Not that we need another excuse to venture into the wilderness, but just in case, now and in the coming months, depending on where you are, is prime time to experience the explosion of spring wildflowers. As you read this, much of the southern hills, forests, and deserts are bursting with vast native colors, and the northern mountains and meadows are soon to follow. So if you plan accordingly your backcountry wildflower experience could go on for the next few months. While

Everyone enjoys collecting mementos from travels; stickers stating: “I survived…” “I climbed…” and “I’ve been to…” plaster many travelers gear, cargo boxes, and rear vehicle windows. Along with these trophies the journey, exploration, and achievement in the wild is the true memento and trophy for the backcountry athlete. We travel and push our limits on some of the toughest terrain available to gain the experiences these places have to offer. We only gain and grow stronger

What is arguably the most important part of the presentation of your fly to any body of water is your Leader and Tippet. You can make the perfect cast on the perfect spot just ahead of that fish you see. It may swim right up to your fly, but then at the last moment spooks and swims away. What was it? Did your fly not look just right? Most often it's your Leader. When talking about the stretch of line that connects your fly line to your fly, some use leader and tippet interch

When hiking long distances every ounce counts. With advances in technology, gear weight is at an all time low and will continue to drop. When choosing gear, the most important items are the big three. The big three consist of your shelter, sleeping bag / pad, and the pack itself. For the pack I chose a 65L Osprey Atmos. At just over 4lbs the Atmos is as light as they come considering how much it can carry. When choosing the right pack for yourself make sure it’s comfortable,

Packing gear that has a dual purpose is one of the most efficient ways to pack. It’s like getting a two for one deal on the trail and you prevent having to lug around the extra weight of single use equipment. Though with some pieces of kit it’s good to have backups, as is the case with this simple hack that will keep your bearings straight. There is an old trick to locate north, south, east and west using an analog watch (clock with hands) or the analog clock feature on yo

It may still be ski season in much of the north, but spring is warming up the south and southwest. Now, and in the coming months, is prime time to explore these sites before the heat of summer moves in and makes them less bearable. This spring ditch the crowded beaches and spend your break from school or your adult spring break backpacking, hiking, climbing and camping in sunny beautiful backcountry. The warmth is already being enjoyed in the southern sections and gas pric

The percentage of Northbound thru hikers that quit within the first week is 25%, these hikers don't even make it out of Georgia. Another 25% don’t make it to Damascus, VA. Only 10-15% of thru hikers will complete the 2189-mile journey to Katahdin this year. Why do most people quit? Well besides the fact that it’s hard, they don’t follow the “6 P’s”. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Andy and I have been planning like madmen over the past month gearing up for our

Spring is a confusing and unpredictable time often filled with hopes and disappointments. One minute the sun is shining appearing as though it’s finally here to stay while the next a sleet storm blows through dashing all hopes. Spring is such a crazy time that we rely on a groundhog and its shadow to tell us what’s going to happen. We hope that some how this rodent has a more sophisticated and closer connection with nature and can actually sense the coming warmth or contin

Have you ever experienced a gear bomb? You’re looking for that one simple item in your pack, and you’re sure you knew where it was, only to find it at the bottom of your bag. Unfortunately now you’ve sacrificed what little organization you had after tearing through your gear and spreading it all around your campsite or on the trail. Now it looks like a bomb has just gone off in your pack. Gear bombs have happened to all of us at some point, but they’re completely preventab