SNEWS best outdoor reads from around the web

What did the SNEWS team learn this week that other outdoor industry insiders might find interesting? Well, read on to find out.

• We all have that one, special loop we run. The one we know inside and out, that we can run in the light of day or the dark of night just by feeling it beneath our soles. Graham Averill beautifully conveys in this Blue Ridge Outdoors story the tale of Betty, his beloved trail, and though he’s strayed from her before, those other trails meant nothing to him.

• OK. We admit it. We’ve done the Incline. What can we say? We’re rebels. But we’re not the only ones. Currently it’s not technically legal to hike the famous Incline in Colorado Springs, but that could be changing. The powers that be are discussing the possibility of managing the trail, which is an uphill climb made up of several railroad ties, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette’s outdoor blog.

• SNEWS brings you knowledge every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and in between, too, when news breaks. And we only have 10 spaces every Friday for the coolest stuff we’ve read on the web, but check out this Campsite Blog blog post about five outdoor blogs worth following: the Dirtbag Diaries, The Joy Trip Project, Adventure Inspired, Geargals and The Adventure Journal. With this one tiny paragraph, we’ve done it again: Brought the knowledge. You’re welcome.

• Ah, life. It’s so fabulous. We’ve mentioned a post by Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad before, but this one totally made us appreciate the wondrous gift that is life. Leonard encourages us to appreciate the awesome moments that come along (I mean, we work in the outdoor industry, so those awesome moments are plentiful), and don’t let anybody criticize your enthusiasm.

• Those of you in Minnesota who have tried to make park reservations might have noticed the state’s new park reservation system crashed shortly after it was (supposedly) ready for business on March 1. But the Washington Post tells us that the system was up and running as of yesterday.

• Our friend Jennifer Olson, an editor at Women’s Adventure Magazine, published this tidbit on the magazine’s website giving the ladies some advice on how to incorporate some small changes to be happy and healthy year-round, including staying hydrated, eating more veggies and fruits and exploring nature. Don’t worry, men, they aren’t gender-specific, so you could learn a thing or two from Olson. 

• We at SNEWS value our teeth, so dental floss is naturally a part of our lives. But we didn’t realize until we read this Love The Outdoors blog post just how versatile our little friend floss could be. Turns out it has many applications on the trail, and, for example, can be used for stitches or rope.

• Proactive Outside maintains, “Life is too short to be an indoor cat,” but it seems as though some “indoor cats” are doing a good job of enjoying their captivity. Though this isn’t an article, it is a funny picture that might brighten your Friday. Post your caption suggestions in the SNEWS community.

• According to this article in the Guardian, air pollution is going to become the biggest environmental cause of premature death, surpassing even water pollution, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. While most of the danger is in China and India, the entire world will be affected.

• It seems like winter didn’t really come for many of us this year, but check out this story in the Salt Lake Tribune about snow biking. It’s a great way for mountain bikers to get their workouts in during the cold months (start planning, hoping for a colder, more snowy winter next year) without having to be stuck in a gym pedaling and getting nowhere.

Have you read anything interesting you’d like to share with us? Maybe we’ll include it next week’s column with a little shout out to whoever sent it to us. Send a link to the story with the subject line “SNEWS Reads” to be considered.

–Compiled by Ana Trujillo