I love to read, to learn, to listen… and I’m a gear junkie when it comes to backpacking and spending time outside. These are a few of my favorite things:

BOOKS | PODCASTS | DOCUMENTARIES | GEAR

BOOKS:

I’ve read some wonderful nature-related books over the years.  I’ve also decided that I should have been a geologist.  Our world is so incredible, if one just takes the time to experience it and learn about it. In no particular order…

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer.  Perhaps my favorite nature book to date. This book brings the wonder of the natural world to light, from the smallest bit of moss to entire ecosystems. Absolutely beautiful writing. Kimmerer reminds us that we’re all citizens of this planet and we have so much to learn from what the natural world has to teach us. Favorite chapter: Allegiance to Gratitude, about the Thanksgiving Address.

Finding the Mother Tree : Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest– Suzanne Simard.  Everything is connected. EVERYTHING. Suzanne Simard is a pioneer of understanding how every single living thing in a forest is connected to and depends on others. Trees communicate, support, and nurture each other through networks as complicated as our human Internet, if only we take the time to really notice.

Leave only Footprints – Conor Knighton.  Part memoir, part adventure story, part scientific discovery. Conor Knighton visited all U.S. National Parks while speaking with and learning from park rangers, scientists, native peoples, and locals. This book presents little-known facts about our national parks, and is a fascinating and wonderful read.

The Wild Trees – Richard Preston.  This book digs deep into the incredible life of the Redwood trees in northern California. Each redwood tree is a complete world of its own, and this book explores everything about these trees. Absolutely amazing!

Dear Bob and Sue – Matt and Karen Smith.  This is written by a couple who visit every US national park. They are really funny, laugh out loud funny. Their sense of humor and adventure get 5 gold stars. This book is guaranteed to get rid of the winter blahs.

The Nature Fix – Florence Williams.  Tech has completely changed our world and society as we once knew it , and not necessarily for the better (yes, as I sit here connected to the Internet). This book describes how getting out into nature is so so so important!

Rewilding – Micah Mortali.  Another wonderful book about how disconnected our modern society has become from nature, and how to reclaim the sense of being connected to the natural world around us. This book is full of knowledge taken from yoga, mindfulness, wilderness training, and ancestral skills that will make you want to step away from your computer and head to the forest.

The Invention of Nature – Andrea Wulf.  To copy from the description at Amazon: “Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was the most famous scientist of his age, a visionary German naturalist and polymath whose discoveries forever changed the way we understand the natural world. Among his most revolutionary ideas was a radical conception of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone.”

The Wild Places – Robert Macfarlane.  An eloquently written book about one man’s journey to visit the wild places of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Part memoir, part science, and part emotional connection to the land and nature. If you’ve never visited these places, you will want to after reading this book.

The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben.  This book is about how trees communicate, how they form actual communities. It goes into detail about the life cycle of trees, how parent trees support their young, and how trees in a forest are all connected in ways we had no idea existed.

Your Guide to Forest Bathing – M. Amos Clifford. A sweet little book filled with practical and wonderful ways to get off the hamster wheel of high tech and reconnect with nature.

The Good Rain – Timothy Egan.  Wonderful author, wonderful book. Timothy Egan covers the history and land across the beautiful Pacific Northwest, from forests to volcanoes to rivers, across time and people who have lived here over the centuries.

Wilderness – The Gateway to the Soul – Scott Stillman.  A “love letter to Mother Earth.” How wilderness, solitude, magic, beauty, adventure, using our senses, and slowing down help us to truly find ourselves.

Cascadia’s Fault – Jerry Thompson.  Scary, but this goes into great detail about the Cascadia fault line that is just off shore from northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island. It describes in detail all the scientific evidence being discovered that there have been massive earthquakes along this fault line in previous centuries.

A Walk in the Wood: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh – Dr. Joseph Parent & Nancy Parent.  A beautiful blend of the practice of mindfulness and Mother Nature, with PoohBear and friends as your guides. For children and adults alike.

On Trails – Robert Moor.  To quote Amazon again:  “On Trails is a wondrous exploration of how trails help us understand the world—from invisible ant trails to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet.” I’m part way through this book right now and it’s very well written. I’ve really enjoyed the read so far!

The Big Burn – Timothy Egan.  This book covers the largest forest fire in recent history in 1910, from the politics of the national conservation movement that protected our wild lands to the personal lives of the individual firefighters who fought the flames.  It’s a beautifully written story of the history of the Northwest during the early 1900s.

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens – Steve Olson. An excellent mix of human stories and science in the months leading up to the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Also goes into the timber industry and how it has shaped the culture of the Pacific Northwest.

My Wilderness and Of Men and Mountains – William O. Douglas. Raised in Yakima, Washington, W.O. Douglas grew up exploring and hiking the hills outside of Yakima, and then the eastern areas around Mt. Rainier. Another brilliant writer who helped people understand the need to protect our wild places.

My First Summer in the Sierra – John Muir. What an absolutely brilliant man, who was partly responsible for the fact that we now have protected wild lands and National Parks. And he was a brilliant wordsmith as well.

Devotions – Mary Oliver. Poems and essays by an amazing author who totally understands the reason why I hug trees and love being in nature, from the big picture down to the tiny little insects and flowers. There are many other fantastic books by her as well.

Wendell Berry – Another author who is deeply connected to nature and the land. Beautiful writing!

Nutritious Movement | Katy Bowman – Spending time outdoors the way I do means my body needs to be able to move and adapt to many different types of terrain and environments. Katy has many books that cover functional movement, how our bodies are designed to move throughout our days, not just for “exercise” but for life. My favorites are Move Your DNA, Grow Wild (get your kids moving!!) and Dynamic Aging.

PODCASTS:

There are some wonderful podcasts that I love listening to, preferably while on a road trip driving to a remote camping and/or hiking destination.

The Wild with Chris Morgan is incredible. He’s a bear expert, but covers a huge range of animals and environments across the planet. Listening his podcast leaves me feeling absolutely amazed at the more-than-human world we live in.

The Move Your DNA Podcast by Katy Bowman is a deep dive into how the human body works, how it’s designed to move, and how we can make our time exploring natural areas better for our health. Some of my favorites:

On Being with Krista Tippett – in particular (but not limited to):

DOCUMENTARIES:

I’ve seen some incredible documentaries about nature-related themes. Included below are trailers from YouTube , please search for where the full-length films are available to watch:

Gifts of The Land – A guided nature tour with Robin Wall Kimmerer
(this is the full video on YouTube)

My Garden of A Thousand Bees – NATURE | PBS

My Octopus Teacher – Netflix

David Attenborough – A Life On Our Planet – Netflix

The Biggest Little Farm – YouTube trailer

OUTDOOR GEAR:

Shoes: I’ve been working for several years to spend more time barefoot. Our feet area amazing, they literally carry us through life. Shoes that have zero drop, flexibility, and a wide toe box are important so that our feet can be feet and move the way they’re designed to move. My go-to hiking shoes are Altra Lone Peak and/or Altra Timp trailrunners. I adore my Xero Z-Trail sandals, about as close as you can get to barefoot while still wearing shoes, perfect camp shoes after a day of hiking.

Tent: Nemo Dragonfly 3P (perfect for 2 people plus room forgear) and Hornet 1P for solo trips.

Communication: Garmin InReach – For being able to send “I’m OK” messages when I’m out of cell signal range. Indispensable to be able to send and receive messages during emergencies also!

GPS tracking: GaiaGPS – phone app for backcountry maps and terrain, tracking distance and elevation and a lot of other things too! It’s been a wonderful tool. There’s a free version, but I recommend the paid version that allows you to download the maps for use when out of range of cell signal.

Backpack: Gregory Maven – just amazing! I used to have a Gregory Deva, the Maven is equally as comfortable at half the weight. I also have an old Gregory Jade 38 that I use for snowshoeing, it’s just the right size for extra layers of clothing for snowy and cold conditions, and easy to cinch down if needed.

Interior pack liner: Osprey liner – this saved me during the Milford Track in NZ. Everything inside my pack stayed dry despite hiking several miles in water up to my hips. Not as much could be said for others who used a plastic garbage bag.

Stove: Jetboil MicroMo – perfect for backpacking, very lightweight and everything packs inside the container, including the small fuel canister.

Water filter:  Sawyer Squeeze. I love how easy this is to use. I also love the Fast Fill attachment I have connected to my Platypus water bladder hose, so I don’t have to take it out of my backpack. I simply unhook the mouth piece, connect the attachment to the hose, and backfill directly from the Sawyer filter into the water bladder. Super easy.

Spoon and bowl: Sea To Summit folding silicone bowl with lid, and titanium spoon. Both are great and easy to pack.

Stuff sacks: Sea to Summit waterproof sacks in various sizes – I’ve had one fail, but all others are still in perfect working order after 10 years.

Air Mattress: Exped Ultra 3R – I love the wide version, keeps my arms from constantly falling over the sides. Those few inches make a huge difference in getting a good night’s sleep out on the trail. Best part – I can sleep on my side without my hip digging into the ground!

Sleeping Bag: I have 2 different ones depending on weather.  My favorite is a Mountain Hardware down 6-degree bag since I sleep ridiculously cold compared to most people. My other is a Marmot 20-degree for warmer weather.

Sleeping bag compression sack: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Compression Dry Sack – this thing is a game changer! Expensive, but absolutely would not backpack without it.

Trowel: DirtSaw Deuce #2 – because there’s usually a situation where you have to dig a hole to poop. This is ridiculously lightweight and easy to use. Not super-comfortable on your palm when pushing down, but I’ve found if I wear a glove (which I always have with me) while digging, it’s much better.

Toilet Paper: For #1, it’s Kula Cloth for the win!! Seriously, for women there is NO reason to think it’s OK to use TP or tissue to wipe and then just dump it on the ground. No. Excuse. Invest in a Kula Cloth, it will more than pay for itself in the long run. After use take it home and throw it in the laundry, or for multi-day trips wash it out at camp and hang it to dry overnight. No TP, no littering, and much more hygienic. Get one. Trust me.

Multitool: Leatherman Juice. Lots of wonderful ways to use this, without being too bulky or heavy.

Sunblock: I can’t use sunscreen (other than a bit of zinc sunscreen for my nose and cheeks). I love my Outdoor Research Sun Runner UPF50 hat. Huge fan of the Mountain Hardware Crater Lake Hoodie, also UPF50. I’ve become a huge fan of the Outdoor Research ActiveIce Sun Gloves UPF50 – so comfy even when it’s hot out.