Gliding across the snow on a dogsled is a perception changer. Traveling by dog team opens up the wilderness. In a world filled with mechanical transport, allowing a team of Alaskan huskies to pull you across a frozen muskeg or through the taiga is a ...
In a small, dead-end valley in Springfield, Oregon, on Camp Creek, three generations of the Petersen family still work the ranch they have owned since 1941. Over the decades, despite the majority of the land being devoted to a variety of things ...
Floating across the frozen backcountry on snowshoes is a unique way to see the wilderness. But finding a place to go out and enjoy the snow can be hard. A good summer hiking trail may not be a good snowshoe hike, but areas that are hard to access in ...
This can be a hard time of year. The holidays are over, and we’re ready for spring — but it’s still winter. For many people that means not leaving the house, or the couch, until the middle of March. But let's face it, there are only so many shows you ...
Blinded by the wind and stung by the cold, we set up our camp as the day grew dark around us. The two of us had snowshoed to Dogsled Pass, deep in the Talkeetna Mountains of south central Alaska. We hoped to explore nearby alpine valleys over the ...
When the air turns crisp and the days get shorter, it’s time to put on an extra layer (or two) and prepare to take in one of nature’s most aesthetically pleasing seasonal changes — fall foliage. Fall is one of the best times to hike — it’s cool but ...
For the majority of my life, Oktoberfest has been just another tradition — like Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day — that we Americans appropriated for the express purpose of drinking our freakin’ faces off. I didn’t know much about the festivities ...
From thick coastal forests to high alpine peaks and sprawling glaciers, Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest stretches over 16.7 million acres. If the Tongass were a state, it would be larger than West Virginia — but it’s also almost devoid of ...
I almost ignored the explosion at first. Loud noises weren’t unusual here in Qamishli, and I’d already heard jackhammers that could have been mistaken for gunfire throughout the day. Maybe I shouldn’t ignore that one, I thought. I ...
Outdoors clothing needs to meet the conditions a hiker will face. How hot or cold is the climate? How intense is the planned activity? Is rain or snow in the forecast? What about changes in elevation? Outdoors people are often told to “dress in ...
I’m a self-taught bow hunter with a passion for elk hunting. The first time I heard the bugle of a bull elk echo out of my computer speakers, I knew I had to go and experience it in person. So that’s exactly what I did. In 2017, my first season, ...
Being a double-amputee doesn’t mean you can’t find your place in the agricultural world — and for Alex Jauregui, that place is as a beekeeper. Jauregui served for 11 years in the U.S. Army and deployed four times — twice to Iraq and twice to ...
In the eyes of this butcher, the craft of cutting and selling meat is making a comeback, and he couldn’t be happier that its role in human history is being celebrated. “Butchering is the second oldest profession known to mankind,” said Paul ...
On top of being a physically demanding job, carpentry is more of a visual process than most people realize. When you throw in the extreme weather often found in the northeast United States, it takes a special kind of person to excel in this line of ...
His service in the U.S. Marine Corps was key to this industrial inspector and entrepreneur’s career. Jay Locatelli was in a Marine Recon unit from 1998 to 2000, stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. He started his own industrial inspection ...
Dilan Call has been an electrician for 11 years, and currently works out of the Local 490 union in Concord, New Hampshire. While being an electrician isn’t always an easy job, Call sees it as a key component to the American economy, and he’s ...
Even after a residential blaze gave him third-degree burns, firefighting was a lifestyle Arron Williams couldn't leave behind. He got hooked after going on a ride-along in high school, and now going into his seventh year with his local Fire ...
More than anything, metal fabrication is a profession that requires precision and care. Those who perform the job start with large pieces of metal, and then cut, weld, burn, machine, and form them into a final product. That product could be anything ...
Welding is strenuous work, but creating something with your own hands is inherently satisfying. There are many different types of products that welders have a hand in creating. For welder Travis Kasperson, who creates agricultural implements such ...
The mix of art and craft keeps this blacksmith of 20 years going. Jonathan Rummel, owner/operator of Hand Forged Works in North Andover, Massachusetts, sees himself as both an artisan and a craftsman. “I think there’s a fine line between the ...
These days, being a mechanic means changing with the times. No one knows that better than Ernie Alix, who owns and operates Ernie’s Garage in Windham, New Hampshire. Because his father was also a mechanic, he’s spent his whole life in garages, but ...
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent film of the same name showcased the dangers of the oil and gas industry. The film’s main character, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, also sheds light on the male-dominated nature of the oil industry. ...
Any hiker planning to spend a night outdoors needs to choose a good campsite. This may seem obvious to the experienced outdoorsman, but any pro knows that no one is above refreshing the basics. And let's face it, sometimes the options aren’t obvious. ...
The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain range in North America. Webs of ridge lines and towering peaks wind through the western United States, and every hike finds a new way to impress travelers. From daunting technical ascents like Grand ...
To many, the American Northeast can be summarized as the New York-Boston corridor — but there is so much more to see. From scenic coastlines to serious mountain ranges, there are many options for people who love the outdoors. Though this region has ...
They don’t call them the flyover states for nothing — many simply see the Midwest as flat, uninspiring land between the mountain ranges. No doubt, it’s hard to compete with the spectacular scenery of the far western states. However, the vast swathes ...
From the Louisiana swamps to the Virginia mountains, the American Southeast may lack the towering vistas that inspired people like John Muir and Ansel Adams, but Appalachia has tremendous charm and beauty. Thousands upon thousands of miles of ...
The vistas of the American West have inspired people from John Muir to Ansel Adams to venture into the wilderness. Stunning mountains, clear lakes, and rushing trout streams draw all brands of travelers who enjoy spending time outdoors. Stretching ...
Fourteen years before Rick Ecktor taught hundreds of people how to safely handle and shoot firearms as the head of Legally Armed in Detroit (LAID), he was the victim of a violent crime. Ecktor had just finished working in his detached garage. ...
Isolated and far from home, the members of the Corps of Discovery celebrated the Fourth of July three times in the wilderness in 1804, 1805, and 1806. Led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, the expedition left St. Louis in ...
