The Dirtbag Diaries

We seek solitude. We find that place a little further out to camp, a couple of extra miles down trail. Sometimes curiosity pulls us farther off the beaten path. Maybe the late afternoon feels just a little more perfect in an isolated basin. But what happens when the darkness closes in, leaving us with only a bubble of tepid light from a headlamp? Welcome to our annual Tales of Terror. Support comes from ⁠Oboz⁠ Kuat Racks Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Some people look at ranges and imagine lines. Kílian Jornet looks at continents. Last week, Kílian completed a truly incredible adventure that was hiding in plain sight. Over the course of 31 days, the renowned mountain athlete climbed 72 fourteeners in the lower, 48 connecting them all by bike. Before he left Washington, we had a chance to sit down and talk about how he approaches projects like States of Elevation. Want to write a Short for the Diaries? We’re accepting submissions through Nov 16, 2025. More info Support comes from Oboz Kuat Racks Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. (don’t tag on social) Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

The bonds we forge during mountain adventures and shared experiences, especially with family, can profoundly shape us. Explorer and author Mark Jenkins reflects on learning to rock climb in Vedauwoo from his swim Coach, and how those lessons permeated his life and eventually into teaching his own daughters how to climb. Oak Jones's childhood was defined by keeping pace with his two older brothers. Though their paths have diverged, Oak organized a raft trip, because, he writes, “Relationships, like plants, need fresh water to grow.” Would their flimsy paddles be enough to navigate the Arkansas river? Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

The Mississippi River. The Big Muddy. The Great River. When musician JW Francis left the river’s source in northern Minnesota and started heading for the sea, he’d had about two hours in canoeing to his name and little idea of what to expect. What he learned and the people he met left a mark on his creativity and perspective. Support comes from Oboz Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. And Then What actions Submit your comment about the Roadless Rule Grand Canyon Trust’s form is specific to Utah and Arizona Outdoor Alliance’s form works for all of the US Explore Roadless Areas Near You See if your Rep has co-sponsored Roadless Area Conservation Act (2025)

Five days, 231.82 miles, 85,967 vertical feet, nearly 94 hours of moving time - this is the White Mountain Direttissima as experienced by ultra-athlete Andrew Drummond. A rugged DIY run that connects all 48 of the White Mountains’ 4,000ft peaks in New Hampshire, the Direttissima has developed a lore of its own. Andrew shares his multi-year journey through the spectrum of microclimates, peaks, valleys, and stages of exhaustion. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it's available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure

When big transitional moments occur in our lives, the way we navigate them and what helps shift our perspective can often come from unexpected places. After graduation and a summer of feeling melancholy, Carol Doyle challenged herself to a 50 mile bike ride hoping it would remove the figurative goggles that obscured the world around her. Heartbroken and seeking solitude at his family’s cabin, Ben Burke is unexpectedly joined by his dad. Support comes from Oboz Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Growing up as identical twins in England, Poppy and Thea Wardley were practically attached at the hip. Their lives finally diverged when Poppy enrolled in medical school and Thea attended university a few hours away. After a few years of burnout from the unrelenting pace of school, Poppy pitches Thea on a bold adventure thousands of miles away to reconnect their twinship– hiking the PCT. Support comes from Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Washington Discover Pass: Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Kuat Racks Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

For Sam Webster, public lands have been interwoven with life from the earliest age. He followed a path into public service with the Park and Forest Service, choosing stability and the ability to contribute to the great good. Until Feb 14th changed that course forever. What happens when the foundation you've built a life on begins to crumble? Support comes from ⁠Oboz⁠ Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Every July, nearly 20,000 cyclists from around the world swarm the roads of Iowa for one week to ride across the state. It’s hot. It’s humid. And it’s not as flat as one may think. Iowa resident Caleb Smith shares his RAGBRAI journey, complete with a buffet of midwestern charm: homemade pies, barn parties, sunsets over fields of corn. But he doesn’t ride a bike, he inline skates. s. Thanks to our sponsors Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries! You can join today.

Runner, writer, illustrator and all around human Brendan Leonard made a career of doing what he loves. Yes it’s passion and wild creativity, but it’s also the unheralded traits of persistence, thoughtful compromise and perspective that keeps him doing what he loves. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it's available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure

Growth happens outside your comfort zone. Sometimes this comes by choice, like committing to guiding rafts on a new river and trading out your nimble kayak for the biggest barge in the fleet as Jessie Longe did. Sometimes you step out not even knowing it, like Lili Mitchell did when she showed up to a trailhead to an unexpected surprise. Either way, you must push through the rough waters ahead to walk away wiser. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. And Then What Actions Learn more about the campaign at ⁠⁠Save The Boundary Waters⁠⁠.Raise your voice and call your Congress person to tell them why the Boundary Waters are important to you: 202-224-3121 Follow ⁠⁠Save the Boundary Waters⁠⁠ on Instagram to stay in the know.

To escape record breaking crowds in Zion National Park, Marco Siler-Gonzales decides to take his girlfriend, Lena Ohlson, on an unmarked and seldom hiked trail. Heading back towards the car, Marco leads Lena around a wrong turn, leaving them in a dangerous situation. Years later he struggles to come to terms with his actions. Support comes from Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

In March of 2025, Emily Ford lined up at the starting line of one of the world’s most difficult races – The Iditarod. To race this iconic event hadn’t been a lifelong dream but rather the next step on Emily’s pursuit of her passions – cold quiet places and four legged friends. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. And Then What Actions 3 million acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands are currently slated to be sold. Call your Senators and tell them: Don't Sell Public Lands. Call 202-224-3121 ⁠Write

Finding out what we’re capable of takes trial and error and a whole lot of trust. For Meg Morris and Emmye Vernet, they each had a guide who helped them see another side of the outdoors. For Meg, her dad fostered her love of fishing, from Maine to Alaska to Tijuana, and helped her navigate through an unexpected challenge. Though Emmye didn’t grow up feeling at home outside, her best friend Rose helps her revel in the outdoors, partnership and love. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries and making our And Then What series possible. You can join today.

In the fall of 2015, photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko embarked on a journey to rally support to protect one of our most awe-inspiring national treasures: the Grand Canyon. Their method? A 700+ mile sectional thru-hike of the wilderness that lies between the rim and the river. They knew the trek would challenge them, but they had no idea how quickly and completely the canyon would leave them demoralized and physically destroyed. The two of them were contemplating giving up, when, as Kevin puts it, ‘A miracle happened’. Today, a story about three people who have dedicated the better part of their lives to developing a unique skill–and a project so complicated and important that it required their cumulative experience to pull it off. It’s also a story about friendship, and how friends working together for a common goal can lead to something greater than the sum of its parts. In addition to writing A Walk in the Park, Kevin also wrote The Emerald Mile. We talked with him about that process in The Threshold Moment (Apple | Spotify) Watch some of the highlights of Kevin and Peter’s hike. Check out Pete’s photography and film work as well as Into The Canyon. To learn more about the current threats to the Grand Canyon visit Save the Confluence Support comes from Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order ⁠Kuat Racks⁠ Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

In 1994, Forrest Gump took the box-office by storm and became a staple of cable TV reruns in the following decades. Its feel good message about a simple man who lived life heart first struck a chord, but hidden inside a six minute montage was a grueling test of the human limits -- a 15,000 mile ultrarun across the US almost five times. In 2018, Rob Pope became the first to complete this superhuman run, and became fascinated with others who push their limits. Listen to Rob talk with other superhuman folks on How To Be Superhuman Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it's available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure

Mild-mannered, elementary school teacher Jason Hardrath may be a superhero. After competing in college as a cross country athlete, he turned to triathlons and then Iron Mans to push the limits of his endurance. Simultaneously, he developed his skills in the mountains and soon sought to combine the two, setting an audacious goal-- the first person to complete 100 Fastest Known Time (FKT). Jason's endurance and commitment seemed unending. That is, until he got COVID. Cascade Trifecta FKT Long COVID resources Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it's available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure

Over the last few years, students at Utah State University built a weekly ritual at their school gym to grow the climbing community on campus. When Utah’s legislature passed a contentious bill last year, that routine was stripped away after. Students rallied to raise awareness, fighting to keep their weekly meet-up alive. Support comes from Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Oboz Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Fitz will be in Colorado for two States of Adventure book presentations in May. May 1st at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder (RSVP here) May 2nd at Feral in Denver (RSVP here)

Shifting paradigms is hard work, but sometimes it can be a whole heap of Type II Fun as well. In 2019, Stratton Matteson sought to find out if he could get away with only human powered mountain access for a whole year. Five years into his quest, he shares what he’s learned. Support comes from Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Oboz Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Fitz will be in Colorado for two States of Adventure book presentations in May. Join us! May 1st at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder (RSVP here) May 2nd at Feral in Denver (RSVP here)

What does it take to run an ultramarathon? Or top out a boulder that makes you stretch what you think you're capable of? Tenacity. From our seat, we see it happen all the time in our community. Today, Coleman Wood and Brian Laidlaw bring us two stories about rising up and meeting the challenge that they laid out for themselves. Support comes from Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Oboz Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Fitz will be in Colorado for two States of Adventure book presentations in May. Join us! May 1st at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder (RSVP here) May 2nd at Feral in Denver (RSVP here)