Since 1938 the Western National Parks Association (WNPA) has been supporting the National Parks of the western U.S. as a partner in education.  You may have seen their stores at your favorite National Park where they raise funds to support the parks.  They also operate the National Parks Store at their Tucson, Arizona offices […]

Extreme Ironing (EI) is an outdoor sport that adds the complication of ironing clothing to the outdoor activities many of us already enjoy.  EI affectionados have combined their laundry efforts with hiking, caving, rock climbing, bouldering, scuba and free diving, surfing, wake boarding, hang gliding, bungee jumping and more. The sport was started by Phil Shaw […]

Irina Musuc, wrote about Outdoor activities in different countries in the Multicultural Kids Blogs.  She notes that the outdoor activities pursued in different countries “depends on climate, geographical zone, landscape, habits, traditions and even values people have in a particular country.”  To make her point, she contacted parents in ten countries and asked them to share their favorite […]

Bicycle Route 66 Route 66 is the Will Rogers Highway and the Main Street of America. It crosses America’s heartland on its way from Chicago to Los Angeles. It’s also a great route for those of you that enjoy road cycling. To make bicycling along the route easier, the non-profit, Adventure Cycling Association has released […]

Pacific Crest Trail in the Winter The Pacific Crest Trail follows the crest of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges through Washington, Oregon and California where it reaches a peak elevation of 13,153 feet at Forester Pass in Central California. It sees a lot of use in the summer, including many hikers that cover long sections or even […]

  The photo shows an example of a “fat bike.”  These bikes are essentially mountain bikes that are specifically designed to handle very wide tires . . .  like four inches, and more, wide. You can see how the fork and the rear triangle must be considerably wider than your typical bicycle.  These types of […]

Zorbing Ever see a hamster run around inside a little ball?  Well, zorbing is like that, but for people.  The outdoor activity puts people inside a transparent plastic ball that is inside another transparent plastic ball then rolls them down a hill for distances of up to a half mile.  Zorbing can also take place on flat […]

Bicycling is a great avenue to outdoor adventure, but how does one get kids these days to learn how to ride their bikes safely? Denmark has taken the lead with bicycle playgrounds. The idea developed out of organized games like follow-the-leader, tag and obstacle course. The bicycle playground is mostly based upon the obstacle course […]

There is no way I can know what was in Kate Matrosova’s mind as she set off to climb The Presidential Traverse that would take her to the peaks of Mounts Madison (5,367 feet), Adams (5,794 feet), Jefferson (5,716 feet) and Washington (6,288 feet) on the Sunday of President’s Day weekend.  The New Hampshire peaks aren’t huge by standards […]

So, how does this married woman with a son in high school, a job and zero long-distance backpacking experience change her life around to make her hike a reality?