Southern Indiana Trails

From Captains for Clean Water ,  Everyone in Between  explores the value and wonder of Florida’s Everglades and Alaska’s   Bristol Bay fisheries—as well as the threats to both—through the eyes and experience of Captain John Landry. by Outside Editors via Outside Magazine: All

As the COVID-19 pandemic   swept across the United States, many of us kept sane through socially distanced outdoor gatherings with friends. In the summer months, options abounded: camping trips, park beers, and sunny backyard gatherings. But as the days grow shorter, temperatures drop, and infection numbers skyrocket, opportunities for safe outdoor gatherings are growing slim. I spent the last golden days of fall mentally preparing myself to spend winter alone, bundled up in blankets and existential dread.  That was until I found the world’s first wearable sleeping bag: the Original Selk’bag 6G  ($179). As a lifelong cold-blooded person (otherwise known as a “wimp”), I have often dreamed about an invention like the Selk’bag during frozen nights. An Everest expedition suit for the common folk, it is essentially a ripstop nylon, water-resistant, synthetic insulated Snuggie  with legs. It looks as ridiculous as it sounds. But frankly, I don’t give a damn—I’...

Sure, long underwear is nice, but have you ever warmed up with miso soup in the middle of your snowshoe tour? On bitterly cold days, heeding the call of the wild over the call of the couch is much easier if you know you’ll always be within reach of a hot beverage. So get your thermos game dialed.  While warm beverages alone will not protect you from hypothermia , they are one part of a multipronged approach to treating hypothermic patients in the backcountry, says Zack Fuecker, a Minnesota-based wilderness first responder. Just know that shivering, which is your body’s main method of keeping you warm if you aren’t dressed properly, is a real energy suck. So it’s more the carbohydrates in the thermos that help in such situations versus the liquid actually warming you from the inside out. And according to Patrick Wilson, an exercise-science professor at Old Dominion University and author of The Athlete’s Gut ,   while there isn’t much research showing that warm liquids...

Being kind and informed and giving back to others—rather than race results—is how pro cyclist Sarah Sturm defines success. But it wasn’t always that way. As a competitor, Sturm had to burn out first before she realized that she’d rather be a mentor than an inspiration. Now she coaches other young women to achieve their own goals. Visit  Wahoo Frontiers   to learn about more athletes who are redefining success. by Outside Editors via Outside Magazine: All

Most of the people I know who have a car camping vehicle of some sort are not satisfied with some aspect of it. If it’s a truck topper, they might hate putting it on and taking it off their rig. Or they don’t like towing a trailer and dealing with parking it. Or maybe they have a van and need more room for their growing family. If you don’t already own one of the choices out there, the number of solid options continues to expand, which makes researching them even more baffling. Nonetheless, the decision-making process about what to purchase can take a while. If you’re like me, it may never end. My wife and I bought our 2006 Dodge T1N Sprinter with 64,000 miles on it in 2017 and named it Jean-Claude. It replaced my rusted but trusty 2002 Subaru Outback as my daily driver and Southern California surf rig. It also became our weekend escape pod. We used it to honeymoon in the Sierra and spent countless nights sleeping in the back on climbing trips in the desert. Last year, we used it to ...

Over the summer, COVID-19 sent a flood of new people to the mountains  to get away from it all. As the snow flies, many worry  that a similar flood of newcomers will cause a deluge of accidents, including avalanches. But a new study suggests that when it comes to slides, the newbies won’t be the only problem in this unprecedented year. It’s experienced backcountry users who are waking the big man in the white suit more often. And COVID-19 might be one reason why. During the spring, researchers at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center  (CAIC) thought they were seeing more avalanche accidents as the pandemic swept across the country. According to the center’s director, Ethan Greene, they wanted to know if their observation was accurate, and if so, why this was happening. Were ski-resort closures sending a pulse of new, inexperienced people into the backcountry in search of a snow fix? The shutdowns and travel restrictions in Colorado that began M...

Every year following its banner event, the  Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival  sends select movies out for in-person screenings   in various cities as a world tour. It’s a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to gather for what’s often a raucous experience, cringing or gasping or cheering their way through daring feats in the mountains or stories of fascinating characters. This year, Banff is carrying out a virtual world tour starting November 26, offering 17 films that you’ll have to cringe, gasp, or cheer your way through with a lot fewer companions. The films are split into two programs, with a different mix of features and shorts in each,   that can be purchased through Banff’s website —$15 for one program or $28 for both. You can also support local hosts , like nonprofits and college outdoor programs, by purchasing tickets through them; some are also offering remote “live” events with additional programming. And with quirky, thrilling films such as these fi...

While you won’t be able to pile into a gondola with randos or share nachos at the lodge, you’ll still be able to make the most of this season. Whether it’s abiding by Covid-19 protocols at a resort , safely exploring the backcountry, snowmobiling to hot springs , or taking up skate skiing, there’s no shortage of ways to get out there this winter. 1. Get Backcountry Educated Backcountry skiing near Vermont’s Bolton Valley ( Photo: Courtesy Bolton Valley) With built-in social distancing in uncrowded terrain, heading out of bounds will be popular this winter. If you’re trying it for the first time or it’s been a while, signing up for a backcountry safety course is essential. At Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming, a new backcountry ski camp debuts this winter with two group clinics, slated for January 12 to 15 and February 1 to 4 (from $1,760). The resort’s expert guides will also offer one-on-one clinics on avalanche safety, route selection, and touring skil...

Like just about everything else in life, the way we travel has had to adapt to our current reality. Does that mean your adventure plans are canceled this winter? If you’re headed to Vermont, the answer is a resounding no . If you’re cool with protecting yourself and Vermonters, then the winter adventuring will go on. Here’s how to get your Vermont fix this winter. The Ground Rules Anybody can visit Vermont this winter; you just have to follow some commonsense rules  like masking up when in public and, of course, practicing social distancing. Additionally, if you’re traveling to the state by car, you’ll need to quarantine for 14 days either at home or once you arrive in Vermont. If you’re flying in, your quarantine must happen after you arrive. In either case, your two-week quarantine can be shortened if after seven days you’re not experiencing any COVID symptoms and you get a negative result from a PCR test. “Vermont is open,” says Nate Formalarie, communications director for t...

Gear sales are everywhere this week , thanks to Black Friday, but finding something you know will stand up to your adventures can be challenging. I believe it’s a good time to pull the trigger on an item that’s practical and that you would have bought otherwise, sale or not. To help you get that quality piece of gear during the melee, I scoured deals to find products that I’ve personally tested and approved. GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist Water Bottle ($35) ( Photo: Courtesy GSI Outdoors) Deal: 25 percent off On Sale: November 27 through 30 Why I Love It: This water bottle took the clear win on my most recent test of insulated water bottles . It’s a smoking deal, even at full price, due to its light weight and fantastic thermoregulation. It also happened to be the least expensive of the seven I put head to head. To quote myself: “It almost never pans out that the lightest, most affordable product also demonstrates the highest performance, but the Microlite 1000 reall...

Produced by Adam Rubin and Dan Lior , this film follows six world-class slackliners on a mission deep into the Norwegian mountains to attempt something new: walking a highline elevated between two colossal cliffs, illuminated by only the mystical northern lights. by Outside Editors via Outside Magazine: All

We all know what it feels like to run out of oxygen—or at least, what it feels like to feel like we’re running out of oxygen. In reality, the breathlessness we experience during hard exercise, or at high altitude, or when simply holding our breath, has more to do with too much carbon dioxide in the blood than with too little oxygen. As the feats of elite freedivers show—like holding a single breath for 11 minutes and 35 seconds —our limits aren’t what they seem. I’ve long been fascinated by studies of what’s going on inside freedivers when they hold their breath , what defines their limits, and how those skills may translate to other environments like high altitude . But their abilities are so outlandish that it feels like studying another species. So I was particularly interested to see a recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology that looked at breath holding in regular people with no prior training in it. The study is very straightforward, taking measurements of ...