The Trailhead

The TrailHead

ROAM ON THE RANGE SUCCESS! A NEW CROSSING IN THE NORTH CASCADES

ROAM ON THE RANGE SUCCESS! A NEW CROSSING IN THE NORTH CASCADES

The Trailhead

Every journey has a first step. And some of the greatest, most meaningful journeys begin at trailheads. Welcome to ours! Here youโ€™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"โ€“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. Letโ€™s go!

BEAR IT WITH A GRIN: HOW A MODERN, LIGHTWEIGHT SETUP MADE MY THRU HIKE BETTER

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

WORK TRIP: A BIKEPACKING CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF MOUNT KATAHDIN IN MAINE

Words by HMG Writer, Mark Sirekย @marksirek, Photos by Joe Cruzย @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

THE LAND OF FIRE AND ICE: BACKPACKING ICELAND WITH CODY JACKSON

Words and Photos by Cody Jackson @crjackson9ย  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

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 YOUโ€™RE JUST GETTING HERE: Our big dr...
STEPPING BACK TO STEP FORWARD ON A CALENDAR YEAR TRIPLE CROWN

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 Gร‰ANTS WITH WILL PETERSON

IN THE RUN UP TO TOR DES Gร‰ANTS WITH WILL PETERSON

Words by Will Petersonย  @_will.peterson Photos by Will Peterson and Evan France Tor des Gรฉants 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

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

JUST PEDAL: MARCO JOHNSON BEGINS THE EUROPEAN DIVIDE BIKEPACKING ROUTE

Words and Photos by Senior NOLS Instructor, Marco Johnson ย  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

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...
โ€œIโ€™LL SEE IF I CAN DESTROY ITโ€: SCOTT NECHEMIAS PUSHES THE NEW DYNEEMAยฎ WOVEN COMPOSITES TO THE LIMIT

โ€œIโ€™LL SEE IF I CAN DESTROY ITโ€: SCOTT NECHEMIAS PUSHES THE NEW DYNEEMAยฎ WOVEN COMPOSITES TO THE LIMIT

ย  Words by Tom Fairbairn, Avient, Photos by Scott Nechemias In Washingtonโ€™s Alpine Lake Wilderness, where each mountain pass reveals another shimmering turquoise basin, Scott Nechemias has just los...
Doubling Down on Dyneemaยฎ: A Deep Dive Into Our New Pack Fabric

Doubling Down on Dyneemaยฎ: A Deep Dive Into Our New Pack Fabric

For over a decade, our design philosophy has been uncompromising: build the best, most durable, and lightest gear possible. The heart of this pursuit has always been Dyneemaยฎ, the worldโ€™s strongest...
BACKPACKING LEGENDS, TAKE TWO: MIKE ST. PIERRE AND R&D GET INTO THE NEW WINDRIDER, SOUTHWEST, AND JUNCTION

BACKPACKING LEGENDS, TAKE TWO: MIKE ST. PIERRE AND R&D GET INTO THE NEW WINDRIDER, SOUTHWEST, AND JUNCTION

Words and Photos by Hyperlite Mountain Gear Hyperlite Mountain Gear's origin story is rooted in our founder, Mike St. Pierre's love of adventure and backcountry exploration by way of long trails or...