When he was 18 years old,  had a friend who gifted him his first fly rod. He’s been hooked ever since. Now, the Bend, Oregon–based angler is paying it forward by introducing his favorite pastime to roommate and friend . A college student by day and DJ by night, Pasternak rarely gets time to spend in the great outdoors. It doesn’t take much convincing to lure him on a fishing trip to the Owens River, which snakes along the majestic foot of the Eastern Sierra.

While the escape from daily stressors is one thing, fishing together in such grandeur is another. Braving the elements, encouraging one another, and celebrating each other’s success makes this often solitary pursuit into a team sport, which adds a new dimension to their friendship.

“We get to bond in a new way,� Leonard says. “And it’s not like we’re bonding over music or something else. It’s something I’m truly passionate about and get to share with him.�

For Pasternak, the experience reignites a love for nature—one he plans to prioritize more frequently—while echoing Leonard’s perspective on a day that helps the duo “slow things down a little while, just get on the water and take a breath of fresh air.�

Nissan North America, Inc., headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, delivers innovative automotive products and services that inspire and move people. As a global leader in electric vehicles and advanced automotive technology, Nissan offers a full lineup of vehicles, highlighted by the new . Driven by a commitment to sustainable mobility and thrilling performance, Nissan aims to transform the way people live and drive. For more information, please visit .

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 excels at a number of outdoor pursuits, from surfing big waves to climbing exposed peaks. But it wasn’t until after meeting —a fellow surfer, accomplished rock climber, and runner-up in Max’s inaugural season of the reality competition The Climb—that his skill and love for sport climbing grew to new heights.

“We’ve come so far working together,� says King, who’s originally from Detroit. “And now I sport-climb in all parts of the world. I’ve done things I didn’t think I could have done.�

Both King and Barry are drawn to aesthetically beautiful climbs, which they find on the Shark’s Fin Arete in California’s Alabama Hills wilderness. They’re reminded that being a solid climbing partner goes beyond the obvious belayer-climber dynamic that’s inherent to climbing. It’s knowing exactly what to say and when to say it—or saying nothing at all—and ultimately bringing each other home safely.

“It’s nice to be able to see these things on your own, but when you get to bring people you care about into these spaces and see how it affects them, it just makes it that much better and that much more profound,� Barry adds, noting a shared desire with King to inspire the next generation of climbers.

Nissan North America, Inc., headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, delivers innovative automotive products and services that inspire and move people. As a global leader in electric vehicles and advanced automotive technology, Nissan offers a full lineup of vehicles, highlighted by the new . Driven by a commitment to sustainable mobility and thrilling performance, Nissan aims to transform the way people live and drive. For more information, please visit .

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The outdoors have a way of delivering to us our soulmates. Sometimes, that’s a romantic partner, discovered on a mountain-summit meet-cute. Other times, it’s the fiercely loyal friends we never knew we needed. Maybe you’ve noticed the same—that your best friends are your adventure friends. There’s a reason for that dynamic. The outdoors draws out the best and the worst in us. It challenges us, heals us, and forces us to be vulnerable in a way few other settings can. It’s that place of raw honesty where true connection thrives.

Of course, even the best outdoor relationships don’t happen without a little work, a little grace, and a whole lot of gratitude. But the impact is nearly always for the better. Without the outdoors, many of us would be down a partner, a friend, a crew, a purpose. Over the years, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s writers and editors have fallen in love, gotten married, overcome grief, reconnected with parents, and met lifelong friends, all outdoors. Here, our staffers reflect on the most powerful relationships and lasting connections made outside.

Well-Aged Perspective 

“Making friends as an adult can be challenging. Every lasting friendship I forged in my twenties started at the base of a climbing route. Some of those friends were at my wedding; some have traveled around the country and world with me; some aren’t around anymore. The ones who are, I value more every year.� —Backpacker editor in chief

Fierce Female Friendships 

“I never had a strong group of lady friends. Then, a few years ago, I fell in with a group of women who scrambled Boulder’s Flatirons before work most mornings. Those scrambles have become my lifeline—a way for us women to catch up, belly-laugh, and support one another through big life transitions. I’d be a different woman without them.â€� —ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø interim editor Corey Buhay

Finding Your Person

“I realized my partner was the one for me on a hike up Half Dome last year. In moments where we were both in physical and emotional distress, there was still care. That’s when I realized that as tough as that hike was, I wouldn’t have wanted to be there with anyone else.� —Backpacker associate editor

Turning Parents into Friends

“My parents, in an incredible show of patience, taught me to ski, bike, and navigate the backcountry as a kid. Now, as an adult, I get to open the occasional door for them—planning a backpacking trip with my mom or showing my dad my favorite kick-turn tricks on a ski tour. These days, there’s nobody I would rather tap for an adventure.â€� —ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø senior editor Abigail Barronian

Uplifting Energy 

“Skiing with the incredible group of women in my life has made me not only a better outdoorswoman, but a more resilient, grounded, and confident person. That shared time outdoors reminds me of the power we gain—even beyond the mountains and back at work—by lifting each other up and cheering each other on. Because there’s always more than enough room for us all at the top.â€� â€ÖÀ°­±õ editor in chief

Forging Family Traditions

“My husband proposed to me on a backpacking trip to a remote lake in northern New Mexico, and a couple years later we hauled our baby up there. Now, I’m pregnant again and we’re already planning a visit to the lake with our newest family member in tow. I love that the outdoors has helped our growing family build a tradition that’s totally unique to us.â€� —ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø digital director Abigail Wise

Community Connection

“I used to consider rock climbing a personal calling of the almost religious variety. Lately, however, what I value has changed: The hours I spend at the cliffs or boulders have become a way to share time and purpose with my community—and my understanding of ‘success’ has become less about individual wins and more about connection.� — Climbing digital editor Steve Potter

Rites of Passage

“I have three sons, and as they were growing up, the outdoors was where we marked important milestones. One planned and led a backpacking trip as a . As newly minted teens, they did fundraising mountain climbing trips for , a nonprofit that provides wilderness experiences for disinvested youth. And as they transitioned to young adults, they joined me in Nepal on a combined , where they learned the transformative power of adventure travel at its best.â€� —ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø content director Dennis Lewon

Nissan North America, Inc., headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, delivers innovative automotive products and services that inspire and move people. As a global leader in electric vehicles and advanced automotive technology, Nissan offers a full lineup of vehicles, highlighted by the new . Driven by a commitment to sustainable mobility and thrilling performance, Nissan aims to transform the way people live and drive. For more information, please visit .

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The Bonds We Build Outdoors

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Every parent who wants to share powerful experiences with their children is naturally drawn outdoors. It’s such an obvious place to build a foundation for lifelong adventures, and to foster a love of nature. Yet, life doesn’t always make it easy to take the advantage of quality time outside. Find some strategies to reclaim that time by taking heed of the following parenting tips from a sage pair of experts. Dr. Scott D. Sampson is a science educator, paleontologist, PBS Kids presenter, and author of Shanti Sosienski Hodges is the founder of the kid-friendly hiking community and author of . Start with their advice below and begin the steps toward creating a lifetime adventure buddy.

Start them young.

“It’s best to introduce your kid to the outdoors basically from birth,� says Sampson. “Connection to science and nature can happen at any age, but it’s easier when kids are younger and their brains are still open to awe and wonder in a big way.�

Involve them at every step.

“Let them pick out their hiking shoes and clothes,� suggests Sosienski Hodges. “Or set a goal to hike once per week and let them put stickers on a calendar to mark those days. Let them be part of the process.�

Ask provocative questions.

“You don’t have to know a lot about science to connect your kid to nature,� says Sampson. “Instead, ask questions: ‘Why is that bird so big? Why do you think it’s that color?’ Questions are way more powerful than answers in terms of sparking curiosity.�

Let your toddler set the pace.

“A kid hike looks different from an adult hike, especially when they’re little,� says Sosienksi Hodges. “It might be a paved walking path, and you might stop every five minutes to look at something in the dirt. That’s OK.�

Give your middle schooler a challenge.

“It could be hiking, skiing, birding—you name it,� says Sampson. “Give them an opportunity to demonstrate a skill they’ve accomplished outside, preferably with kids their own age.�

Let your teen embark on their own.

“Parents are often exactly the wrong people to connect their teens with nature,� says Sampson. “Teens want to be around other teens. That’s where programs like Outward Bound and are great—they get young people into wild places and help them grow.�

Drop your expectations.

“Don’t get caught up in how your child is going to be this badass snowboarder or mountain biker with you,� says Sosienski Hodges. “Don’t push them. Instead, listen to their cues and let them guide you to what they like to do.�

Revel in the process.

“Being a nature mentor is one of the greatest gifts we can ever give a child,� says Sampson. “It’s a great honor. And it’s powerful. It increases the odds that they will grow up to be a human who treats nature in a reciprocal way. The world needs that right now.�

Nissan North America, Inc., headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, delivers innovative automotive products and services that inspire and move people. As a global leader in electric vehicles and advanced automotive technology, Nissan offers a full lineup of vehicles, highlighted by the new . Driven by a commitment to sustainable mobility and thrilling performance, Nissan aims to transform the way people live and drive. For more information, please visit .

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The Bonds We Build Outdoors

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It takes a lot to push yourself to your physical limit alongside a significant other. It takes even more to do so for 12 straight days in some of the country’s most unforgiving terrain. And yet that’s what Andrew Hamilton and Andrea Sansone did in July 2024, when they set the couple’s record for hiking all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in a single, grueling push.

When Hamilton and Sansone first met on the top of South Maroon Peak in 2012, Hamilton was already a record-setting hiker, while Sansone was relatively new to high-altitude peak bagging. For years, he acted as her mentor. That kind of dynamic would spell disaster for some couples, but in Hamilton and Sansone’s case, the relationship thrived. Since then, the two have picked up a number of sports together, from mountain biking to pickleball. Here are their tips for navigating learning curves and skill gaps and using a new sport to strengthen your relationship.

Ease off the pressure: In his first marriage, Hamilton overencouraged his road-biking ex-wife to try technical downhill mountain biking. “You want to encourage, but you don’t want to push them and turn them off,� he says. “Everyone goes through their own growth.�

Learn at your own pace: Few partners learn at the exact same pace. One party will almost always be slower at building strength, developing skill, or overcoming certain fears, Sansone says. (That dynamic can also flip-flop over time as injuries or skill plateaus set in.) Be patient with your partner’s progress.

Be open to tips: Some couples get chippy when one partner offers advice. While the adviser needs to be kind and gentle with their delivery, the advisee also needs to be open to tips that can help you both grow, Sansone says: “It takes an open mind and excitement about improving and learning together.�

Communicate early and often: If your partner is doing something that annoys you—whether it’s complaining, moving too fast, or leaving you behind—tell them ASAP, Hamilton says. The earlier you address it, the faster you’ll find a system that works seamlessly for both of you.

Remember your why: Learning alongside a significant other can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding. “Remember why you want to do this together: Because it’s fun and exciting and something new that keeps your relationship alive,� Sansone says. “Keep that why at the forefront.�

Nissan North America, Inc., headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, delivers innovative automotive products and services that inspire and move people. As a global leader in electric vehicles and advanced automotive technology, Nissan offers a full lineup of vehicles, highlighted by the new . Driven by a commitment to sustainable mobility and thrilling performance, Nissan aims to transform the way people live and drive. For more information, please visit .

Read More

The Bonds We Build Outdoors

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