The Trailhead
Every journey has a first step. And some of the greatest, most meaningful journeys begin at trailheads. Welcome to ours! Here you’ll learn about gear, see route and trail intel, and dive into stories, images, and videos from our global community of adventureheads like you. Think of it like "The Third Place"–not home, not work, but your other most important/favorite place. The spot to hang out around like-minded people and have your life decisions and priorities validated. You won't need to justify your latest gear purchase or explain why you're using up all your paid time off hours to this crowd. They get it. Let’s go!
The Situation is the Boss, Man: Surviving A Ninja-Snowstorm in the Cairngorms of the Scottish Highlands
Onward we go with our The GRATEFUL DEAD documentary "Long Strange Trip" inspired series. In it, Steve Parish–perhaps their most infamous roadie–described the period during the "Wall of Sound" era t...
Like Putting Socks on a Rooster: A Hike in Big Bend National Park
Words and Photos by Naomi J. Brown
There are a million ways to die in Big Bend National Park in far South Texas. Every living thing evolved to conserve water. Plants and animals stab, snag or bite...
A Windrider in the Winds
Words & Photos by Matt "Chili Mac" Morelli
Dirty, cut, beaten, soaked; and that is just how my pack looked.
The crew and I had been pioneering the Greater Yellowstone Traverse for nearly a mont...
How to Suffer Correctly – The White Mountains Direttissima
Words & Photos by William Peterson
In late July, I set the record for the fastest thru hike of the 48 New Hampshire 4,000 footers, also known as the White Mountains Direttissima. In the course ...
Big Questions. Solid Answer from the Pacific Crest Trail.
Words & photos by Kaitlyn Cramer
One hundred days. I tried to banish the words from my skull with nothing more than fleeting success. I could hush them only briefly when I stopped to pull my su...
Hot Chocolate Works Wonders in the Cold
Words & photos by Leon Hodge
Leon Hodge (@hotchocolate_in_hikingboots) appeared in our social media feeds last year after tagging us in a photo of himself carrying one of our Ice Packs. When th...
The Welcome Weight of Water
Words & Photos by Michael Jones
Where do you go when almost the entire state of California is on fire, and you have been cooped up inside your tiny one-bedroom apartment avoiding the coronaviru...
Backpack Like a Girl. A Q&A with Holly Hyperlite
Words & Photos by Emily Brown
Q: So, how was your maiden voyage? I heard you went around Mount St. Helens.
A: Oh, it was wicked. I've been sitting in the gear closet for over a month now, so i...
A Trip Away from Home at Home
Words & Photos Annie Evans
It took months of deliberation, weighing up the cost vs. benefits. Eventually, with the commitment and excitement of a couple buying their first house, we bought the ...
Utterly Thrashed and Ready for More
Words & Photos by Jayson Simmons-Jones
As an IFMGA Licensed Mountain Guide, my 2400 Ice Pack has accompanied me to many places around the mountains of the world, and even after five years of ha...
Circling the Drain
Words by Brad Meiklejohn
All I could see was white. White foam, white pack, white boat, white hat. The pulsing, boiling eddy had Mike in it somewhere, judging from the white clues.
Mile 217 Rapid i...
