Hiking
ArchiveIn the eighth behind-the-scenes episode on the filming of the ski movie Solitaire, Sweetgrass Productions tells the story of their final Bolivian shoot. Part of the team took off to ski one of the 20,000-foot-high slopes above the altiplano, and got hit with a dental emergency…
Google is bringing its image-mapping technology into the wilderness. On June 6, the company announced on its blog that it is sending a new Street View Trekker device into the backcountry. The 40-lb., 15-camera, backpack-like gizmo…
Professional backpacker, author of the Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide
Last fall, Gear Shed tester Andrew Forsthoefel set off on a momentous, sure-to-be-life-changing megatrip. He loaded up his backpack, laced his shoes, and walked out his back door in Chadd’s Ford, Pennslyvania, bound for the West Coast on foot. He’s not in it just to prove that he is…
I'm burned out on pasta and trail mix. What easy-to-make food should I take backpacking this summer?
It turns out, quite a bit, if that company is Patagonia. This manufacturer of outdoor apparel and footwear that we've frequently written about here at Outside, in its quest to continue to make the world a better place, is introducing Wild Salmon Jerky in…
If you're that guy who is always complaining that the sleeves are too short, the legs are too long, or the torso is too tight when you buy other outdoor apparel, a company called Beyond is waiting for your call. The Seattle company makes custom technical under…
Sticky approach shoes will get you to and from your projects, but they're not just for cragging. Approach shoes can have urban appeal—like when you want to impress your friends after a few beers by bouldering up the nearest sculpture/rock/tree. We don't necesarrily recommend this, we're just saying, we know…
Climbing 8 big mountains in 11 months required many things but proper gear was a must. In this post, I will review what I used, what worked, what didn’t; taking it a layer at a time. These climbs were to raise awareness and research money on behalf of Alzheimer’s disease.
On the heels of a speed record on the Pacific Crest Trail, I thought it'd be interesting to get out the old history book and have a little class time. There are a lot of trails in our great country (although few like the PCT) and, as…
From Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, the Appalachian Trail is almost 2,200 miles of White Blaze, Trail Angels and Lean-Tos. And somewhere in West Virginia, in a town named Harpers Ferry,…
Courtesy of National Park Service, via National Parks Traveler When planning a National Parks vacation, you probably go to the nps.gov Web site to find a campground, map prospective hikes, and check for warnings. Former National Park Service director Roger Kennedy,…
Glacier from Kili’s Summit Kilimanjaro was all I expected and much, much more. The climb itself was not the hardest but the descent was amongst the toughest when I twisted my ankle and had to be carried down from 15,000 feet. In my normal manner…
There are plenty of great footwear companies out there. But over the past few years, we often find ourselves lacing up the ones that were made by the little company based in Bozeman—Oboz is shorthand for “Out of Bozeman.” The reason is pretty simple: they make burly…
Quandary: an uphill battle Earlier this summer, my husband, Steve, and I decided to climb one of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks with our two young daughters, ages one and three. This was a tradition we started before they were born, and the last time we did it…
Ah, Kendal Mint Cakes. Know them? Originating from Kendal in Cumbria, England, Edmund Hillary took the snack up to the top of Everest with him in 1953, cementing their place in the packs of hikers, climbers and adventureres for years…
Lonesome Lake, White Mountains [Lori Duff, Courtesy of AMC] After spending the past month lake-locked on a small island on smallish lake in Ontario, I have itchy legs and hiking on my brain. And just in time, the summer monsoon…
“Come on up and stand beside me.” He said confidently. I made a couple more moves and joined him a hundred feet up on a near vertical rock wall in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park many years ago. “OK, let’s make sure you are clipped in, with backup and another…
On August 18, 1992, Chrisopher McCandless died alone in a bus in the Alaskan backcountry. Before his stay in the bus that others now visit as a pilgrimage, he journeyed all over North America. This gallery features some of the photos and notes from his ramblings. To read more notes and view more photos from Christopher McCandless, go to christophermccandless.info.
A treasure trove of unpublished letters and never seen photos offers a fresh perspective on the adventures of Christopher McCandless
A South Carolina man died on Saturday after falling off a 125-foot waterfall while trying to rescue his dog. David Allan Lewis, 29, was hiking with his girlfriend and dog near Heritage Falls in Greenville County when the accident occurred. Deputy Coroner Kent Dill said Lewis was trying to grab…
Former heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali has sent a letter to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, asking for the release of two American men being detained on charges of spying, according to The Independent. Ali sent his letter to the Ayatollah…
In which a team of Chinese men travel to the United States for the first time to hike the legendary Appalachian Trail—and find its manicured paths a little wimpy. Translated by Ed Jocelyn.
If you have ever climbed a Colorado 14,000 foot mountain the odds are you used a guide book or perhaps an internet site to research your climb. Well, it is also highly likely you used some of Gerry Roach’s famous research. His famous guide book simply called…
Courtesy of The Initiative Site Samuel Gardner is 40 days closer to establishing a new record for unassisted ultra-light long-distance backpacking — and fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional adventurer. Gardner's 12,500-mile…
Ray Zahab gets a surprise visit from a Chilean running legend, while the crew explores the history of mine fields in the Atacama. Atacama Extreme: The Mine Fields from Outside Magazine on Vimeo. —Bob Cox and Ray Zahab will be sending daily updates as Ray runs roughly…
The Appalachian Trail. Photo courtesy of Flickr. Blind Appalachian Trail hiker Mike Hanson was offered a CEO position at a start-up that provides real-time navigation to the visually impaired, according to…
Three American hikers have been summoned to trial in Tehran on February 6, reports ABC News. Sarah Shourd, her fiance Shane Bauer and their friend Josh Fattal were arrested while hiking near the Iraq border in July…
Atacama Extreme: Running On a Salt Lake from Outside Magazine on Vimeo. On day six of his run across the Atacama Desert, Ray Zahab moves over an active salt lake. When he gets to his resupply point, he finds out his team has been delayed due to…
Ray Zahab started his run across the Atacama desert by pounding pavement on the Pan-American Highway near the border of Chile and Peru. Landmines buried in the desert meant no drifting offroad at the start. After a few kilometers he headed inland, past the buzzing power lines marking the last…
Courtesy of Flickr Canine joint replacements are becoming more common, reports The New York Times. New hips, knees and elbows allow dogs to prolong careers such as assisting the disabled, participating in police activity and hunting. Veterinarians…
Photo courtesy of Ray Zahab Stretching over 1000 kilometers south from Chile’s northern border is the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert. It's a high lifeless plateau with areas so arid that rain hasn’t been recorded since record keeping began. Defined by meteorologists as…
In a tech-assisted misadventure, our man finds the most difficult line between two points
As I prepare to leave for the first of my 7 Summits climb – all to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer’s, recording my climbs is a serious consideration. Taking photos in extreme conditions is often as challenging as the climb itself. So I asked 2010 Everest summiter,…
Prescription-only acetazolamide has long been standard prevention for acute mountain sickness. A new study just published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine suggests ibuprofen works equally well to stave off the most common malady: the dreaded high altitude headache. The randomized, double-blind trial was completed in the…
Andy Skurka, just back from Alaska craziness. Photo Courtesy of Flickr National Geographic's 2007 Adventurer of the Year Andrew Skurka recently completed a solo 4,700-mile loop in Alaska. His route took him through the Brooks Range,…
Iranian authorities on Tuesday ordered the release of American Sarah Shourd, one of three hikers arrested last summer and held on espionage charges. The New York Times, quoting Press TV,…
A 29-year-old Swiss woman drowned while trying to cross the Teklaneka river en route to the old Fairbanks city bus made famous in the book Into the Wild. Chris McCandless lived out of the bus in…
Rescue workers in southern California's Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties have recently seen a spike in the number of helicopter rescues for hikers and backpackers, Santa Barbara's KEYT reports. Dehydration was the leading cause behind the assistance calls. The increase…
On Monday, a British man became the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon river, Reuters reports. When former army officer, Ed Stafford, arrived at Maruda Beach in Brazil, he finished a 6,000-mile journey…
This Saturday will mark the one year anniversary of the imprisonment of three Americans in Iran, the New York Times reports. Iranian authorities captured Shane Bauer, 27, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27,…
Erik Leidecker, a member of the First Ascent ski guide team, IFMGA mountain guide, and owner of Sawtooth Mountain Guides, was one of the guest speakers at the…
Being in prison won't stop the American hikers jailed for crossing into Iran in July from continuing to live their lives. Shane Bauer has just proposed to Sarah Shourd, giving her a ring that he made with thread taken from his shirt,…
The three American hikers detained in Iran were reunited with theirmothers earlier today. Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah…
Despite no evidence that human sexual activity attracts bears, concerns about the potential noises and odors involved attracting the animals remains a backcountry fear, according to backpacker.com.The myth originated in a scary true story: In 1980, two teenagers—onemale, one female—were killed and partially consumed in…
As Outside's Chief Inspiration Officer, I've been asked by the editors to share some of the uplifting stories I come across in my organization, The Mission Continues. One that inspires me personally is the story of Casey Fulp. On May 1st, former Special Forces Medic Casey Fulp started his…
After 13 years, South Korean Oh Eun-sun, 44, is the first woman to have scaled the world's 14 mountains over 26,247 feet (8,000 meters) after summiting Annapurna on Tuesday. The president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Ang Tshering,…
Ready for a hike? According to topix.com, one should consider these three things when packing for a day on the trail: Healthy Carbohydrates such a as granola, apples, celery and carrots or pita with hummus. Good-for-you-fats like peanut butter and jelly or a low-sugar…
The lush peaks of Iraqi Kurdistan are irresistible to a certain breed of bold backpacker: They're exotic, beautiful, and way off the beaten track. But when three young Americans were arrested by Iranian border guards in July 2009 after straying too far down a waterfall trail, the costs of adventure travel got a lot higher. As the hikers languished in their cell
The Sierra Club is offering the world's best internship, according to sierraclub.org. From the club's San Francisco headquarters, interns will travel the country to raft and hike with the…
Photos retracing Mao Zedong's epic 1934 long march through China's great snowy mountains.
Minnesota-native Mike Hanson, blind since birth, set out on his quest to hike the Appalachian Trail today. Hanson will use only a GPS on the trek, although he will be…
BRETT DENNEN talks to Outside's RYAN KROGH about backpacking, fishing, and his new album.
It's just a few short miles from the neon strip to the inky desert beyond. But to a solitary walker on her way out of town, the worlds of casino palaces and redrock spires might as well be galaxies apart.
Want to experience the suicidal rush of trying to break into the outdoor gear biz? Join us now for the saga of GoLite, a crazy little startup with everything stacked against it—except for one featherweight idea whose time may have come.