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This film 'Fastest Known Time' gives context to a movement growing within the trail community: FKTs.

Ditching weight means going farther faster

Ditching weight means going farther faster

An energized group of explorers are bringing the spirit of wilderness through hiking to American cities. Record-breaking distance trekker Liz Thomas and others are altering how we see urban spaces and inviting folks new to the outdoors along for the fun.

With no official governing body, it’s up to athletes to prove their fastest-known-time claims. But as the stakes increase, substantiating these feats has become more complex than ever. For those who still intend to pursue an FKT, though, these guidelines will help.

Now you can be part of trail history by helping put signs up along America's often-overlooked (but perhaps most beautiful) thru-hike

It's not just that she's fast—it's that she didn't train at all

From filmmaker Pete Mcbride, Dust in the Blood chronicles McBride’s attempt to thru-hike the Grand Canyon with writer Kevin Fedarko.

Who cares how you funded your nice van or thru-hike? What matters is that you're spending time outside.

We asked a recent Appalachian Trail north-bounder to detail the most essential items during his 2,190-mile journey

The association that manages the West's premier national trail just paid $1.6 million to prevent a property owner from putting up a fence 150 miles shy of the Canadian border

At 82 years old, Dale "Greybeard" Sanders recently became the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

The Mid Caples Hut along the Greenstone-Caples Track services 5,000 trampers, New Zealand's name for a backpacker, annually.

Holly "Cargo" Harrison has finally reached the U.S. on a 15,000-mile hike through South and North America

On October 26, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders became the oldest person to thru-hike the nation’s most iconic wilderness trail

Christian Thomas, a.k.a. Buddy Backpacker, finished the Continental Divide Trail on September 18, becoming the youngest person to complete all three of the nation's longest hiking trails

They're durable, smartly built, and ridiculously comfy

Granite Gear has begun sponsoring thru-hikers on iconic trails across the world in an effort to promote trash collection and the pack-it-out mentality.

Here's some key equipment and planning advice from a first-timer who just completed the Appalachian Trail

Backpacking a trail of biblical proportions

The former fastest woman to hike the AT is stitching together ambitious routes right in the middle of urban civilization

What you eat while on the trail can make or break your ability to make it to the finish

Advice for taking a really, really long hike with your significant other

And the potentially catastrophic injuries he suffered make the time even more impressive

August’s full solar eclipse is the first visible from the United States since 1979. Traveling over 14 states on its way east, from Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse passes over the southern end of the Appalachian Trail - a 2,200-mile wilderness hike that winds from Georgia to Maine.

Another controversial speed attempt on the country's most popular trail points to the need for a better system for verifying hikers' times

We stopped six trekkers passing through Oregon to find out what they love most so far

We embrace the stereotype to salute the characters who add a little personality to all the backpacking trips we’ve ever taken

The Great Eastern Trail spans nine states and 1,600 miles just west of the Appalachian Trail, but private landowners, meager funding, and sluggish construction are holding up the completion of America's next big wilderness route

California's banner snowfall plus a record number of hikers have kept local search and rescue teams very, very busy

Part Burning Man, part Camino de Santiago, part Fringe Festival thrown in for good measure, Trail Days is 72 hours of hiking mayhem.

Facing a failed marriage and an underwhelming job, Tonya Holt decided to sell her belongings, cancel her apartment lease, and set out on a six-month wilderness backpacking trip. Who she’ll be when she finishes, she isn’t sure.

During the Spring of 2015, video editor Peter Hochhauser hopped on a plane from Austria and flew out to Southern California to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

As summer approaches, the risk of deadly heat stroke grows. Here’s a list of gear and advice on how to avoid it.

Jim Tabor began stashing hand-carved spoons along the AT six years ago as souvenirs for through-hikers. His creations have come to symbolize the generosity of the tight-knit trail community.

Watch to see why 20 Appalachian Trail thru-hikers decided to attempt the 2,200 mile journey this year.

In 1955, Emma Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the entire Appalachian Trail

This year, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates that 3,400 individuals will attempt a thru-hike, making it one of the busiest years in the trail’s history. We met up with a few of these hopefuls as they set out.

Exploration of these mountains isn’t new, but it wasn’t until five years ago that the first traverse of the entire range was completed, by Chase Norton, then a PhD student at the University of Hawai’i.

High-performance kit for the long way

We asked a group of pro outdoor athletes how they deal with conditions that can swing from sunny and warm to cold and dreary in an instant

The secret to ultimate fitness isn't all that complicated—just spend a month outside, hiking eight hours per day. Kyle Boelte breaks down how his body evolved into an efficient, fat-burning, testosterone-fueled machine over 29 days on the Colorado Trail.

Meet Seth Orme and Paul Twedt: these two make up the 'Packing It Out' crew and are bringing a new flare to environmental stewardship.

I figured anyone who's hiked hundreds of miles across the United States would probably have some useful advice, so I asked five Pacific Crest Trail veterans about the most essentials tools in their packs

���ϳԹ���rs plying thru-hikers with sodas and chicken wings might appall purists, but trail magic is here to stay—and that's a very good thing

Our writer Pete Brook has been on the Pacific Crest Trail since April. Here's the gear he says he can't live without.

Everything you need to know before you head out camping this summer

GPS trackers and cell phones give us a false sense of security in the wilderness. And with more thru-hikers than ever set to take on the Appalachian Trail this year, we should be on alert.