Southern Indiana Trails

by Outside Editors via Outside Magazine: All

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , more bicycle fatalities occur between 6 P.M. and 9 P.M. than at any other time—nearly 40 percent. You can probably guess why.  While no amount of safety gear can protect you from a distracted or drunk driver, being visible on the road at night can help you avoid being struck by attentive drivers. One of the most effective ways to ensure this? Bike lights. They’re not just for night riding, either: though not legally required, daytime running lights can also help to catch a motorist’s eye   in broad daylight   (more on that later).  Bicycle lights are broken into two categories: lights to see and lights to be seen. “Be-seen lights are just bright enough so nearby motorists or pedestrians can see you,” says Andrew Ibanez, a sales representative at the bike-lights company Cygolite . “To-see lights are much brighter, illuminating the road or trail ahead.” There’s obviously some ...

Salads need to toss whoever’s doing their public relations campaign.  For far too long, they’ve been relegated to the realm of side dishes or “rabbit food.” But when made right—with more stuff, not less—salads are endlessly interesting. They’re also a great way to consume   a ton of nutrient-dense items and, when assembled with care, are surprisingly portable. Finally, if you panic-planted a pandemic garden , salads are by far the best way to deploy your bounty. They’re also ideal for using up leftovers in your fridge.  Here’s how to build a summer salad that will satisfy and pack well, according to three experts.  Lose the Diet-Food Mindset Katie Cavuto has one golden rule when it comes to creating salads: no fat-free cheese or dressings. Cavuto is a registered dietitian, but she’s also the executive chef for Saladworks , a design-your-own-salad franchise. “In some cases, the fats in the dressings may be some of the most nourishing...

On the night of August 19, marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols was taping up the walls in a bedroom of his home, prepping to lay some plaster. He and his wife, Dana, built their house 20 years ago by a creek in the redwoods north of Santa Cruz, California, with reclaimed Douglas fir beams and ledge stone, taking methodical care with every detail down to the light switches. “I was blessed to live in a biologist’s heaven,” he says, “and it was the best place to raise our kids.” A Bluetooth speaker was blaring Alexi Murdoch. But he heard the knock on the door. The night before, a storm had blown in. It was “stunningly beautiful,” Nichols remembers, unlike anything he’d ever seen. Over the course of 72 hours, around 11,000 bolts of lightning touched down across central California, starting 367 wildfires. One, which came to be known as the CZU Lightning Complex  fire, was burning across the ridges and through the canyons towards Nichols’s house...

Organization is my new obsession. These days I’m into storage bins, label makers, and   color-coordinated folders. Maybe it’s a sign of my advancing age, or maybe I just crave a bit of structure in a hectic world full of uncertainty. But even without the global pandemic and shifting social norms, my life is crazy. I have kids. There are shoes and glitter all over my house. I need stability in some form, and the Matador SEG42 ($190) gives me a little slice of order. The SEG42 is a 42-liter backpack duffel where the space is divided between five built-in packing cubes accessed via exterior zippers, and a full-bag clamshell opening to a large compartment for shoes, gear, and clothes that shouldn’t be rolled or folded. There’s also a dedicated laptop sleeve, so in theory the SEG42 presents itself as a single solution for all kinds of travel, from weekend camping to airline-based work trips when we’re flying again. I’ve spent the past two months tes...

In Oregon, where I live, it’s mandated that you wear a mask outside if you can’t guarantee six feet of distance from other people. I have and will continue to follow that rule, but I’m also lucky enough to spend the majority of my time outside running on mostly empty trails—I average about one human encounter per five miles of distance—so I don’t wear a mask for the entirety of my runs. When I do see a person, I move way off the trail and pull on a mask. I hate the thought of being an asymptomatic carrier that gives it to someone else, nor do I want anyone to feel afraid of using our trails.  Just as I’ve grown accustomed to bringing a mask with me into the backcountry, I’ve worked hard to find the most efficient ways to carry it. These are the best methods I’ve discovered so far.  ( Photo: Sarah Jackson) The Bear Paw How: Just hold the mask in your hand as you run, deploying it as necessary. Pros: As straightforward as it gets—you don’t need any special...

In honor of Teton Gravity Research’s 25th anniversary, the media company’s latest ski film is an ode to “living the dream”—the mantra that started it all. Make Believe  celebrates those who have ventured into the unknown in pursuit of making their dreams a reality. by Outside Editors via Outside Magazine: All