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ALLAH WAS INVOKED THAT DAY, after a wood-fired breakfast in an 18-degree dawn. The earth was cloaked anew; hoarfrost made the grass crunch under my boots. Wind ripped away the plume of Daniel González’s breath. Winter in southern Chile, one of the southernmost places on earth. The pickup truck, already…
The chart says it all. The website of the automated river gage on the Little Missouri River near Langley, Arkansas, operated by the United States Geological Survey, is bookmarked by…
How frequent are summer thunderstorms in the desert? Can you rely on that as a source of fresh water?—The EditorsSanta Fe, New Mexico
The Wild File: Black Widows
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is on the move, the Environmental News Network reports. Currently caught in the Loopt, a clockwise current that originates in the Caribbean and travels along the Yucatan, the oil spill will likely travel up to the tip of Florida…
Think you live in a clean country? Think again. Yale, in conjunction with Columbia, recently released their annual EPI (Environmental Performance Index). The U.S. dropped 22 spots in just one year (now ranked at 61, compared to…
Most climbers get a little restless in Base Camp. There’s not a lot to do other than read the latest weather report, eat, sleep, sharpen crampons, take a Sherpa shower, and wait for a decent summit window. Cory Richards, on the other…
A month ago we set out to paddle across all of the channels that connect the Hawaiian Islands. Over the past few weeks we crossed from one island to the next, paddling the channels on our stand-up paddleboards and exploring each island once wearrived. From the beginning,…
Outside has a history of covering big environmental disasters. To understand the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it helps to have an understanding of where it stands in the history of oil spills. That's not to say…
If you didn't know there was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, you haven't been paying attention. But what you might not know is that someone is ready to take responsibility–at least financially. BP has announced that they are willing to contribute to clean-up efforts and will pay…
Can't get outside but want to break a sweat? Fitness centers nationwide are finally jumping on the green bandwagon, as reported by rueters.com. While the health club industry saw an overall increase in business last year, many are aiming to increase that even more–by tailoring to…
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 has ballooned into an environmental and economic issue of extreme importance. What was at first reported as one of the worst oil drilling accidents of the last 50 years has evolved into an economic…
We set off on our journey on April 7, starting with a paddle across the Alenuihaha channel, which separates the Big Island and Maui. Having delayed our departure due to gale force winds earlier in the week, we were not sure what to expect of the notorious…
We have now completed our run across the Sahara and are in Tunis for a day before we head back to North America. The final total we ran over the past eight days is 268 kilometers! We averaged just under a marathon per day and are very happy with…
The running today was pretty tough. We ran over unvarying terrain: small sand dunes with grasses interspersed, flat as a pancake, except for the dunes. It was quite hot and the footing was difficult so we didn't really talk at all for the first 25 kilometers because we were…
An American imprisoned for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in a Nicaraguan surf town finally clears the air—sort of.
This expedition has been a mix of pushing our physical and mental limits, learning more about water, and learning more about each other and ourselves. It has been an incredible experience that has definitely changed the lives of all of us i2P youth ambassadors. Our sixth day began with…
This morning we awoke to a breeze traveling throughout camp. Connor, Jill, and I thought that perhaps we would need our goggles, and we were so glad we decided to bring them along (unlike Andy who was having sand-in-eye issues). We started off through the dunes for a…
Today we ran a marathon! Although this morning, we all woke up feeling exhausted, stiff, sore, and needing an ice bath. We left camp around 7:30 A.M. and made our way towards the town of Douz. As we continued forward, our legs began to loosen up and our pace…
Our favorite New Mexico llama/wilderness guide is coming to L.A. Stuart Wilde will lead his team of llamas–of the animal variety–around the city to extol the virtues of walking, in honor of…
The conservationists fighting renewable-energy development need to wake up and smell the wind and solar power. Now.
Remember the climate bill? The one that the House passed last year, before all eyes in DC turned to health care reform? Well, it's inching back into the legislative spotlight. A new (and, based on the looks of things today, very weakened) version of the bill could be heard…
After realizing the gaping hole between my convictions about climate change and my own carbon footprint, I embarked on a yearlong experiment in 2008 torediscover the heart of where I live, by the shores of Puget Sound. I traded in my car and jet travel…
When we first contemplated the idea of stand-up paddling across the Hawaiian islandchain, it sounded so simple: All we would need would be a boat, a willing and able captain, and some boards and paddles. What we've learned is that planning a trip like this requires a…
The day started out with a 1.5-hour drive, rocking Arabic/Frenchmusic in Nardeen's car to start where we finished yesterday. After atough day yesterday, we made a collective decision to run 20 minutes,then do a fast walk for two minutes. Our goal was to make it back tocamp, about 36…
We're underway. As of yesterday, on a salt-pan called Chott el Jerid in southern Tunisia (home to several sets from the Star Wars movies), youth ambassadors from North America, ages 17 to 21, and several support people began the…
Our planet is still the sweet spot for human existence, but it won't be for long, Bill McKibben warns. We've polluted it drastically. More than 22 years ago, the writer foretold The End of Nature.
An agricultural revolution is in the works in Cuba, aided in part by the scientist and biodiversity researcher Humberto Ríos Labrada. The standard sugarcane monoculture has proven unsustainable, and Labrada saw an alternative: local farms thriving via pre-industrial farming techniques, such as crop…
Ray Zahab is back on the adventure scene. After completing his record run across Lake Baikal with Kevin Vallely to draw attention to the global clean-drinking-water crisis, Zahab will return to Tunisia. The first time around, he starred…
President Obama began a drive today to both conserve more of America's wild lands, and get Americans to get outside and enjoy it more. It's called the Great Outdoors Initiative. Here is a full transcript of the President's remarks from the conference where…
On Friday, President Obama will be speaking at a conference on the status of America's outdoors—addressing “the challenges, opportunities and innovations surrounding modern-day land conservation and the importance of reconnecting Americans and American families to the outdoors.” You can watch live Friday morning at 9 am. Eastern time, on the…
When it comes to training, the key is to find what works best for you. Whetherpreparing for a short-distance race or an endurance paddle, we focus on strengthening our bodies. As important as technique is, we believe physical and mental toughness is even more important. In preparing…
Prayer flags , worn by the wind, strung between trees just outside of Patagonia, Arizona (© Jay Graham / drr.net) Over the coming months, Outside will be posting interviews with adventurers, environmentalists, filmmakers, and others conducted by Mountainfilm. Many of the icons appearing at this…
A unique adventure has launched this week from the Big Island of Hawaii. The dynamic duo of Morgan Hoesterey and Jenny Kalmbach–that's us in the photo above!–will stand-up paddleboard our way through the…
A cousin to the infamous Komodo Dragon has been recently discovered in the Philippines, according to wired.com. Though the reptile (named Varanus Bitatawa) …
Prayer flags , worn by the wind, strung between trees just outside of Patagonia, Arizona (© Jay Graham / drr.net) Over the coming months, Outside will be posting interviews with adventurers, environmentalists, filmmakers, and others conducted by Mountainfilm. Many of the icons appearing at this…
By becoming the youngest person* one of the youngest people to ski to the North Pole, 15-year-old Parker Liautaud hopes to build a digital network of environmentally aware young people. He departed on April 2nd, and hopes others will follow his quest on…
Prayer flags , worn by the wind, strung between trees just outside of Patagonia, Arizona (© Jay Graham / drr.net) Over the coming months, Outside will be posting interviews with adventurers, environmentalists, filmmakers, and others conducted by Mountainfilm. Many of the icons appearing at this…
Prayer flags , worn by the wind, strung between trees just outside of Patagonia, Arizona (© Jay Graham / drr.net) Over the coming months, Outside will be posting interviews with adventurers, environmentalists, filmmakers, and others conducted by Mountainfilm. Many of the icons appearing at this…
Finally. After four years spent designing, re-designing and building a ship like no other, Eco-adventurer David de Rothschild, his crew, and 12,000 plastic bottles set sail on March 20, bound for Sydney, by way of the Eastern Garbage Patch and its vortex of plastic crap. The swirling mass…
Photograph by Kyle Dickman Environmentalists, supported by the U.S., have won a key victory in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a 175-nation affair held for two weeks in Doha, Qatar. The…
Last Thursday, I had an early morning flight to San Francisco. I left my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, without my morning coffee but remembered my reusable cup. (I’m patting my back right now, by the way.) The coffee shack at the airport told me if…
Over at The Cleanest Line, Patagonia's do-good blog, you can track the progress of team Rios Libres, a pack of writers (including Greg Childs), photographers, guides and general adventure types who are have traveled to South America in an effort…
Cruise ships and wildlife buses? The tourist staples miss the point of Alaska: It's the last real place to find an epic, crowd-free adventure on American soil. We've scoured the state for the best wilderness lodges, river trips, lonely highways, and DIY escapes. Bear mace not included.
I just returned from Thailand where I spent two weeks working with Trip Jennings, one of the athletes feature in this month’s Adventure Issue, on his Elephant Ivory Project. The 27-year-old filmmaker is…
It's a great week for the cycling community. Trifuel.com has reported that the League of American Bicyclists recently awarded TriSports.com with a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Business (BGB) award. The League,which was created to promote more bike friendly businesses, is paving the…
Last spring, I decided to ride my bike to an event in a distant suburb of San Francisco. So I went to the Internets, plugged in my destination and, voila, my journey was charted. Except, it wasn’t. About 15 miles into the ride, I ran into a…
Prayer flags , worn by the wind, strung between trees just outside of Patagonia, Arizona (© Jay Graham / drr.net) Over the coming months, Outside will be posting interviews with adventurers, environmentalists, filmmakers, and others conducted by Mountainfilm. Many of the icons appearing at this…
After some delay, the Obama administration has decided to back the international fishing ban on bluefin tuna, according to grist.org. Now viewed as a potential endangered species, the big blue fish is garnering support around the globe. Monaco intitially…
Scotland has rediscovered a rare bee called the Cuckoo Bumblebee after 50 years of absence, according to treehugger.com. The bee gets it's name from something called “stranger behavior.” It can neither collect pollen nor socialize in a typical hive manner. The reemergence of this bee…
With all eyes on Vancouver and the Winter Olympics, the Sierra Club is taking an opportunity to call attention to the environmentally destructive practice of oil sands mining. It has launched a campaign called Love Winter, Hate Oil Sands and partnered with three winter athletes–skier (and…
Between now and the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, athletes will receive a total of 1014 medals. All that bling represents a goodly amount of the Earth's minerals. But this year, and for the first time, a percentage of the metals used to forge…
The Richmond Olympic Oval, the arena for speed-skating at the Vancouver Olympics, is getting a thumbs up from athletes for its environmentally conscious design and its beauty, Reuters reports. The roof was made from…
The Center for Biological Diversity is distributing 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms in all 50 states for Valentine's Day to underscore how unsustainable human population growth is driving species extinct at a cataclysmic rate,…
Ever wondered what a day in the life of a polar explorer is like? Watch the video above to see what Eric Larsen and his two traveling buddies do on a typical day trekking in Antarctica. Somehow, the guys find time and energy to…
The Wildlife Conservation Society estimates that there are less than 50 wild tigers left in China, according to Treehugger.com. Habitat destruction, limited food sources, and poaching have contributed to major decreases throughout Asia. Want to help? If your a millionaire you might be able rent a tiger or…
When a young woman is killed by coyotes on a busy trail in broad daylight, how worried should we be?
Q. What is the most powerful species? Wild File Salmon A. You mean like whether a wolverine could take down Nancy Pelosi? Yawn. Today's power animals are the ones bringing in dollars or holding up development. “Endangered species have this ability to crystallize, amplify, and resolve long-standing problems,” says Center…
Q. What is “dead pool?” A. Trouble, that's what. Dead pool is the level at which water can no longer be released from a reservoir. Take Lake Powell, on the Colorado River. Glen Canyon Dam's lowest turbines sit 210 feet below “full pool,” which is when the bathtub is…
The Federal Trade Commission sent letters to Target, Kmart, Wal-Mart, and 74 other retailers warning that rayon clothing should not be labeled as bamboo, according to Reuters. Rayon is made from the cellulose of any plant and it is often produced using harsh chemicals.
Courtesy of Wikimedia E. coli's been the culprit for many a food poisoning, but it turns out the microbe's got some good uses, too. The company LS9, which bills itself as a “renewable petroleum company,” has just made a major breakthrough…
Portraits from photographer Michael Lavine of the next generation water conservationist.
Courtesy of Flickr The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core drilling project, whose goal is to improve scientists understanding of climate change, has just finished pulling up about 75 percent…
By Mary Catherine O'Connor Headed for the hills this weekend? Feeling bad about wheeling up in your A4 Wagon with nothing but your gear and Learn Cantonese audio books? You're in luck: new ride-share and resort-bound bus services have been cropping up, connecting drivers with…
Courtesy of Flickr The U.S. Energy Department has put out a report stating that 20 percent of the electricity demand in homes and businesses in the eastern half of the country could be met with wind…
Wanna stop shark finning? Yao Ming does, too. For a donation of just $100, the organization Stop Shark Finning will put up a billboard in a high-traffic area of China that features Ming and a plea to stop…
Mountaintop removal mining is bad, right? Stephen Colbert doesn't think so. Listen to him argue with Dr. Margaret Palmer, the leading author of an article on the harmful effects of mountaintop removal that appeared in the latest issue of Science.
On December 29th, on the verge of the new decade, the skiing industry lost a legend. Bill Levitt, long-time mayor of Alta, Utah, and owner of the Alta Lodge, passed away after collapsing in the ski area's dining…
Courtesy of Flickr Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez supertanker spilled oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound there is still oil around, Nature Geoscience reports. The massive cleanup effort that took place…
Sanyo has introduced the Eneloop hybrid bike to the U.S. market. It costs $2,300, weighs about 50 pounds, and has a lithium-ion battery and 250-watt motor activated by a button on the left handlebar, according to…
A new study published in Ecological Applications found that cleared ski slopes are more environmentally friendly than graded ones, according to the New York Times. Cleared slopes are created by cutting down trees to open up an…
Here's an update on the collision between the protest ship Ady Gil and the Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru off Antarctica: The crew of the Ady Gil was rescued and uninjured, thanks to the Bob Barker, a…
Photograph by Ivan Mlinaric via Flickr The demand for soybeans has grown greatly worldwide–up 14-fold since 1950–which means more of the Amazon rainforest is being cleared to accommodate more crops, EurActiv.com reports. Soybeans are the biggest…
Four Greenpeace activists who crashed a gala dinner for heads of state at the end of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen have been released by Danish police, Reuters…
The powerboat Ady Gil, run by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was cut in two when hit by the Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru, which the Ady Gil was protesting. The incident happened at Commonwealth Bay, East Antarctica, and the six crew…
Photograph by Mike Bowler via Flickr If you happen to live in Bulgaria, you can do something useful with your old Christmas tree–if it came from a forest–instead of throwing it away. You can send it to zoos in the country, where it…