The Value Of Just Going
byLast Saturday afternoon, I was about to nod off in the passenger seat of my friend Mitsu’s car while we drove across Portland. I…
ADVENTURE
F*&# Busy.
byAlastair Humphreys, writer and adventurer on both macro and micro levels, just came out with a new book called Grand Adventures. Thanks to a…
Ace And The Desert Dog
byAbout a year ago, I spent a few days with Ace Kvale and his 10-year-old blue heeler, Genghis Khan, in their home in southern…
19 More Facts About Mt. Everest
byHey, it’s Everest season again. In case you aren’t yet properly psyched for mountain climbing coverage, here are some more facts about the Greatest…
How To Pack For A Big Trip
byYou just can’t beat getting out of the office for a few days or a couple weeks to go skiing, backpacking, climbing, or mountain…
Celebrating 5 Years Of Semi-Rad: 25 Favorite Quotes
byFive years ago this week, I started this blog, hoping a few people might read it and get something out of it: a laugh,…
What Is It We Love About Someone Quitting Their Job?
byMy friend Chris had a perfectly good, secure, well-paying job as a chemist up until a few weeks ago, when he quit. When he…
It’s Time You Tried Extreme Picnicking
byDo you do sports outside, but maybe would like to do new sports outside? Have you tried bikepacking, SUP-ing, SUP yoga-ing, slackline yoga-ing, fat…
Why Are You Not Using All Your Vacation Days?
byHi, yes, you. Did you run out of vacation days last year? No? What’s wrong? As Americans, we’re doing a piss-poor job of vacationing….
Finding A Way
byJim Harris can walk again—which is a big deal because a little over six months ago he was paralyzed from the waist down preparing…
Anatomy Of A Sandbag
byWe all have that friend who may need a little encouraging to do something they’re a little apprehensive about. Or something they’re just flat-out…
Is Your Adventure Story Epic Enough?
byDo you find yourself reading stories about adventures in outdoor magazines and websites and feeling down about what you did on your summer vacation?…
Go Camping For A Month This Summer (Without Quitting Your Job)
byEvery year since 2008, I’ve set a goal of sleeping outside for a month of each year. I don’t do well with training goals,…
Make Yourself A Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich
byWhen’s the last time you made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put it in a backpack for a day out? If it…
A Postcard From The Confluence
byI am sitting at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, wondering how to explain…
Should You Take The Day Off Work To Go Skiing?
byHere is a flow chart to help you decide: But wait, you say, it’s not that simple. Right, it’s not. You have too much…
How To Be A Terrible Adventure Partner
bySometimes, when you invite a new friend out skiing, biking, climbing, or backpacking, it goes really well. But maybe, during the course of the…
The Dawn Wall And The Idea of ‘Wasting Time’
byA week ago, two guys finished climbing an astronomically difficult 3,000-foot route on El Capitan as the world kept up via seemingly every mainstream news…
How To Be A Writer: One Story
byEvery few weeks, I get an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who has a few questions about writing: how to get their…
‘Funny Shit in the Woods: The Best of Semi-Rad.com’ Available Now
byAfter Semi-Rad.com passed the three-year mark this spring, I started to think a lot about creating something non-digital, or less ephemeral than weekly blog…
Notes From A #VanLife
byOne Saturday last May, I slid a key into the lock on a scrappy little apartment 80 feet off Denver’s noisy Colfax Avenue. We…
The Selfie Stick And The Game Of Life
byOne day last August at a popular tourist destination, I noticed as a guy walked around for several minutes with a selfie stick, stopping…
Utahlorado: An Idea For A Mega-State Of Awesomeness
byDear states of Utah and Colorado: Hey, so you know what would be cool? If Utah and Colorado became one giant state called “Utahlorado.”…
The Definition Of Adventure
byAs I descended the corniced summit ridge, I saw a climber coming up the same path. I hacked out a small ledge in the…
It Turns Out You Can Buy Happiness
byA couple weeks ago, Alastair Humphreys told me about the Explore feature on Kayak.com that allows you to enter the amount of money you’d…
Dear Helmets:
byDear helmets: You guys are my favorite hats. Sure, other headwear may be more stylish, more “cool,” easier to put on slightly sideways to…
The Back-To-Civilization Buffet
byMy friends and I drove down a dirt road out of the Sangre de Cristo Range after a two-night backpacking trip to an alpine…