People are always producing lists of the 10-best, 10-worst or 10-whatever you can imagine about outdoor recreation.  Let’s take a look at a few of the 10-best (or toughest) trail lists that have been making the rounds.  Be sure to click on the photos to see larger versions. Top 10 of 15 Most Grueling Hiking Trails […]

One front in the effort to get kids outdoors enjoying natural play is kindergarten.  The idea is that if pre-kindergarten and kindergarten-aged kids spend everyday exploring outdoors they will develop the ability to truly play and learn important life lessons and skills along the way. Switzerland Several years ago a public school effort in Switzerland was proven successful. […]

Route verte (“Green Route”) is a bicycle route system that covers the province of  Quebec, Canada with 3300 miles of bikeways, and growing.  Vélo Québec, a bicycle club, developed the idea in 1992.  In 1995, the government of Quebec decided to work with the club and invested $88.5 million (Canadian) over ten years to make the system a reality.   […]

If you are looking for a major water-based adventure,  the Great Loop may be for you.  All it requires is a boat (maximum draft 5 feet, maximum height 19 feet, minimum fuel range 250 miles), some time (like six to nine months), some money and a longing for a great adventure. The Route There are […]

Roxanne Quimby is a successful businesswoman, most noted for co-founding Bert’s Bees personal care products company, a philanthropist and conservation advocate.  When she sold Bert’s Bees, she purchased 120,000 acres of forested land in Maine.  Now she would like to donate 70,000 acres of that land to the citizens of the United States as a […]

  I recently took a hike on the Badger Lake Trail in the Sky Lakes Wilderness of south-central Oregon with a group of friends.  Nothing unusual about that and we’ll have a story and video about the trip in the eMagazine before too long.  What was unusual is that, as a group of six, we […]

Historical exploration can take many forms.  If you are a member of the Discover Club, you can download our ebook on one approach.  However, before we can enjoy historical exploration we must have some appreciation for the history that is all around us. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation have partnered to develop a […]

When visiting National Parks we expect to enjoy the quiet beauty they offer.  At some National Park facilities, however,  electricity is is not available from the grid and noisy, polluting, fossil-fuel powered generators are used.  This just doesn’t fit well with the ethos of the National Park System. Off Grid at Lamar The Lamar Buffalo Ranch […]

Erden Eruç had the notion to circumnavigate the world.  To support that dream and insure a solid educational component, he developed and incorporated Around-n-Over.  Around-n-Over is a Seattle, Washington, non-profit group dedicated to dreams and honor.  The organization wants to help people realize their dreams while honoring fallen adventurers.  Their mission is “to educate and to inspire […]

A Brief History. . . In 1970,  just after Congress designated the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail as National Scenic Trails,  Ron Strickland had an idea: a wilderness trail across the Pacific Northwest from the continental divide to the ocean.  With constant exploration, networking and promotion, Ron was able to turn the idea into […]