"[Bilbo] used often to say that there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: it's springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, …
After checking my map every quarter mile through all of Lamar valley, I turned left into the pullout for the trail. There were about 4 other cars there, and I pulled into a spot in the middle. I brought my bag with me to the trunk of the car, which I opened by using my …
We stood on the side of the trail in disbelief. I can’t imagine what Ray Jardine would have said if he saw our packs. We had a bag of fresh strawberries, a full pound of grated parmesan cheese in the large cylindrical container, several bananas, trash that we were now apparently packing in, and I …
You think you’re tough you Subarus and Jeeps and Range Rovers. But where would you be without your horsepower, your treads, your all wheel drive, your high clearance? You aren’t brave for doing what you were made to do. Bravery is stepping out of your comfort zone, pushing your limits, fighting through pain and fear …
One of the girls on my Outward Bound trip, Danielle, had a fear of heights. As 16 year olds we spent so much time saying we had fears or phobias of things that made us nervous or uncomfortable—spiders, the dark, public speaking—that meeting someone with a genuine phobia was almost surprising. It was a non-issue …
I have always wanted to see a moose, the quintessential wild animal of North America, present both in our wilderness and our history. Teddy Roosevelt named his progressive party the Bull Moose Party. When Thomas Jefferson was tying to prove to his French competitors that the United States was not, as the French claimed, a …
It was going to be a long day. We knew that from the start. After 5 days of sunshine, it was threatening rain, and we would be reaching Blowout Peak, which promised great views but was one of the highest elevations we would reach. There was also the question of where we would stop that …
onehappycamper 