In my early 20s, I zigzagged across Europe by train. Fresh out of college and pinching pennies on a month-long backpacking trip in Italy and Switzerland, I went by overnight rail, combining the cost of a room with travel to wake up in a new country each morning. It was amazing.

Traveling long distance by train is on the rise again, as adventurers look for an eco-friendly and engaging alternative to flying. In Western Europe, night trains are seeing a post-Covid resurgence, with the new Nightjet network connecting major cities. Here in the United States, Amtrak has purchased 125 new diesel-electric locomotives, most for long-distance use. In the past several years, the company spent $580 million in station upgrades and put $28 million toward upgrading its overnight railcars’ seating, lighting, tables, and bedding, as well as reintroducing dining cars after a pandemic-forced hiatus.

Going by train isn’t about getting somewhere fast, or cheaply either: Amtrak and other operators in the U.S. and Canada can’t compete with the budget airlines. But train travel is more eco-friendly than flying, especially with the new diesel-electric locomotives. Trains, writes Andres Eskenazi of the , “pollute much less than airplanes, sometimes by as much as 73 percent, and they are more easily electrified than planes.”

You can customize a train trip with layover days in any stop along the route, to explore an interim park or town. (Arrange the stops upfront when you book.)

Traveling by train��is fun and relaxing; you can read a book, stare out the window, walk around, play cards, or see a film. Just ask Hartwell Carson, who has ridden the rails with his daughter, 13-year-old Evan, multiple times since she was eight.

“It’s everything that is great about traveling,” Carson says. “You’re forced to slow down and spend quality time with your companions. My daughter and I read books, drew pictures, and went to the dining car. There is nowhere to go, so you slowly watch the landscape change. It takes you back to a time when the journey was as important as the destination.”

We’re all about that. So here are six of the most scenic rail journeys in North America, and great things to do along the way, including in our national parks. (Note that costs given are for one-way trips.)

1. The Vermonter

The Route: Washington, D.C., to St. Albans, Vermont
Duration: 611 miles, 13 hours

Want variety? How about a train that travels through nine states, some of the largest cities in the country, lush farming valleys, and rugged mountains? The connects Washington, D.C., with the villages of Vermont right up to the Canadian border, and stops in Philadelphia and New York City along the way. The trip begins among towering skyscrapers, but once you pass New York City, you hit the estuary of Long Island Sound, with its islands and tall seagrass and the occasional lighthouse. Next come the hills and vineyards of the Hudson River Valley. As you reach New England proper, the scenery cedes to a mix of quaint villages (all those steeples), dense hardwood forests, and the lush Green Mountains of Vermont. The final stop is St. Albans, near Lake Champlain and the Canadian border, but you can end your journey anywhere.

The ���ϳԹ���: Stop at the Waterbury-Stowe station, which is within walking distance of historic downtown Waterbury, a lovely place to stay the night. Stowe, home of the massive ski resort of the same name, is 10 miles away and reachable by bus or bike. Bring your skis in winter or your bike in summer (if a bike is under 50 pounds, with tires under 2”, you can carry it on, but check bigger bikes at $20 per rig). The Stowe Recreation Path is five miles long, connecting various trail systems and more than 50 miles of singletrack from town. Check out the nearby , and opt for the super flowy .

The Fares: This isn’t an overnight route, so there are no sleeper cars. Choose coach (from $81) or go for business class (from $253), with its increased leg room and free non-alcoholic drinks. Amtrak’s Café has breakfast sandwiches, burgers, salads, and snacks. The food is tasty but pricey. Regular travelers may want to bring your own.

2. The Coast Starlight

The Route: Los Angeles to Seattle
Duration: 1377 miles, 35 hours

If Amtrak has a superstar route, it’s the , which runs from Los Angeles to Seattle along the western edge of the United States, hitting Portland, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. The train runs daily in both directions, with many adventure-prime stops along the way. If you begin in L.A. and travel north, the journey starts among the rocky outcroppings and farms of the San Fernando Valley before hugging the coast with its constant breakers and tall, rocky bluffs. You sleep through Northern California, and the next day gaze out on the dense evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest and views of the Cascade Mountain Range, including—if you wake up early enough—California’s Mount Shasta, as seen from Oregon.

The ���ϳԹ���: Just north of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo is the first stop after the train leaves L.A. (or, if you’re traveling south, the last stop before L.A.), and an ideal spot for a surf break. (Again, schedule any stops ahead of time). There’s no shortage of rental shops, but you can check your own surfboard on the Coast Starlight for just $10. Pismo Beach, 13 miles west and accessible from the station by an hourly bus, has one of the most consistent breaks on California’s Central Coast. The Pismo Beach Pier attracts the most surfers, and hosts a steady clip of contests, but there are several miles of quieter stretches to explore. Pismo’s sloping beach also means a softer wave—better for beginner surfers—than those at some other California places.

The Fares: You can get coach tickets (from $100) or private sleeper cars (from $674). It’s a one-night trip, so you could save some money by roughing it in a seat just for the night. All passengers may use the observation car, with its glass dome ceiling.

3. The Canadian

The Route: Toronto to Vancouver
Duration: 2,775 miles, four days, four nights

VIA Rail, Canada’s national rail service, operates a number of incredibly scenic train routes throughout the country (you can take a train to Churchill, the polar-bear capital of the world), but the is the crown jewel, sampling diverse landscapes from Toronto to Vancouver. The first two days of the trip pass through eastern Canada, known as “the Great Canadian Shield,” a sparsely populated area loaded with thousands of natural lakes and forests full of spruce and pine. East of Winnipeg, the terrain shifts to vast prairie for a day before hitting the jagged, ice-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies and crossing the Athabasca River amid a dense fir forest. In Jasper National Park, you’ll see the blocky-topped 7,500-foot Roche Miette mountain on the horizon, as well as Mount Yellowhead, Mount Robinson, and Pyramid Falls. Make your way early to one of the glass-dome viewing cars to get a spot.

The train runs twice a week, hitting the towns of Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Jasper. The regularly scheduled stops are short (only a couple of hours at each town), but you can arrange for a multi-day itinerary through VIA Rail.

The ���ϳԹ���: The town of Kamloops sits in the Thompson River Valley, known for its sandstone canyons, rolling hills, and a vast , comprised of both the largest municipal bike park in North America (the Bike Ranch) and lift-served downhill trails at Harper Mountain, a ski and snowboard resort. The trails are fast, flowy, and technical. Start with the Bike Ranch, which has a mix of downhill trails, a massive jump park, and a few intermediate and beginner lines for good measure.

The Fares: Prices for the full trip start at $514 for economy class, but you’ll be sleeping in a reclining seat and eating from a take-out counter. The Sleeper Plus fare (from $1,387) gets you a private cabin, access to the dining car, and community showers. Splurge for the Prestige class (from $6,261) and you get your own shower as well as a concierge, who changes your bedding and helps you with any requests during the trip.

4. The Denali Star

The Route: Anchorage to Fairbanks
Duration: 356 miles, 12 hours

Alaska Railroad operates a handful of train routes throughout the Last Frontier, but the is the flagship, running daily during the summer (May 9 to September 19), connecting Alaska’s two biggest cities and hitting Denali National Park along the way. The scenery couldn’t get more Alaskan: the train crosses the Knik River, which forms a broad valley full of alpine meadows that stretch to the bases of glaciers and the Chugach Mountains, then picks up views of Denali above the Susitna River before dipping into the roadless backcountry, where you look out on the Alaska Range and Healy Canyon. The route stops for 30 minutes at Denali National Park and Talkeetna, but if you really want time to explore around the tallest mountain in the U.S., turn this into a multi-day trip with overnights along the way.

The ���ϳԹ���: Sure, you might want to climb the 20,310-foot mountain for which Denali National Park is named, but that adventure isn’t for everyone, especially on a whim during a train trip. Instead, you can hike up 4,400-foot Sugarloaf Mountain. The Sugarloaf Mountain Trail begins behind the Grande Denali Lodge and ascends 2,700 feet in two miles to the above-tree line summit with views of Mount Fellows and Mount Dora, two peaks in the Alaska Range. You could also sign up for a , a full-day adventure led by a park ranger. The location changes daily, but a Discovery Hike day is typically eight to ten hours and includes off-trail trekking.

The Fare: Choose from ���ϳԹ��� class (from $215) and Goldstar class (from $432). If you opt for Goldstar, you ride in glass-dome cars and have access to an outdoor viewing platform. The price also includes meals in the dining car and two free cocktails per day.

5. Rocky Mountaineer: Rockies to the Red Rocks

The Route: Denver to Moab
Duration: 375 miles, two days with an overnight in Glenwood Springs

Amtrak isn’t the only company running trains in the U.S. The Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury train service formerly used for scenic routes through the Canadian Rockies, debuted its first U.S.-based trip in 2022. The connects Moab with Denver in a two-day journey along the Colorado River, passing remote, roadless canyons only visible from the train. You see the 25-mile-long Ruby Canyon, winding through towering sandstone cliffs on the Utah-Colorado border, and watch the lights flicker off the rock walls in the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel as the train cuts through the Continental Divide. The trip takes two days, but instead of offering sleeper cars, the Rockies to Red Rocks puts you in a two- to three-star hotel (the specific hotels change) within walking distance of the Glenwood Springs station. On board, you receive a three-course breakfast and lunch each day.

The ���ϳԹ���: You’re staying over in Glenwood Springs, so soak in one of the town’s developed hot springs; Glenwood Hot Springs Resort has a big lap- and crowd-sized pool kept at 90-93 degrees, and a smaller pool that stays at 104 degrees (day passes start at $32). Iron Mountain Hot Springs has 16 geothermal pools of varying temperatures (passes start at $40). Further, in Moab, Arches National Park is a must. Hike to Landscape Arch, at 306 feet the longest natural arch in the country, on the 7.6-mile . This trail is a gem even among great hikes in our national parks.

The Fares: Prices start at $1599 per person, and include on-board meals and your hotel room in Glenwood.

6. The Empire Builder

Route: Chicago to Seattle
Duration: 2,206 miles, 48 hours

Think two full days on a train is too much? Not when you’re traveling through eight different states, tracing the U.S./Canadian border, and hitting Glacier National Park. The begins with views of Chicago’s skyline, and then crosses the Mississippi River, which is surprisingly wide (several hundred feet) even though you’re close to the headwaters. You’ll see the bright lights of Minneapolis and St. Paul, enter the Great Plains at night, and wake up in North Dakota looking out on pastures of wheat shimmering gold in the sun. Make sure to be in the glass-domed lounge car as you approach Glacier National Park, the train winding along the Flathead River with views of snowfields clinging to the steep granite peaks of the Lewis Ranges. Before the final destination of Seattle, you can detour into Spokane and head south into Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge, where you’ll get views of Mount Hood.

The ���ϳԹ���: The climax of this trip is Glacier National Park. If you time a spring trip perfectly, you can pedal Going-to-the-Sun Road after it’s plowed but before it opens to vehicles. offers rental bikes and shuttles to the start of the ride (from $45). Your other best bet is to hike. Check out the 10.6-mile out and back , which passes waterfalls and backcountry lakes before delivering you to the glacier of that name, one of the few in the park you can actually walk across.

The Fares: This train has a number of options. Coach (from $160) will get you a doss in a reclining chair, while First Class fares with private rooms start at $979 and include all meals on board and access to the lounge and communal showers. For $3,405, the First Class Superliner Bedroom Suite includes a full bedroom with its own bathroom. Amtrak also offers a comprehensive, 10-day package deal ($3499 per person) with multiple days in Chicago, Glacier, and Seattle, and activities and lodging planned for you.

Onboard with all of that? Pick your route, plan your stops, and ride the rails to adventure.

Graham Averill is ���ϳԹ��� magazine’s national parks columnist. He loves the idea of being able to drink a beer, eat snacks, and play poker while traveling from point A to point B.

For more by the same author, see:

The 10 Best Backpacking Trails in Our National Parks

How to Score the Best National Park Campsites for Summer

The Best Budget Airlines—and ���ϳԹ��� Locales They Go To

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Seattle’s Vertical World and Colorado-based manufacturer C3, which produces Perfect Descent auto belays, have settled in a lawsuit following a severe climbing accident that occurred on August 1, 2019. The climber, Michael Vandivere, sustained a 30-foot fall and subsequently suffered a number of severe injuries, including 12 pelvic fractures, a traumatic brain injury, lung injuries, bladder laceration, and other fractures. C3 Manufacturing has agreed to pay $5 million and Vertical World will pay an additional $1 million.

The law office representing Vandivere, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala Attorneys at Law, stated in a that Vandivere fell “due to a defective auto-belay device.” Furthermore, the press release stated that the accident was caused by “improper supervision by Vertical World staff, and inadequate training for climbers by Vertical World. Despite using the device properly, the climber fell when the auto-belay device failed to function as intended.”

However, Vertical World issued its own , which began: “the statement [from PCVA] is incomplete, misleading, and incorrect in several fundamental respects.” Rich Johnston, the president and owner of Vertical World, spoke with Climbing, saying that it seems the climber failed to fully clip into the auto belay. A witness, according to Johnston, reported that they saw Vandivere attempt to clip in before heading up the route. A closed and intact carabiner was found at the top of the device. Johnston added that “in the three years that I dealt with this lawsuit, they never proved any failure on the belay device that we had in our facility.”

Early on, Vertical World’s insurance company wanted to settle, but Johnston refused. In an interview with Climbing, Johnston said, “If you start rolling over on stuff like this, the industry is going to be hit.” Things changed during the discovery process of the suit.

It was found that Perfect Descent auto belays were initially recalled in 2016, with documented defects dating back to 2015. The company issued “stop use” and “return for repair notices,” however effective design changes were allegedly not implemented. Further recalls were issued in the subsequent years. According to Darrell Cochran, the lead attorney representing Vandivere, other grievous incidents have occurred since then.

“My understanding is that very similar defect issues led to deaths in a number of places, including Colorado and Australia,” Cochran told Climbing. “C3 Manufacturing likely disputes that its product was responsible for the falls.”

Johnston countered, saying, “C3 did some really questionable things in their engineering of the products and how they did things. But as far as I know, no one was injured on a C3 product due to a failure that is claimed by the plaintiff—they’ve had millions of cycles on their units over the years in the industry. It says that they just didn’t do things correctly.”

The latest states that the defective devices can “loosen and cause slack on the rope, allowing the climber to fall [to the ground].” Cochran clarified to Climbing that there were issues “with break failure and a failed retraction spring that led to hazardous spooling.” He added that the president of C3, Ronald Naranjo, testified that the design used to create Perfect Descent was based on a device manufactured but later abandoned by the Mine Safety Appliances Company—an organization by which Naranjo was previously employed. That device, the Red Point Descender, was after multiple climbers experienced a rapid descent.

Despite the recalls, Perfect Descent has long been seen as a reputable brand in the industry—the company is the official supplier to the IFSC and World Games. Climbing was unable to reach C3 for comment.

Although Johnston was steadfastly against settling, misconduct from C3’s attorney’s during the legal proceedings made that ever more difficult. After it was revealed that the team had withheld evidence in the lead up to trial, the judge imposed sanctions of nearly $300,000 on C3 and the attorneys. Following the fumble, C3’s insurance company agreed to settle. Johnston found himself in an uncomfortable position; going to court alone was no longer a viable option, so Vertical World settled too.

Johnston founded Vertical World in a warehouse in Seattle in 1987. It was America’s first commercial climbing gym. In 1994, he also served as one of the original board members for the Climbing Wall Association. Ironically, Johnston has been pushing for better auto belay practices for years. At first reluctant to host auto belays in his gyms, he compromised with a stringent and required belay check that all members who wish to use the auto belays must undergo. Following this lawsuit, Johnston says Vertical World will continue to have auto belays, but not any manufactured by C3.

As a longtime industry leader, Johnston recommends other gym owners pay attention to this lawsuit. He’s concerned about how, moving forward, insurance companies will look at gyms which host auto belays. “I think that’s going to be a problem,” he said. Garnet Moore, the executive director of the Climbing Wall Association, has been in communication with Johnston and is putting together updated risk management guidelines for the industry.

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It’s been stiflingly hot all this week, and in Washington’s North Cascades National Park, wildfires have ratcheted the heat up even more. A blaze called the Sourdough Fire started on Saturday, July 29 above Diablo Lake, one of the park’s iconic roadside destinations. As of Thursday, August 16, it has burned .

The nearly 400-person crew has the conflagration about 11 percent contained, and they’ve successfully protected the handful of nearby structures. Most urgently threatened were the Ross and Diablo dams, which generate electricity for Seattle, and the , home to many utility employees and their families.

The fire passed the town by without any injuries or property damage. Nicholas DiGiacco, the spokesman for the National Interagency Fire Center, that officials are “confident” that the area is contained. Now, fire crews are shepherding the flames west, towards a preexisting firebreak, a wildfire scar from 2015. “Our intent is to move this fire into that scar with the intention that it would run out of fuel,” said DiGiacco.

The crown jewel of Washington State’s Cascade Mountains, North Cascades National Park is a popular summer destination for climbing, camping, boating, and hiking, just a few hours from Seattle. It boasts a handful of road-accessible campgrounds and recreation areas, but the main attraction is 500,000 acres of remote alpine backcountry accessible by hundreds miles of trails, including a long section of the Pacific Crest Trail.

This year, though, the thru-hikers en route to Canada, along with other outdoor enthusiasts, are going to have to reroute or wait for things to cool off. In addition to the Sourdough Fire blazing in the heart of the park, the smaller is burning in the National Forest along the park’s eastern border, and that fire has closed the highway to traffic from the opposite side.

The park’s ecosystem is , and it has overcome small, cleansing blazes as well as larger and more damaging ones over the past decade. What makes the Sourdough Fire particularly worrying is its proximity to infrastructure. The burn area borders the North Cascades Scenic Highway, the only road through the park.

“Rocks continue to fall down, trees continue to fall down, so we’re not putting crews in there unless we absolutely have to for transport back and forth,” Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team section chief Dean Lange .

The dams at Diablo Lake and Ross Lake that make electricity for Seattle are also near the flames, and were taken offline. A on the shores of Diablo Lake had to be evacuated.

It’s not just people living in the nearby towns and would-be campers who are feeling the heat. At the beginning of the week, enough smoke drifted into the greater Seattle area to . Fortunately, the smog is nowhere near the levels it has reached , but it arrived in tandem with daily highs in the 90s—very hot for the historically temperate area.

Slightly cooler temperatures are for later this week, but it will be awhile before North Cascades National Park and the highway are . The Sourdough Fire is , and there’s the possibility that it will continue to spread during the dry, hot, and breezy conditions expected in the next few days.

Wildfires and heatwaves are the new norm in a region best known for rain and lush forests. But with any luck, the worst damage from the fires in North Cascades will be on would-be visitor’s summer plans.

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Government-sponsored time off only comes around a few days a year. Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to get outside, hike a lot, see some friends, hear some music,��and then sleep in on Monday, to hell with Slack. Festivals are a great way to cram a lot into these three sacred, carefree days.

I’ve covered dozens of festivals over the past decade, and rounded up some of the best, all with great outdoor access, to help you make the most of your long weekend.

1. Bumbershoot, Seattle, Washington

As large corporations gobble up major festivals, it’s not easy to maintain an event as art-forward, experimental, and strident as , but the Seattle institution hopes it has finally found the right formula. After a four-year hiatus, the decades-old Bumbershoot is relaunching with a lineup of local stars—like Sleater Kinney, Band of Horses, and Dave B—who’ve made it big. The new fest promises a return to its early creativity and chaos: you will be able to pole dance, roller skate, wrestle, extreme pogo-stick, and explore immersive art.

Bumbershoot is an urban festival, but Seattle is spitting distance from Snow Lake, Mount Si, and the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Both Snow Lake and Mount Si have trails through jagged mountain peaks and tall pines, while the six-mile out-and-back wraps around a lake. For a more kid-friendly or relaxing outing, walk along the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk, a four-mile elevated path that crosses over the top of Nisqually’s tidal flats, allowing seals, sea ducks, salmon, otters and minks to live peacefully underneath.

2. U.S. National Whitewater Center Labor Day Celebration, Charlotte, North Carolina

The is a one-stop shop for outdoor adventure. On the schedule are a 5K and a 15K trail race, stand-up paddleboard yoga, and a Dry Tri with mountain biking, trail running, and kayaking or paddleboarding on the Catawba River. For $75, you can buy an All Access Activity Pass that gets you into the U.S. National Whitewater Center’s renowned river rapids as well as onto the park’s climbing walls, bouldering routes, and ropes courses.

Evenings bring performances by Amanda Anne Platt, and one of my personal favorite indie Americana bands, The Lone Bellow. (The band’s earnest 2013 ballad “Bleeding Out” got me through high-school drama.)

Not many hikes on the Whitewater Center’s 1,300 acres are longer than a few miles, but Crowders Mountain State Park offers more. Head up to King’s Pinnacle, one of the two summits in the park’s 5,200 acres, via the four-mile Pinnacle Trail, which involves some rock scrambling.

3. Southern Decadence, New Orleans, Louisiana

, a raucous parade that rolls through the French Quarter, is one of New Orleans’ biggest pride events. Think Mardi Gras but with a little more drag and a lot more leather. I like to watch it all unfold on Frenchman Street, home to some of the city’s great music clubs and close to its LGBTQ+ bars.

New Orleans, however, is not just an overblown party destination. Walk even half a mile out of the French Quarter and you’ll see flowering vines engulfing buildings and oak-lined avenues leading to stellar parks, the biggest of which is City Park. Just 15 minutes from downtown is the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge, the country’s largest urban National Wildlife refuge. Its marshland is excellent for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and, with over 340 species of birds, birdwatching. The Joe Madere Marsh Overlook has a picnic pavilion and a boat launch.

4. Marshall County Blueberry Festival, Plymouth, Indiana

Half a million people turn out for the to celebrate what happens to be my favorite trail snack. About two hours from both Chicago and Indianapolis, hundreds of craft and food booths fill the town’s Centennial Park with blueberry everything—ice cream, cheesecake, smoothies, sausage, and multiple varieties of blueberry beer. (The blueberry donuts are, reportedly, a fan favorite.) This is the most classic Labor Day celebration on our list, with a parade, a carnival, and recreational sports tournaments including pickleball and tractor pulling. It also has fun runs, a bike cruise, and a benefit lake swim.

Plymouth is only an hour from Indiana Dunes National Park, on the banks of Lake Michigan. The park’s best-known hike is probably its 3 Dune Challenge: 552 feet of vertical gain over just 1.5 miles, all in the sand. If you’d rather be able to walk the next day, try the . At nearly six miles, it’s longer, but far less steep, and includes a nice walk along the beach.

5. Mount Snow Brewers Festival, Dover, Vermont

If there is anything I learned working as a ski instructor in Vermont, it’s that the best days here involve going to the top of a mountain, coming back down, and then drinking beer as the sun sets. (Well, I prefer cider, but you get the idea.) The serves a smattering of craft beers from the famous Vermont and New England craft-brewing scenes.

Local bands will supply music, and local restaurants will serve beer-appropriate foods. The festival puts you at the base of Mount Snow, a ski area whose trails are busy hiking and mountain-biking paths in the summer. You can easily spend the afternoon before the festival hiking to the top of 3,600-foot Mount Snow, with its view of Snow Lake.

6. Dancefestopia, La Cygne, Kansas

In most ways, Dancefestopia is your standard EDM festival. It has a whimsical, Wizard of Oz theme, big-name DJs, and dizzying lights and lasers. But it takes place at what is otherwise a lakeside outdoor-education camp, with all of the log cabins and activities thereof. An activity pass buys you access to the camp’s climbing wall as well as fishing and canoeing.

For more of that tree-lined Kansas beauty, check out the further shores of La Cygne Lake and the Marais des Cygne Wildlife Area. You can pick up a fishing license at the

7. Austin Free Day of Yoga, Austin, Texas

In 2019, ���ϳԹ��� magazine declared Austin one of the “World’s Dreamiest Spots for Outdoor Yoga.” On Labor Day, you can live that dream for . A coalition of local studios and instructors will offer over 30 free classes, both indoors and out, across the city. There’s Qigong at the Austin Bouldering Project, Kundalini at the Waterloo Greenway, and at least one class billed as a party, the Sukha revival.

With the rest of your time, this Texan (I grew up in the greater Houston area) encourages you to indulge in a little Texas cliche. Order some Tex-Mex, or maybe a burger at Clark’s, then head to one of the area’s swimming holes.

8. The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cookoff, Sparks, Nevada

Let me save you some confusion. Contrary to what the name suggests, Nugget is not a type of a rib, but the name of the casino sponsoring this extravagant barbecue competition. is a big deal in the rib world, and 250,000 pounds of meat will be seasoned and sauced in pursuit of festival glory.

Build up an appetite before you go with a visit to the Truckee River Whitewater Park, where you can kayak over class two and three rapids in the middle of Sparks. Or leave the city and drive 45 minutes south to Lake Tahoe. You can get on a section of the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail at the Tahoe Meadows Trailhead, near Incline Village. Another popular trail is the wheelchair-accessible 1.3-mile Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Loop through the wildflower-laden Tahoe Meadows.

9. Caveman Music Festival, Weston, Colorado

Camping at music festivals usually falls somewhere between the glamping of Coachella; the dusty, trippy party tents of Burning Man; and sleeping in your car. , on the other hand, has real tent camping on its shores and fields. It all goes down at Colorado’s Monument Lake Resort, where you can fish for trout, kayak, canoe, and hike in between performances. The music here is Americana, headlined by JJ Grey & Mofro, Shane Smith & The Saints, and Dawes.

The resort is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with a multitude of beautiful hikes. Seasoned hikers can ascend the eight-mile near La Veta, Colorado, for some of the best views in the region. Find out about more trails

Emily Carmichael is a writer, editor, and former ski instructor based in Brooklyn who has covered music festivals since her college days in New Orleans.

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Since moving to the West Coast almost a decade ago, I’ve experienced my fair share of wet-weather mishaps. From waking up in a tent sitting in a couple inches of water, to forgetting to pack a waterproof shell during thunderstorm season, I’ve been left waterlogged and grumpy from being caught unprepared more times than I’d like to admit. Most of these unfortunate events could have been prevented had I just put a little more thought into my rain-gear kit.

After spending years trying out different gear, I’ve come up with a list of simple items that can make adventuring in the rain a whole lot better. A good rain jacket is a no-brainer, but the best one depends on what activity you plan to use it for. Other than a waterproof coat you can count on, these six items can withstand the perpetually wet conditions of the Pacific Northwest—and if they can hold up here, they can hold up just about anywhere.

Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Rain Pants ($119)

The Torrentshell has a considerable number of features that make it a solid choice for most wet-weather activities. These three-layer eco-shell pants (available in XXS to XL in both and ��versions) have a durable water-repellent finish, an elastic waistband with an internal drawcord, two zippered hand-warmer pockets, and partially elasticized cuffs that also employ a snap-tab closure, plus they pack down into their own pocket to stow away until needed. But one of the most practical things about them is the two-way side zippers, which run cuff to thigh and can be thrown over boots quickly and, when unzipped, dump heat. Comfortable and sure to keep you dry, there’s not much more to ask for in a good pair of everyday rain pants.

Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero ($65)

A wide-brimmed waterproof hat is a nice accessory to own when you live in a climate that gets as many wet days as dry ones. The Seattle Sombrero is a seam-sealed Gore-Tex rain hat that lends itself well to colder precipitous conditions, like North Cascades backpacking in the fall. The flexible brim allows you to direct water flow, and Velcro on two sides means you can wear it cowboy-hat style if that’s more your vibe. Thanks to UPF 50+ fabric, it can pull double duty on sunny days, although it is a little on the heavy side for regular hot-weather use. The removable chin cord, soft tricot lining, and packability are a few other reasons to declare the Seattle Sombrero an all-around winner. It’s available in a handful of two-tone colors and an all-black version, and in my opinion, it’s a classic article of clothing that you’ll use for many years.

REI Co-op Duck’s Back Rain Cover ($25 to $40)

Very few everyday backpacks are 100 percent waterproof, and when they are, they can come with a hefty price tag because of technical design features and special fabric. The easiest, fastest, and least expensive way to protect your backpack from getting soaked in a downpour is with a simple rain cover. There’s not too much to say about a good rain cover—they need to pack down small, weigh next to nothing, and, above all, keep your stuff dry. REI’s Duck’s Back does just that.

Available in a range of five sizes (, , , , ) this seam-sealed cover will fit all backpacks between 18 and 100+ liters. It’s a great thing to have in a pinch, and not just on the hiking trail but when you’re commuting to work or hanging at the playground, too. The downside: your stuff isn’t accessible without removing the rain cover to get inside your bag, so if you need to grab something mid-downpour, you’ll likely get your things a bit wet.

Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Mid-Length Socks ($45)

I can tough it out for hours in the rain, but once my feet are cold and wet, it’s game over. Sealskinz waterproof socks have kept my feet warm and dry during all sorts of outdoor activities. I’ve worn them hiking, kayaking, paddling, biking, camping, and while doing chores around the yard. Like much of the best waterproof apparel, they’re made with three-layer construction: the merino wool liner that sits against your skin and keeps it toasty, the hydrophilic membrane that acts as a water barrier, and the durable blended nylon exterior that feels almost like a baby version of neoprene. I’ve worn these paddling in 50-degree weather, and when stepping into the cold ocean water, these socks offered great protection against its frigid temperatures.

If you plan to hike in the Pacific Northwest, one piece of advice I’d offer is that if your shoes aren’t waterproof enough to withstand wet weather, at least your socks should be. I wear Gore-Tex hiking boots, which keep my feet dry, but I always stash these in my bag as a backup in case my feet get soaked during a river crossing or I have some other water-related blunder. If you’re in between sizes, I recommend sizing down, as you’ll want these to be a snug fit inside your hiking footwear. Since these are technical, fairly expensive, and serve a pretty specific purpose, I also recommend going the all-weather midlength route to get the most use out of them.

Rite in the Rain Side Spiral Notebook ($8)

Whether I’m jotting down gear notes, writing myself a reminder, or keeping score in a campsite card game, I’ve always got a notepad on me, and Rite in the Rain’s all-weather notebooks actually stick my words to the page even while when it’s wet outside. Designed over a century ago in the Pacific Northwest, these notebooks come in a variety of sizes, cover colors, and page patterns (I like the universal version because I can keep my drawings to scale with the dotted grid). A flexible and durable plastic cover protects the pages from damage in your backpack, and handy metric and imperial rulers are printed on the back. Tested on the trail and in the shower, I’ve written in this notepad with heavy water splashing down on it and my writing remains intact and smudge-free, although you do need to use a classic pencil or an all-weather pen on the coated pages (I use ).

Nikwax TX Direct Spray-On Water-Repellent Treatment ($22)

Over time, the waterproof coating on the outside of your favorite rain pants or your expensive Gore-Tex jacket is going to break down as oil and dirt grind into and clog the fabric. This compromises your garments’ ability to breathe and bead off water, which can cause it to wet out. After a while, you’re going to want to re-up your rain gear to restore water-repellency and recover breathability. There are a few simple steps to re-waterproof your gear, one of which is using a product like Nikwax. After cleaning your garment, spray on the DWR treatment—a preferable method to using a wash-in formula, because the DWR coating is meant for the outside only. This isn’t a product that you’d use all the time, but once you’ve finally found rain gear you love and that keeps you dry, you’re going to want to make sure it lasts.

The post Rain Gear Built for the Wettest Pacific Northwest ���ϳԹ���s appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Jeff Bezos is my neighbor. Kind of. I’m 98 percent sure I saw him at my local Seattle post office over the holidays.

Yeah right, you might say. Don’t all well-dressed bald men look basically the same in a mask? Doesn’t he have people who could stand in line for him?��

Well,��consider this: Bezos probably has more time to run errands these days, because from his��CEO role at Amazon to focus on personal projects and philanthropy, including , a $10 billion contribution to fighting climate change that he announced this time last year.��

Given that we’re neighbors, I feel like I can level with him about how he should make the world better with his money and free time (TL;DR:��).

First, he should think about how much power the Earth Fund has and how it fits into the big picture of environmental funding. For context, $10 billion is about what the United States��has historically spent annually on climate-related research and development, and it’s also around 5��percent of .��

One dude spending as much as the government can have big, cascading impacts on the future of the planet. A relatively tiny spend for someone like Bezos could alter the course of how we address climate change and what we focus on globally.��

�ճ󲹳�’s as the wealthiest people in the world accrue even more money and spend more of it on their favorite conservation and climate solutions.��(In the year since he announced the Earth Fund, Bezos has $75 billion.) Bezos is far from the only example, though:��Swiss medical-device developer Hansjörg Wyss committed $1 billion to in 2018. In 2019, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg to close coal-fired power plants. This month, Elon Musk toward��a prize for carbon-capture ideas. Hedge-fund manager and former presidential candidate��Tom Steyer has injected millions into climate-friendly political campaigns over the years. And my other Seattle neighbors, Bill and Melinda Gates, have in green energy��and become thought leaders in how to address the climate crisis. (Bill has this month called How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.)

But do we really want billionaires deciding where and how to protect the environment? Unlike government funding, donations come with minimal accountability and no guaranteed public oversight. And a frequent problem with philanthropy is that donor interest and societal need are not often the same thing, and the former has more power. “The impact of philanthropy doesn’t always correlate with the size of the giving,” says Heather Grady, . “Because it’s voluntary, funders can spend a lot of money that has virtually no impact—it’s not what’s needed��but what they’re interested in.”

We’ve seen how that arbitrary, emotional giving plays out in the outdoor world. In the 2020 book Billionaire Wilderness, sociologist Justin Farrell looks at inequality in the recreation haven of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He shows how the area has some of the nation’s��highest rates of charitable giving, but notes that the funds largely go to arts organizations and private-lands trusts that donors have personal connections to—instead of pressing��but less sexy issues like social services or housing.��

In other words, large sums of money give people the ability to gatekeep decision-making, but because of their personal bias, that doesn’t necessarily play out well for the greater good. “It’s not that hard to give away a bunch of money, it’s not that hard to do it with that equity lens, but you have to change systems of power and privilege and make sure that dollars get into the hands of people who know best how��to use it,” says Kate Roosevelt, executive vice president of Campbell and Company, a Seattle-based philanthropy-research firm.

Farrell also shows��that giving can be a greenwashing distraction from the huge carbon footprint these figures and their companies are responsible for. It’s impossible to untangle Bezos’s wealth from its source, the behemoth company that made him rich and which each year than, say, . And we can assume that his personal footprint is large, too. According to a , the top 1��percent of income earners in the world account for 15 percent of emissions. �ճ󲹳�’s more than the 3.5 billion people in the bottom half.��

But billionaire philanthropy isn’t going anywhere, and it’s obviously a good thing that some in the one percent are��realizing��the urgency of the climate crisis. In his original statement about the Earth Fund, Bezos��acknowledged that “climate change is the biggest threat to our planet” and��said that he wants to “work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share.” Taking him at his word that he wants to help, it’s worth examining how his donations could have the biggest and most equitable impact.

Let’s start with how the Earth Fund has deployed its resources so far. In November, Bezos announced the�� of the organization’s grants: $791 million to 17 groups, including $100 million each to the , , , and the . Yes, that’s a lot of money. Yes, those places are doing important, crucial work. And yes,��that money will help them do more. But they’re also among the most established, well-funded environmental organizations, they all do similar kinds of conservation work, and most of them already have budgets in the hundreds of millions.��

The , a collective of community-based environmental NGOs, released a statement in December railing��the for world��and using money to virtue-signal instead of taking valuable strides. “Less than a quarter of the first-round grants will go to intermediary funds that support thousands of grassroots communities cultivating solutions on the frontlines of the climate emergency,” the statement read. “The inequities couldn’t be more striking.” The alliance wasn’t����anger and frustration. According to Grady of��Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, well-placed donations to smaller organizations can have exponential impacts.��

Bezos’s funding could have been transformational. And maybe it still will be. But the first round of��donations were largely��maudlin and uncreative. “The most effective philanthropy occurs when philanthropists seek out strong leaders in all kinds of organizations, then give them a bunch of money unrestricted and say, ‘I trust you.’ But the tendency has been to go with large groups,” Campbell and Company’s Roosevelt says. “That leaves out a huge swath of small organizations, often led by and serving people of color.”��

Those organizations are trying to raise their collective voice. The day after Bezos announced he was stepping back from Amazon��to focus on doing good, the Donors of Color network, a group of philanthropists of color, released the . It asks philanthropists to pledge 30 percent of their giving to BIPOC-led environmental organizations, who have historically only received 1.3 percent of the total donations given to climate organizations, according to a study from the New School. Large funders like the Kresge Foundation have already signed on. The Earth Fund should sign on, too.��

“There is the potential to be funding environmental issues at such a higher level of effectiveness if you find the key community organization and let them lead,” says Savitha Pathi, deputy director of , a Seattle-based energy-policy nonprofit. �ճ󲹳�’s what billionaires like Bezos��can easily do if they want their money to make the biggest difference.��

There also needs to be transparency about who’s making the decisions��and who they’re interacting with. In his November post announcing the Earth Fund’s��first round of donations, Bezos mentioned a “” who were guiding his decisions. Pathi says no one outside of Bezos’s��inner circle knows who that is exactly. For past initiatives,��like��his homelessness directive, members of Bezos’s��team cold-called people they knew to figure out who to donate to, instead of opening up a public channel. �ճ󲹳�’s problematic, because it limits the scope of who could be reached��and the scale at which it could have impact.

So what would I have actually said to Bezos from six feet away at the post office? Limit your own impact. Make sure your team looks outside of its sphere and opens the doors to people and organizations on the front lines of climate change who might otherwise have been outside��the conversation. You have an incredible amount of power and money. Money makes change, and we are running out of time.

The post Can Billionaires Really Save Us from Climate Disaster? appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

In 2019, the RV Industry Association (RIVA), a trade federation,��.��And when COVID-19 first swept the nation in March, those sales dropped even more. But almost as fast as they fell, sales and rentals began to skyrocket. By June, ��in the U.S. were the highest they’d been since 2018,��, an 11 percent increase from June 2019.

As far as , it’s easy to understand why people are turning to RVs. With many concerned about the��safety of hotels and other lodging, RVs��offer more control and flexibility. Both existing and newly launched companies are getting creative with what this new era of road travel will look like, as people��have begun embracing��so-called��COVID campers for��long road trips in lieu of flights, turning to part- or full-time vanlife in response to companies switching to remote work, or leaving expensive real estate behind for a more budget-friendly option. Here’s how new��startups are going beyond the basic RV-rental formula by��being more on demand, millennial focused, and remote-work-friendly.

1. They Offer Socially��Distant Vacations

, an RV startup currently serving the Seattle area��that provides��rental-camper vans outfitted to look like a boutique hotel on wheels, seeks to offer��a more controlled environment than peer-to-peer rentals, in which guests can expect the same layout, features, and level of cleanliness every time they book. Cabana vans combine a stylish design with all the amenities you’d typically find in a home rental, from flat-screen TVs and memory-foam mattresses to full bathrooms and free Wi-Fi. What sets the company��apart are��contactless check-in and an on-demand concierge that makes it easy for the first-time camper to explore the outdoors.

“Prior to COVID-19, the majority of the customers were from out of town and using a Cabana van during their vacation to the Seattle area,” says Scott Kubly, the company’s founder.

According to Kubly, the pandemic completely transformed the company’s customer base. “Since the shelter-in-place orders took effect in Seattle, Cabana has seen a 400 percent increase in bookings,��with the majority being local customers looking for a way to safely get out of town��for a socially distanced compliant vacation.” Cabana��plans to launch in six more cities��next year, including in San Diego, Denver, and San Francisco.

Cabana’s change in demographics exemplifies what could be a long-term switch from long-distance air travel to domestic road travel.��This was the case for Kay Kingsman, founder of the��, a blog that seeks to inspire��underserved and underrepresented communities to travel, who rented her first RV through during the pandemic.

“My interest in RV travel increased during the pandemic, because I wanted to road-trip domestically and get into nature, but trying to map and plan out hotel stays—and sanitized hotels at that—was difficult and stressful,” she says.

Though most hotels have implemented new sanitation practices in line with CDC guidelines, hotels require significantly more sanitation than a camper van due to a greater number of contact surface areas and shared spaces, like lobbies. Cabana’s vans are cleaned using current best practices, and, according to��Kubly,��“irradiated with UVC light and then left to stand for six to eight hours between rentals.” Not only that,��but van rentals offer more control over who you’re exposed to, says Kingsman:��“I tried doing a more traditional staycation and rented a hotel room in a nearby town, but no one in the hotel was wearing a mask, including the staff. I couldn’t trust that they were actually taking sanitation seriously, so I ended up leaving,” she��says. “I felt as though I had more control over sanitation in the RV since I didn’t have other hotel guests or staff to consider.”

On the other hand, , a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability consultant, podcast host, and digital creator who lives full-time��in her personally customized Ford Transit Connect, has avoided traveling in the��van during the pandemic��because��she doesn’t want “to contribute to the spread of COVID.” Instead she has opted to park at friends’ houses and boondocking sites. Despite the lack of mobility, Edmondson is��grateful for the affordability and flexibility living in her van has allowed��during so much��uncertainty. Her��relationship to vanlife, which is less about travel and more about ease and affordability, illustrates another trend coming out of the pandemic: different types of accommodation.

2. They Provide��Alternative Housing

In 2019, RIVA reported that over one million people��in the U.S. lived in RVs full-time.��Those numbers are growing as the pandemic has given more folks��a nudge toward permanent��vanlife, now that many jobs have gone remote and the outdoors is��more appealing than populous COVID-19 hot spots like cities.��That, combined��with rising housing costs, could result in RVs and camper vans becoming viable alternative forms of long-term��housing.

“The vehicle is no longer just a way to move around, but it’s now a real house that clients are looking for,” says��Paul Aubert, cofounder of , a company that converts old school buses into bus hotels, or “B-hotels,” which are design-forward��RVs with custom cabinets, living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and roof terraces. Some are outfitted with solar panels, water heaters, and other gadgets that allow them to be independent of water and electricity hookups.

Before the pandemic, Mybushotel customers were primarily international tourists who rented the buses turned RVs to explore North, Central, and South America, but when rental bookings dried up with the COVID-19 travel restrictions, the company adjusted its focus completely to exclusively selling the custom conversions.

“We received more than 400 [requests] from May to August��for our B-hotels. Lots of people were thinking about the possibility of changing their way of living, and COVID-19 was a good opportunity to go forward,” Aubert��says.

The kitted-out buses are custom-made, so prices can vary greatly��but are on the expensive end, with the average build costing between $45,000 and $80,000.

3.��They’re Embracing the Shift to Remote Work

Meanwhile, the new company , which creates RV parks geared toward��working millennials,��with amenities, work spaces, and community perks, will bring on its first members in September. “We have been thinking about how we can use camper vans and communal spaces to create a new model for flexible housing for a few years,” says��CEO Collin O’Donnell. “With the pressure from shelter-in-place orders, the record-high rents, and the opportunity presented by the new work-from-anywhere economy, we decided that we couldn’t wait any longer and decided to launch.”

Kibbo is positioning itself as a “full-time alternative to the traditional apartment.” In addition to offering vans for rent, it’s��open to members who already have��their own vans. The company is��hoping to attract adventurers who will actively contribute to��creating a community based on shared outdoor values—something it��hopes to ensure with an application process. Those accepted will pay a sign-on fee of $485 and monthly dues that vary (starting at $150), according to how often members want access to a clubhouse. It also plans��to offer single-use passes for overnight��access to nonmembers.

Starting as early as September, members can access community clubhouses out west in Ojai, California, Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, ��near��Zion National Park in Utah, and, as of press time, Big Sur, pending the spread of the wildfires. In 2021, Kibbo plans to��open clubhouses in San Francisco and Los Angeles��and eventually expects to go national.

Where decades-old RV companies have long focused on comfort features for retired or affluent customers, RV startups like Cabana, Kibbo,��and Mybushotel see the future of RVs centered around digital nomads in need of remote working capabilities.��“Our clients are looking for a new product that allows them to travel and work in the best conditions.��They need to have internet access, a possibility to work in their vehicle, and a good-size vehicle to travel in,” Mybushotel’s Aubert��says.

Kibbo’s O’Donnell says,��“Right now��over 60 percent of Americans are working from home. We are asking: Why not work from anywhere? Why are you paying rent in a city or suburb close to your work when you no longer need to commute? We offer the flexibility to live and work from wherever you want,��in nature or in the city, changing locations whenever you want, but at the same time being part of an intentional community.”

The vision to create a long-term RV community is one that O’Donnell hopes will last well after the pandemic is over. Until then, Kibbo will follow CDC guidelines and include those��recommendations in its��code of conduct for members.��“Inherently, we are offering people more choice, so they can be together when it makes sense and is safe to do so or be on their own when they want,” he says.

4. They’re Becoming More��Accessible

In addition to travelers looking for socially distant vacations, and a new sector of remote workers drawn to full-time vanlife, there’s a third group interested in RVs for another reason: affordability.��Sites like Outdoorsy have made RV rentals more reasonable since the start��of the pandemic. With rates as low as $50 a night, people of different income levels now have more access to them.

Natasha Van Horne of , who is an EMT, a full-time vanlifer since July,��and��mother to��a five-year-old, sees camper vans as a means to travel continuously on a budget.

“The cost of living 20 years ago is��astronomically different from today,”��she says. “Alternative living, in my case��vanlife, is a financial breath of fresh air. It provides the ability to pay off debts, save money for a future home, and create beautiful memories along the way.”

The single mom travels the country with her daughter, who��she homeschools. While the van satisfies Van Horne’s dream of traveling full-time, it gives her family something even better: “I breathe easier knowing that I can save money for my daughter’s college education, while still putting money away.”

Kingsman, the blogger, thinks the increased accessibility to a wider range of social classes may be one of the reasons RV experiences are appealing to more��solo women, families, and people of color.

“My image of people who��travel��in RVs and camper vans was mainly older, wealthier, white couples,” says��Kingsman. “Even when hiking and camping, which usually have��a younger demographic, I was often the only Black woman in the area. Recently, I’ve noticed a huge surge of diversity in the RV and camper community.”

Kibbo is aware of the outdoor industry’s push for diversity, and it’s��hoping to be a safe community for groups��who may have historically been excluded from outdoor recreation. This includes developing a holistic strategy with advisers and board members to include people of diverse backgrounds��as well as��speaking with potential customers about��challenges they may face on the road so that the company��can adjust accordingly during the initial launch phase.��“We are open to everyone��and are intentionally trying to foster a diverse community and actively invite people from all walks of life to participate, particularly people of color, women, and the LGBTQ��community,” O’Donnell says.

Cabana, Kibbo, and Mybushotel’s adaptability could pay off immensely, especially if they continue to focus on catering to new RV enthusiasts. From providing a safe travel experience to remote-friendly housing, these companies illustrate a larger, more permanent shift toward��mobile living.

“COVID showed us that cities can change overnight, but this isn’t just about the pandemic,” says��O’Donnell. “When everything is changing—consumer trends, economic opportunity, climate, health situations—you need services that are adaptable and responsive.”

The post The New Camper Companies Redefining Road Travel appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Update: On September 14, for nearly $368 million dollars.

It was supposed to represent the future of the office: in 2018, REI broke ground on a corporate headquarters intended to embody its company culture. The eight-acre campus, in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, was imagined as a playground of outdoor amenities, including a fire pit and a blueberry bog. Sleek garage-style doors would let air into the office, while courtyards blooming with native plants would serve as alfresco conference rooms. The Wall Street Journal “the most outdoorsy HQ ever.” Fast Company joked that REI was building “.” Move-in was slated for summer 2020.

But now the future of the office may be no office, and instead of taking up residence in Bellevue, REI is responding to the pandemic by putting its never used, nearly finished HQ for an undisclosed sum. “The dramatic events of 2020 have challenged us to reexamine and rethink every aspect of our business and many of the assumptions of the past,” CEO Eric Artz in a video call last Wednesday.

Coming as it does after months of cuts—REI roughly 300 corporate employees in April and 400 retail employees in July—the decision could be a sign that the company needs to raise cash to retain its remaining workforce. Or the sharp pivot could be an indication that REI, the first major outdoor retailer to follow in the footsteps of ��and�� by declaring remote work a central part of its future, is thinking a step ahead of its peers.

Most likely, there’s truth in both interpretations. In an interview with ���ϳԹ���, REI’s chief customer officer, Ben Steele, emphasized the strategic benefits of the decision while acknowledging the need to recoup the spring’s losses. “It’s important to replenish the balance sheet so that we can be prepared for the storms ahead,” he says.

REI that it would suffer a 30 percent drop in revenue compared to the previous year. Since then, most of its 162 stores have reopened, and people driven outdoors in search of safe fun have created what Steele calls��“unprecedented demand” for everything from boats to bikes to camping gear. Though a strong summer won’t fully make up for a spring of what outdoor-industry experts told ���ϳԹ��� were “jaw dropping” losses, REI has revised its financial predictions in a more optimistic direction. “We went from asking questions about what we needed to do to stabilize��to asking what decisions we can make to help us build our future,” Steele says.

That future will benefit from an influx of capital whenever REI sells its headquarters, he��says. Several buyers, including Facebook, are , according to��the Seattle Times. REI hasn’t announced what it spent to build its offices and won’t comment on a possible sales price other than to say that the company expects “a positive return on our four-year investment.” It seems fair to ask whether the new age of remote work might be a less than ideal time to put a corporate campus on the market, but Steele says��that REI “will look for and expect premium pricing.” In the years to come, the company envisions allowing employees to “flex” between working remotely and commuting to one of three smaller satellite��spaces in the Seattle area.

Some of the savings from downsizing will be directed toward meeting the new forms of demand that the pandemic has brought into play. “As a lot of shopping and transactional behavior moved online, we’ve seen places where we need to improve,” Steele says. “REI is known for its in-store expertise and experience, so we’re thinking about things like virtual outfitting to see: Can you have that experience online? Curbside pickup is not something that we see going away—people like the convenience. There are ways we want to invest to make that better for customers��and also for employees.”

It’s also impossible to say how far away the post-pandemic future remains—another reason that REI may be making the right move by unloading an expensive asset. “There are a lot of unknowns in the next year or two,” points out Jessica Wahl, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable trade association. Even if demand for outdoor gear is high, no one knows for sure how the pandemic will continue to depress spending power��or disrupt the supply chains that retailers rely on for products. “Companies are making budget cuts that are not indicative of their health today but are setting them up for success if that health changes,” Wahl says. “You have to plan for what it looks like if things get really bad.”

With remote work the only option for many businesses at this time, it’s not hard to imagine that other outdoor retailers may soon follow REI’s example. “REI is a leader in our industry,” says Lise��Aangeenbrug, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association. “Any time they make a decision like this, it impacts everyone, including their vendors, who will think, Well, if REI did this, should I?”

REI’s plan is on trend with the future of office work that experts across many fields have begun to predict. In for the Harvard Business Review, a group of researchers at the architecture and design firm HLW argued that companies should seek ways to balance the benefits of remote work—increased flexibility, freedom from commuting—with the fact that “people will still need places where they can come together, connect, build relationships, and develop their careers.” The authors propose that satellite offices represent an ideal compromise, both because their small size supports close collaboration��and because, “from a resilience perspective,” they provide more places where people can work through natural disasters, power outages, and other disruptions.

Ultimately, Steele argues that instituting flexible policies vis-à-vis geography might fit REI’s culture better than any headquarters, even one created��with a blueberry bog. “We’re a national organization, and life outdoors looks different in, say, Atlanta than it does in Seattle��than it does in Minneapolis or L.A.,” he says. By necessity, the inventory in any given REI store reflects the natural landscape of the place where it’s located, but the company’s corporate employees have never been likewise dispersed. Steele points out: “To have that model stretch into HQ is an interesting possibility.”

The post Why REI Is Selling Its Brand-New Headquarters appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

For 25��years, an oceanographic buoy�� has been moored in the middle of the Bering Sea��collecting data on ocean conditions��for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2017, it��picked up something extraordinary: the siren song of North Pacific right whales, an endangered species so rare that scientists say tracking one down is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Nearly��2,000��miles away, in Seattle, an environmental educator and boat captain named Kevin Campion was also searching for��signs of the whale. Campion, a 42-year-old West Coast skater turned biologist, was a few years into a about the whales��and nearly a decade into an obsession with them. After a failed attempt to spot them during the summer of 2017, and spurred by Peggy’s findings, Campion blocked off two weeks of the summer of 2019, borrowed a friend’s boat, and roped in two crew members. In August 2019, the team crisscrossed��a��200-nautical-mile stretch of Bering Sea that is the whales’ critical habitat, running the boat’s hydrophone in hopes of hearing what Peggy had.

We know surprisingly little about the species the Center for Biological Diversity calls . We know they can live at least 70 years, and that they get huge—up to 100 tons��and 65 feet long. Thanks to , we think they migrate from California to the Bering Sea, and that there are two surviving populations: one of about 300 whales on the western side of their migration range, and one of about 30 whales on the eastern side, which Campion is tracking.��

We know they still exist because there were two sightings off the coast of British Columbia in 2013, more than 60 years after the last sighting in the area,��and because the acoustic recorder on Peggy captured their song in 2017. That same year,��NOAA recorded several other sightings, including one of a young whale—a hopeful sign that the whales were still reproducing.

North Pacific right whales are members of the baleen whale family, a close relative to the slightly less rare—but much more studied— and whales, which have become a larger part of the conversation about marine-mammal conservation. (They’re all related to the , whose population is endangered but increasing). The recording captured on Peggy��recently that the North Pacific right was a distinct species, because the others don’t sing.

Before whaling took off in the region in the 1830s,��there were an estimated 30,000 North Pacific right whales. Those numbers were quickly decimated: the species is fatter and floatier��than other whales, which made them prime targets for whalers looking for oily blubber. Like most whales, they have long life spans and reproduce slowly; that��hinders population regrowth,��though��it has been illegal to hunt them since 1937. By 1951, when one was documented as having been��killed illegally at a whaling station in Coal Harbor, British Columbia, the North Pacific rights had all but vanished. It has been listed as an endangered species since 1970.

So it seemed to Campion that scientists should have a better handle on these whales. How—in the age of and ��and Google Maps��and Peggy—can the life of an enormous rare creature remain a mystery? How can something so big just disappear?

Campion is a biologist who has sailed vast swaths of the world’s oceans��and runs a marine-science program called Deep Green Wilderness in Seattle. He’s been obsessed with whales since he was a kid, but he had never heard of the species before 2013, when the second North Pacific right to be seen in 60 years was spotted near Vancouver Island. He started reading up and asking the whale researchers he knew about them. Soon��the mystery of the North Pacific rights had pulled him in, in part because their disappearance from human view and scientific study struck him as near mythical.��“The deeper I dug, the less people knew about them,” he says.��

For two summers, Campion has led a crew on trips to search for the whales. The first time, in 2017, Campion’s crew spent about six weeks circling Vancouver Island, where that single North Pacific right had been spotted four years earlier.��He tracked down Brian Gisborne, the 60-year-old former commercial fisherman who had seen the whale in 2013. (Gisborne used to run a water-taxi business��and is contracted by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans to look for rare species. “He’s spent years of his life at sea,” Campion says. “If anyone had the rights to find something rare, it was this guy.”) Gisborne was initially reticent, but once he warmed up, he shared a wealth of information about where the whales might want to eat��and what topographical features might give them trouble. “We were pretty sure we weren’t going to see one,” Campion says.��“But the researchers were like, ‘You might!’”��

Their first trip was fruitless, whale-wise. But “might” was enough for Campion and his crew to try again in 2019 in the Bering Sea, motivated in part by the��groundbreaking recording captured on the Peggy buoy. By then��the whales had become a focal point of Campion’s lifelong environmentalism: he wanted people to care about the fragile state of the oceans as passionately as he did, and the North Pacific rights were an enigmatic and especially endangered victim of them. By that point, he and his crew had been working on making a film��about the whales since 2017. A sighting, he believed, would help highlight the charismatic megafauna. After all, it’s hard for people to care about things they don’t know about.

When Campion’s crew began��the��second whale expedition, he couldn’t help but get his hopes up. As they headed north, during what was��an unusually warm summer, he felt like they might have a chance. They had diligently researched the most likely place to catch up to the whales��and the time of year that they had the best chance of spotting them. Campion talked to , the scientist who had identified the song of the North Pacific right that was recorded on Peggy. He dove into all the data and reports he could find��and tracked the history of places the whales had been seen. They planned their trip based on whale��behavior as much as possible.

They traveled to the Bering Sea during a year of very low sea ice. If sea-ice concentration is high, then the abundance and concentration of baleen whales’��prey is also high—meaning a buffet for the whales. However, when there is minimal sea ice, there’s a decrease in prey abundance and concentration (which adds another stress variable for the whales, who are already routinely threatened by ships, fishing nets, and ocean noise). They crisscrossed the sea in the heat, recording their journey for their upcoming , which��will reveal the details of the trip, Campion says. He hopes to complete the film later this year.

During these expeditions, and as a result of his research��and his conversations with the few other obsessive people who have tried to track the whale, Campion became even more concerned with how ignored the species was in conservation circles. It seemed, to him, like crazy negligence��on behalf of the government, environmental groups, and anyone��who loves marine mammals. Why wasn’t more information available for a general audience?��

“More than I want to see one, I feel pretty obligated to share, now that I know the story as well as I do,” Campion says. “If people don’t know about them,��we’re not going to be able to save them.”��

Conservation efforts are often dedicated to charismatic megafauna like whales,��and publicity campaigns often hinge on a visual representation of how the appealing creature is being harmed. It would seem that North Pacific rights are ignored mostly because they are so rarely sighted, even compared to their close relatives.��An interesting analogy to the North Pacific rights’��place in species-protection efforts are North��Atlantic rights, which have��become a celebrated figurehead of marine-mammal conservation. Nearly all North��Atlantic rights have been identified and are carefully tracked by human beings. We know what’s going on with them, their plight is highly visible to researchers and the public, and the public seems to adore them. “Every time one of those whales died, there would be a New York Times story,” Campion says. “Even West Coast news organizations would mention Atlantic whales—it’s crazy.”��

Conservation groups have designated 2020 as the year of the right whale��family, but that campaign focuses on the less threatened North��Atlantic species. In 2013, NOAA issued a formal ,��but so far it’s largely been a nonstarter. Even in circles focused on identifying and protecting whales, the North Pacific right seems invisible.��

Once Campion’s film is done, he plans to launch other initiatives, like a postcard campaign to the Department of Commerce,��which, in addition to NOAA, is partially responsible for the recovery plan.��“No one has been hammering on it,” Campion says.��NOAA has received funding for inexpensive projects, like maintaining the acoustic recorder on Peggy, but it isn’t enough for large-scale vessel surveys and fieldwork.��

Campion admits that positioning himself as an advocate for��an enigmatic, struggling species is exhausting. Sometimes it feels like screaming at a wall, he says. But he doesn’t want to give up on his quest to save the rarest whale in the world.��

“These whales are very likely going to go extinct, potentially in my lifetime,” he says, “It seems like��telling this story��is what I can do right now.”

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Those of us fortunate enough to be in a position to daydream about traveling��when it’s safe to do so��again may have seen some crazy-low ticket prices of late—from $400 round-trip flights to Japan, Iceland, and Norway to $200 fares to Hawaii. As airlines have essentially ground��to a halt right now, they’re slashing some future fares dramatically in an effort to encourage people to buy flights for trips down the road. Many carriers��have also temporarily suspended change and cancellation fees, which can cost a few hundred dollars per ticket. But if you’re thinking of buying, there are some risks to be aware of��and also some mixed messages. Because the timeline of COVID-19 remains uncertain and��tourist destinations are��, while��some travel companies are��, how do you decide how far out it’s safe to plan a trip, what deals to jump on, and what to do if your plans need to be pushed back further? Here’s everything you should know before you book, according to industry experts.

Check the Terms of Your Airline’s Change and Cancellation Policies

Most major airlines, like ,��, , and��, have issued statements that change fees will be waived for flights booked before March 31. (Since the time of publication, many airlines have now extended this policy into April.) ��If you purchase a ticket before each airlines cutoff date, if need be, you’ll be able to change your flight to a new date or destination. Delta, for example, is ��previously purchased flights scheduled for��March, April, and May for an e-credit to be used within two years��of the original ticket date. It��will also permit an unlimited number of date, origin, and destination changes for free on new bookings for future trips made before April 15.

But be sure to double-check the terms of an airline’s change policies before you book, because��each company’s terms��continue��to evolve rapidly.

Don’t Rely on Travel-Insurance Policies to Cover COVID-19 for Future Trips

Because the coronavirus pandemic is now a “known issue,”��travel insurance on future trips won’t offer you the blanket peace of mind that it may have several months ago. According to Phil Sylvester, a spokesperson for the adventure travel insurance company , “If there is currently a Do Not Travel alert for a destination, it’s going to be next to impossible to purchase insurance—temporarily—for a trip there scheduled for even months in the future.” Travel restrictions around the world are , and your coverage is essentially voided if you travel in spite of a country’s advisories, Sylvester says.

Policies for future travel vary from company to company. For example, ��and ��are still selling insurance for future trips, but their standard policies won’t cover any cancellations or illness related to COVID-19. Your best bet is to try to purchase a cancel-for-any-reason policy, which usually covers a percentage of a future trip for any reason should you need to cancel it, sometimes including COVID-19. But at this time, not every company is offering cancel-for-any-reason policies. Whatever you do, it’s crucial to ask very specific questions about what a policy will cover��and read the fine print before you buy��it. Coverage qualifications are evolving��and also vary based on the state you live in.

Wait as Long as You Can to Cancel an Existing or Future Flight

Whether you booked a flight for travel in April��or are��looking into a trip ten��months from now, Scott Keyes��of ��recommends holding out as long as you can before canceling your flight. Why? Because if the airline has to cancel a flight on you, it��typically offers a cash refund if it��can’t rebook you on another option, Keyes says. But if you make the first move and cancel the flight, it��usually offers��a travel credit instead. He recommends waiting 24 to 48 hours before your flight to cancel.

This Might Not Be Your Only Chance to Find a Deal

Keyes says the economic turmoil airlines are currently facing could lead to longer-term increased leniency with fee waivers, an extended period of slashed fares to encourage nervous passengers to get back on planes, and experimentation with flexibility as a competitive advantage. “I would be a bit surprised if these [change] policies last well beyond the outbreak, but I wouldn’t be as shocked as if you’d told me three months ago all airlines would waive change fees for all tickets,” Keyes says. “Now��I think it’s within the realm of possibility.”

If You Want to Book, How Far Out Should You Be Looking?

While the is still largely unknown, Scott Mayerowitz, executive editorial director of��, recently said in a that he’s still hoping to take a trip to Portugal he has planned for May, while Scott’s Cheap Flights is currently looking at prices past July. “And I would only book on an airline that’s offering to waive change or cancellation fees,” Keyes says.

Based on input from our travel sources, we found flights to international adventure destinations for August and beyond with airlines that will allow you to change or cancel right up to your departure date.

August

��on��Delta

��on Delta, Icelandair, and��United

��on��American and Avianca

September

��on��Finnair and Swiss International Air Lines

��on American and��United

��

��on��Korean Air

October

��on Aeromexico

��on American and��United

November

��on��Finnair

��on��Virgin Atlantic

December

��on��American

��on��Delta

January

��on��United

��on Lufthansa and��Swiss International Air Lines

This story has been updated to reflect current airlines policies and dates.

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