When I started planning my 2015 Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, I knew I wanted ultralight backpacking gear. I wasn’t aiming for sub-10 pounds or any particular ‘goal weight’, but I wanted to make intentional gear choices that kept my base weight low without going completely barebones. (Base weight is the total weight of your pack, fully loaded, not including anything...

　　Story by Hilaree Nelson 　　Photos by Nick Kalisz, Dutch Simpson and The North Face. All rights reserved. 　　I’m always in awe of the things I obsess over, especially when the lens is through hindsight. Mostly because in the moment, when the idea first takes hold, when the dreams start waking me up at night, when the secret planning starts to form...

　　 　　We set out from the comfort of our day jobs to experience a new place—a new horizon. We headed north and then west to the Wind River Range of Wyoming. With alternating sounds of good tunes, good conversations, and the constant ‘whirr’ of rubber on the road, we made our way to the trailhead. As the sun slipped lower...

　　Nina and Jeremys Big Idea Summer, 2020 　　Beranger, Savoie, France 　　The choice of vehicle wasn’t simple. It had to be more than a camper van—reliable off-road and in remote parts of the world, and tough enough to transport a climbing wall (yes, you read that right), all of our rock-climbing gear, photography equipment, and oh yeah, also be a small...

　　Words and photos By Dustin Silvey, Ph.D 　　The sun beat down on our adventure team. The other kayak had pulled off a kilometer ahead in the shade of a rock to wait. As we caught up, movement in the water signaled action—on the other side of the rock, a pod of dolphins was hunting our bait ball. 　　We paddled over...

　　Spring and autumn should not be ignored for cycle travel. Theres a real joy and satisfaction that you can find with “out-of-season” travel that youll never get if you think of summer as your only option for cycling and adventure. However, the moods of the weather and route choice need thought, so I compiled a few ideas and tips to...

　　Editor’s note: Triple Crowner Quoc Nguyen undertook the PNT in the fall, a feat that should be reserved only for expert thru-hikers and those with extensive avalanche education and winter backcountry experience. Below he recounts his journey and provides tips for anyone thinking of thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail. 　　5 author tips for hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail located at the...

　　Story and Photography by Eric Larsen 　　They were hard questions to receive: “How do you know when to pull the plug on an adventure?” “What do you learn when you come up short?” 　　I think that both of these topics are relevant, interesting and worthwhile; however, the timing of the inquiry—a few weeks after I returned from a “failed” expedition...

　　By Renee Patrick 　　The quintessential Oregon that comes to mind for many is one of wet, lush forests, rocky coastlines, and snowy peaks, but on the other side of the Cascade Mountains lies a high desert landscape that covers almost half of the state. For Brent Fenty, Oregon Natural Desert Association’s (ONDA) executive director, this immense desert has captivated him...

　　MSR athlete Eric Larsen took our Remote series tent to the heart of Chamonixs backcountry, and was eager to share his professional insight. 　　 　　I have literally spent years of my life in a tent on one adventure or another. Ive spent so much time in tents that they feel like home to me. On an expedition, a tent is...

　　In Chile, they have a saying: Only those who hurry through Patagonia waste time. For any enthusiast of the great outdoors, it is one of the world’s truly great wildernesses—and somewhere to explore at a slow pace. The very word “Patagonia” stirs up images of grand mountains, thick forests, shimmering lakes and icy glaciers interspersed with a sparse population and...

　　 　　After climbing the six great north faces of the Alps, I was on the lookout for my next big project. The Seven Summits is the collective name for the seven largest mountains, one on each continent—I decided this would be a good goal. More remote and higher altitude but less technical than the six north faces, the Seven would...