Category Archives: General

Finding Farley

I spent the last weekend up at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.  There was an incredible array of outdoor oriented films and many of them were big budget productions with hundreds of thousands of dollars thrown towards plane tickets, helicopters … Continue reading

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Where the Other You Lives

Discover the Forest is a new website launched by the Ad Council and USDA Forest Service encouraging kids to get outdoors and enjoy their nearby parks and national forests. The site is designed so tweens (ages 8-12) can navigate it … Continue reading

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International Walk to School Day

Wednesday, October 7 is International Walk to School Day.  Started in 1997 in Chicago, iWalk has participants in all 50 states joining 3 million international walkers. The day highlights the need for walkable routes within communities. Whether you’re motivated for … Continue reading

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“Fishy Kid” Coloring Contest

What do you get when you combine crayons, fish and gear?  The Fishy Kid coloring contest. Co-creators Cameron Mortenson and Kevin Powell are two fly-fishing dads who live in the southeastern US.  What started as a coloring book from celebrated … Continue reading

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Carrie Cooper Slide Show

TOP contributor Carrie Cooper will be speaking about her family’s recent adventures in New Zealand, so if you happen to be in Northern Arizona this coming Saturday and want to hear some stories and gawk at some awesome climbing and … Continue reading

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Walking to School

My walk to elementary school is composed of snapshot memories. The magnolia trees with limbs made for climbing. The very steep hill. Baseball bats cracking as I passed the little league field. Blackberries.  Towering redwood trees encompassing “Dark” Park. Dawdling … Continue reading

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Are You the Parent You Imagined?

For the record, Fitz and I aren’t parents. Yet, even before planning to be a parent, I have an ideal image of the parent that I will strive to be. As our friends embark on parenthood, I continually refine my … Continue reading

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Mother Nature’s Fireworks

Shooting stars – nothing quite captures the imagination and puts the universe in perspective like a meteor.  It makes us dream of space travel, wonder about the mutable nature of space and time, and stare in awe at Mother Nature’s … Continue reading

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Duh…being active helps kids stay fit

Actually, it’s not as big a no-brainer as it sounds.  Researchers at the University of Iowa have found that kids who are active at a young age struggle less with obesity even if they don’t maintain activity levels later in … Continue reading

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John Muir: The Original Outdoor Parent?

When I think of John Muir, I think of the solo mountaineer rambling through the High Sierra or the old conservationist fighting to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from the damn that now traps it beneath reservoir water. Muir as … Continue reading

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