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Gina and Teddy on top of an unknown mountain, somewhere off the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. By the way, someone has a big birthday tomorrow. Nope, not the furry one wearing the backpack. Happy Birthday, Gina! You are an amazing person, have a heart of gold, and are the life of the room. We're so thankful to have you in our lives. Cheers 🍻

The Grand Canyon is simply stunning. Yes, we know that word gets floated around these days like a paper airplane at the office when your boss goes to lunch (not that we do that), but we're talking paralyzing, holy smokes, can't move, give my eyes and brain a few moments to process this, stunning. If you're lucky enough to catch it on a cloudy day or like here when the sun returned after the rain, the canyon can glow with rich purple hues (that's not color graded). It's a pretty special place. P.S. yesterday we mentioned a give away and the results are splitting right down the middle. It's a close one, get your vote in. 🙌

It's a fun day today. Want to quickly explain this picture and then jump into getting your feedback on something good. Came across this picture last night and it's the original gear setup from the first backpacking trip in Arizona. North Face Talus tent (fine rig, easy on the wallet, got a little heavy hauling it out the Grand Canyon though) Gregory pack, set of Black Diamond poles, and one of those rectangular sleeping bags from Mountain Hardwear. It was temperature rated differently on each side (Flip, I think they called it). Spoiler alert: great concept, not the greatest functionality. It was probably 35 degrees that night and if you roll around like a mad man in your sleep, you flip onto the 50 degree side and freeze your tail off. So yeah, that was great trip and fun to run across that memory. Now, if you're still reading, good because you are who this is for. The community is almost at 5,000 people now. Crazy, we know. Thank you so much for being a part of it. To celebrate the occasion we are thinking about doing a give away as a small token of appreciation. Right now we're considering either a quality headlamp (Chad loses one a year) or an antique compass. What do you think? We're open to suggestions.

So...got kicked out of the park tonight. Apparently the ranger has a megaphone 📢 on his truck and drives around telling people to scram when it gets dark. Just was getting comfortable too. Irma has dropped the temps and pumped up the wind gusts on the lake, but you can't beat a good Pendleton blanket. Guess it wasn't a bad idea to take off though, hiking back through the woods, in the dark, with a lantern doesn't work as well as you'd imagine.

Here's the thing about photography. Don't forget to click the shutter for you. For what you think is beautiful. For what you find value and joy in. The reason you picked up a camera wasn't for likes (hopefully). It was for the joy of capturing the moment. It's easy to discredit or stuff away images because you don't think they'll be received well enough. This isn't a fancy image. Gina wondered why Chad would even take a picture of his feet. And you know what? She's got a point. Some people will just view it as a set of feet. To him though, it's the essence of hiking. He loves those damn Danner boots. He loves unconventional trails with character and obstacles. He loves that soul calming sound of running water down a stream. He loves that when you're on the trail, it forces your brain to kick out of it's everyday "auto pilot mode" and go back to being fully alive. He loves hiking. In the end, shoot for meaning, shoot for the moment. It's the story that matters most.

When you take your kid to the park. Yep, the junior ranger was back in action. What better time for a ridiculous photoshoot than when you're stuck in traffic in front of the park. If anything, we at least provided some entertainment for everyone. Have a great weekend!

Not sure there's a more unworldly vibe than exploring a huge underground cavern. Could you imagine being the person that discovered it? Walking into something like this with an oil lamp or torch, having no idea of the scope or what could be inside. Pretty amazing. Granted you're not claustrophobic, it's definitely worth checking out.

In the past we would tend to get bummed out if it rained on our camping trips, but then we realized something. If you can just wait it out, the rain usually brings the fog afterwards, and fog can be your best friend as a photographer. It has a special power to turn ordinary into extraordinary. Why is that? What makes it compelling? Maybe it's a bit like adventure, the thrill of not knowing what's around the corner. Maybe it's the lighting or the freedom to let your mind wander. Whatever it is, we dig it. What are your thoughts?

Nothing quite beats the feeling of dragging your boots back to base camp after a long day of exploring. Cooking up a hot meal, grabbing a cold beer, and crowding around the warm campfire with friends and loved ones. Extra points if your dog makes the journey with you.

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