Mesa Verde (literally “green table”) is great because it provides more than just fantastic wilderness hiking trails, it’s a way to experience ancient American history. Teddy Roosevelt created Mesa Verde National Park in 1906 to preserve the Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites found in southwest Colorado. Construction of the cliff dwellings is believed to have begun around 1400 years ago, only to be abandoned around 700 years later due to droughts. Today much of the ancient

For many veterans, finishing their time in the military and returning to the civilian world is daunting. Many struggle from both physical and mental wounds and have difficulty in finding their footing without the military lifestyle they have grown accustomed to. Heading into the backcountry can be a vital piece of the recovery process. It is an opportunity to reconcile the past and move forward to the future that veterans fought to secure for others. The mountains can provide

Nearly everyone on the continent (maybe the world?) has either been to, or at least seen a picture of, the largest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon. The title of “the biggest” has garnered it much attention since it became an official national park in 1919. Throngs of visitors come from all over the world to take in that boundless beauty firsthand. It certainly is grand. Indeed, “the one great sight which every American should see1” seems to attract more and more tourist

Everyone has his or her own ideal expectations for an excursion into the backcountry. Many of us want it all: soaring jagged mountains, crystal clear lakes, lush forests, and a challenging trail that satisfies our thirst for adventure. Or we have to decide between great mountain adventures or great lakes views. Unfortunately ideals and reality, depending on your geographical location, rarely co-habitate, however, these magical places do in-fact exist. They’re just tucked away

1. Technology- by far the greatest thing to happen to the fly fishing enthusiast has got to be the advances in gear and applications due to advances in technology. From ultra lightweight tools that allow us to get into the backcountry more easily to a weather forecast you can check on your phone before heading out. 2. Carbon fiber- Your Grandfather's fly rod was made of Bamboo… you heard me right. While they’re mainly collectors items now, my father still has one and so do I.

No one likes doing dishes, especially not in the backcountry. Using specific pots to cook meals means a heavier load to carry not to mention the eventual dirty dishes to tend to. While it’s nice to have a gourmet wilderness meal now and again there are a few ways to cut back on camp kitchen work and still enjoy good eats. One particularly easy way to drop dish weight and enjoy good meals comes with a little planning. This simple plan includes seeking out foods that come in pa

My eyes cracked open as I scrambled to my phone to silence the alarm before it woke the others in the shelter. I had set the alarm for 4:30am so that I could get a jump on the day and finish the trail. It was still dark with no hint of sunlight peaking through the trees and the cold was biting. I couldn’t muster the courage to get out of the warmth and comfort of my sleeping bag. I shivered, not thinking anymore about sleep, but the finish line. I had 36.7 miles to go before

West of Lake Tahoe in Tahoe National Forest near the northern most region of the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains runs the North, Middle, and South Yuba rivers. The three continue westward and eventually unite creating the Yuba River, which flows into the Feather River and so on until what was once snow melt, shifts back and forth from meandering drift and rushing rapids, becomes seawater. Before that happens, however, these rivers cut through the upper Sierras creating deep

Stretching from the upper Midlands in the heart of England to near the Scottish border, the Pennines are a beautiful and diverse range of small mountains and high hills that provide wonderful hiking and other recreational opportunities for everyone. I say “diverse” for two reasons: first, because this chain runs from the outskirts of bustling metropolises like Manchester and Leeds-Bradford to some of the most remote parts of England. Secondly, the range is host to a plethora

When I was first learning to fly-fish, I'm not going to lie, I was often very, very frustrated. I was constantly getting tangled up in trees and snapping my fly off and retying patterns that didn't seem to work. I was trying to finesse my fly into the water and worried constantly about my presentation. If my cast flopped I would immediately strip it in and start over. Larry was the husband of my mother's second cousin, saying that doesn’t do it justice because he was more t