018

The Worst Way To Travel

by brendan

Did you ever notice when you go somewhere new, everything is a bit less convenient than it is in your daily life? You’re constantly…

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screen capture from Julius Caesar was buried in a pet cemetery
Friday Inspiration November 9, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 155

by brendan

I promise this film about a pet cemetery is way more fun than it sounds (video): How being optimistic helps you make better creative…

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drawing of a stick figure meditating and a stick figure running
essays, Running November 8, 2018 November 7, 2018

I’m Meditating (I’m Just Not Sitting Down)

by brendan

I tried. For a while, it seemed like everyone was talking about how meditation changed their lives—friends, acquaintances, podcast interviewees and interviewers, authors, even…

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screen capture from How to Buy a Mountain Bike
Friday Inspiration November 2, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 154

by brendan

Some helpful information on how to buy a mountain bike (video): A visual history of every Air Jordan The Pudding visualizes the world’s population…

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collection of dreamy instagram outdoor images
Adventure, Humor, Satire November 1, 2018 October 30, 2018

Yes, Everyone On Instagram Is Having More Fun Than You

by brendan

Do you follow THOSE PEOPLE on Instagram? Their lives look so perfect! Here’s the truth about them: Their lives ARE perfect! They’re not just…

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Friday Inspiration October 26, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 153

by brendan

Please watch these bears beating the shit out of trash cans and coolers as part of their product testing work at the Bear and…

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strava map of our new york pizza marathon route
Food, inspiration, Running October 25, 2018 October 30, 2018

A New York Pizza Marathon

by brendan

The concept was pretty simple, and potentially disgusting: Run a marathon, 26.2 miles, around New York City, and eat five slices of pizza—one slice…

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screen capture from The Truth About Algorithms
Friday Inspiration October 19, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 152

by brendan

“A much more accurate depiction of an algorithm is that it’s an opinion embedded in math.” —mathematician Cathy O’Neill (video) Consider this when writing…

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Photo by National Geographic/Jimmy Chin
Climbing, Humor October 18, 2018 October 30, 2018

Concerns Internet People Have After The Release Of ‘Free Solo’

by brendan

Newspapers, to the greater benefit to society as a whole, have largely done away with comments. Fortunately, the Washington Post still allows them on…

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screen capture from Sky Migrations
Friday Inspiration October 12, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 151

by brendan

You’re lucky if you’re as stoked about anything as Charles Post is about migrating raptors (video): “There’s a deeper reason, I’ve come to think,…

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wedding photos by Sagar Gondalia
essays October 11, 2018 October 30, 2018

Gratitude And An Honest Mountain Wedding

by brendan

Here’s one thing we always say about weddings: “It’s the biggest day of your life.” Here’s one thing we almost never say about weddings:…

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screen capture from Switzerland in Miniature
Friday Inspiration October 5, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 150

by brendan

Three minutes of Swiss scenery, but in miniature: (video) Behold Otis, the champion of Katmai National Park’s 2018 Fat Bear Week. Four life lessons…

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photo of woman on summit of Torreys Peak Colorado
Adventure, Bicycling, Climbing, Hiking, Running October 4, 2018 October 30, 2018

If You Don’t Want To Dawn Patrol, You Can Dusk Patrol

by brendan

It’s (hopefully) common knowledge that if you want to climb a Colorado 14er in the summer, you should be on your way down from…

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screen capture from "Happy Animals" film
Friday Inspiration September 28, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 149

by brendan

“You look at them, and you’re like, ‘What even is that? That’s the most ridiculous animal I’ve ever seen in my life.’ If you…

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illustration of man telling retail employee he can get a hiking boot cheaper on Amazon
Adventure, Gear, Humor September 27, 2018 November 11, 2019

12 Types Of Nightmare Outdoor Shop Customers

by brendan

No one wants to be the person who leaves a store and becomes the subject of retail employees’ horror stories—but of course, lots of…

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screen capture from NPR Invisibilia - The Power of Expectations
Friday Inspiration September 21, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 148

by brendan

Three minutes on how expectations affect your life (video): A young woman’s journey of self-discovery … to discover that she hates traveling in big…

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Adventure, Climbing, Humor, Mountaineering, Satire September 20, 2018 October 30, 2018

Other Horns Of Switzerland (Besides The Matterhorn)

by brendan

I was in Zermatt last week and was fortunate to gaze upon the incredible Matterhorn, at the south end of town, on posters and…

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screen capture from film The City Of The Future Is Already Here
Friday Inspiration September 14, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 147

by brendan

“The work here is to figure out how to have a rich life without really being rich” (video) The story of the survival and…

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drawing of a blank youtube video
Adventure, camping, skiing September 13, 2018 October 30, 2018

Thank You For YouTubing

by brendan

A couple nights before leaving on a backpacking trip, I decided to finally dig up a Trangia stove I’d received as a gift eight…

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screen capture from signal
Friday Inspiration September 7, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 146

by brendan

This animation just feels good (video) 24 photos of sinkholes “He never forgot that it was entirely possible that people wouldn’t appreciate your work…

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knowledge graph of outdoor skills
Adventure, backpacking, Bicycling, camping, Climbing, Hiking, Running, skiing September 6, 2018 October 30, 2018

The One Thing You Need To Know

by brendan

To climb rocks: Use your feet. Despite what you may have seen in Cliffhanger, or depictions of climbing in energy drink ads, rock climbing…

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screen capture from The World’s Loneliest Library: Between the Sea and the Sun
Friday Inspiration August 31, 2018 March 4, 2019

Friday Inspiration, Vol. 145

by brendan

If you’re a geek for libraries, this place will probably look like heaven to you. (video) I feel confident in saying this is probably…

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van down by the river
Adventure, Travel August 30, 2018 August 29, 2018

A Quick Story About Living In A Van Down By The River

by brendan

From 2012 to 2014, I lived full time out of a 2005 Chevy Astrovan. I had moved out of an apartment and into my…

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