Humans Outside

Did you know I’m a journalist? I mean, you probably do because I mention it in the intro of many episodes of Humans Outside. But you probably didn’t know I’m launching a local nonprofit newspaper.

It…

Do you have one person whose work you’ve looked to for inspiration? For me, that’s Gretchen Rubin, author of the Happiness Project, and it’s why I was so excited to get her on Humans Outside for a si…

What happens if you say "yes" to just one adventure or step out of your comfort zone? Maybe you'll create a single unforgettable experience. Or maybe that "yes" will lead you down a path where you en…

There are a lot of reasons to spend time in nature, but as I reflect back on all of the things I’ve learned by heading outside every day for more than 2,500 days in a row, some takeaways stick out mo…

There’s something both comforting and amazing about the way nature takes the reigns no matter what happens. During a recent walk in the woods, I saw startling new growth on top of recent harm, and it…

No matter how you define “hard,” heading outside offers plenty of chances to tackle it. Many people who choose to tackle hard stuff outside are pushed to do so to honor some kind of “why.”

For some o…

There’s something special about the way spring sounds in Alaska.

Maybe it’s how dramatic the experience is as compared to the sounds of winter. Maybe it’s that they’re happy sounds that I can hear th…

I do it to myself and over and over again. That feeling of overwhelm sneaks right in, and it’s entirely because of my own poor choices.

(You would think I’d learn my lesson, but I have not.)

So when …

Florence Williams has learned a thing or two about making the most of what you have right outside your door and the tools you already possess to do so. Since Florence, author of “The Nature Fix,” lit…

I used to hear friends talk about the crazy wonderful things they were spotting outside and wonder how it was I was missing out. Why didn’t I see that stuff? Were they trying harder? Going places I d…

When was the last time you thought about the way learning to notice and navigate changing seasons affects how you view your indoor life?

One of the best things about spending a lot of time outdoors i…

Ready for solo adventure? Feeling safe?

Getting out there by yourself can feel like a real safety risk. I absolutely love going out alone, but I know it comes with pros and cons. 

But it doesn't mean…

When did you last hug a tree? I mean literally, actually hug a tree? Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but hang with me, because this silly thing has been recharging and reshaping how I feel about hea…

The changing of seasons is the perfect time to look around for signs of changing life outside.

But what if instead of just seeing the signs, you looked at them as encouragement for your day? What if …

If you’ve ever spent time living in a major city, you know finding nature takes a lot more intentionality than if you spend all of your time in a rural environment. You might even think about experie…

You know the photos don’t tell the whole story: doing something cool outdoors or going on an epic adventure takes work.

And I don’t just mean deciding where to go and then peeling yourself out of you…

You’d think after all of these days outside over years of keeping my outdoor habit, I’d have figured out that after feeling some kind of way in the winter, I am an entirely new person when the daylig…

Remember my rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon that became a dangerous disaster after another member of the group put us all at risk? Yeah, that wasn’t great. But when I shared that story, I immedia…

There are just certain outdoor things that drive me absolutely bonkers. They make my nerves feel like tattered edges, especially if they’ve been going on for awhile.

And that’s a problem, because I a…

They clear-cut part of my backyard trails and I’m devastated (Outdoor Diary)

When I heard the saws, I should’ve known it was not a good thing, not just a trail crew clearing wood downed on the trail.