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Essays
Finding Value in the Useless
People didn’t understand in the 1920s, and they don’t understand now. George Mallory, whose impatience at being asked why he’d…
Top 10 Bad Backcountry Habits
With over 4,000 stories in the AJ archive, we like to pick an oldie but a goodie from the vault…
The Solace of Lonely Places
The man pulls back the tarp, and I’m staring at a seal carcass. Two seal carcasses, actually. They’re 250 pounds…
Survivability, Cold, and the North Face of the Matterhorn
This year has been a cold year for me, starting with 50 days living at -30 in Queen Maud Land,…
The Outdoor Industry Is Old and Tired. Will It Change?
Let’s say you are a creature of habit. You walk up and down the same street in the town you…
Two Cracks Diverged on a Mountain
“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just…
Our 11 Favorite Quotes From The Eiger Sanction
It could be said that The Eiger Sanction is not a good movie – unless you’re a climber. Even if…
Clif Bar and the Power of the Corporate ‘No’
The smart money isn’t lining up to defend Clif Bar, which two weeks ago suddenly dropped the contracts of five…
Adventures in Relationships
Each time you leave, my face gets tired from pretending to be brave. Holding back tears, the top of my…
The Other Side of VanLife
One Saturday last May, I slid a key into the lock on a scrappy little apartment 80 feet off Denver’s…
The Definition of Adventure
As I descended the corniced summit ridge, I saw a climber coming up the same path. I hacked out a…
It Turns Out You Can Buy Happiness
A couple weeks ago, Alastair Humphreys told me about the Explore feature on Kayak.com that allows you to enter the…
Canoeing Phoenix Through the Flood
When Phoenix and other tender urban spots in the Southwest got hammered with rain last week, I had to ask…
The Joyous Wilderness of Urban Swimming
There are older Hmong women fishing on edge of the dock and I don’t think they know what to make…
Why Does Skiing Need to Search for Its Soul?
Occasionally – okay, once every 20 years – someone will ask me what I’m most proud of from my years…
Gear and the Measure of the Seasons
There’s no mistaking when summer ends in the high country: A storm sweeps through, pummels the leaves, drops the first…
The Back to Civilization Buffet
My friends and I drove down a dirt road out of the Sangre de Cristo Range after a two-night backpacking…
The Benefits of Discomfort
About a year ago, psychologist and author Kelly McGonigal gave a TED Talk on “How to Make Stress Your Friend,”…
The 14 Best Things About New Hampshire
New Hampshire has a pretty solid argument for being the adventure capital of the East, or at least the Northeast:…
The 16 Best Bad Campground Reviews
We learned two things in reading online campground reviews: One, there are some seriously sketchy campgrounds out there, and, two,…
Surviving a 4,000-Calorie Run (Eating, Not Burning)
When Forest and I had discussed the rules at a coffee shop in Brooklyn three days earlier, I had said,…
The 21 Best Thoreau Quotes
Like two of our other favorite legends of outdoor literature, Ed Abbey and John Muir, Henry David Thoreau could be…
Are You ‘Coming Off the Couch’?
Do you ever say yes to a bike ride, day of climbing, run, ski day, or other outdoor activity, and…
Traveling Alone, Overcoming Fear
I didn’t realize-or tried to ignore-that the man was talking to me until he was standing in front of my…
Do You Have Obsessive Campfire Adjustment Syndrome?
Do you ever stare at a burning pile of logs and find yourself unable to stop futzing with it? Do…
What Story Are You Telling Yourself?
Chad Kellogg died in Patagonia on Valentine’s Day this year, at 42 years old. I didn’t know him very well,…
Redefining ‘Ladylike’ for the 21st Century Adventure World
“I think it’s hot when a woman can blow a snot rocket without slowing down,” my guy friend laughed. We…