Rafting

Twilight on the Middle Fork

Impromptu adventures tend to be the finest. Case in point, last Friday afternoon I called a girlfriend to see if she’d like a reprieve from the August heat by taking a dip in Whitefish Lake. She upped the ante and offered me a spot on a raft for a twilight float on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Already dressed for playtime on the water, I added my lifejacket to my bag and made my way to my girlfriend’s to load dogs, coolers, and prep for our whitewater float.

Hiking

Squeezing through the Joint Trail at Canyonlands

I think the first time I heard anything about Chesler Park, I was being a non-productive REI employee and flipping through a copy of Peter Potterfield’s Classic Hikes of the World at the Paradise Valley store in Phoenix.

A couple months later, I would move from Phoenix to Denver, on the way stopping at four of Utah’s five national parks, and hike through this incredible area for the first time. I’ve been back four times, and it’s a good seven-hour drive from my house in Denver. 

Mountain Biking

In Colorado, Mountain Bikers Get Video Guides to Trails

In case you didn’t know it, the world-famous Whistler Bike Park in Whistler, B.C., Canada, has a south-of-the-border rival: Colorado’s Trestle Bike Park, otherwise known as Winter Park Resort’s summer playground outside Boulder, Colo.

And the people at Vital MTB, which creates videos and other online content to connect the BMX, motocross and mountain biking scenes, have been super-busy this summer building an online video directory of all of Trestle’s trails.

Kayaking

Kayaking the Compromised Jordan River

I’ve never much liked Russian olives.  Now, however, I have even more reasons to wish them gone from the wetlands, meadows and riverbanks they’ve invaded.  In fact, I might even go so far as to make the following statement: I hate Russian olives.

This time it’s personal.

Hiking

The People You Meet on the Trail

There are many reasons why I go hiking.

Just as John Muir encouraged, I go to the mountains and seek their good tidings. I go to witness the short-lived wildflower blooms, the commanding power of a family of mountain goats straddling a pinnacle, the expansive view of mountain peaks, jewel-toned lakes and the roll of the plains, and the feeling of release that comes from hours of putting one foot in front of another on the trail.

Berrying

Who’s That Behind the Bush?

Last week, I accompanied my guy on a business trip to Lincoln, Mont. Although it’s probably most famous as the location of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s hideout (the cabin has since been moved), this rural community remains noteworthy for its beef jerky, which is produced locally and sold under the Hi-Country brand.

It’s also an easy distance from prime berry country, so naturally we were prepared to grab a few wild huckleberries during the journey home.

Mountaineering

On Top of Mount Agassiz

The Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah have so many peaks worth summiting, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Make it easy on yourself, go alphabetical. “A” is for Agassiz, as in Mount Agassiz. This often-overlooked behemoth can be done as a long day hike, or turned into a tremendous overnight trip.

Recreation Equipment

Outdoor Retailers Showcase Inventive New Gear

Each summer and winter, the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City serves as the outdoor industry’s ground zero of new gear and innovation. This year’s summer market broke all kinds of records, exploding in nearly every major category, including overall attendance, which topped 25,000.

The show was so big it spilled out of its long-time home in the Salt Palace into a New Exhibitor Pavilion in a makeshift building across the street. In addition to attendees, this year’s show brought all kinds of new equipment, clothing and ideas.

Wildfire

Season of the Match

Last spring and fall, the Colorado mountains were plagued by wildfires. They raged all over the state, popping up and spreading like—well, like wildfire.

On Oct. 30, one fire in particular started less than half a mile from my family’s house on the outskirts of Boulder, Colo. Early in the morning, a tiny, unnoticed spark leapt from an illegal campfire and quickly proceeded to engulf the hillsides above it.