I once packed a can of chili ten miles into the backcountry. It weighed 15 ounces and it only contained…
Category How-to
Everybody has a few one-liners that always crop up in their head when they’re out hiking, skiing, climbing, and/or having…
Earlier this year, my book The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide came out, representing about 12 years’ worth of poking…
Today, I get to share something that some wonderful people and I have been working on for almost two years:…
Well, it’s winter again, which means if you’re lucky, you’re out skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing or doing some other fun…
I usually don’t write non-humorous lists on this blog, but I’ve traveled a lot this year so it’s on my…
A couple times a week, someone who’s interested in writing or filmmaking or some other creative pursuit asks me something…
I sat at the counter of a Mexican restaurant in Pinedale, Wyoming, a couple Saturdays ago, and watched two guys…
Five years ago this week, I started this blog, hoping a few people might read it and get something out…
Normally I use this space to talk about not buying a bunch of shiny new gear, to sarcastically review entire…
There is no class in high school or college on how to insult a friend in an endearing manner. If…
Every year since 2008, I’ve set a goal of sleeping outside for a month of each year. I don’t do…
Did you know you don’t have to wear lycra to ride a bicycle? That’s right. You can if you want…
Here is a flow chart to help you decide: But wait, you say, it’s not that simple. Right, it’s not.…
Here’s what you’ve imagined: You and your attractive girlfriend or boyfriend sitting next to each other on the chairlift, ripping…
Ski season is here, and you’ll be spending anywhere from three to 15 minutes sharing chairlifts with people you may…
Shopping for the holidays can be challenging: Trying to come up with the perfect seven to 10 items for everyone…
Every few weeks, I get an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who has a few questions about writing:…
You’ve tried everything to get in shape: the Shake Weight, BowFlex, FlexBelt, 8 Minute Abs, NordicTrack, P90X (or maybe P12X),…
You will probably not get ebola from touching a public restroom door handle. But if you touch a restroom door…
The temperatures are slowly dropping, the leaves on the trees are starting to turn golden, and fall is beginning its…
[Original photo: “Bear Alaska (3)” by Carl Chapman from Phoenix, usa – Driving To Alaska. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution…
Hans Florine has climbed The Nose on El Cap damn near 100 times, and in 2012 set the speed record…
-Brendan
Hey, do you like camping and backpacking with your friends? Of course you do. So obviously you’d like to be…
Do you ever ask people for directions anymore? Or do you prefer to ask them, “What’s the address?” and just…
Hey, So you got a fancy new car-top bicycle carrier. Cool, it’s gonna be great to not have to take…
I pulled open the garage door on my storage unit in east Denver, smelling the dust that had accumulated during…
Are you going hiking this weekend? Planning a climb of Mount Hood, Shasta, Rainier? There are two things you should…
Everyone poops. What to do with it in the out-of-doors can sometimes be confusing. Thanks to this hastily-scrawled, handy flow…
“Bushwhacking is like my third favorite thing to do in the outdoors, behind crotch-deep postholing and getting hit in the…
You love snowboarding. Or climbing. Or mountain biking. You’ve been doing it for so long, you can’t remember what your…
Remember your last road trip, the day you left town? Wherever it was, whenever — July 4th, Memorial Day Weekend,…
I have biked everywhere within 4 miles of my apartment in the past 5 years, including every job I’ve had…
A few years back, I went from a co-habitating man living in a spacious apartment with a walk-in closet dedicated…
Last Wednesday, I was standing in my neighborhood liquor store trying to decide whether I should buy a bottle of…
(photo borrowed from avtraining.org) I’m not anyone’s mother, but stories like this make me feel like being everyone’s mother. I…
You like your bike ride to work. It fires up your heart, lungs and legs before you spend 8 hours…