Humans Outside

When was the last time you really noticed your world by focusing on one of your five senses? That's something Gretchen Rubin talked about in her episode with Humans Outside, and it's something I've recently been asking myself as I head outside daily. What would happen if I spent some time noticing each sense outside? What would I find? What would I experience? Listen now!   Connect with this episo...

It can be easy to think of practices like rewilding and mindfulness as being habits of only extra-zen, nature-based people. But if you're someone who likes to go outside or is building an outdoor habit, they are probably already a part of what you're doing, at least a little. So how can you do it more? And if you don't think you've added them, how can you make them happen while balancing a modern...

Heading into nature has a way of bringing plenty of challenges, whether you want them or not. Those can be anything from the weather to the creatures or even people you meet there. And just how good you feel about tackling those things can change day-by-day. So how do you know when to push outside your comfort zone, and when to simply let it slide? The answer is a little more complicated than it m...

The situation is this: I was simply not prepared for the idea of needing to mentally power through summer. But here we are. Whether it's heat that melts your hair, or chilly rain that requires three jackets, bad weather can really kill the summer good attitude vibe. The bad news? There's nothing you can do about that. The good news? This is when that outdoor habit comes in for the win. Here's how...

Simple. Boring. Tired. You might think of just going for a regular walk as being something only people with nothing better to do make a part of their daily lives. But what if going for a walk isn't only an easy way to spend time outside, but also one that's so varied and beneficial that understanding the practice is a matter of scientific research? Author Annabel Streets was so startled by how muc...

Now - whenever now is for you -- is the perfect time to try something new outside. It doesn't have to be complicated, far away, scary or wild. It just has to be new. I'm coming to you live from a campground on the Kenai Peninsula during a week packed with new things. New-to-me things have been all the rage for me recently thanks to a work assignment. And now I'm hoping you'll join me. Here's one n...

The solstice - winter or summer - offers a time to pause in appreciation of what the light brings. And while it also feels like an acknowledgement of what is leaving or no longer present, there's plenty of good to be found outside in the world and inside ourselves and the other humans around us. So how am I celebrating the light? Listen now. Some of the good stuff: [:35] Solstice and what it didn'...

If you love spending time in nature like it's your job, you might start looking for ways to make that literally true. If that's you, you're not alone -- it's the inspiration behind the careers of many members of the outdoor industry. But how do you make the jump from one industry to another? And is making nature your job a good idea? Those are just some of the questions Jenna Celmer helps address...

What happens when all of your tasks are outside but none of your nurturing? Can you lose sight of why you built an outdoor habit to start with? And how do you take a pause to reassess? In seasons where tasks take us into the great outdoors, it's easy to lose sight of why you want to be there, finding yourself just exhausted as always, but this time exhausted outside. So what should you do? Listen...

When was the last time you took a road trip near where you live and did some of the regular tourist stuff outside? That's what I've been up to on a week-long adventure traveling a portion of the Kenai Peninsula as I work on a writing assignment. I've met all sorts of interesting people and tried a bunch of new (to me) things -- river floating, Alaska whitewater rafting, gold mining and ziplining....

When schools is out and so is the sun, it can feel like a waste to spend the day inside. But soaring temperatures can make getting outside just seem so hard -- especially if you're trying to take children with you for more than just some fun in the backyard. How do you get outside with kids in the heat, avoid the meltdowns -- literally and figurative -- and have an enjoyable and enriching time? Ad...

When summer is short and you want to do everything, having a goal or adventure list for each summer can help keep you from feeling paralyzed by options. And having one that's designed to give you something to do for just a few hours on any given afternoon? That keeps the fun rolling without exhausting everyone in the process. So how can you create a goal list that hits the mark without feeling imp...

Most of the time, it's a little in my head that tells me I can do things or narrates when they feel like they are about to go very wrong. Sometimes it's more like a movie -- a dramatic demonstration of the terrible thing that's about to happen, or a picture of the upcoming victory. According to our recent podcast guest Sarah Histand, a mental health-informed fitness trainer all of it is self-talk....

Maybe it's something you quietly tell yourself over and over again -- actual words, floating through your brain in a steady monologue. Maybe it's more like a movie, as you visualize what happens next while you work through any given challenge. But all of it can be categorized as "self-talk," and it holds surprising sway over whether we feel like whatever it is we're doing will be incredible -- or...

We're outside for the joy of nature and to experience all heading out there has to offer us. But sometimes the thing it offers is a little bit less earthy and a little more human. It's a chance to see humans at their best, moving through something challenging together and holding each other up along the way. Experiencing that is the joy of being outside with humans. And it's something you shouldn'...

Have you ever felt compelled to tackle a big journey outside? Big is always relative, but for this podcast guest it was really, really big -- canoeing the Mississippi River from source to sea for over 130 days. An indigenous Latina who was born in Ecuador, Cory Maria Dack worked with a pair of other women paddlers to make the journey and highlight the need to bridge equity gaps in the outdoors for...

If you follow me you know I run. But what got me started is an entirely different story. My first runs were done as a way to honor, remember and move with others through grief. Today it helps me move through everything. When it comes to marking Memorial Day, taking purposeful steps forward is a powerful way to do it. In this episode you can hear some of my running back story and learn how you can...

When the doctors told her she couldn't do anything because of her rare brain disease, she decided to instead do everything. After all, if she was going to be working through its fallout, why not work through it outside? Crystal Gail Welcome didn't grow-up looking at nature as nature, per se. But after a grounding experience in a park with a friend, she made the dramatic decision to become a thru-h...

It's that moment where you know something big is coming -- maybe not what, maybe not what will happen -- but you can feel it coming in your soul. It is standing on the edge of something large, the moment before the leap, or the wave's crash or when you simply take flight. I just made a huge life decision, and it has me contemplating how this moment before the action feels and looks. Connect with t...

Taking kids outside? Then you know the struggle. No matter how fun the thing you're planning is likely to be, getting the crew out the door with all of the necessary belongings and good attitudes intact is a real challenge. So what are some strategies to get kids out into nature all year long without the fun unraveling into a fight? In this episode of Humans Outside mom and creator of the All Weat...

A new feature-length documentary streaming and airing on PBS nationwide and showing in some theaters is all about mental health and healing from trauma -- and it features me and my family and follows our life in Alaska. Want to see it? Here's how. Connect with this episode: Watch the "Unconditional" trailer Get tickets to see Unconditional in person until May 6 Join the Humans Outside Challenge Fo...

Sometimes the best way to understand the importance of connecting to your place in the world is through wandering away from it. And when we pair that with spending time in the wild outdoors, we might also learn that things aren't quite as wild as they seemed from the outside. Maybe what you think of as "wild" others simply consider "home." John Messick, author of the new book Compass Lines, is cur...

Keeping a daily habit, any habit, comes with a risk that it eventually transforms from something you want to do into something that's simply a chore. You do it without thinking. It's so a part of who you are that you may not even remember if you did it or not. I don't want my outdoor habit to be a chore. I want it to feel like recess, a concept introduced to me by New York Times best-selling autho...

What would you find if you spent your outdoor time focused on experiencing life through your five senses? I don't mean just soaking in the great outdoors by seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, but by adding an intentional focus to explore what each of them adds. That's a question New York Times best-selling author Gretchen Rubin asks through her new book Life In Five Senses and is act...

Is it possible to lean into preservation and conservation while also spending a ton of time outside? And if you want to be earth-friendly while also being an avid earth-user, how can you balance a desire to leave no trace while still getting out there? In this episode of the Humans Outside Outdoor Diary, I talk about a few simple steps I take to be earth-friendly while still using nature daily. An...