Take your adventure planning to the next level by learning to create routes like the pros. Join our Gaia GPS expert as he shows you step by step how to build a multi-day hiking route, save your plan, and share it with a friend for offline use.
Adventures
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Wilderness ranger Mary Cochenour conquered her fear of solo backpacking, only to discover she was not alone after all. She was being stalked! Tune into the Out and Back podcast to hear Mary recount this thrilling tale. Mary reveals how this sketchy incident inspired her to keep backpacking solo. And she shares insight on how and why to face your fears.
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Meet Kevin and Sarah McCuiston of Lifestyle Overland in episode 5 of the Out and Back podcast, presented by Gaia GPS. The McCuistons quit the 9-to-5 grind a few years ago to take up a nomadic lifestyle on the backroads in North America. Learn about their transition to full-time overlanding, their tips for traveling long distance with a toddler, and their trusty rig — “Silver,” a Toyota 4Runner towing a Turtleback Trailer. Kevin also talks about his favorite camp meal and Sarah discusses why she has taken over as the primary driver in Lifestyle Overland adventures. Tune in today to learn more about their tips on how to get rolling in the sport of overlanding.
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Tune into the Out and Back podcast today as backcountry navigation expert and guide Andrew Skurka weighs in how to stay found in the wilderness. Known for laying down first tracks on three enormous hiking routes in the U.S, Skurka has become an authority on map and compass navigation. Tune in to hear Skurka’s story about his path from “living on crumbs” as a full-time adventurer to becoming a guide, gear reviewer, and author on all things backpacking. Also, don’t miss his discussion about the value of carrying both paper maps and digital maps, what’s in his navigation kit, and the one simple thing that will keep you from getting lost in the backcountry. Spoiler: it’s not triangulation.
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The team at Gaia GPS collaborated to build this three-season gear list for multi-day backpacking trips. Get an inexpensive scale and weigh everything before deciding what to pack. Websites like…
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As a kid, elite mountain climber Conrad Anker was diagnosed with ADHD. Rather than turn to pills, his parents sent him outside. Over time, fresh air and the great outdoors became Anker’s salve and sanctuary, and his path to becoming one of the best alpinists in the world. While the pandemic has limited Anker and the greater outdoor community’s access to the backcountry, experts say we don’t need to climb tall mountains to reap the benefits of nature.
In this article, psychology experts, professors, and world-class athletes weigh in on why going outside even for 10 minutes a day can boost mental health. Read more about how athletes like Conrad Anker and ultra runner Scott Jurek are making the most of the outdoors simply by stepping outside their own front doors and exploring their neighborhoods.
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Gaia Topo just got even better. Discover the best trails and routes and easily find public lands anywhere in the US with two new updates on our flagship map. Now you can quickly see nearby routes to campsites, trailheads and more on gaiagps.com, plus view public land ownership easily with new color coding. Don’t forget to take Gaia Topo with you by downloading areas in seconds and entire states in minutes.
Tune in to episode 4 of the Out and Back podcast with Blue Ridge Outdoors 2020 Hiker of the Year (https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go-outside/best-of-the-blue-ridge-2020/2/) Daniel White. Known as the Blackalachian in the outdoor community, White tackled his first thru-hike in 2017 when he set out on the Appalachian Trail with no experience camping. In fact, the first night he spent in a tent was his first night thru-hiking the AT.
In this episode, White recounts the ups and downs of his AT completion, opening up about a racist encounter at his camp near the Mason-Dixon line on the AT. He takes us through his “powerful” ride on the Underground Railroad Trail, and his trips to Europe last year, where he hiked across Scotland and completed the Camino Del Norte in Spain. Fueled by both adversity and kindness from the people he met along the way, White’s drive for solo adventure shines through in this interview.
Episode two of the Out and Back podcast drops today featuring thru-hiking legend the The Real Hiking Viking. In this episode, meet free-spirited and fun-focused Thomas Gathman, who picked up the Viking trail name due to his Norse-like beard and his warrior status as a former Marine Scout Sniper. Viking served two combat tours in Iraq before coming home, selling all his possessions in 2013, and hiking more than 20,000 miles on America’s longest trails. Tune in to hear Viking’s story about how he turned from sniper to pro hiker and never looked back.
Veterans have turned to wilderness therapy programs to ease the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other combat-related injuries for many years. But with parks closed and many states ordering residents to stay at home, these therapeutic adventures have been put on hold. Program directors nationwide weigh in on how these programs might resume later this summer and advise veterans to seek fresh air close to home while they wait out quarantine.