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!
ONE WINDRIDER, SIX FEET: CHLOE AND AMBER HIKE THE COLORADO TRAIL
Words and Photos by Chloe Hammond
I moved to Durango, CO, in August 2021 to attend Fort Lewis College (FLC), and I’d venture to say it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Surrounded by desert...
TINA CURRIN SETS THE UNSUPPORTED FKT ON THE L.A. FREEWAY
Words and Photos by Tina Haver Currin @tinacurrin
I was working as a Park Ranger at Colorado's Fourth of July Trailhead, a busy portal into the Indian Peaks Wilderness and the southern terminus of...
JEFF WOHL FROM NOLS REVIEWS THE ULTAMID 2 PYRAMID SHELTER
Words and Photos by Jeff Wohl
HIGHLIGHTS
If you only own one shelter, the HMG UltaMid 2 will do it all! It is light enough for one person to carry comfortably on an expedition, yet spacious enough ...
BEAR IT WITH A GRIN: HOW A MODERN, LIGHTWEIGHT SETUP MADE MY THRU HIKE BETTER
Words and Photos by Nicole Kniffen
I'm one of the rare but not unique people who decided to thru hike the Appalachian Trail with basically no experience at all. I knew I could do hard things, I kne...
WORK TRIP: A BIKEPACKING CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MOUNT KATAHDIN IN MAINE
Words by HMG Writer, Mark Sirek @marksirek, Photos by Joe Cruz @joecruzpedaling and Mark Sirek, Video by Jesse Pilgrim
"I think I want to do a bikepacking trip for my 40th birthday," said Jesse to...
THE LAND OF FIRE AND ICE: BACKPACKING ICELAND WITH CODY JACKSON
Words and Photos by Cody Jackson @crjackson9
Sitting on the couch in a daze, my golden retriever, Honey, curled up at my feet, I became aware of myself staring out the window of my Colorado home. ...
ROAM ON THE RANGE SUCCESS! A NEW CROSSING IN THE NORTH CASCADES
Words by Tyler Brilinski, Photos by Eric Volk @1stkingsilver, Max Reese, and Tyler Brilinski
The sky on fire, looking back at the Ptarmigan Traverse.
RECAP IF YOU’RE JUST GETTING HERE: Our big dr...
STEPPING BACK TO STEP FORWARD ON A CALENDAR YEAR TRIPLE CROWN
Words and Photos by Izzy Tonneson @izzytonneson
When I got off trail earlier this year, I knew I needed to take a hard look at what went wrong.
Stepping away from the Calendar Year Triple Crown was...
IN THE RUN UP TO TOR DES GÉANTS WITH WILL PETERSON
Words by Will Peterson @_will.peterson Photos by Will Peterson and Evan France
Tor des Géants is a 330 km (205-mile) foot race in the Italian Alps that takes place every September. With over 80,00...
SO. MUCH. NOTHING. THE GREAT DIVIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE WITH QUINDA VERHEUL
Words and Photos by Quinda Verheul @quindaverheul_
I left the hotel in Pinedale at 2 a.m. The sky was ink-black, and a tailwind pushed me toward the Great Basin. My K-Lite carved a white tunnel int...
JUST PEDAL: MARCO JOHNSON BEGINS THE EUROPEAN DIVIDE BIKEPACKING ROUTE
Words and Photos by Senior NOLS Instructor, Marco Johnson
The European Divide is a 4725-mile gravel bikepacking route from Arctic Norway to Cape Saint Vincent in Portugal. Andy Cox created the Eu...
ADVENTURING IN SOUTH AMERICA: THE SALKANTAY TREK AND AUSANGATE CIRCUIT
Words and Photos by Luke Stetson @luke.stetson
I have always heard that Peru is a beautiful country with breathtaking scenery, rich culture, and kind people, so back in the spring of 2023, when pla...
