Sturdy Slippers from Salomon

Past protocol for introducing a new running shoe to my feet: Wear them at the store before purchasing. Wear them around the house for an hour (last chance to return them) Wear them for a miles-long walk Finally, wear them for a run Protocol for […]

Everything You’d Want in a Boot, nothing more, thankfully

There are lots of advantages to living in the mountains. One is this: you can get aerobic and strong by simply heading up one ridge or another. Road running is arguably more impactful on the body. And if you have a history of knee injuries […]

Species Parade, Episode 22

As a lifelong birder and wildlife watcher, it’s still a thrill to spot a something I’ve never seen before. Since the last Species Parade, I got lucky twice: I spotted a pair of American Dippers, small waders who were feeding, splashing, and swimming in the […]

Patagonia’s Double Knee Hemp Pants Perfect in PNW

Editor’s Note: For this review of Patagonia WorkWear’s new hemp pants, we turned to outdoors woman, Natalie Lord. Lord is a Maine gal and St. Lawrence University graduate who spends nearly every weekend outside or in the backcountry. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, she’s […]

Outdoor Retailer Mentionables

Unlike most every other week of the year, this one has been on the road: from southwestern Colorado to Denver and then west to Elko, Nevada. If the trek were a constellation, it’d be the Winter Triangle. Why go? At the Outdoor Retailer in Denver, […]

Report from the Outdoor Retailer – What We Liked

Imagine you’re at a mall on the weekend before Christmas and all the crowds around you are fit, driven, and over-caffeinated. That’s pretty much the scene at the Outdoor Retailer at the Salt Palace convention center. Thousands of vendors and tens of thousands of buyers, […]

Species Parade, Episode 21

When is a not-with-your-own-eyes-sighting a sighting? For several days and nights this summer, I’ve been ponying the horses down to a small parcel of Bureau of Land Management land for some grazing while I camp overnight. Years ago, the parcel had a grazing allotment which […]

Outdoor Retailer Bestuvs

OR Swan Song in Salt Lake

Last month, we headed to the Outdoor Retailer, held for the last time at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Why was this the final episode of a decades-long run, drawing tens of thousands to Utah and generating millions of dollars for […]

Rattlesnake Avoidance Pays Off

Here in Colorado, one niggling impediment to carefree hiking and riding is the prospect of rattlesnake encounters. The possibility of harm and crisis – for horses, humans, and dogs – is enough to motivate several preventative strategies. There’s not a lot we can do for […]