12 Types Of Nightmare Outdoor Shop Customers
byNo one wants to be the person who leaves a store and becomes the subject of retail employees’ horror stories—but of course, lots of…
Adventure
Other Horns Of Switzerland (Besides The Matterhorn)
byI was in Zermatt last week and was fortunate to gaze upon the incredible Matterhorn, at the south end of town, on posters and…
Thank You For YouTubing
byA couple nights before leaving on a backpacking trip, I decided to finally dig up a Trangia stove I’d received as a gift eight…
The One Thing You Need To Know
byTo climb rocks: Use your feet. Despite what you may have seen in Cliffhanger, or depictions of climbing in energy drink ads, rock climbing…
A Quick Story About Living In A Van Down By The River
byFrom 2012 to 2014, I lived full time out of a 2005 Chevy Astrovan. I had moved out of an apartment and into my…
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,…
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…
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…
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….
Kanye West Tweets With Photos Of Bears
byMashing up Kanye West’s tweets with New Yorker cartoons has been done before (in 2010 here and a few weeks ago here), with wonderful…
When Crappy Gear Is OK
byIn 2004, my friend Nick and I went on a 10-day road trip from Montana to Phoenix, where I was moving after graduate school….
The Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim: A Trail Diary
by4:35 a.m. The wind blows across the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, 20 mph constant. Mitsu and I hurriedly grab hats and gloves,…
Climbing Out Of A Huge Metaphor
byTen years ago last weekend, my old friend Jarrett didn’t have cancer anymore, so I thought it would be a good idea to take…
For Sale: Palatial Mountain Getaway
byLocation, location, location! This one-bedroom is close to nothing. Step inside the 29-square-foot ripstop nylon palace and say hello to your new home! The…
Affordable Alternatives To The Seven Summits
byWant to climb the Seven Summits? Sure you do. Want to pony up $157,000 (not including flights)? If the answer to that second question…
Should You Keep Your Big Goals To Yourself?
byA couple years ago, I was talking to my dad on the phone and asked about his plans for the next weekend. He said…
Break In/Destroy Your New Sleeping Bag With These 11 Simple Steps
byNothing’s better than a brand-new sleeping bag, that miraculous cocoon of warmth that enables you to sleep under the stars. Nothing, that is, except…
25 Things Said That Might Mean You’re Going To Have An Epic*
by*epic meaning a very long day, not like a we’re-gonna-die epic “You’ll be fine.” “I’m pretty sure it’s this way.” “We don’t need a…
Complaining Is Useless
byOne Sunday last August, maybe halfway through a 22-mile trail run in 85 degrees and full sun, the day after we’d run 24 trail…
Why Your Smartphone Is A Great Adventure Tool
byEvery once in a while at a book signing or during an interview, someone asks me: What’s your favorite piece of outdoor gear? I…
None Of This Makes Any Sense And That’s Just Fine
byLast Saturday night, I was running one of my favorite trails in the dark. I had gotten a late start, realized I failed to…
The Great Dirtbag Pissing Contest
byA few weeks ago, someone put a sticker saying “Does this Sprinter van make my trust fund look big?” on my friend Thomas’s van…
Put More Self-Flagellation In Your Vacation
byWouldn’t you like to get away? To a place where you can be pampered and just relax? Of course you wouldn’t. This is the…
Is This What I Have To Do To Get Away From My Phone? I Guess So.
byI sit on a rock along the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, assembling a camp stove and filling a pot with water…
52 Pieces Of Adventure Advice
byEverybody has a few one-liners that always crop up in their head when they’re out hiking, skiing, climbing, and/or having a good time or…
10 Basic Rules For Adventure
byEarlier this year, my book Surviving the Great Outdoors came out, representing about 12 years’ worth of poking around in the out-of-doors—climbing, backpacking, hiking,…
Fake Merit Badges For Real Outdoor Achievements
byBecause we all deserve a little recognition for doing things well out there. —Brendan More stories like this in my new book, Bears Don’t…