The first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather, once said, “Scenery is a hollow enjoyment to a tourist who sets out in the morning after an indigestible breakfast and a fitful sleep on an impossible bed.” On an epic day in the wilderness, Mather’s observation seems a tad dramatic. But after a zero-degree night spent sleeping outside in a decidedly non-zero degree bag, his words ring true. If...

Summer is prime time for hitting the trails and the waterways of America’s gorgeous backcountry. Which also means it’s prime time for running into the critters, large and small, for whom that backcountry is home sweet home. Every summer, headlines are made over unfortunate (or unwise) wildlife encounters across the country. Many of those encounters result from ignorance (or just plain bad decisions), and all things considered it’s the beast...

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. Most people across the country will have three days off of work. They'll spend time with their families, grilling out in the backyard and drinking beer. In the Southeast, many folks will probably head to a lake to enjoy some boating, tubing, water skiing, and other redneck water sports. But there are other ways to make the most of a three day...