Florence Williams Interview

We spoke with Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. Read related post here. Williams was raised in New York City and Washington D.C. As a young girl, Williams took English riding lessons at the now […]

Science has backcountry’s back

What we back country trekkers and horse owners know intuitively is being quantified more and more by science: Time outside and time with animals are key factors in a crafting a vibrant life. A recent article by Florence Williams in the Wall Street Journal highlights […]

Review: Cotopaxi’s Toliman Hoodie

For this review of Cotopaxi’s Toliman Wool Hoodie, we sought out WashingtonOutsider, Natalie Lord. The Toliman is made in Portland, Oregon, just 170 miles south of Lord’s home base. The 20-something spends more time outdoors than most of us even hope for. The talented skier […]

Patagonia Field Pants Review

For this review, we sought out Beau Gaughran, an up-and-coming photographer and videographer living in Bellingham, Washington. Check out his portfolio here. He writes: I threw on the Patagonia Field Pants as soon as they arrived at my home in Bellingham. Three fantastic days later, […]

A Quick and Noble End

Since many of us count animals as companions and friends, please allow me to remember Belle and recount how she died this week. You may recall her in another piece here. The Basset hound mutt with a yard-long body and short legs even made it […]

Species Parade, Episode 17

Apparently, I don’t get out much. Grey Foxes are nocturnal for the most part and I’d never ever seen one until driving home late one night. It jogged across the canyon road. I realized my nighttime activity is almost entirely done without headlights, headlamps, or […]

Diversity Reconsidered

This opinion piece appeared recently in High Country News. Here is the unedited version: Diversity is such a funny word. Most folks think of it in terms of skin color or ethnicity. I picked my college because of this so-called diversity. For a white girl […]

Glamping in Patagonia Baselayer

Don’t get me wrong. I love camping of all sorts. But truck camping, one form of glamping, is what I’m doing lately. In a truck camper, you can: Sleep on a real mattress Overnight at highway rest stops with a locked door Carry and cook […]

A Doggy Did-You-Know

When I brought skinny Peeko home from a Utah shelter, I knew only a few bits about her past: — she was about a year old — as a stray, she had broken her right elbow and it had healed badly. Two years later, I […]

“Landmarks” by Robert MacFarlane is a book to reread

We regularly recommend books on NickerNews (another site in the family of Cayyuse Crest Communications). Why not here? This first installment comes on finishing one of the most impressive non-fiction books I’ve read in years: Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane. Landmarks is full of those moments […]