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So you’ve got an idea that getting outside more might be fun—not outside your office or your apartment but outside your city. There are so many activities to choose from, so many places to go, and so many different pieces of gear and equipment to buy and/or rent for those activities that it can all seem a little complicated and confusing.
So where do you start? This chapter. It’ll give you some basic knowledge about what activities might be right for you, in what season each is best, gear items that would work well for your pursuits, how to get into nature, guidelines of where you can and can’t go, and a few ideas for adventures to put on your wish list, as well as some straightforward principles for surviving in nature—and not ruining it for everyone else. You don’t go from neophyte to the summit of Everest in a couple of weeks, but a little knowledge and some basic gear are all it takes to get you off the couch and into the wild.
Why should I go outside?
There are plenty of studies showing that time outdoors is good for your physical health and mental well-being, that being in places that inspire awe makes you a more generous and happy person, and that camping for a week and avoiding non-natural light is enough to reset the body’s clock to natural sleep patterns. But one of the best reasons is that the outdoors can be like a gym, only better: if you find something you like to do that makes you work hard (like hiking, skiing, surfing, biking, or climbing), you begin to have fun first and gain fitness as a side effect. You can lose weight, build muscle and cardiovascular fitness, and have a good time (maybe getting a little dirty in the process, which is a different kind of fun). Not that riding a stationary bicycle while watching CNN on a gym television for an hour isn’t a good use of your time, but most people would say mountain biking for an hour (or hiking, or trail running, or cross-country skiing) is a more rewarding experience.
I live in the city. How can I spend more time outside?
“The Outdoors” isn’t only big things like national parks and sprawling wilderness areas, or weeklong backpacking trips and ski vacations. If you live in a major city, you can find plenty of what are now called “microadventures” within a few minutes of downtown—after-work mountain bike rides, short hikes and trail runs, and kayak routes. If you want to find people to get outside with, check out your local bike shop, climbing gym, outdoors club, and outdoor gear shop for event postings, bulletin boards for people looking for climbing or hiking partners, or announcements of group bike rides.
If you’re efficient about your planning and time management, you can take advantage of the sixty-four hours between the end of the workweek (5 p.m. Friday) and the beginning of the next workweek (9 a.m. Monday). Plan your weekend adventure throughout the week, pack and shop for food on Thursday, and have the car loaded and ready to go the minute you get home from work on Friday.
Do I need to be fit?
A good base level of fitness helps, but Olympic-athlete-level stamina isn’t required to start your outdoor adventures. A sense of humility is probably more important at the beginning of anything. If you haven’t tried to do a pull-up since you were a teenager, rock climbing will probably be a little challenging when you first try it. No matter how many hills you bicycle up on a regular basis, the steep climbs on a mountain bike ride will probably test your lungs and heart on your first ride. If you don’t do a lot of squats or lunges, skiing will probably tire your quads out at the beginning of the season. The outdoors will challenge your body in ways that you can’t replicate in a gym—carrying a thirty-five-pound backpack, sitting on a bicycle seat for miles and miles, hiking up steep trails of dirt and rocks. It all takes a little getting used to, and it might make you feel as if you’re out of shape at first. You’re really just out of shape for that specific sport, but if you stick with it, your stamina will improve. Climbers develop finger and grip strength with practice; hikers develop strong stabilization muscles from moving on uneven terrain; backpackers’ hips and shoulders learn to deal with the weight of a backpack waist belt and shoulder straps; and cyclists build up tough skin in the right places from clutching handlebars and sitting on seats for hours.
The Best Seasons for Each Sport
The Different Types of Public Land
For most people, outdoor sports take place almost exclusively on some type of publicly accessible land. That public land is managed by a variety of agencies, and there are a few differences between what you can and can’t do on each type of land.
• State parks and what they have to offer vary widely from state to state, but generally they have infrastructure like campgrounds with designated sites (and often running water) and well-marked and well-signed trails. State parks are also generally smaller than national parks. You’ll almost always pay an entry fee to visit a state park and usually an additional fee to camp there.
• National parks/national monuments are generally large tracts of wild land with lots of infrastructure built in—paved roads, campgrounds with designated sites, visitor centers, sometimes bus shuttle systems, and even hotels. Many national parks and monuments can be very popular and even feel crowded, but solitude is usually easy to find if you hike a mile or more into the backcountry. National parks almost always have an entry fee and always have an additional fee for camping. Backpacking in national parks is usually regulated and requires a permit and a fee; usually it is allowed only in designated backcountry campsites.
• National forest is land managed by the US Forest Service and is regulated but has much less infrastructure than a national park—visitor centers are more sparse and usually located in the nearest town, and trailheads are often accessed by dirt roads. Campgrounds tend to be less cushy than in national parks, and trails have less signage. National forest land usually gives users more freedom to roam—backcountry camping is less regulated, and dispersed car camping is allowed in many areas, meaning if you find a nice spot you can camp there, usually for free.
• Wilderness is roadless land, often inside national forest land but sometimes inside national parks. Wilderness is managed and regulated by US government agencies: the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Motorized, or mechanized, vehicles are not allowed on wilderness land, including motorcycles on trails; somewhat more controversially, mountain bikes are not allowed either. Camping is allowed on wilderness land.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land is primarily located in the western United States and has few restrictions. This often means you can drive a van or truck along a dirt road in the desert, pull off to the side, and camp wherever you want—which makes it a favorite for itinerant climbers and travelers. But it also means that commercial mining and drilling are allowed on the same land, as well as livestock grazing. BLM campgrounds are common and are usually fairly bare-bones, with vault toilets and self-issued camping permits.
Gear: How much do I need?
Here’s the thing about gear: you can always have better gear. But top-of-the-line equipment doesn’t mean you’ll have a top-of-the-line experience. Even the most expensive, best-designed, most technologically advanced backpack on the market will be heavy when you fill it with your stuff. Your legs and feet will still be tired at the end of a long hike no matter how much money you spend on boots. That said, proper gear is nice to have, but you don’t need all of it to get started. If you want to try mountain biking before you drop $1,500 on a mountain bike, you can try one out at most bike shops for $100/day or less. If you want to go hiking, all you need is a sturdy pair of shoes, a waterproof jacket, and something to carry your snacks and water—if you like it, you can buy hiking boots and a backpack later. Most popular recreational areas near rivers and lakes have nearby outfitters that rent canoes and kayaks. You can rent camping gear at many outdoor stores, and you can rent skis and snowboards at or near any ski resort. So don’t worry about how much a particular activity is going to cost up front—you don’t need to own all the gear before you try the sport.
Ten Best American Towns for Outdoor Adventures
1. Asheville, North Carolina: Its proximity to world-class rock climbing, whitewater, and mountain biking makes it a destination for many outdoor adventurers.
2. Bishop, California: Located at the foot of the Sierras, Bishop features nearby bouldering, rock climbing, hiking, and hot springs.
3. Boulder, Colorado: Boulder has thousands of rock-climbing routes within a 1-hour drive, plus close access to Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado skiing.
4. Chattanooga, Tennessee: This southern part of the state has whitewater rafting and kayaking, mountain bike trails, and some of the Southeast’s best rock climbing.
5. Duluth, Minnesota: Head to Duluth for great mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and paddling on the shore of Lake Superior.
6. Flagstaff, Arizona: You’ll find Arizona’s best rock climbs here. You can also mountain bike in nearby Sedona, and the Grand Canyon is about a 90-minute drive away.
7. Jackson, Wyoming: Skiing at Jackson Hole is not to be missed, plus the hiking and climbing in Grand Teton National Park are unforgettable.
8. Leavenworth, Washington: Some of the best rock climbing in Washington is near this gateway to the Cascades.
9. Moab, Utah: Located between two national parks, Moab offers opportunities for nearby desert mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, and off-roading.
10. North Conway, New Hampshire: Surrounded by national forest land, North Conway is close to prime skiing and rock- and ice-climbing locations.
The Top Eight Adventures Worldwide
1. Climb Mont Blanc, France: Take a three-day guided snow climb of Europe’s 15,781-foot crown jewel.
2. Ski the Haute Route in Switzerland: The classic seven-day hut-to-hut ski route travels from Chamonix to Zermatt.
3. Trek Torres del Paine, Chile: A four-day backpacking trip winds in and out of Patagonia’s sculpted granite peaks and glaciers.
4. Hike the Inca Trail/Machu Picchu, Peru: A four-day, 20-mile hike leads to the ruins of the famous fifteenth-century Incan city.
5. Climb Mount Fuji, Japan: Popular, but not easy, the trek to the summit of Japan’s most famous mountain goes up 4,500 feet.
6. Annapurna Circuit trek, Nepal: See Nepal with a 128-mile backpacking trip around the giant peaks of the Himalayas.
7. Ski Portillo, Chile: South America’s oldest and most famous ski resort is 100 percent above treeline.
8. Trek Routeburn Track, New Zealand: New Zealand’s most famous trail features 20 miles of hut-to-hut trekking.
What should I carry in my vehicle in case of emergency?
If you’re headed into the backcountry, you don’t need as many items in the emergency kit in your vehicle, since you’re likely carrying many of them in your fully packed backpack already: sleeping bag, food, water, headlamp, multitool, and some duct tape. In addition to those items, though, you should have tow straps, a set of jumper cables, and in winter some kitty litter (for traction if you get stuck in the snow or ice) and a small shovel. When buying a shovel, consider purchasing the type of avalanche shovel that backcountry skiers use—although a little more expensive, it collapses or breaks down to stow away without taking up as much space as a regular shovel, and for car-related emergencies it works just as well (if not better). For travel on bumpy or sandy roads, a small piece of wood can be great to shove under a wheel if it’s spinning above a hole—or to place under your jack if you get a flat tire in sandy or muddy soil.
Do I need a Jeep/four-wheel-drive truck to get into the mountains?
If your primary objective is hiking, climbing, or mountain biking, not necessarily —as a quick survey of all the Honda Civics and other passenger cars in Colorado trailhead parking lots will tell you. A regular-clearance, two-wheel-drive car can get you to where you want to go most of the time, especially if you’re willing to push what you think are its limits. Plenty of off-road experts will tell you that the line you pick on a rough road is way more important than having a lifted vehicle or four-wheel drive (although those things obviously help). Drive slowly, examine angles before committing to a line, roll over rocks with your tires (as opposed to your oil pan), and if you’re really in doubt about a section, park your car wherever you can and walk the rest of the way to the trailhead if it’s only a mile or two extra—the goal of your excursion is to exercise anyway, right?
How do I keep my vehicle from getting stuck in sand?
If you’re on a sandy road, deflate your tires to 20 PSI before driving on it—the lower pressure will widen your tire and give you better flotation. This of course leaves you with the issue of putting air back in the tires when you’re done with the sandy portion of the drive. Off-road enthusiasts carry an air compressor in their car to deal with this, but if you don’t want to buy/carry one, a standard bicycle tire pump will work (just be warned that it will take much longer and burn a lot more calories than the compressor). If you’re driving a road and spot a sandy patch, don’t slow down through the sand; keep your foot on the gas until you’re out of the sandy spot—you don’t have to floor it or drive dangerously, but keep power going to the drive wheels. If you get stuck, don’t spin the wheels trying to get out—your wheels will just dig holes for your heavy vehicle to sink into. Get out a shovel and scoop out the sand from in front of your tires, and then rally your friends to push the car to help you get out. If you’re still stuck, you’ll probably need a pull from a friend in another vehicle.
Top 10 Towns for Adventure around the World
1. Chamonix, France: Located at the foot of Mont Blanc, Chamonix has long been the adventure capital of Europe, with limitless climbing, skiing, mountaineering, and hiking opportunities.
2. El Chalten, Argentina: El Chalten is near Patagonia’s famous granite towers. It is known as the trekking capital of Argentina and is considered one of the best alpine climbing destinations in the world.
3. Squamish, British Columbia, Canada: The granite at Squamish is as famous in rock-climbing circles as Yosemite, and the mountain biking, windsurfing, and kayaking combined give it the title of Canada’s outdoor recreation capital.
4. Cape Town, South Africa: Close proximity to the ocean and the backdrop of Table Mountain make Cape Town a well-known destination for surfing, hiking, rock climbing, windsurfing, caving, and mountain biking.
5. Interlaken, Switzerland: Just down the valley from the north face of the Eiger, Interlaken is a quick drive to some of the best mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing, BASE jumping, and hiking in the Alps.
6. Turrialba, Costa Rica: Turrialba is known for two whitewater rivers, but it’s also got world-class mountain biking, hiking, and surfing, not to mention year-round warm weather.
7. Voss, Norway: Tucked into the fjord lands in western Norway, Voss is most famous for whitewater rafting and kayaking, as well as BASE jumping. It’s also got great hiking and is the largest ski destination in western Norway.
8. Queenstown, New Zealand: At Queenstown, New Zealand’s unique Alps drop almost right into the ocean. Whitewater, heli-skiing, climbing, jet boating, and mountain biking are available—and the town has the unique distinction of being the birthplace of bungee jumping.
9. Kathmandu, Nepal: Kathmandu is the gateway to the Himalayas, including famous long treks through the world’s highest mountain range, not to mention Mount Everest.
10. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy: In the winter, Cortina is known as one of the best ski towns in Europe and as a chic gateway to skiing in the Dolomites. In the summer, it’s just as appealing: hiking, rock-climbing, and protected-climbing routes (called via ferrata) abound.
Do I need to carry a big knife for camping, hiking, and cooking outdoors?
Probably not. Think about what you would need a knife for before you buy the knife: as macho as you’d like to think outdoor pursuits are, your knife is likely to be used for small repairs and for cutting cheese or food wrappers. Big knives are bulky, and if they’re heavy they’re likely to get packed away where you can’t access them. A small knife that fits in your pocket will prove to be more useful in the long run.
How do I get my vehicle out of mud?
The best way to get unstuck from mud is to avoid it in the first place. If you’re driving on a muddy road, be cautious of ruts left by taller vehicles—your Subaru Outback might not make it through the same path as someone with a lifted Jeep. When driving through mud, keep your speed up and keep the power going to the drive wheels as much as possible (i.e., keep the gas pedal depressed). If you do get stuck in mud, you may be able to get unstuck by turning the steering wheel back and forth while pressing the gas pedal—but don’t spin your tires, as this will only dig you deeper. If that doesn’t work, your passengers will have to push you out, and if that fails, it’s time to get out your tow straps (see here) and hook your car up to another car that’s not stuck in the mud.
What’s the difference between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?
Despite their similarities—both all-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) propel your vehicle using both the front and rear axles (or front and rear wheels, if that makes more sense)—they’re not the same. As opposed to your standard two-wheel-drive car, in which all the propulsion goes to the front wheels and the rear wheels just roll along obediently behind, an AWD or 4WD vehicle will be more responsive on icy or snowy roads or on extremely bumpy roads because all four wheels can grip the driving surface. If you live in a mountain town, choose AWD or 4WD: you’ll get stuck less often. A vehicle with 4WD is generally a two-wheel-drive vehicle with the option to switch into 4WD when necessary. An AWD vehicle essentially has 4WD all the time, with no ability to switch out of it. Although they sound the same, 4WD is generally better than AWD if you’re doing a lot of off-roading, and AWD is generally better than 4WD for on-road mountain driving, since it’s always on. So if you’re driving an AWD vehicle to go skiing and you hit a patch of ice or snow, you don’t have to turn on the 4WD (but you would if you were driving a 4WD vehicle).
EXPERT WITNESS
Eleven Tips for Driving Bumpy (Nonsnowy) Roads
Sinuhe Xavier, professional commercial filmmaker for off-road clients like Land Rover and Toyota
Xavier has driven thousands of miles of gnarly roads throughout the world in his film work and as creative director for Overland Journal. He shares his tips for navigating bumpy, rutted, rocky roads in the backcountry:
1. Go as slow as possible and as fast as necessary when navigating difficult terrain. Don’t be afraid to take your time getting over an obstacle, because doing it right once slowly will take less time than hurrying through it and getting stuck.
2. Lower the pressure in your tires to 20 PSI for a smoother ride and better traction on washboard roads.
3. Use your floor mats as traction devices when nothing else can be found.
4. Travel with another vehicle when possible, in case you become stuck and need a tow out of a situation or just a small pull or push.
5. Never cross a body of water without knowing how deep the water is all the way across.
6. If you are unsure of what lies above the horizon or around the bend, get out of the car and walk it first.
7. Turning around is not failure.
8. Put your tires on the highest point of an obstacle. This will lift everything up, giving you more clearance.
9. Know the following numbers about your vehicle: approach angle (the maximum angle from the ground of an incline or obstacle that the front of your vehicle can clear), departure angle (the maximum angle from the ground of an incline or obstacle that the rear of your vehicle can clear), and break-over angle (the angle between the bottom of your tires and the midpoint of your vehicle’s underside).
10. Four-wheel drive does not give you superpowers.
11. Four-wheel drive only gives you the skills to get stuck farther away from help.
EXPERT WITNESS
How to Take a Great Photo Outdoors
Forest Woodward, photographer
Adventure photographer Forest Woodward has shot adventure photos all around the world for publications like National Geographic Adventure, Outside Magazine, Esquire, Climbing, Alpinist, Rock and Ice, Surfer Mag, Afar, and Forbes, and he understands what it takes to make a quality image when you’re up against Mother Nature.
1. Get tough. The best outdoor photographs don’t come from having the most expensive equipment or even going to the most beautiful places. They come from being tough, from sucking it up, and from pulling out the camera in those moments when the human experience of wild places is most raw and exposed to the elements—battling mosquitoes, fording a river, or taking shelter in a rainstorm. If you are exhausted, uncomfortable, and at odds with the elements, chances are there’s a good adventure photo in the making.
2. Invest in good lenses. The camera is important, but just as important is the lens you choose. A 24mm to 70mm zoom is a great lens to start with, but the next lens to get is a 50mm with a large aperture (f1.8 or lower). With one of these you can begin experimenting with depth of field and low-light shooting. The 50mm most closely replicates what our eyes see and thus is a good challenge—eliminating the trickery of a wide angle or telephoto and forcing you to move your feet to get the shot.
3. Shoot during the “golden hour.” The golden hour is the first hour after the sun rises and the last hour before it sets. The vast majority of landscape photographs are taken during this time. It’s called the golden hour because of the golden warmth to the light—it is the most dramatic and descriptive light. If you want to create beautiful landscape photographs, get a tripod and be ready to hunt during the golden hour.
4. F8 and be there. The street photographer Weegee has been oft quoted as saying, “F8 and be there.” This applies not just to street photography but to outdoor adventure photography as well. Set your camera at F8, be in the right place at the right time, and let the camera do the rest. The F8 setting will allow a wide range to be in focus, so when you find your shot, your camera will be ready to capture it.
What’s the best camera for shooting in the outdoors?
The best camera to take with you in the outdoors is the one you know how to use, whether it’s the one on your smartphone or a $5,000 digital camera. When deciding what number of megapixels (literally the number of pixels that make up the photos your camera takes, or the size of the digital file produced by the camera) is appropriate for your needs, consider what you’re going to do with your outdoor photos—if your mountain bike photo is destined for a billboard, yes, you might need that 42MP camera, but if you’re just sharing the shots on Facebook and Instagram, your smartphone probably has an ample number of megapixels for your needs. A DSLR camera (generally a larger, heavier camera with interchangeable lenses) is a good investment if you’re interested in learning photography, especially about what’s possible with different manual settings and lenses. But if you just want snapshots of your adventures, a small camera or smartphone is great. The most expensive camera you can buy won’t do much for you (besides take huge photos) unless you know how to use it. Learn how to frame a good shot first, and then, when you’re feeling limited by your camera’s capabilities, start shopping for a better one.
Ten Adventure Books Everyone Should Read
1. Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl (1950)
2. Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson (1988)
3. Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer (1996)
4. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing (1959)
5. Annapurna: First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak, by Maurice Herzog (1951)
6. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, by Edward Abbey (1968)
7. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville (1851)
8. The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History through the Heart of the Grand Canyon, by Kevin Fedarko (2013)
9. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Bryson (1998)
10. The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1922)
Should I buy a GPS?
Handheld GPS units (or GPS watches) can be great for specific applications—plotting routes, measuring statistics during a climb, run, or mountain bike ride, or sending text messages to let friends or family know you’ll be late for dinner. But plenty of adventurers would say that your smartphone works just as well. Smartphone GPS apps have similar functionality to handheld GPS units, and if you just want the ability to see where you are on a map or navigate, they’ll do just fine. If you take your phone on a trip, keep it on airplane mode and keep the screen brightness turned down; it can last days on a single battery charge. You can download US Geological Survey (USGS) topography maps before your trip and use the GPS app while the phone is on airplane mode. If you’re concerned about needing a GPS more durable and water resistant than a phone, or would like more functionality (like the ability to text-message via satellite when you’re out in the wilderness), GPS units are the way to go.
Nine Outdoor Adventure Heroes
1. Thor Heyerdahl: This Norwegian explorer captained a 5,000-mile ocean expedition on a traditional balsa wood raft from Peru to French Polynesia in 1947 to prove his theory that the islands were originally settled from South America.
2/3. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay: The first people to summit Mount Everest, in 1953.
4. Ernest Shackleton: The leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, an epic journey from 1914 to 1917 in which the expedition’s ship became stuck and then was crushed in sea ice. Shackleton’s incredible leadership enabled the entire crew to survive.
5. Lynn Hill: The first person to free-climb the Nose on El Capitan, in 1993, and to free-climb the Nose in a single day, in 1994. Both feats remained unrepeated for more than a decade after her ascents.
6. Duke Kahanamoku: “The Duke,” a native Hawaiian and Olympic swimming medalist, is credited with popularizing the sport of surfing in his travels around the world in the early 1900s.
7. Reinhold Messner: The first person to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen; he’s also the first person to climb all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks.
8. Kenton Grua: Grua masterminded the fastest speed run of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in a rowboat in 1983. He led a team that rowed 280 river miles in under thirty-seven hours.
9. Emma “Grandma” Gatewood: At age sixty-seven in 1955, Gatewood became the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail; she was also the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail three times.
What’s the protocol when a date knows more than I do about an outdoor sport?
Humility is the best policy. We’re not living in the days of Jeremiah Johnson and Jim Bridger, when men knew how to build a log cabin from scratch, skin a grizzly bear, and track an elk, and women were supposed to keep the home fires burning. No one has an innate knowledge of outdoor sports, and most people don’t expect us to. If a prospective love interest invites you out for a day of sailing, hiking, or climbing for your first date, be honest up front and admit your lack of experience or knowledge. Giving him or her the chance to help you right away will save you awkward situations in the long run. Being “bad” at something, or being a slow learner, is way better than faking it and looking like a jackass.
Is hiking/skiing/climbing/mountain biking a good first date?
If your prospective girlfriend or boyfriend is already a hiker or skier or climber, it can be a great experience enjoying a common interest. If she or he is not, it’s probably a better fifth date. Teaching someone to ski is probably the worst first-date idea ever, because the success of the date will be largely dependent on the success of that person’s first time skiing, which could go really badly. Taking someone climbing for the first time could have terrible implications as well, especially if she or he just happens to discover a paralyzing fear of heights halfway up the first route (and fairly or unfairly blames everything on you). Mountain biking also has lots of potential to end catastrophically with a crash. Kayaking or canoeing on a calm lake or river can be fun and is fairly low-risk, although there is a slight possibility that one of you might fall into the water. Hiking is of course a much easier theater for a date, since it’s really just a step up from walking and any fit person can do it without having to learn additional skills. The important thing to remember, if you do choose an outdoor activity for your first date, is that an easy day of climbing or skiing or mountain biking for you might be a completely terrifying or frustrating day for someone who has never done it before, so adjust your objective accordingly.
The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace/Don’t Pollute
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has, since 1994, educated people about their recreational impacts on nature. Use their seven guiding principles to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare: Give yourself enough time to hike in and reach proper campsites. If you don’t plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to find a good spot, you can run out of daylight and have to set up a camp in a spot that’s less sustainable (and less comfortable).
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: In high-use areas, use already existing sites; in remote areas, spread out to minimize impact. If everyone who visited an alpine lake, for example, used a brand-new campsite, the lake would eventually be surrounded in barren spots with fire rings next to them. Use a spot that’s already been camped in.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly (Pack It In, Pack It Out): Pack out all trash, scatter dishwater far from water sources, and bury human waste (see here).
4. Leave What You Find: Leave the things you find for others to enjoy—don’t pocket rocks, wildflowers, or archaeological artifacts. Stealing a potsherd from an ancient site alters the site, making it less enjoyable for future visitors.
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts: Minimize campfires, and when you do build one make it no bigger than necessary; use existing fire rings when possible.
6. Respect Wildlife: Give animals proper space; don’t leave food where animals can get into it. If animals become accustomed to finding food that campers leave out, they’ll continue to revisit certain areas, becoming a danger to humans and to themselves.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors: Travel and camp quietly; give other users enough space when camping. Yelling and shouting may seem natural in the outdoors, but you’re infringing on other hikers’ experiences when you create unnecessary noise.
Eight Classic Outdoor Trips of a Lifetime
All you need for this diverse list of outdoor adventures is some enthusiasm, a little fitness, and some spare time (and some spare cash)—none of them requires specialized skills or training, outside of hiking boots and backpacking gear.
1. Raft the Grand Canyon (Arizona): One of the biggest rivers in America, it has 280 miles of rafting.
2. Hike Half Dome (Yosemite National Park, California): A climb to the top of Yosemite’s iconic granite monolith doesn’t require specialized skills or equipment.
3. Climb Katahdin (Baxter State Park, Maine): A thrilling hike to the top of one of the Northeast’s most famous mountains, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
4. Climb Mount Hood with a guide (Oregon): A great introduction to snow climbing and mountaineering, this can be done in a single day and is one of the most famous mountains in America.
5. Ski Tuckerman’s Ravine in the spring (New Hampshire): Use your own power to climb and then ski down the Northeast’s most well-known backcountry run.
6. Mountain bike the White Rim Trail (Utah): A three-day beginner-friendly mountain bike adventure takes you through southern Utah’s famous desert canyon country.
7. Backpack to Havasu Falls (Arizona): Hike into turquoise-blue waterfall-fed pools in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon.
8. Climb a 14,000-foot mountain (Colorado): Experience high altitude at the top of the Rocky Mountains; no specialized equipment is needed other than a sturdy pair of hiking boots.
How do I ask out a woman or man I meet on a trail?
There are all sorts of ways asking someone out on a trail can go wrong—keep in mind that depending on how remote said trail is, asking someone out can come off as quite creepy. A trail is somewhere on the spectrum between a bar (where lots of people are open to meeting people to potentially date) and a gym (where lots of people are just there to work out, and potential dates are the last thing on their mind). That said, it’s possible—it just takes more of an opening conversation than buying someone a drink. Start with the scenery or something about the environment (“Beautiful view up here” or “Hope those rain clouds stay where they are”) and test the waters, and if the conversation flows from there, that’s positive. If you end up talking for a few minutes and feel that you might have enough in common to suggest getting together sometime, go for it—“I was going to head down into town and get a beer (or a burrito) after this, would you like to join me?” or “I hike this trail every Tuesday after work—maybe we should meet up and hike together sometime.”
Thirteen Pieces of Must-Have Gear for All-Around Adventures
If you want to get started in the outdoors but have no idea what you should buy first, this list is a good start for hiking, camping, and backpacking activities.
1. Thirty-liter backpack: Perfect size for day-long hikes, climbs, or summit hiking missions.
2. Sixty-liter backpack: The right size for two- to seven-day backpacking trips.
3. Headlamp: Illumination for car camping, backpacking, and keeping in your pack just in case you’re still outdoors after sunset.
4. Two-person backpacking tent: A solid tent will last for a decade of backpacking and car-camping adventures.
5. 15°F sleeping bag: For camping in the mountains or desert, a 15°F-rated sleeping bag is perfect for every season except winter, or summer in the desert (see here).
6. Sleeping pad: No matter what kind you buy, it will make your nights sleeping outside better.
7. Isobutane (canister fuel) stove: Simple, reliable, and easy to maintain, this little stove should last for years.
8. Backpacking pot or pot set: You’re not cooking complicated meals in the backcountry, so a pot or two is usually all you need.
9. Water bottles: Two 1-liter bottles will get you through most day-long adventures.
10. Lightweight soft-shell jacket: It’s a great all-around layer for hiking, climbing, and cold-weather trail running.
11. Trail-running shoes: Not just for trail running—wear for day hiking and peak bagging, as well as road running.
12. Rain shell: A good rain jacket is indispensable—if you spend enough time outdoors, you’re eventually going to need it.
13. Puffy jacket: A down or synthetic insulated jacket is the lightest, warmest insulation you can carry on a backpacking trip. It makes a great pillow too.
Should I buy a multitool for camping, hiking, and cooking outdoors?
Yes. There are dozens of multitools on the market, and you can decide what tools you want yours to come with. A basic multitool often includes a knife blade, a can opener, both Phillips head and regular screwdrivers, and pliers with wire-cutting capability; these tools will cover most of your camping and backpacking needs. You can spend lots of money if you want, but just because you can imagine a hypothetical use for a specific tool (think about what it would be like to saw a branch with that 3-inch serrated blade) doesn’t mean you’re actually going to use it. Plenty of multitools under forty dollars will do exactly what you need them to do in the wilderness—don’t forget that climber Aron Ralston amputated his arm with a dull, non-name-brand multitool when he got trapped behind that boulder in a canyon in Utah.
How do I know if a hike/climb is beyond my skill level?
Before you set out on a new adventure, if you’re wondering, “Can I do it?” you should consider two things:
1. The type of terrain. An 8-mile hike on a manageable, flat trail is a lot different from an 8-mile hike to the top of a rocky peak, especially if the last 2 miles are a continuous field of boulders that you have to scramble over using your hands and feet. You can learn to move fast over rock debris (called talus), but it takes some practice. If you’re terrified of steep drop-offs and your research of the hike indicates that there’s a very exposed section of trail or scrambling, it might be beyond your skill level.
2. The elevation gain. A flat trail is easy to hike quickly, but a steep trail gaining 1,000 feet per mile might slow you down to 1 mile per hour or slower, not to mention what it will do to your legs and lungs. If you haven’t been doing a lot of hiking (or Stairmaster workouts), it might be a good idea to pick a route less steep.
Of course, there’s no harm in trying a new trail to test your abilities—if you get out there and realize you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, you can turn around and head back to the car in almost all cases (except in the case of the Grand Canyon, where people often get themselves in trouble by hiking downhill for a few hours without realizing how hard it will be to climb out again).
The Ten Best Day Hikes in America
1. Angels Landing, Zion National Park, Utah, 5 miles: This hike has a jaw-dropping exposure looking down 1,500 feet to the floor of Zion Canyon.
2. Tall Trees Grove Trail, Redwood National Park, California, 3.7 miles: The tallest redwood tree in the world—and several close contenders—call this grove home.
3. Presidential Traverse, Presidential Range, New Hampshire, 20 miles: One of the most coveted backpacking trips on the East Coast, the majority of it is spent along the spine of the Presidential Range.
4. Chesler Park Loop, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, 11 miles: Towering striped needles and other Dr. Seuss-ish sandstone sculpture make this hike feel like a trip to the moon.
5. Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, 8.2 miles: A short but steep hike leads to a view of the largest ice field in North America.
6. Half Dome Cables Route, Yosemite National Park, California, 16.5 miles: The only hiking route to the top of Half Dome features a trail so steep you have to hang on to the namesake cables for the last 300 feet to the summit.
7. Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 15 miles: This challenging high-altitude hike and scramble over varied terrain takes you to the top of the most famous 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado.
8. Knife Edge, Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine, 6.4 miles: The most famous mountain ridge in the eastern United States, the narrow and exposed Knife Edge ends at the summit of Katahdin, which is also the end of the Appalachian Trail.
9. Grandview Trail to Horseshoe Mesa, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 6 miles: This trail is the best way to get down into the Grand Canyon without committing to a backpacking trip.
10. Camp Muir, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, 9 miles: A stout day hike up the Muir Snowfield (which is present year-round) to Camp Muir, the starting point for summit climbs of Mount Rainier.
How close should I get to wildlife?
Although you’ll likely see tourists in Yellowstone National Park doing something different, you should never get close enough to a wild animal that it can kill you. Moose, bison, and bears may look slow, but adult grizzlies can run 30 mph—faster than world record–holding Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, who has the fastest human foot speed ever recorded: 27.74 mph. So before you try to sneak in a little closer to get a better photo, imagine a really angry 400- to 700-pound Usain Bolt coming at you. With claws. A moose’s top speed is 30 mph, and many people say they’d rather spook a grizzly than a moose (maybe because moose weigh 1,000 pounds). And bison? Their top speed is 35 mph. These numbers are something to think about when you wonder how close is too close: if you do get too close and the animal charges you, your chances of outrunning it are zero. But if you do outrun it, you might consider trying out for the Olympic 100-meter dash. So staying 300 feet away is safe; more than 300 feet is safer.
How do I keep insects away?
For years, DEET, or diethyltoluamide, has been the standby for those venturing into mosquito territory, and stores now sell sprays and lotions with concentrations of DEET up to 100 percent. Concerns have been raised about DEET causing health issues in humans, specifically cancer, but research isn’t definitive. Sprays containing more than 30 percent DEET are not significantly more effective than those with lower percentages, and they expose you to higher levels of the chemical (if you’re concerned about that). The EPA has found DEET to be slightly toxic to birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates, but since it’s applied directly to skin, those species’ exposure is very light. Still, don’t jump into a creek and rinse off your skin after you’ve been wearing DEET repellent.
DEET will damage clothing if you spray it directly onto the fabric, so keep it away from your Gore-Tex, and keep it out of your eyes. A good way to apply it to your face without risking getting it in your eyes or mouth is to spray it on the back of your hand, then wipe your hand across your forehead and cheeks.
If you’re not willing to use sprays containing DEET, there are plenty of other options, including picardin, permethrin, bug nets, and hiking shirts, pants, and jackets that have been treated with permethrin to repel insects.
How do I know if clouds mean a storm is coming?
You know the saying “Don’t like the weather? Wait a minute—it’ll change.” In the mountains this is definitely the case, and you’ll have fewer places to take cover if a storm rolls in. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a meteorologist to stay safe up high—you just have to keep an eye on things and show some good judgment of when to turn back and go down. Storms tend to build throughout the day in the mountains, so even if you start hiking under bluebird skies, it’s important to watch clouds forming. If cumulus clouds (tall puffy clouds that resemble cotton balls) start to gather, they can turn into cumulonimbus clouds, which often produce thunderstorms. Keep your eye on them—even when they seem far away—and if you notice them getting taller, darker, and looking more threatening, it’s a good time to call it a day and come back for the summit another time. Over the ocean, you have a much better vantage point to watch a storm coming in since you’re not blocked by mountains—but the signs are generally the same: watch for building clouds and dark skies over the water.
Top Five Smartphone Apps for Adventure
It wasn’t so long ago that people thought having cell phones in the backcountry was an abomination—and some purists still swear by leaving theirs at home so they can enjoy the solitude. But these five apps help make the argument that smartphones are a tool to enhance adventure, not to distract from it.
1. Offline Topo: Downloads USGS topography maps to your phone.
2. Gaia GPS: Sets GPS tracks and waypoints and downloads USGS topography maps to your phone.
3. Weather Underground: Provides hyperlocal, detailed, by-the-hour weather forecasts.
4. My Altitude: Uses your phone’s GPS signal to determine your altitude (even when you’re out of cell phone service range).
5. SkyView Free: Identifies constellations when you point your phone up at the sky.