I have never been a big reader… I will be the first to admit that. But give me a good documentary, an audio book or an online class and my attention can not be waived and as we spend more time at home I have (with a lot of your help) compiled an extensive list of books, movies, documentaries, short films, TV shows, podcasts and miscellaneous online resources to help us all feel a little but more inspired and prepared to get outside.

My mother is a many-times Boston Marathon runner, her sister a world champion IronMan competitor and as for me… I like to put heavy things on my back and walk uphill. Moving fast has never come naturally to me. But about a decade ago, to distance myself from my “freshman 15” I decided that I, like my mother, would be a runner. She is three inches taller than me, her hips line up with my armpits and our running technique would be akin to watching a race between a gazelle and a pug (I am not the gazelle in this comparison in case that was not clear). I remember the day I decided to start running. It is 2.5 miles from my parents’ house to the highway (they live on a farm, in the country, on the top of a hill) and I ambitiously (read: naïvely) thought that 5 miles would be a good starting distance. I made it down the driveway, too

Getting into the outdoors can be intimidating for any number of reasons (will I be eaten by a bear? how do you poop in the desert? is my biodegradable soap actually okay to use?) not the least of which is the hefty financial investment. After an almost decade of hiking, backpacking and general spending time in the outdoors I put together a little list of things that I have had with me since the beginning, that I wish I purchased earlier in this journey and that I don’t know how I lived without. Plus a few tips on how you can keep a little money in your pocket while you’re at it!

My first backcountry camping trip was a half dozen or so years ago with my mom. We spent a few nights at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with two guides and a few friends learning everything from packing a bag to pooping in the woods (glamorous I know). She had to talk me into going on the trip initially (primarily because it was expensive and I was living right at the edge of my means at that point in time particle because vacations days were hard to come by) - but I am glad we did. Over the years backcountry camping has decreased in interest for her and effectively consumed my life. When the opportunity to return to the desert with my mom presented it’s self I did not hesitate. We stayed a little but more comfortably this time (with beds and running water and wifi) but there is something very special about the desert that will always bring me back to my first night sleeping under the stars.

With the holidays (too quickly) approaching I have been bombarded with questions of what I would like for Christmas. The answer this year is a blanket “I want more blue skies and starry nights in the backcountry” and have opted that instead of gifts I ask each of my loved ones to join me on one of these adventures. But… (because we all know that not everyone listens to requests such as this) I have compiled a list of a handful of items that I have self-gifted over the years, that have stood the test of time and that if they were ever to go missing I would not hesitate for even a second to re-purchase.