We sleep outside for all sorts of different reasons. Sometimes, it’s because we just want to get away and look at the stars. Sometimes, we want to disappear into the wilderness and let civilization drop away. Sometimes, our objectives take longer than a day, and we have to sleep out by necessity. In all of …
Backcountry skiing is simple. You ski outside the bounds of ski areas, and you hike for your turns. But, of course, it’s more complex than that. You need different gear, you spend most of the day walking uphill, the mountains are uncontrolled for avalanches, and the snow is always thigh deep. I’m kidding about that …
There are over 300 miles of hiking trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, and they all lie between 7,000 and 14,000 feet of elevation. So, it would be hard to exhaust the hiking potential of the park in anything but a long life. It should also be noted that due to the delicate nature of …
A few weeks ago, I survived a total anchor failure in the alpine, attached via personal to a second climber. That’s a scenario that not many people walk away from. Sam and I were both lucky in our injuries and the nature of the fall. Alpine climbing is invariably and uncontrollably dangerous, but the wheels …
Here are 50 of my favorite mountain quotes, with a generous helping of John Muir the naturalist’s words mixed throughout for good measure. Not all of these quotes are rosy and sweet, and neither are the mountains… “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we …
Depending on the context, mountain lions (also referred to as cougars) are scary. Their behavior can run the spectrum from benign to truly dangerous, and they live all over the country. Opportunist hunters, they are smart and strong enough to catch prey as large as adult humans. There have been several news stories of close …
Coyotes, especially for those in suburban and exurban areas, are an increasing presence that recreationalists need to take into account. Having had a serious mountain lion encounter recently, I can attest to the fact that big dogs and cats can engage in predation behavior more often than we would like to think. Enjoying the trails …
So, maybe you spend a lot of time in the mountains, or you want to spend more. And wouldn’t it be great to get paid to do the thing you love? The easy answer is to ‘become a mountain guide’. Not so easy. The process is slow and expensive. You will climb the same ‘trade …
Not every bikepacking endeavor need be a multi-week epic, nor does every weekend trip need to be a ho-hum ‘that was… fun’ that doesn’t get out into the boonies. There is compromise to be had! Look no further than the Butte Batholith route in southern Montana! An achievable long-weekend singletrack ride from Bozeman commands gorgeous, …
America is blessed with an abundance of fire roads, old wagon paths, beaten-in trails and the dusty traces of 2-tracks across its sprawling western half. These are the perfect fodder for the off-road rider: an endless maze of nowhere to explore. Our bounty borders on comical in its abundance, so we had better get cracking. …