There are many ways to get outdoors all year round, including winter. Amid the social, physical, and mental health challenges presented by COVID-19, spending time outdoors may be more important this winter than ever. (Check…
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How to Love Winter
The first snow has fallen. Temperatures are dropping. For many people, this time of year comes with a low-key sense of dread. You bundle yourself into thick layers, dig out the ice scraper and shovel,...
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Winter hiking is ideal for those who crave the peaceful, restorative qualities of being outdoors. The crowds of tourists that flock to popular trailheads in the summer and fall—along with the occasional swarms of…
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This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2021 issue of Appalachia Journal. My first impulse was to flee to the mountains. “The Appalachian Trail, here I come!” The Quarantine My first impulse was to…
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This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2021 issue of Appalachia Journal. At a secluded crag near my house, there’s a climbing route called Malevolent Eye. It’s 32 feet high, with a 3-foot overhang…
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This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2021 issue of Appalachia Journal. In a small patch of crumbly dirt and mulch, near the weather-worn trellis where the hydrangea had begun to bloom, my 5-year-old…
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Hiking in the winter demands more. More preparedness and more planning. More outdoor experience and ability, and—perhaps most easily overlooked—more time. The cold months require better decision-making and a more cautious mindset. The same trail…
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Maybe you’re feeling it already, fellow moms and dads: the dread of not knowing how you’re going to keep your kids occupied and active through the long Northeast winter and early spring. These feelings…
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Leave No Trace is a practice that applies to any outdoor activity, providing hikers, bikers, skiers, and other users with the tools they need to ensure minimal impact on the environment during their trip. While…
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Yesterday the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decided to reject the Trump Administration’s inadequate greenhouse gas power plant rule that sought to repeal the Clean Power Plan. In doing so the court rejected the Trump-era EPA’s false…
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