Empathy is a great skill for building friendships; it's also a powerful tool for deescalating aggression and exiting dicey situations.

This is my gear list for an April trip on singletrack, gravel, and pavement in western Michigan.

A reflection and a challenge.

My complete gear list and route description.

In 2018 I pedaled 3700 miles around eastern Canada and the US, in search of the wild reindeer. “When hope is lost, you can create it. Life is too short to let anyone else own your truth. And you can break and still be unbreakable.”

An adventure “Go-Bag” can help you exit quickly in the face of an emergency; it can also help you exit quickly in the face of normalcy.

I boxed up my things. I gave away my mattress and got rid of my car. I said goodbye to my boyfriend and to Basil. Then I gathered up my bike and my camping gear and bought a one-way ticket to Alaska.

Home is a film about Sarah Outen’s four-and-a-half human-powered circumnavigation of the world. But it’s not the story you think it will be.

Sure, I had giardia, altitude sickness, and no clear direction in life. But I looked AWESOME.

After I’ve put up the tent, filtered the water, gathered the wood, and finally coaxed new flames into being, I get to sit back and feel the unique warmth and peace that only a fire can bring. It wins me over, every time.

I biked thousands of miles around the world with simple, cheap, homemade bike gear. You can too!

The essence of any long bike trip is a constant state of motion. Most of the people you talk to are folks you’ve never met before and will never see again. 

Bike camping five to nine is not about practicality — it’s about possibility. It's an acknowledgment that every routine is still full of choices. And it’s a great way to get on your bike and enjoy a sandwich and a sunset.

I always have to ask myself — is he handing me cookies because he wants to give me some sugar? Or is he handing me cookies because he wants to get some sugar?

Heather Russell is the founder of Sacred Cycle, a Colorado-based nonprofit that provides affordable therapy to survivors of sexual assault.

This full circle of cycling and foraging: the fruit I eat becomes my body, my body pushes the bike pedals, the pedals spin the wheels, and we all go forward.

My strategy is simplicity: throw some things in a bag, pedal away, and see where I end up. For me, it's easier — and therefore more enjoyable — to eat cold foods or cook over campfires.

Everything was covered in ice, and there was no sign of life in any direction. I felt like I’d been set loose alone on another planet. This kind of solitude scared me but also made me feel more whole.

For many people on solitary journeys, dealing with ourselves is one of the biggest parts of the adventure. But for many women, this is compounded by a social narrative that questions our position as solo adventurers in the first place.

I biked out of the airport, feeling giddy. The air was cool, and the road stretched forward in a long, silent curve. The Icelandic sun hung on the edge of the horizon. I had the road to myself, but where would it lead me?