A photographer, writer, and digital creator based in Nashville, Tennessee, Caziah Franklin is an overlanding evangelist. 鈥淚 realized it combined my passion for adventure, photography, being on the road, climbing, cycling鈥攁ll of it,鈥� he says. Over time, Franklin has developed a reputation for both his photography and his skill with a vehicle, which is why he was a top pick for the . Ford assembled a crew of adventure pros, including Franklin, to experience the TransAmerica Trail, a 5,900-mile route that crosses 13 states and some of the best hiking, camping, biking, climbing and paddling areas in the country. The adventure pros joined the convoy at key locations in Utah and Colorado and found the route delivers plenty of action鈥攂ehind the wheel and on the ground.

Franklin didn鈥檛 hesitate at the invitation, and he teamed up fellow adventurer Andrew Muse for some off-roading and classic crack-climbing in Moab, Utah. Learn more about and how you can easily follow this under-the-radar route.

is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company鈥檚 Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty.

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Few people can pilot a bike鈥攐r a Bronco SUV鈥攁s deftly as Micayla Gatto. A professional freeride mountain biker, graphic designer, and multisport adventurer, Gatto grew up on British Columbia鈥檚 North Shore, where the mountains were never far. She fell in love with downhill mountain biking and spent nine years on the World Cup Circuit, notching several national championship wins. Today, she鈥檚 focused on freeride mountain biking, her art, and overland adventures, which is why she was a top pick for the . Ford assembled a crew of adventure pros, including Gatto, to experience the TransAmerica Trail, a 5,900-mile route that crosses 13 states and some of the best hiking, camping, biking, climbing and paddling areas in the country.

The adventure pros joined the convoy at key locations in Utah and Colorado and found the route delivers plenty of action鈥攂ehind the wheel and on the ground. Learn more about and how you can easily follow this under-the-radar route.

is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company鈥檚 Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty.

The post Two-Wheel and Four-Wheel Fun on the TransAmerica Trail appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Ever heard of the TransAmerica Trail? No surprise if you haven鈥檛. The under-the-radar route stitches together backroads and dirt tracks, creating an epic journey from coast to coast. The route is a national treasure, but reliable info about it has been hard to find, and for years the TransAmerica Trail has remained an experts-only affair. Until now. Ford and Google Maps decided to flip the script, making it something every off-roader can plan, preview, and take on themselves.

To do that, Ford joined forces with Google Maps on an ambitious mission: capture the entire journey in Google Street View. The team tackled the rugged terrain with a three-vehicle convoy: a 2025 Ford Bronco庐 Badlands庐 听equipped with Google鈥檚 new Street View camera and an Expedition庐 Tremor庐 听and Ranger庐 Lariat庐 to carry the crew and tools that made it all possible.

Like any big adventure, the TransAmerica Trail has plenty of unpaved challenges: loose sand, sucking mud, and jagged rock, plus route variations that can make it longer or shorter. The adventurous route crosses 13 states over 5,900 miles with some of the best hiking, camping, biking, climbing and paddling in the country along the way. And now it鈥檚 easier than ever to discover it all for yourself.

Learn more about and how you can easily follow this under-the-radar route.

is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company鈥檚 Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty.

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As told to Corey Buhay

Across the West, luxury ranches charge guests anywhere from $800 to $5,000 per night for the opportunity to play cowboy. Since they鈥檙e peddling an immersive experience, these facilities have to go to extreme lengths to maintain a seamlessly Western look and feel鈥攚hich means that if you work there, you鈥檙e part of the scenery.

The higher-end lodges offer the standard suite of Western extracurriculars, like trail rides, mock cattle drives, and grill-outs under the stars. They also offer other diversions鈥攍ike wine tastings, Vitamin C facials, and sound baths鈥攚hich I have a harder time picturing Butch Cassidy enjoying out on the range, but which probably generate more repeat clientele among the big spenders. All those offerings mean hundreds of employees, and create a vibe that鈥檚 often more Disneyland than family farm. It makes for a totally surreal workplace.

To take a peek behind the scenes, I interviewed a wrangler who鈥檚 been throwing hay and roping horses since the age of 12. Since then, they鈥檝e worked at a handful of different dude ranches across the West, ranging from family-owned operations to glitzy lodges and influencer-swarmed glamping retreats. The job has its joys, but the days are long, and sleep is hard to come by. As we chat over the phone, I can hear them kicking through hay, filling troughs, and shooing off horses. It鈥檚 5:00 P.M. by the time we finish talking, and they鈥檙e still midway through the workday. There鈥檚 a truck to pressure-wash and a trailer to clean, and it鈥檒l be well past dusk before they鈥檙e done.

Is it worth it? You decide. Here鈥檚 what it鈥檚 like to be part of the scenery on someone else鈥檚 $10,000 vacay.

The Gig at a Glance

Occupation
Wrangler/Trail Guide

Age
26

Years in the business
14

Salary
$50,000 with tips ($25,000 without)

How Many Hours Do You Work a Week?

I split my time between ranches, working in the Northern Rockies during the summers and in the Southwest during the winters. During peak season up north, we鈥檙e on and off horses from sunrise to sunset, and the days can be 13 or 14 hours long. I鈥檝e worked 95-hour weeks when the ranch is busy. Things calm down a bit in the winter: right now, my shifts are only 12 hours.

Can You Afford the Rent?

The short answer is no. Horse guiding is usually paid on daily wages, and most companies start you out at $70 a day, which is dismal.

A few ranches provide subsidized housing. Some have to鈥攁 lot of the places I guide are on big properties in the middle of nowhere, and there really aren鈥檛 any rooms to rent. Not that most folks could afford to, anyway. Where I am now, in a vacation getaway town in the Southwest, my rent would be around $2,500 a month.

Besides, the work is seasonal, so I have to pick up and move every six months. Right now, I live in a camper with my partner and our dogs. We鈥檙e both guides, so it works for us, but we won鈥檛 be able to do it forever.

What鈥檚 It Like to Guide Celebrities?

Famous people can be entitled. They鈥檙e used to being able to do exactly what they want. But as soon as you put them on a horse, it changes the power dynamic in an interesting way.

The first time you tell a celebrity to put their phone away, they just stare at you. Then you look them in the eyes and list the possible consequences鈥攇etting thrown off a horse, losing the phone, breaking an arm鈥攁nd they realize you鈥檙e not afraid of them. Then they start to listen.

Are There Crazy Perks to Working at a Lodge That Costs $3,000 per Night?

Not really. At one of the fancier ranches I worked on, the employees didn鈥檛 get fed or housed. We couldn鈥檛 go into the restaurant or use the sauna or other amenities. We were there to work and then to go home鈥攖o be seen and not heard. We were not to interact with the guests unless they were on a ride.

What Are Your Biggest Client Red Flags?

Every now and then, we鈥檒l get someone who鈥檚 ridden a fancy reining horse or dressage horse before. They鈥檒l get in the saddle with us and say, 鈥淭his horse sucks.鈥� I can鈥檛 stand that. These horses are very good at what they鈥檙e trained to do. If you think you鈥檙e such hot shit, then don鈥檛 ride with me.

The other client red flag is someone who shows up in chaps and spurs. Believe it or not, that happens all the time. Or, sometimes, influencers show up to ride in strappy sandals and a sundress. I鈥檓 like, 鈥淲hat is it you think you鈥檙e going to do today? If you want photos, we can get photos. But you鈥檙e going to hate your life if you get on a horse in that kind of getup.鈥�

Who Was Your Worst Employer?

Some of the bigger ranches are terrible to their animals. If you鈥檝e got 40 horses, it鈥檚 easy for the owners to start seeing them as a commodity. I once had a boss at a fancy ranch in the West who would train the horses semi-abusively鈥攜elling at them. Hitting them. And one time, this boss put an older horse in the round pen, roped her feet to get her to pick up her hooves, and kept her in there for hours without water. A few different people tried to step in, but the boss wouldn鈥檛 listen. By the end, the horse was bleeding from rope burns on all four legs. I quit after that. It was a good job, and it was hard to walk away from that paycheck, but I had to.

Why Do You Keep Doing It?

Last winter, I had a gal who came to ride and rode alone. She was quiet鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 tell if she was enjoying herself or having a miserable time. But in the last five minutes of the ride, she started crying. 鈥淭oday is the 15th anniversary of my father鈥檚 death, and I used to ride horses with him,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can feel him here with us.鈥�

That鈥檚 just one story, but there are a bunch like that. Horses just get to people. And those experiences keep you going.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity, as well as to preserve the source鈥檚 anonymity.听

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Nicole McLaughlin believes anything can become a shoe.

Upcycled Patagonia fleeces work well if you’re making a slipper鈥攂ut so do tennis balls, badminton birdies, crossword puzzle booklets, balloons, golf visors, and packing peanuts. An egg carton makes an excellent sandal, and the baffles of a beach ball can quickly become a striking rainbow clog.

But why limit yourself to shoes when you can also make pants from napkins or backpacks, and bras from lemon squeezers or croissants? McLaughlin, a fashion designer, artist, and gorpcore icon based in Boulder, Colorado, has made a jacket from oven mitts鈥攁nd an oven mitt from a loaf of bread. She’s turned cereal bags (still filled with Froot Loops and corn flakes) into a vest and sewn a puffy jacket from bubble wrap. Each of her garments is quirky and evocative鈥攁nd has the power to chip away at the very foundations of the outdoor gear world.

Like any arm of the fashion universe, outdoor gear is a high-production, high-expense, high-waste kind of industry. Some brands are trying to change that, but the process has been slow and cumbersome. McLaughlin’s designs, however, cut through all the marketing chatter and straight to the core of the issue: they point out, loudly, that there’s no excuse for waste. Old or even damaged gear doesn’t have to be discarded. Instead, it can live on indefinitely through upcycling.

Upcycling is part craft, part raw imagination. It’s the practice of refurbishing an old item until it’s once again chic and useful. Over the last few years, the upcycling movement has gone mainstream鈥攁nd some of the world’s biggest companies are catching on.

Today, the 32-year-old McLaughlin has worked with brands ranging from Coach and Herm猫s to Merrell and Hoka. She’s been featured in Forbes’s Thirty Under Thirty, and is a sought-after speaker and workshop instructor. But her biggest achievement is the cultural change she’s helped affect: through her witty, tongue-in-cheek designs, she’s helped turn upcycling from a stodgy homeschoolers’ craft into an edgy and provocative response to consumerism at large.

Given McLaughlin’s r茅sum茅, I expected her to be sophisticated and reserved, in an out-of-touch, artsy sort of way. But what I found when I visited her in Boulder was an unassuming woman in plain clothing, bright-eyed and warm and ready with a smile. When she opened the door to her studio鈥攁 small warehouse space off a dirt road鈥攕he was dressed in baggy jeans and gingham sneakers, and her gray hoodie sported a fuzzy zipper charm in the shape of a cartoon character. She played with it while she talked, her fingers turning the little character this way and that.

“Come on in,” she said. “Did you have trouble finding it?” The studio is in Niwot, a one-street rural outpost well northeast of Boulder proper. So yes, I did. In fact, I’d been lost for ten full minutes before knocking on the weathered door. But I lied. And then, between spurts of showing me around the studio, McLaughlin told me about her life.

Sometimes, when you’re a young person trying to choose a career, an adult will give you this guidance: “Do the thing that would make your eight-year-old self proud.” It’s good advice鈥攖hough often impractical for those of us who dreamed of becoming race-car drivers or astronauts. Few people are able to truly self-actualize in this way. But McLaughlin, somehow, has.

Growing up, McLaughlin was an artsy kid, the daughter of a New Jersey carpenter and an interior designer. She was also a dedicated member of the early 2000s skate scene. A fan of hardcore punk music, she had an anti-authoritarian attitude toward homework, and an obsession with chunky skate shoes that would later become a hallmark of her upcycling style. Eventually, McLaughlin wandered into a four-year graphic design program at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Then, after graduation, things started to get interesting.

For three years, McLaughlin lived a double life. She was just out of college and trying to prove herself at Reebok’s Massachusetts corporate office, where she’d gotten a gig as a graphic designer. During the day, she’d work long hours, shadowing other employees, placing logos, and sometimes sleeping on the office floor. During nights and weekends, she was mostly alone. Making friends in a new city takes time; McLaughlin was too focused on her career for that. But after a while, she began to realize that placing logos wasn’t exactly keeping her creative mind occupied. She felt stuck. She was approaching creative stagnation.

Then, one night, she snuck into Reebok’s recently vacated offices. There, she discovered mounds of discarded samples and fabric swatches鈥攂oxes upon boxes of really expensive trash. She filled a bag, thinking the pieces could be good inspiration for her side projects.

Soon, she was taking her pilfered samples apart, tearing out stitching and prying apart shoes on her bedroom floor. She’d mix and match soles and glue on new pull tabs, straps, and toggles. Held together by adhesive and pins, none of it was wearable; the only goal was to make something that looked cool. Eventually, she started posting photos of her designs on Instagram, a nerve-wracking experience. One鈥攁 blue sandal made from the straps of an Ikea tote鈥攔acked up several thousand views. For a burgeoning artist with zero product-design experience, it was a major confidence boost.

After some experimentation, McLaughlin gravitated toward vintage sports equipment. There was something playful about the nostalgia of it, and the absurdity of crafting a shoe from a lacrosse stick or basketball. In 2016 she picked up rock climbing, and two years later began tinkering with chalk bags and harnesses. She saw limitless design potential in outdoor gear.

McLaughlin churned out dozens of innovative upcycled designs, one after another, on Instagram. It was a private thing鈥攂edroom projects furtively shared on a faceless page. Her bosses at Reebok had no idea she was doing it. Until one meeting in 2019.

McLaughlin was sitting in a conference room, surrounded by colleagues, kicked back in a chair, twirling a pen in her hands. It was supposed to be a routine meeting with a marketing agency, which gave Reebok ideas for upcoming campaigns and collabs. But this time, photos of McLaughlin’s Instagram creations popped up on the projector screen. McLaughlin blinked. What?

Her colleagues started glancing across the room. “Is that you?” They mouthed as the agency rambled.

“You should collaborate with this girl,” the presenter ultimately suggested. “She’s coming up with some cool ideas.” McLaughlin kept her mouth shut during the meeting but later admitted to her bosses that she was the one behind the designs.

McLaughlin was still a junior employee, so she wasn’t surprised when Reebok didn’t jump at the opportunity to fund her weird, experimental art. But the company did send her to a three-month-long program at Adidas’s Brooklyn maker space, a wonderland of sewing machines and free materials called the Creator Farm. There, McLaughlin learned how to sew and make shoes from scratch. Meanwhile, her Instagram following continued to grow, and other brands emailed her project inquiries鈥攁 video series with Depop about her work, for example, and an opportunity to teach an upcycling workshop with footwear retail giant Foot Locker. That was all the nudge she needed. In 2019, McLaughlin quit her cushy corporate Reebok job鈥攖o the chagrin of her parents鈥攁nd went full-time freelance.

“I still worry that it’s all going to stop,” she says. “Like this is a phase I’m just riding out, and one day the work is all going to disappear. But it’s funny, because I’ve been doing this full-time for six years, and it hasn’t stopped yet.”

It’s easy to see why McLaughlin and other upcycling designers have gained prominence. Designing and manufacturing apparel and footwear creates a ton of waste. That goes for fast fashion, of course. But it also goes for the outdoor industry.

Outdoor gear may appear rugged and practical, but the industry that produces and markets it is yoked to traditional fashion cycles. Yes, people want equipment that performs, but they also want to look on-trend. Most brands cash in on the appeal of new fashions by constantly changing designs and churning out new colors and cuts each season.

What’s the point of saving humanity if we can’t have a little fun in the meantime?

Creating those new styles generates lots of waste. For example: before a sneaker or hiking shoe goes to market, the factory will send a brand three or four prototypes鈥攗nwearable single shoes that get examined by the product designers, and are then thrown into the trash. Fabric swatches are much the same. It all piles up.

The constant change of seasonal colors and styles speeds up the turnover of product styles. According to a 2018 report from the EPA, American retail stores and consumers throw out about 13 million tons of clothing and footwear every year. The expense is ghastly. The waste is obscene.

Few of us are immune to this materialistic ethos. Have you ever tossed out a rain shell instead of re-waterproofing it? Gotten a new chalk bag solely because it had a cute pattern? Shelled out for a name-brand fleece with cool colorblocking, even though you’ve already got a serviceable midlayer? I know I have.

Through her work, McLaughlin forces consumers to question the outdoor industry’s process. And people are catching on. Upcycling is having a moment, and its ethos appears to have struck a chord with Gen Z consumers.

Gen Z faces more pressure from climate change鈥攁nd climate anxiety鈥攖han any generation ever. Add to that post-inflation prices and a tough job market, and DIY starts to look mighty appealing, both as a cost-saving hobby and as a revolutionary movement.

Upcycling has also amplified new voices. For decades, brands have been the arbiters and gatekeepers of style. Now, a far more grassroots group of tastemakers is rewriting the rules and deciding for themselves what gets to be considered high fashion鈥攁nd what gets dismissed as trash.

McLaughlin is one of the most prominent, but there are others. Anna Molinari, a 27-year-old designer based in New York City, makes skirts from plastic bags and decorative chain mail from soda can tabs. Rivers McCall, 23, crafts handbags and even cocktail dresses from old climbing rope. Both artists have dressed Wyn Wiley, the drag queen and environmental activist better known as Pattie Gonia. The partnerships have put cutting-edge upcycled designs in front of millions of viewers.

Upcycling鈥攁nd its close siblings, thrifting and DIY鈥攚eren’t always cool. When my parents were young, new products were synonymous with wealth and importance. Old clothes meant you were a charity case. But over the last few decades, that’s begun to change. In fact, buying new will now earn you serious backlash in some corners of the internet.

“Social media has normalized second-hand shopping to the extent that there’s this sentiment of judgment if you buy a new designer bag,” says Molinari. She doesn’t necessarily disagree. “No one needs to buy new clothes. Buying new is so unnecessary, and watching the environment decline so quickly is terrifying,” she says. “I think everybody needs to take this seriously.”

Social media isn’t just a way to spread the zero-waste gospel. It has also allowed new generations to learn the timeless arts of sewing and repair.

I, for example, learned to sew from my mother, who hand-made my dresses in grade school. She learned from her mother, who learned from her grandma鈥攖he fearsome Ma Stalvey, who lived on a farm in southern Georgia, wringing the necks of chickens, cooking cornbread, and churning out shirts and nighties for her ten children out of the fabric flour sacks the grocery truck brought once a week. If it weren’t for those women, I’d never have picked up a needle. I don’t know that I ever would have wanted to; sewing always felt like a thing grown-ups did on school nights with the middle-aged mending circle at the local JoAnn’s. The act of sewing wasn’t aesthetic. It wasn’t edgy. And it certainly wasn’t cool.

But now, somehow, it is. According to Claudia E. Henninger, a fashion researcher and professor at the University of Manchester, the pandemic accelerated an interest in crafting. Gen Z ran with it.

“Social media has been massive,” Henninger says. “People can suddenly see other people knitting or crocheting or being creative. If that person can do it, then I can do it, as well.”

TikTok quickly emerged as a massive repository of sewing and crafting inspiration, and DIY tutorials and process videos exploded on Instagram. Entire crafting communities emerged. These days, if you upcycle, you’re not just a quirky teenager tinkering in your bedroom. You’re a part of something big.

That extends to the community of outdoor enthusiasts. Secondhand gear shops are popping up across the country. And outdoor brands are increasingly offering take-back programs, upcycling workshops, and repair services. Those that already have them are seeing major gains. Take Patagonia, which has offered repairs since the seventies. Its current pre-owned gear program, called Worn Wear, launched in 2012. The brand has seen more Gen-Z customers flocking to Worn Wear鈥攏ot to mention massive viewership of its DIY repair videos on YouTube. Since 2018, The North Face, Arc’teryx, and REI (which has re-sold used gear for more than 60 years) have all launched or expanded existing used gear resale programs, as have more mainstream brands like Carhartt, Lululemon, and even Juicy Couture.

“I think it’s starting to become more culturally accepted,” Henninger says. Molinari sees long lines of customers outside of curated thrift stores in New York City on most weekends. “There’s the virality of videos about vintage clothing hauls,” she says. In the UK, Henninger often walks by protest sewing pop-ups: people set up in front of high street retailers and sew their own clothes, informing curious passersby that they don’t have to shop at big-name fashion houses to look good.

“That’s very powerful,” Henninger says. Nicole Bassett, a textile recycling expert and the co-founder of The Renewal Workshop, believes the upcycling movement could someday have a huge impact on the fashion industry. Over time, it could slow style turnover, undermine brands’ bottom lines, and finally force big companies to rewire their supply chains.

“We’re not on the precipice yet鈥攚e’re in the beginning of a very big change in our economics in general,” says Bassett.

Pockets are a common theme鈥擬cLaughlin’s way of giving the finger to the lack of functionality that’s historically plagued women’s clothing.

As with any revolution, this movement faces hurdles. Young people don’t always have the purchasing power to pass over items with lower price tags鈥攅ven if those products are less sustainable. But customer behavior indicates that Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are moving toward products that are environmentally conscious.

“Sustainability can be a very boring topic. And climate is honestly a boring, dry thing,” says Wyn Wiley, the person behind the Pattie Gonia persona. “But now there’s all this creativity and interest from Gen Z. They’re under more pressure than ever鈥攂ut they’re also getting more creative than ever.”

As for McLaughlin? Sustainability wasn’t top of mind when she first started upcycling; she was initially attracted to samples and off-cuts only because they were free fodder for low-stakes experiments.

“When I started doing this work, I didn’t even know what upcycling was. Then, during COVID, brands started cleaning out their offices and realizing just how much stuff they had. That’s when they started reaching out to me for help,” McLaughlin says. At first that gave her pause. She was at a turning point in her career, and wanted to make sure the brands she worked with weren’t just doing sustainability as a shtick.

“But then I realized, I don’t work for the brands,” she says. “I work for the people who buy from those brands. Brands make all this stuff, and the responsibility falls on the consumer to figure out how to discard an item or recycle it.” Most of the time, there’s nowhere for that stuff to go. Most gear isn’t recyclable. Thrift stores are overwhelmed. We all have too much stuff in our houses. Waste is a serious issue.

Since 2021, McLaughlin has done consulting work with big brands about how they can limit waste and creatively reuse the scraps they already have. But she admits that her work sometimes feels like it’s just making a dent in the enormous problem created by fashion’s waste.

“I think there are days that are easy and exciting, and I feel really good about everything and like I can figure it all out,” she says. “But there are a lot of other days where it’s more like, ‘Oh my god, how did we get here? What are we doing? How am I helping to contribute to this?'”

McLaughlin escapes her worries by rock climbing鈥攕he finds the creative problem-solving on the wall helps complement her problem-solving in the studio. She also finds that the full-body movement helps her think. Her other tool is humor.

“There are so many hard conversations surrounding sustainability,” she says. “I want my work to be a moment of levity.” Often, that means leaning into the absurd.

“Making a bra out of lemon squeezers is funny. Putting pockets on a shoe is funny,” she says. “Most of the time, when I talk with brands about their process or what they could do to reduce waste, they’ve so overwhelmed. So when I’m designing, I want to make a statement, but I also want it to be fun.”

It’s a unique take on climate optimism. McLaughlin’s opinion is that, the more we lead with hope and humor, the more empowered we’ll be to take on the catastrophes facing our planet. What’s the point of saving humanity if we can’t have a little fun in the meantime?

“For me, upcycling is about being creative and using what you have. But it’s also about having fun,” she says. “I mean, that’s the root of upcycling: imagination and lightheartedness. That’s what keeps me going. And I think that’s what will get brands鈥攁nd the fashion industry鈥攅xcited about making change.”

5 Questions with Nicole McLaughlin

1. Your favorite material to work with is: Bread. Any time I work with food it’s always a really insane challenge of trying to figure out how to sew it, or construct it such that I can still take it apart and eat it after.

2. If the studio was burning down and you could grab one thing it would be: My grandfather’s squash trophy. He played until he was 80 years old and was a huge inspiration to me. When he passed away, all the kids in the family each took a trophy to remember him by.

3. The sports you played as a kid were: Tennis and basketball. And skateboarding.

4. You like to listen to: Podcasts and audiobooks while I’m working. I just flew through the whole Twilight series鈥擨’d never read them, and my sister told me I needed to. If I’m listening to music, usually it’s lo-fi beats and shoegaze.

5. Right now you’re reading: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It’s been a good reminder to define my goals and purpose. Otherwise, it can be easy to lose sight of those things.

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Everyone who loves adventure must, at some point, make a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah. Just don鈥檛 be surprised if one trip turns into many. Cradled in a sprawling, three-dimensional garden of spiraling towers, sandstone arches, plunging canyons, and wind-polished slickrock, Moab is the hub of a 20 million-acre desert wonderland. The landscapes are otherworldly. The sunsets are second to none. And the opportunities for adventure, solitude, and self-reflection are virtually limitless.

Just be an informed pilgrim. While the area鈥檚 marquee national parks鈥擜rches and Canyonlands鈥攇rab most of the headlines, they encompass only a fraction of the region鈥檚 trails and campsites. Dead Horse Point State Park and Bears Ears National Monument together encompass millions of acres of . In Bears Ears, you鈥檒l trace emerald rivers hemmed in by soaring mesas and sheer cliffs. In Dead Horse, a network of wildflower-fringed trails connects cliffside campgrounds. Just a few minutes out of town, offers an uncrowded alternative to the postcard-famous Delicate Arch. is littered with dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs as pristine as anything you鈥檒l find on national park land.

If you prefer to do your exploring on two wheels, you鈥檙e still in the right place. Moab is a with more than 150 miles of trail accessible from downtown. Hit the world-famous and ride through canyons and sage-lined arroyos. Or knock out a section of the , a legendary ribbon of singletrack that climbs from Moab to the riverside town of Loma, Colorado.

While spring and fall are peak seasons for hiking and biking, early summer brings a surge of alpine snowmelt, topping up the and drawing paddlers from across the continental United States. Here, you鈥檒l find everything from calm, cool stretches of flatwater to demanding Class V rapids. Load up your raft for a weeklong excursion, or target a half-day route for a leisurely afternoon on the water. If you don鈥檛 have your own boat, dozens of local companies can take you out on the river, providing all the necessary gear, food, and expert guidance.

The expansive desert terrain also makes Moab the country鈥檚 epicenter, with rugged jeep tracks, vast swaths of BLM land, and countless remote campsites. Rent a 4×4 vehicle in town, bring your own rig, or book a guided tour to experience the raw beauty of the desert with someone else behind the wheel.

One word of advice as you plan your next adventure in Moab: While you鈥檒l find an infinite number of things to do here, be careful not to pack your itinerary too full. The desert has a quiet magic that only comes in moments of stillness. Leave time to watch the stars come out or the sun rise amid the junipers. Times like these, stitched together with all the adventure action, make it clear why Moab is a sacred place for so many.

is Utah鈥檚 most iconic adventure epicenter. It鈥檚 a place to look inward and experience the beauty of the desert. Every traveler has an edge. In Moab, you find yours. Moab calls to those drawn to raw beauty, challenge, and connection. Come with intention and leave changed.

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Taylor Jeffers and Johnny Miller call themselves magic miners. It鈥檚 hard to argue with them: The California couple make their living as full-time crystal hunters, traveling across the West, exploring otherworldly landscapes, and unearthing tiny gemlike fragments. It鈥檚 the kind of free-range life many of us dream about. But building it wasn鈥檛 easy. It took hard work鈥攁nd a few key pieces of gear.

When they met, Miller was a professional snowboarder who dabbled in silversmithing. Jeffers was a traveling artist. Both were eking out a living. Then, in 2013, they moved to Big Bear, California. The transition was a tough one, and neither had jobs lined up. To cope with the stress, they started hiking together, first around their new home, then farther afield. The first time the couple stumbled upon half-buried crystals on the trail, it was an accident. Then they started searching for the minerals. Before long, they got pretty good at it.

鈥淚t felt very natural to read the earth like we were doing,鈥� Miller says. 鈥淲e were tapping into some instinct we didn鈥檛 know we had. It was like we were kids again.鈥�

Rock hunting started as a hobby. But few artists can stare at a growing pile of crystals for long before they start tinkering. Earrings and necklaces soon spilled out of their home studio. Within the year, their boutique jewelry company, ., was born.

Following the Magic

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥� Miller says of the work. 鈥淲e find things nature has grown that have been hiding unseen for millions of years.鈥� There鈥檚 something sacred about that鈥攕omething incontrovertibly magical. The couple knew they wanted to do this for the long haul, and they knew they were willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.

The first trick to making their lifestyle work is holding that passion in mind and letting it drive them forward even when things feel scary or uncertain. The other trick, Jeffers and Miller say, is having the right gear. Hiking off-trail is rough going. To stay out there for long hours, comfortable boots are a must.

In the past, Jeffers and Miller regularly shredded shoes, tearing them to ribbons on sharp crystals and in jagged boulder fields. Now they both wear Danner boots鈥攖he and , respectively.

鈥淲e got used to replacing boots all the time, but I haven鈥檛 even dented these yet,鈥� Miller says. The uppers are rugged and weatherproof. The protective toebox is invaluable in cactus country, and they love that Danner will if they do break down.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have confidence in your footwear,鈥� Miller says.

Photography on the Move

JaVaris Johnson, an based in the Pacific Northwest, has surprisingly similar advice. Johnson got his start in the skateboarding world. Initially, he just wanted a few snaps of his friends doing tricks.

鈥淚 went to a pawn shop and bought a camera, and after the first few clicks, I was addicted,鈥� he says. Before long, he鈥檇 moved into his vehicle, which allowed him to chase gigs (and good light) across the West. Like Jeffers and Miller, Johnson goes to where he鈥檚 drawn. He lets a sense of instinct and inspiration pull him from one destination to the next.

鈥淢y message is to get out there and enjoy life,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淣ature is for everyone. Get out from behind the desk, surrounded by those four walls, and get out there. People look at photos on their computer screen and think, 鈥楢w, I wish I could .鈥� It doesn鈥檛 have to be a wish鈥攖he question is when are you going to do it?鈥�

That said, the day-to-day life of an adventure photographer isn鈥檛 always quite so glamorous. 鈥淚鈥檓 always stomping around in mossy areas, crossing rivers, and tinkering with my 4Runner,鈥� Johnson says. He鈥檚 constantly on the move, which makes his shoes just as much a staple piece of his kit as his camera and tripod.

Why Good Boots Matter

Sure, other pieces of gear are keeping Johnson, Jeffers, and Miller out there, but there鈥檚 something special about a supportive pair of boots. They carry you across borders, through unexplored landscapes, and out of your comfort zone. With dependable traction and rock-solid stability, they help you move with confidence. Over time, they become a second skin. They mold themselves to your feet鈥攁nd to your life.

鈥淪hoes have a story to tell,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淵ou can see the journey a person has been on just by looking at their shoes. And with Danner, you can and continue the story.鈥�

That鈥檚 exactly how Recrafting supervisor Mark Tingley feels about his job. He鈥檚 spent the past three years repairing, refurbishing, and breathing new life into customers鈥� shoes鈥攕ome of which are decades old.

鈥淲e get these old, cherished boots that have stories and meaning,鈥� Tingley says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best stuff.鈥� There鈥檚 a sense of responsibility that comes with restoring such beloved shoes, he says. Often, a Recrafter will take three to four days to meticulously refurbish a single pair. But the Recrafting program isn鈥檛 just a matter of sentimentality.

鈥淎 pair of Danner boots is a wearable tool. Like a nice apron or a set of chef鈥檚 knives,鈥� Tingley says. Take good care of any of those things, and they鈥檒l last you a lifetime. That鈥檚 good for you鈥攁nd the environment.

鈥淚鈥檝e never thrown a pair of our boots away,鈥� Tingley says. 鈥淚鈥檒l wear mine until they fall apart鈥攁nd then I鈥檓 just going to restore them.鈥� Given Danner鈥檚 Recrafting services鈥攁nd timeless style鈥攖hat won鈥檛 be hard.

For nearly a century, has crafted boots with purpose and integrity, footwear to equip those who choose the unlikely path, those who cut fresh trails, those who pioneer. Whether you want to hike, work, or simply walk around town, Danner boots are meant to take you somewhere. Lace a pair up and Go There.

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When you don鈥檛 know what the day is going to bring, you need a single shoe that can do it all. For years, the TERREX Skychaser line has filled that role perfectly. Leave the house in a pair of Skychasers, and you鈥檙e pretty much guaranteed to be ready for anything. Do the buds want to rent bikes and tool around town? Walk to that good noodle joint three neighborhoods over? Go for a big hike before happy hour? With the Skychasers on, no need to miss out. When plans change, you鈥檙e up for it.

A more versatile shoe didn鈥檛 seem possible. But now, thanks to some clever updates, adidas TERREX has managed to pull it off with the Skychaser AX5 GTX. Like its predecessor (the Skychaser AX4 GTX), the new AX5 is waterproof and breathable (thank you Gore-Tex). It鈥檚 also more durable, thanks to abrasion-resistant overlays that defy scrapes from rocks and vegetation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the perfect shoe for those looking to take their hiking experience to the next level,鈥� says Tom Louage, a global senior product director of outdoor footwear at adidas TERREX. 听

But the durability upgrades are just the start. The AX5 also features a fan-favorite compound of sticky Continental Rubber. Between that and the burly, 4mm lugs, the Skychaser AX5 is ultra-grippy in both wet and dry conditions. The sole is also slightly stiffer than past versions. A rigid stability plate embedded in the midsole steadies footsteps on rocky terrain and protects feet against sharp stones and gravel. The enhanced stiffness also improves rebound, which means you can go further without feeling the miles. And thanks to the Lightmotion midsole鈥攁 springy layer of cushion directly underfoot鈥攜ou鈥檒l be able to handle the extra distance without excessive fatigue.

The comfy fit and smooth ride remain similar to that of the AX4, but with key upgrades鈥攑articularly to the shoe鈥檚 internal construction. 鈥淭he Skychaser AX5 features two foam pods integrated on both sides of the heel lining to provide a locked-down feeling,鈥� explains Louage. That鈥檚 a brand-new feature for a Gore-Tex hiking shoe. The AX5 also offers slightly more stack height (22.5/33.6 mm) than its predecessor鈥攊n other words, extra cushioning to protect your feet whether you鈥檙e pounding pavement or navigating rocky singletrack.

Finally, the look. The AX5 pairs hiking-boot performance with street-shoe style. The 2025 Skychaser AX5 pares down the chunky accents for a design that鈥檚 much sleeker and subtler. The result is a dialed-in shoe built to handle everything from city jaunts to serious hiking. In other words, it鈥檚 up for anything you are.

is a global leader in the outdoor sporting goods industry. With the mission to enable all humans to live a more connected, conscious, and adventurous life, adidas TERREX combines high-performance technologies with fashion-forward designs to weather the forces of nature and inspire every human being to find their own summits.

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I have two nice things to say about triathlons, which is that they’re long, and they’re difficult. (Yes, they’re also steeped in history and tradition, and the .) But, Lordy鈥攃ould the sporting gods have picked a more somber collection of events? Swimming, biking, and running are about as basic as a pumpkin spice latte. Even the Olympics has skateboarding these days.

While I have nothing but respect for anyone who would even contemplate completing a triathlon, many of us at 国产吃瓜黑料听have a hard time doing the same, grueling activity for hours at a time. The rest of us have bad knees. Besides, triathlons have been around since the seventies. Isn’t it about time to change things up?

So, the editors鈥攑hilosophers that we are鈥攑ut our heads together to come up with some alternatives. So far, not a single national sporting committee has taken us up on any of them. But, as always, we’re just going to assume we’re ahead of our time.

Here are eight multisport linkups we’d much rather participate in than a full triathlon.

Spending all day in the sun is fine鈥攗nless you have skin as fair and burn-prone as I do. As an alternative, I propose we move the whole triathlon business underground. Call it the Moley Trinity. Competitors will connect a route, a spelunking adventure, and an in a terrible, beautiful, and highly abrasive linkup of semi-subterranean sports.
鈥� Corey Buhay, interim managing editor, 国产吃瓜黑料

I suck at swimming, which is why I鈥檝e never tried a tri. And a stubborn piriformis injury has put the kaibosh on competitive trail running. So if I could pick any three triathlon events, I鈥檇 keep biking in there, but make it mountain biking. Then I鈥檇 add in 10 laps on a , and I鈥檇 top it off with 60 minutes of jump roping鈥攎y favorite form of cardio.
鈥� Maya Silver, editor-in-chief, Climbing

Hike, pick a gallon of wild berries, then bake them into a pie. Points for time, but your final confection will also be judged in the style of The Great British Bake-Off. The hardest part is collecting enough berries without eating them all straight off the bush.
鈥� Zoe Gates, senior editor, Backpacker

Slam a gas-station four-pack of Red Bull on your way to the lake. When you arrive, grab your SUP and paddle until your arms give out. Finally, snag a prime shoreline spot and hang your hammock. Whoever dozes off first wins. (Can鈥檛 fall asleep? That鈥檚 God, or maybe the Red Bull, telling you that you haven鈥檛 paddled enough.)
鈥� Adam Roy, editor-in-chief, Backpacker

Bike, to inline skate, to swim鈥攖he ultimate urban tri. The biggest crux here is transporting your skates via bike. Do you tie them around your neck, throw them in a pack, or swing them off the handle bars? The strategy we have tried is attempting to ride the bike with blades already on. Would not recommend.
鈥� Kade Krichko, contributing editor, 国产吃瓜黑料

Okay, one more idea. Allow me to pitch you Mudsport, a sloppy six-mile mud run, followed by an intense but sporting game of , with a stretch of highly competitive to cap it off.
鈥� Corey Buhay, interim managing editor, 国产吃瓜黑料

I鈥檓 13 weeks postpartum, so any kind of exercise is an accomplishment these days. I propose a tri for new parents: Drink a full cup of coffee before it gets cold. Then pop your child into a stroller and jog to the nearest kid-friendly attraction so you can push the stroller around while your little one snoozes peacefully, appreciating none of it鈥�.all on wildly limited sleep while nursing as needed. Bonus points if you have to change a blowout along the way.
鈥� Abigail Wise, brand director, 国产吃瓜黑料

I鈥檓 a great swimmer and used to be on a swim team, but if I never touch water again鈥攎inus showering and bubble baths鈥擨鈥檇 be OK with that. My preferred triathlon consists of a morning session spent training my friend鈥檚 kitten to wear a harness so that he can join me on my trail walks, taking said kitten on my favorite 2.3-mile trek, and then parking my car in front of the beach for a nap.
鈥�Ayana Underwood, senior health editor, 国产吃瓜黑料

The post My Personal Triathlon Consists of These Three Events appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.