I have always been fascinated by animal adaptations. Whether a flight of countless miles, anti-freeze for blood, or a highly developed memory of food caches, natural seasonal adjustments are nothing short of miraculous. Humans, of course, also prepare for winter. But beyond putting on a few pounds as the temperature drops, our adaptations are centered in technology, not fantastic biology. …

Let’s begin by walking. It hardly matters where we go, but today we follow the gravel road to its end on Ruth Creek. Many of us have been to this trailhead before, hiked in this valley more than once, perhaps even climbed the glaciers that feed this creek. But today we aren’t hiking to a destination or climbing to a …

From the moment I pull my pack from the truck, heft it onto my back and walk away from the road, I  am on my own. It is a relief for me to be dropped off at this lake, free of obligation, committed to nothing but finding my way through wide valleys, over a pass and down a river. I …

Deer don’t usually impress me. When I see a doe lingering just off trail, I stare into the brush, willing a hungry mountain lion to teach a predator-prey lesson. Maybe it’s cynicism born from incomplete ecosystems or the fact that deer seem to frequent suburban cul-de-sacs as regularly as UPS trucks. But perhaps, like many instances of indifference, it is …

Story & photos by Abby Sussman My love for skiing began with a story. This was before I knew what it felt like to float on powder, before I stepped into free-heel bindings, before I knew what “off-piste” meant. My infatuation with finding the rhythm to link one turn with another began with a story given to me by an ex-boyfriend …

by Abby Sussman When I walk a trail, wander the silty perimeter of a river, or weave through a snow bound forest, I spend much of the time looking down. I’m not particularly clumsy, nearsighted, or interested in my boots. I am looking for animal tracks. The physical acts of observation: tenderly tip-toeing over the imprint of an elk’s passage, …