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 […]

Hasta La Vista, Utah

The Outdoor Retailer, the multi-million dollar exposition force which lived in Salt Lake City for 21 years, has pulled up stakes and is headed to neighboring Colorado. Beginning in January, 2018, the OR will be hosted by Denver. Read this open letter to Utah from […]

Species Parade, Episode 20

There’s a case to be made against dog companions. They warn and ward off animals you might otherwise be privileged to see. Then again, if you pay attention to what dogs notice and if you keep them obedient, you can reduce disturbing wildlife and benefit […]

The Perfect Shoe for Back Country Wanderlust

Editor’s Note: We hear this week from guest columnist Aidan Gaughran. The ColoradoOutsider played four seasons of NCAA soccer at Dickinson College before joining the Peace Corps and heading to Panama. Now back in the States, he’s busy catching up on hikes and treks in […]

Remember when ‘unplugged’ wasn’t a thing?

Now I see the secret of making the best persons: It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth. Walt Whitman Summertime is my favorite time ‘to grow in the open air.’ Mostly I’ve been camping with my […]