Advice From the Experts

  We love the idea that groundbreaking research in the field of environmental neuroscience is being conducted to determine the impact that backpacking, and the connection with nature that it provides, has on the human brain.  As a matter of fact, after reading Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan’s article in the current issue of Backpacker Magazine (May 2012) highlighting David Strayer’s (Ph.D.) research, we like to think we felt a little smarter.  Not just because we knew that the appropriate word association of barrel, root and belly was beer, but because the article reinforced the years of lifestyle decisions we’ve been making that have allowed us to place our search for a disconnected solitude, remote trails, and wilderness environments as priorities in our lives. Read the rest of this entry »

 Let’s say you’re preparing for an epic backpacking adventure, you’re gathering all the essential supplies, and you’re adding the trip enhancers you need to ensure your trip is unforgettable.  You know you need to go lightweight because the plan is to hike multiple miles each day and you’re visiting a destination that offers those never ending and breathtaking views that come standard with terrain that has plenty of ups and downs.  But hey, it’s an epic trip, so you wouldn’t even consider leaving some of the most important enhancers behind. Read the rest of this entry »

 The 2012 Get Out More Tour is off to a fabulous start.  The Tour kicked off in Alabama with events at Alabama Outdoors in Mobile and Mountain High Outfitters in both Birmingham and Huntsville.  It feels really good to be back on the road and even better to get back to sharing our passion for the outdoors.

This year’s Get Out More Tour is placing its focus on helping you to build a backpacking blueprint.  If you’ve never hiked and camped in the wilderness then you definitely need to come out to an event, and you should probably bring a pen and paper because we are going to load you up with tons of information.  Our goal is to give you the information you need to go home and start planning a backpacking adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

He promised himself he wouldn’t do it, but he did. He couldn’t help it really. When you have a genuine passion inside you, sometimes it just flows out.

Last night the 2012 Get Out More Tour kicked off in Mobile Alabama at a fantastic outdoor outfitter called Alabama Outdoors. A crowd of over 70 people gathered in search of the tips and techniques that represent all things Backpacker Magazine and we couldn’t have been more excited to see the standing room only crowd roll in to help get the first event of the year kicked off with a full house. Read the rest of this entry »

 Quiet will never be the same.  It can’t, at least not in our ears.  As it turns out, the quiet we thought we knew wasn’t really quiet at all.  And we’ve been in some really quiet places. Places like the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park have a quiet that is truly felt, not just heard.  Our visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park for a backpacking trip into McKittrick Canyon reintroduced us to that feeling of quiet, but this time it felt more intense than we had ever…well… not-heard.

We discovered the quiet of McKittrick Canyon in the southwest corner of Texas while in search of another of “America’s Best Hikes” (January 2011 Readers’ Choice Issue of Backpacker Magazine).  We have been chasing down winning backcountry adventures in amazing destinations all over the United States this year… Read the rest of this entry »

The Get Out More Tour rolled into the Great Plains Region this week and we took aim at another of Backpacker Magazine’s “America’s Best Hikes”.

We have been choosing our backcounty trips this year based on the advice of Backpacker Magazine’s Readers, taking on the winning adventures from each Region in the January Readers’ Choice Issue.

 The Great Plains winner provided us with the opportunity to roam into Mark Twain National Forest…. Read the rest of this entry »

 The wind is howling, gusts are nearing the thirty mile per hour mark, temperatures have dipped into the thirties and the rain is cold.  It’s fall and change is in the air.

Tonight it’s not the sights or smells that intrigue our senses.  Tonight it’s the sounds that dominate our outdoor experience.

Wind driven droplets crashing into the thin and taunt nylon rain-fly are almost rhythmic. Read the rest of this entry »

 We live in a world that is always changing.  How do you feel about that?  Some change is good, and some change is bad?

Backpacking gear for example, it’s evolving right before our eyes.  Tents and packs are getting lighter and more durable, boots are being created to match our exact activity and precise destination, and satellite technology  provide the ability to update facebook and twitter from just about anywhere on the planet.  Aren’t these all good changes?

Some people resist change, some folks invite it.

Whatever your take, this time of the year it’s difficult to hide from change. Read the rest of this entry »