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.
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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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How to listen: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox The Out and Back podcast debuts today, bringing you conversations…
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How Six Professional Mountain Athletes are Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Abby Leveneby Abby LeveneProfessional mountain athletes and guides are facing canceled races, maybe even entire race seasons, guiding trips, and speaking tours. Some of these outdoor experts are tapping into their resiliency in…
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In the U.S., a wilderness area is officially defined as a place “retaining its primeval character and influence,” a place “untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who…
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The National Geographic Trails Illustrated layer now covers both California’s Desolation Wilderness and Texas’s Big Bend National Park. About Desolation Wilderness Glaciers shaped the land of Desolation Wilderness thousands of…
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Winter hiking might just be the fourth season’s best kept secret. Don’t let a chilly forecast keep you indoors. Learn the facts, and use them to master your gear, fueling,…
Last July, Andrew Baldwin set out southbound on the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail thru-hike. His previous year, filled with untethered travel throughout the US, left Baldwin searching for a purpose. Determined to find clarity paired with unbridled challenge, he joined just three percent of hikers who choose to hike north to south on the AT. Along the way, he found his trail family, wrangled the voice inside his head, and emerged with a new outlook on his life.
Read more to meet the host of the new Out and Back podcast.
First off, congratulations: If you’re reading this, you’ve either committed to going on one of the most memorable adventures of your life, or you’re seriously considering it. The people you…
An overlay featuring backroads, forgotten trails, and brand-new routes currently unavailable on any other Gaia GPS map, USFS Roads and Trails expands your possibilities. Use it to explore the backcountry,…