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 […]

People search everywhere for health and for natural remedies to bring it to them.  There are all kinds of natural remedies for stress and anxiety and they typically arrive in the form of a capsule of one powdered herb or another.  However, the wild comfort and solace of nature is increasingly being shown to be […]

Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the #GimmeFive challenge as part of the fifth anniversary of Let’s Move! Ms Obama is challenging everyone to #GimmeFive things they are doing to eat better, be more active, and lead a healthier life. The White House has already seen people from across the country join in — from eating […]

  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 […]

Tread Lightly In an earlier post we mentioned how the U.S. Forest Service’s Leave No Trace program for non-motorized recreationists was later complimented with the Tread Lightly program aimed at motorized recreationists.  The Forest Service started the program in 1985 to address impacts associated with off-road and sometimes on-road motor vehicle use. In many areas within […]

What happens when you leave trash at your campsite? Just don’t!

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?