Winter camping usually means sleeping on snow, which means you’re going to need a winter sleeping pad setup that blocks the cold beneath you from stealing away precious body heat. To accomplish this, you have…
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From the White Mountain Huts to the Giant Races: Meet Katie Schide and Hillary Gerardi
This story is a preview of the upcoming issue of Appalachia Journal. Katie Schide ran down the woodsy mountain trail from the Flégère tram station 800 meters above Chamonix, France, this past August 27, much...
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David Haskell compares nature observations to breathing. “With the lungs, you have to both inhale and exhale in order to be healthy. The same is true for the mind,” the Sewanee professor of biology…
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Are you ready to try fastpacking? For ultralight backpackers and trail runners, the answer might be a speedy: ‘YES!’ Kristina Folcik didn’t know she was about to have her world rocked. A 40-year-old ultrarunner from…
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Trail running and uphill running are often synonymous. Big, iconic climbs can define a weekend long run or a race course. Vertical kilometer events have taken off in Europe (they’re exactly what they sound like—1,000…
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If you’re planning on backpacking with young kids, you really want them to enjoy the experience so they’ll keep coming back for more. After multiple trips taking my two young backpackers into the woods over…
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A pair of trekking poles can transform you into a sure-footed, four-legged hiking machine—or a brush-snagging, hand-encumbered trail beast. Here’s what to consider as you evaluate the options for trekking pole use, features, and functionality….
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Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) has exploded in popularity, and for good reason: It develops balance, strength, and endurance, without overtaxing a particular muscle or part of the body. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, participation has…
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Before I could say, “Yip yip,” Togo dashed down the trail, plunging through half a foot of fresh powder and pulling me along behind her. As we made our way into the woods, my grin…
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Adapted from AMC’s Mountain Skills Manual If you’re lost in the woods, one not-so-well-known approach to locating a more familiar area is the find-me cross. This technique is quite effective, but you have to be…
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Hiking and backpacking in the Northeast means that, sooner or later, you’re going to get rained on. So how do you stay dry in the rain? To help keep you a bit less wet…
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