If you’ve been shopping for hiking or backpacking gear recently, you may have noticed some women’s specific gear. I’m not talking about clothing or shoes (obviously we need those)… I’m talking about backpacks, sleeping bags and more. Often this stuff seems to follow the same tired formula: “Shrink it and pink it”. Brands make the …
Advice
Did you know trail mix is over 100 years old? According to Wikipedia, hikers have been eating a mix of nuts and dried fruit on the trail since at least 1913! Like most hikers, I also pack trail mix when I go hiking. Until recently, I had been picking up boring trail mix and salted …
As is tradition around this corner of the internet, here are my favourite memories of 2016. (How many years do you have to do something to make it a tradition? I did this in 2014 and 2015, so I think it’s fair to call it a tradition now.) This year when I sat down to …
I live in Vancouver, BC on Canada’s wet… I mean West Coast and it rains a lot here. If I waited for it to stop raining, I probably would never get outside, so I hike when it’s wet out. Hiking in the rain might sound like no fun, but if you follow these tips I …
Recently I wrote a post called “You Killed A Bear” that ended up getting way more online attention than I had anticipated. My message in that post was that less experienced hikers should read up about bear safety before they head out for a hike or go backcountry camping. Lots of people asked questions about …
A Quick Note: This article was originally published in August 2016. The aim of this post was to shock people in order to raise awareness. I know it’s an uncomfortable post to read and that many hikers and campers might feel a bit confronted since they don’t engage in the kind of behaviour discussed here. …
This post is part of a series here on Happiest Outdoors called “More Than Outdoors” where I chat with outdoorsy people who take their connection with the backcountry a little further, who do a little bit more outdoors. Jessa Gilbert is a Vancouver-based splitboarder, painter and all-around super rad person. She is originally from upstate …
On my first backpacking trip ever I discovered that I hate oatmeal. I hate the colour, I hate the texture and no matter how much dried fruit or sugar or milk you put in it, I just can’t stomach it. But it’s probably the most common breakfast food for backpackers: it’s light, quick to prepare …
One of the highlights of spending time outdoors is spotting wild animals. I’ve seen black bears, whales, mountain goats, lots of birds, deer, moose, elk, marmots and once even a wolverine. However, seeing wildlife while hiking is a game of chance that you often don’t win. But what if I told you the easiest way …
Yesterday I was shuffling along the Stanley Park seawall here in Vancouver. The cold wind whipped rain into my face, my hip ached, my clothes were soaked through and my race bib rattled with every lurching step. How did I get here? How was I three-quarters of the way through running my first ever half …