The short of it Trail and Error is a media project about the risks we take and mistakes we make in the process of trying to understand and engage the natural world, and the joy of learning from them to benefit ourselves and others. It takes the form of short, semi-regular updates filled with comics,…
Read more
When I wasn’t assigning and editing news and features at Bicycling, I was testing bike gear. Here’s the full, unedited version of one of the last pieces I wrote for the site, about a pair of wireless workout headphones. You can find the edited, abridged version here. The Urbanears Hellas Is Your Pain-Cave Secret Weapon…
Read more
When I decided to take cycling more seriously, the hardest thing wasn’t improving my fitness, toughening my resolve on climbs, or getting comfortable with clipless pedals. Rather, it was deciphering the vocabulary I needed—specifically Romance language-infused jargon—to get a basic understanding of the sport and its technology. It’s easy to forget how hard it is…
Read more
I share a lot of opinions that are popular among the bike-inclined. Going fast? Hell yes. Caps? Essential. Climbing? Rough, but rewarding. However, I usually lose people when I admit that I don’t really hate indoor training. I used to: When you bring the bike inside, I thought, you inevitably lose a sense of purpose….
Read more
At 10:51 a.m. on August 5, an EPA-contracted team evaluating the reclamation progress at Gold King Mine just north of Silverton, Colorado, noticed a “leak” from a 10-foot by 15-foot hole they’d inadvertently created while clearing rubble. A flume thick as orange juice and similar in color erupted from the mine into Cement Creek, its…
Read more
Samuel L. Jackson walked up to a rack of ski-shaped plywood slats, selected one, kissed it, and tossed it into a fire burning in Telluride’s Elks Park. A cheer erupted from the 100-odd ski bums, baffled tourists, and other A-list actors in town for Valentine’s Day weekend. A local actor dressed as Ullr, the Norse…
Read more
Since beginning work at Outside Magazine, I’ve developed a deep interest in the National Park Service. One of my editors, recognizing this, tipped me off to a story she thought might warrant some investigation—how big a deal was this Make-A-Wish event? After interviewing half a dozen people involved in the planning and execution of the…
Read more
As an Outside Magazine employee, I’m acutely aware of how many sports exist—and how many I’ve yet to try. In light of conservationist tendencies, it was natural for me to investigate a trend in shared gear, wherein companies encourage people to rent amongst themselves, or pay annual fees for access to well-stocked gear sheds. Sharing gear breaks…
Read more