We have ‘small world’ experiences all the time, to a degree that seems statistically improbable to our friends, especially for a couple of introverts. Even for us, one weekend in Portland a few years ago was a very concentrated slug of…
[Guest post by John Potter] Photos courtesy of Damsel in Distress. All the reputable wilderness checklists include having a contingency plan, and wilderness training generally includes how to use one (e.g., make one, share it with the group, etc.). Everyone…
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, also known as Bacon’s Law, is a parlor game that became popular in the 1990s when, in an interview with a magazine, then-prolific actor Kevin Bacon mentioned that he had “worked with everybody in Hollywood or…
A few years ago in the alley, my buddy Mike, who is a big skier and biker, confided that he had been feeling like he wanted to do some great bicycle adventure. He knew I had ridden across the U.S. in…
Our middle son Derek was born severely disabled in 1987. Seventeen years ago, he died on Mother’s Day in 2007, right before what would have been his 20th birthday. With the recent Mother’s Day, I paused to reflect on the lessons I gained…
25 years ago I started a backpack gear company, Gossamer Gear. While it literally started in my garage, we now manufacture some of our products overseas. I get emails periodically from manufacturers in China wanted to sew backpacks or tents…
Years ago, inspired by my friend John Mackey, I created what I call The List. When I would meet someone, and find myself thinking, “it would be fun to go backpacking with this person…”, I would add their name to The…
Our lives are enriched by our passions. As we become interested in something, we learn more about it. If it’s a practice, as we do it, we become more skilled. It’s fun to share these with others, and sometimes they also become intrigued. I…
In a recent post on Instagram, my buddy Dan Buettner breaks down the lessons of Blue Zones into 4 suggestions…
Last gear we were invited by a friend to join him in hiking the 450-mile Alpe Adria Trail through Austria, Slovenia and Italy. The trip was organized by the highly creative and efficient Kathy Dragon at Whole Journeys. Before the…
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