To Paradise and Beyond

The Rae Lakes Loop, Kings Canyon NP One of the best hikes in the United States is the Rae Lakes Loop in the Sierra Nevada. This challenging backpacking trip requires five or more days to complete and takes hikers through some of the best – and most remote – country the High Sierra has to offer. For much of its […]

Giant Adventures

The Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park Having safely established our base in King’s Canyon National Park, it was time to go see the other and more heavily visited side of this fabulous complex of protected lands…that being Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is smaller than Kings Canyon, but owing to the fact that it’s most singular landmarks lie close to the […]

The King of Canyons

Back in November we featured Big Bend National Park in Texas, which we nominated as the most underrated National Park in the entire system. It’s big, it’s wild, it’s scenic, and compared to other parks, it’s seldom visited. However, there are many other very underrated National Parks. In fact, we can easily make a case that while Big Bend is […]

Another Unheralded Gem of the National Park System

Teddy Roosevelt National Park *This post continues the mining of old photographs taken in the pre-digital era. We therefore apologize in advance that the quality of the pictures is not quite up to the usual standards. Today we’re again going back into the vault, to the days when photographs were printed on paper, phones didn’t have cameras unless you worked […]

Let’s Give Thanks for the Outdoors!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! One of the things that Sylvia and I both feel most thankful about is that we have the ability to move around, enjoy the outdoors and be active. We also are thankful we live in a country where so many people feel as passionately about the outdoors as we do! As we give thanks (and […]

Standing Indian Loop Video

The Standing Indian Loop Hike via the AT In our newest video we hike the Standing Indian Loop in western NC…a very popular 3 day backpacking trip. It is one of the very few places where a long loop hike involving the AT is even possible without a great deal of logistical complication. It’s also a great option for anyone […]

Another Blockbuster Movie!

By popular demand we have a NEW HIKING VIDEO… The Mt. Cammerer Hike, Great Smoky Mountains National Park! This is an 11 mile out and back to Mount Cammerer and its unusual fire tower — our favorite single viewpoint in the Smoky Mountains, and quite a challenging hike. Don’t miss our trip report! And while you are at it, check […]