The Gear Wars Trilogy, Episode 2: Return of the Jaded
My short list of current go-to schwag
News and Events
News and Events
Stay up to date on the latest outdoor news, events, and trail and conservation updates, thoroughly researched for you by the experts at Backpacker Magazine.
Stay up to date on the latest outdoor news, events, and trail and conservation updates, thoroughly researched for you by the experts at Backpacker Magazine.
Thursday Mayhem Round-Up
Tragedy, comedy, and foreboding
The Solar Future
Solar cell material breakthrough offers nearly 100-percent efficiency
Yosemite's New View
Park officials remove trees, add amenities to improve famous Tunnel View
Big, Bad BPA Bottles
Scientists criticize FDA ruling approving potentially toxic chemical used in bottles
October 2008
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Pet Python Strangles Owner
13-foot reticulated python killed owner after she tried to give it medicine
Google Earth for iPhone
Apple app puts the world in your hand
Feds Hounding Rocky Mountain Wolves
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service submits plans to delist wolves again
River Running in a Giant Pumpkin
Man raises $16,000 for children's charity by rowing 150 miles down the Wisconsin River in a massive squash
170 Miles of Campaign Trail
Utah politician/BP photog traces proposed Lake Powell pipeline by hike and bike
The Gear Wars Trilogy, Episode 1: A New Hope.
A personal peek at some promising new schwag I've been testing.
Sleep In A Body Bag
Full-body Lippi bag makes sleeping, breakdancing more fun
Bears Don't Kill People…People Kill Bears
29 human-related bear deaths recorded in Yellowstone this year
Why We Like Campfires And Cocoa
Physical warmth creates warm social feelings
Better Backcountry Beards
Do beards increase your wilderness trail cred? Yes.
Bears, Wolves, Oh My!
BP Map Correspondent Jeff Chow dodges big carnivores while mapping Yellowstone for you
Long-distance Love Bad For The Planet
Cross-country lovers can spoil the environment with their fat carbon footprints
Palin Not A Big Beluga Fan, Either
Vice presidential candidate calls the whale's federal endangered species listing 'premature'
Everybody Walk The Dinosaur
'Dance floor' of dino prints found in Utah/Arizona national monument
Mt. Adams Survivor On Today Show
Derek Mamoyac reclines comfortably, declines hospital centipedes
October 2008 Table of Contents
Check out Backpacker Editors's author page.
Fall Camping Tips with BACKPACKER's Gear Editor
Watch Kristin Hostetter on CBS' Early Show
BACKPACKER in Best American Sports Writing 2008
Tom Clynes' "Above & Beyond" featured in writing anthology
Earning Your Economic Crisis Merit Badge
Boy Scout merit badge espouses financial skills
Plague Kills Grand Canyon Biologist
Pathogen crossed from dead cougar to human
BACKPACKER Story Wins Travel Writing Award
Steve Friedman's "The Long Trail to Jail" wins 2008 Gold Medal for Travel News/Investigative reporting
Morning TV Survival Blowout
Biker attacked by bear on TODAY Show, stranded Mt. Adams hiker on CBS
Frog Teaches Eagle To Fly Over Mt. Blanc
Get out your hankies: French falconer gives gift of flight to loyal pet bald eagle
Outdoor Walks Good for A.D.D. Kids
Walks in the park improve attention more than walks in the city, residential neighborhood
BACKPACKER On CBS Early Show
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter shows you where and how to camp for fall
Alpinist Closes
Climbing mag folds after six years and 25 issues
Return of the Pupfish
Doomed southwestern fish makes a comeback
More Mountain Biking in National Parks
Bush pushes to open more bike trails as his term sunsets
Backpacking Brooklyn
Two men set out to find wilderness amidst metropolis
BACKPACKER's Interview with McCain and Obama
Candidates weigh in on parks, the environment, and their favorite hike
Summit For Someone
Because selfish climbing is lame
Alaska's Glacier Gains
State's icefields grow for the first time in 200 years
Meth And Arrowheads
Addicts loot artifacts from public lands for meth money
The Barefoot Mountaineer
Italian "Tom Perry" tops Kilimanjaro, big peaks sans shoes
Fall Foliage Failure
Climate change's latest victim
270 National Parks, 12 Years Old
Georgia girl hopes to visit all 391 National Parks before age 14
Autumn Arrives
And apparently a lot of hikers aren't setting out prepared for weather
Drinking 50 Gallons of Urine
Dean Kamen's Slingshot could solve the world's water woes
Nine Hours of Bliss in the Mist
Bad weather can't stop Backpacker.com from crossing Peru's high Andean passes
Cougar Attack in Amish Country?
Officials investigate possible PA mountain lion encounter
China's First National Park
'Get ready for the panda jams,' says Yellowstone
Wired Saguaros Stop Cacti Crime
Park Service implants saguaros with microchips to prevent theft
Yosemite Rockslide Injures 3, Trashes Cabins
Curry Village smashed by 1,800 cubic yards of mountainside
Global Warming Makes 12 Diseases Worse
Also causes shortened ice-cream life span
Tax Break For Bikers
$700 billion bailout includes tax credit for cycle commuters
Polar Bears Catch a Break
U.S. plans to protect key habitat from oil drilling
BACKPACKER Exclusive: Interview with John McCain and Barack Obama
Backcountry enthusiasts deserve a president who cares about trails. So we asked John McCain and Barack Obama ten tough questions–then polled 989 BACKPACKER readers to find out what matters to you in this election.
The Backpacker President
What would you ask at tonight's town-hall debate?
Big Day for Cougars
Illinois sightings, Michigan mysteries, and a Cali woman who isn't afraid to slap a puma
September Issue Now Online
Bus hiking, outdoor phobias, and the most remote spot in the Lower 48
BACKPACKER.com Goes to Peru
The trek to Machu Pichu begins
September 2008
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Fossett Crashed in Mountain Paradise
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Dolly Parton Named Great Smokies Ambassador
Park hopes to, erm, 'enhance' reputation
River Keeper
Grand Canyon raft guide and Havasupai tribal member Shana Watahomigie becomes a paddling–and Hollywood–pioneer.
Fossett's Wrecked Plane Found
Some human remains found at crash site
The Un-Bearable City
Urban living bad for bears
Hikers Find Potential Fossett Evidence
Cash, I.D. with Steve Fossett's name found in Calif.
Helena's Deer Domination
700 habituated deer own the state capital
September 2008 Table of Contents
Check out Backpacker Editors's author page.
Sorry, No Bailout for Michael Raster
River ford proves costly for a remote wilderness soloist
Bite this, West Nile
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Spruce Juice
MIT scientists, Forest Service power wireless networks with just trees
Florida Keys National Park?
Local pols seek Park Service help to preserve land
Speedgoat Finishes
Ultrarunner completes the AT with the fourth-fastest time
Bear Market
The Economist speculates on North American bear attacks
Climbers Still Lichen Yosemite
NPS Scientists enlist climbers to find new lichen species
Bear-port Security
Accidental bear spray discharge closes Juneau airport
Personal Airbag = Outdoor Safety?
Now, you can always take the dangerous shortcut
Baked Alaska
Time-lapse video shows climate change eroding coastline
A Kid's Guide To Mountaineering
Because it's never too early to start a Seven Summits bid
Beetle-Killed Trees Affect Local Weather
Dead forests create higher temps, less rain, worse air quality