Jackie Florman 
Let’s face it: summer hiking season is almost over. The warm days of summer adventures are now behind us as the chill of fall laces the air. It’s time to curl up on the couch, sip a pumpkin spice latte, and read a book about the warm adventures of seasons past. Pick up one of … Read more
No matter how many trips I guide in Yosemite National Park, I’m always on a mission to pack the best possible gear for the job. In my three seasons of guiding backpacking trips in Yosemite, narrowing down my personal essentials for the trail has been a process of trial and error. Here, I simplify the … Read more
The Owyhee Backpacking Tarp is as Cozy as a Tent and as Lightweight as a Tarp Nestled beneath my Six Moon Designs Owyhee backpacking tarp, thunder and lightning unleash in the high Sierra. Rain and hail batter my shelter in the limestone cirque below Red and White mountain, deep in the range. Inside, dry and … Read more
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 is a Versatile, Do-It-All Pack for the Ultralight-Curious Up mountain passes, down talus fields, and over snowfields, I move through the remote reaches of the Sierra Nevada mountain range with my Granite Gear Crown3 60 snug against my back. After weeks of pack testing, I chose the Granite Gear Crown3 … Read more
I look down from nearly seven thousand feet above the slickrock canyonlands of Utah’s southeast desert. Just 45 minutes outside Moab, Utah, I’m taking Ridge Merino’s Solstice Sun Hoodie for a testing day out on the skin track in the La Sal mountains. From the snow-covered access road to the boot pack up to the … Read more
Featherlight Insulation Made for the Mountains A great down jacket is essential to my kit any time I head out into the mountains. I wanted to see if the Accelerator Down Jacket met my need for a versatile, lightweight down jacket that could keep me comfortable from mountaintops to evenings at camp. Over the course … Read more
This sun hoodie is the silky-softest ultralight layer for hiking, running, and skiing Wearing the Himali Eclipse Sun Hoodie while touring in Crested Butte, CO. Photo Credit: Jordan Herbert No matter the season, when I’m out in the mountains, you’ll find me wearing a sun hoodie to protect my skin from the relentless UV rays … Read more
This Local Brand Makes the Best Merino Wool Baselayers for Mountain Athletes Who is Ridge Merino? Out on the skin track in Mammoth Lakes, CA, I glide between sun and shade, forest and meadow, ridgeline and basin. The temperatures swing from a balmy 34 degrees to a brisk 22 with windchill, but I feel comfortable … Read more
Tera Kaia is a sustainability-minded, women-owned business makes the best sports bras and underwear for outdoor-folks of all body types. Tera Kaia is the Best Up-and-Coming Sports Bra Brand on the Market Last year, living in the eastern Sierra Nevada, I often passed by Tera Kaia’s sleek corner storefront on Bishop, California’s Main Street. Bishop … Read more
Upon returning to Boulder, Colorado, this August, I immediately longed for the exposed ridges and exciting scrambling characteristic of the granite peaks of my home in the eastern Sierra Nevada. I set out on a mission to find the best scrambles that Colorado offers to stretch my alpine scrambling season into September and bag some … Read more
The Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket is the ultimate car camping quilt. Snuggled in the back of my Jeep Wrangler at the Grays and Torreys Peak trailhead in Colorado this September, I feel warm and cozy, nestled in my Rumpl quilt. Parked at 11,000 feet, the mountain air is chilly against my skin, but burrowed in … Read more