The best local trails, as selected by BACKPACKER Local scout Stan Gentry. Atlanta has plenty of nicknames: The City Too Busy to Hate, ATL, The A, A-Town, Hotlanta (sure, if you don’t want any friends), Empire of the South, and recently, Hollywood of the South. But my favorite of all the names my city goes…
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Lawyer-lobbyist with ties to bottled water manufacturer was confirmed as deputy interior secretary in July. The National Park Service has ended a six-year-old ban on the sale of bottled water in some of its units, just weeks after a lawyer and lobbyist whose firm represented one of the country’s largest producers of bottled water was…
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Last weekend, 32 of the worlds best archers gathered in Odense, Denmark to battle for a World Cup crown. Participation in the World Cup Finals is a feat of its own, as archers are selected by combined performance over the years 3 stages, resulting in 8 qualifiers for each division. Competition was fierce, but when…
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If you don’t live in mesquite country, you may not realize it, but the mesquite tree produces seeds or beans in a large pod. For eons, indigenous peoples have collected these dried pods and ground them into flour or meal. Interestingly, for the modern American diet, mesquite flour is gluten-free, low-glycemic, and high in both protein and dietary…
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Eating Prickly Pear Cactus To look at them growing in their natural habitat – and especially to touch them – you might never think of prickly pear cactus as a food source. In reality, both the pads (aka stems and leaves) and pears (fruit or tunas) of the prickly pear cactus are not only edible,…
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Through our Keepers of the Outdoors series, we’ll introduce you to people who protect and care for our wild places. “I’m fascinated by how we define wilderness,” says Emily Noyd, backcountry ranger in Yosemite National Park. “The concept of wilderness is so intangible, and it’s fascinating to me that to effectively govern that land we’ve…
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A gentle pitter patter on your rainfly can be a soothing natural sound when you’re lying down at night in your tent. If those drips start originating inside your tent, though, it becomes a highly unpleasant resting place. And, under the right circumstances, the culprit—condensation—can infiltrate even the most well-engineered shelter. So, how do you…
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For many members of our armed forces, returning home signifies the beginning of a different type of battle. The laser focus that allows you to keep your tires tracking on the trail’s narrow tread. The playful challenge of picking your way through the rocks strewn on the trail. The hooting and hollering of buddies behind…
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The Co-op Cycles team at REI knows how lucky they are to be based in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many, Washington has seen an explosion of mountain bike trails in recent years, providing great testing grounds with a variety of terrain. This includes the newly opened Dockton Forest…
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Record-setting long-distance hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis slows down to help bring families outdoors—including her own. Most parents can recount at least a few dirty diaper fiascos. However, it’s a rare breed that can cop to handling a poop-filled nightmare during the darkest hours of a brisk September night in Alaska’s Denali National Park. Jennifer Pharr…
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