Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Freeloaders and non-subscribers, rejoice! BACKPACKER’s September Issue is now online, free of charge, for you to peruse in the comfort of your own computer.
What’s in store this month? Weeelllllll, let’s take a look:
As part of our ongoing National Parks Project, we feature Great Smoky Mountains National Park as you’ve never seen them before: with a five-day route that explores archaeological and historical ruins of the area. Bonus: A sick 3-D flyover that shows you exactly where you’ll go and what you’ll find.
Also, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar sits down with BACKPACKER to discuss guns in national parks, a new park in Delaware, and how to get kids outside.
We’ve also stacked a bunch of boy scouts against adult wilderness experts to determine who owns wilderness survival in “Are You Smarter Than A Boy Scout?” Also, take the Wilderness IQ Quiz and see if you can best the boy wonders for a merit badge.
You can also check out the best rainshells, baselayers, and down jackets in our 2009 Apparel Guide, read about Jordan Romero, the 13-year-old gunning to be the youngest atop the Seven Summits, and trek to 19 new trails that are off the radar.
Get clicking!
—Ted Alvarez