Category: Features
National Trails Day® is an annual event hosted by the American Hiking Society that encourages support of our nation’s public trails. Taking place on the first Saturday in June, National Trails Day® is made up of public events across the U.S. aimed at advocacy, trail service, and celebrating the footpaths we love. There are plenty […]
Jason Strauss, MD, is Chair and Chief of Psychiatry at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. As part of his medical practice, Dr. Strauss helps patients struggling with stress and anxiety. Here Dr. Strauss explains how getting outdoors can sometimes be the best medicine. May is mental health awareness month, and between lingering concerns […]
“The air just feels so good because it’s not in the city.” “It always feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air. I always feel better after.” “I met some new students that I had never talked to before.” These are just a few of the comments that school social worker Erin McNiff hears […]
This article was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of Appalachia. For Thomas E. Musselman A European starling alights on the cedarwood nesting box. It starts to peck at the small round entrance hole as if trying to widen it. “Get away,” I scream, rushing down the steps of my front deck and across […]
It seems appropriate to share our annual Photo Contest winners just as winter gives way to spring. As the views we see outside our windows and along the trail begin to change, we’re excited to look back at the last year’s vistas and adventures. So excited, that we’re sharing six extra entries that didn’t win […]
Julia Khorana can remember a time when the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts was nearly unusable by paddlers and whitewater lovers. The problem, back in the early 1990s, was that the old hydroelectric dam that held back water in the summer months resulted in an unpredictable schedule of when water would be released into […]
On January 22, Yvette Austin Smith became the new Chair of AMC’s Board of Directors, accepting the baton from outgoing Chair Elizabeth Ehrenfeld, who has led in that capacity since 2018. We recently connected with Yvette, who first joined AMC’s Board as a Director in 2016 and served as Vice Chair of the Board […]
As we share stories this Black History Month on the accomplishments and progress of the Black community, we also realize that there’s still much more work to be done. While we strive to share our love and excitement for the outdoors, it’s important to understand that the experiences of others aren’t always positive and acknowledge […]
The history of Black explorers spans centuries, but unfortunately many of their stories are omitted from the storylines we hear about today. Take, for example, Black American Matthew Henson, who was part of Robert Peary’s 1908-1909 expedition to reach the geographic North Pole. Following the team’s successful attempt, Peary, a white man, received credit as […]
Black History Month is meant to be a time of celebration and commemoration. We share stories of history, of art, of culture, of science, of standing up for equal rights and staring down adversity to help create a better, more inclusive world. It’s an important reminder that Black History contributes to every part of our […]
The following is the prologue of Andrew Vietze’s This Wild Land: Two Decades of Adventure as a Park Ranger in the Shadow of Katahdin, available for purchase now from AMC Books. Justine looks like a diver in a Jacques Cousteau special, scrambling from one rock to the next above me, climbing into the cloud. […]
Some people come into our lives to rekindle our spirits, motivate, and inspire us. A dozen years ago, Alison Darbee, Joe Murphy, and I—three strangers in whom an interest in hiking and mountain climbing had blossomed—found ourselves at a trailhead in the Adirondack Mountains at dawn preparing to hike the Santanoni Range. It is […]
Everyone has their own story about why they hike the rooted, rocky trails of New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest. My father, Chuck Hutchins of Canaan., N.H., has hiked here for more than 50 years. This is his story. He began in 1970 with a family hike up Mount Willard. Six adults and 12 […]
With an Instagram following of more than 360k, you might have heard of Pattie Gonia. But she is more than just an Instagram influencer posting elaborate photos in five-inch heels and full-blown makeup in the wilderness. This drag queen is building a community for queer people, allies & our planet. Today we talk with Wyn […]
Pattie Gonia is out to save the environment. Through the art of drag—defined by the National Center for Transgender Equality as a type of entertainment where people dress up and perform in highly stylized ways, typically including one gender dressing up as the opposite–Pattie Gonia advocates for LGBTQ rights as well as for the protection […]
Representation is a key piece to making the outdoors a more inclusive and welcoming place. While seeing more diversity in the world of professional athletes helps, it’s equally important to have this diversity in the groups we join in the outdoors. That’s where the mission of Inclusive Outdoors Project starts, as they strive to […]
Earl B. Hunter Jr. knows how to bring people together. He is widely recognized for his exuberant personality, hard work ethic, and non-traditional approach to building relationships, which has proved effective in his efforts to increase diversity in the outdoors industry. Hunter is the founder and CEO of Black Folks Camp Too, a marketing-driven business […]
Growing up in Maine, I always understood the pull of Katahdin—which means “Greatest Mountain” in the Penobscot language—rising above Millinocket. She beckons, timeless and remote, for explorers and wanderers to visit. Katahdin was secured by Gov. Percival Proctor Baxter in 1931 “for those who love nature and are willing to walk and make an […]
In 2011, Jennifer Pharr Davis set the overall fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail, hiking the 2,185-mile footpath from Georgia to Maine in just 46 days. Today, she continues to wow athletes with her accomplishments, including backpacking 700 miles pregnant, walking across North Carolina while nursing her newborn son, and hiking in all […]
Fans of ultrarunning might be familiar with athlete, speaker, and author of the best-selling book ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress,’ Mirna Valerio. Also known as ‘The Mirnavator,’ Valerio promotes body positivity, health awareness, and diversity in the running and outdoor industry as she runs marathons and ultramarathons around the country and advocates for inclusion for […]