As an avid outdoors enthusiast, I love easy to pack snacks that don’t spoil readily and are simultaneously nutritious and delicious! Naturally, there are tons of products on the market that fit the bill to a tee! Kind, Cliff, Blue Diamond, Kashi, etc. Actually, most food brands have some sort of product that they market to the “healthy,” “outdoor”, crowd. However, as I also try to keep environmental as well as economical concerns on my mind as I shop, I find that hardly any

Great Sand Dunes National Park is a unique location in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. It contains 30 square miles of Sahara-like sand dunes flanked by classic views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, a combination unlike any other in the United States, a place that needs to be seen to believe. But before visiting this special place, there are some things you should know… The Sand is Difficult to Walk Through – The deep sand can be frustratingly slow to traverse, espe

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.

So you’ve put together your own custom med-kit and it’s ready to go, but how exactly, in a worse case scenario, should you be prepared to use it? Through this Save Your Own Life series I’ll go through the entire kit piece by piece and give tips on how to use each item either by itself or in combination with other materials you’ve prepared in your kit. Every piece in the med-kit has multiple uses, which makes the kit very versatile without bulking it up with multiple things fo

It’s that time of year when everyone wants to get outside, even that friend or loved one of yours that may be a little apprehensive to hit a long trail or go on a wilderness trip. We all love nature, just in varying degrees. Sometimes the adventurer inside needs a little nudge in some people. Here are a few tips to help you introduce that person to the backcountry, help them catch the adventure bug, and have a great time just like you’ve been telling them they would. Include

Currently we’ve traveled 861.7 miles into our journey from Georgia to Maine. It's mind-boggling to see the coverage that we have actually made from Google maps. I still can't wrap my head around it. Yea, I'll toot my own horn. I'm cool with that. In 67 days I’ve had some great experiences and learned a lot from the Trail. Here are just a few tips. #1 - Hike Your Own Hike: This is the most (over) used term on the Trail, but the importance cannot be overstated. The Trail offers

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

So you’ve heard about “wilderness and backcountry athletics,” it sounds like something you could really get into, but you’re not quite sure how to get started. You’ve probably heard that you need to take out a loan to get the gear you need. And most likely you’ve also heard that you should be in great shape or that you need to travel long distances to experience the “real backcountry.” Fortunately, none of these are prerequisites or requirements for getting out in the wild

Get the proper and natural fuel you need to go the extra distance by mixing up your own trail mix. GORP (good ol’raisins and peanuts) has been a staple of backcountry gourmet for years, but lets face it—it’s boring. Raisins and peanuts are great power foods that provide protein for energy and vitamins to keep you going, however, there are plenty of other nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, you can add to the mix giving your trail fuel an extra kick of flavor and nutrients. Unfor

As of today Valentine’s Day is only nine days away, but I’m sure you knew that. You’ve probably been pacing around trying to come up with the best way to impress your crush or significant other, outside of the cliché norm. You really want to impress them with a special time and experience that they’ll remember, but most of all you want it to be time they’ll remember spending with you. Am I right? Luckily Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, which means you’ll have