Why Do Trails Exist?

Drew Smith is one of the most highly respected outdoor adventure photographers in the game. His work has brought him to more than two dozen countries, and his skills in the mountains make him a top choice for professional athletes looking for a photographer who can keep up. In this episode, he takes us through four projects that have shaped his career as a creator, and we talk about the important lessons he's learned along the way.  Support comes from The Wilderness Society: Add your voice: Public lands are not for sale! Oboz Submit your comment about the Roadless Rule by Oct 6th. Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store ⁠goodr⁠: Get $10 off your first order at ⁠goodr.com/DIARIES⁠ Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Ready to take another action? Check out the Save Public Lands Day campaign that Duct Tape Then Beer is running.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Mark Kenyon and Fitz Cahall may not appear to have much in common. Mark got his start in the outdoors at a family hunting cabin in the forest lands of Northern Michigan, and Fitz dirtbagged around the American West in the back of his Tacoma. Their passions in the outdoors might be different, but their resolve to protect public lands is just the same.    Join us and sign the petition.  Learn more about Save Public Lands Day Support comes from ⁠Oboz⁠  ⁠Kodiak⁠ Find Kodiak at ⁠kodiakcakes.com⁠ or your local grocery store Kuat Racks  Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

The Forest Service has proposed to rescind the Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 45 million acres of National Forest. These forests play a role in maintaining clean water and air, wildlife habitat and provide lots of recreational access for climbing, hiking, biking and paddling.     Today, Tracy Stone-Manning, executive director of the Wilderness Society and former director of the Bureau of Land Management, joins us to talk about why Roadless Areas matter, the latest efforts to dismantle protections for our public lands, and how to write your best comment.  The Wilderness Society has made it easy to add your voice to the discussion about the Roadless Rule. Comments due Monday, September 21st. And Then What series made possible by Diaries+ Members You can join today.

“When we were living in a house, we were always compromising because we had the weight of a mortgage, of doing what we thought we should be doing,” remembers Kathy Holcombe. Until the day, she, her husband, Peter, and their daughter Abby moved into a Winnebago to travel and work from the road. “I want her to see that she can do that too: whatever her wildest dreams are, to chase them and not stop until they come true,” says Kathy. Abby’s dream? To kayak the entire 280-miles of the classic Grand Canyon run. But how does a 12 year-old arrive at a place where this goal is even conceivable? First, lots of kayaking. But, as in any sport, Abby must learn to walk up to her fears and pick them apart before deciding whether to go or not go. You can follow all of the Holcombes on social. Abby, Peter and Kathy!    Support comes from ⁠Oboz⁠ : Comment on the Roadless Rule by Sept 21 Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Trails are hewn from granite, carved into sandstone cliffs and engineered into our most iconic landscapes. Other times, they offer just the faintest hint of the passing of those before us. Either way, we often take their existence for granted. Today with the help of author Dillon Osleger we ask the seemingly simple question “Why do trails exist?” Read Dillon’s book: Trail Work Support comes from ⁠Oboz⁠: ⁠⁠Comment on the Roadless Rule⁠ by Sept 21 Kuat Racks  Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

How do we love those we have lost? In two essays, Mike Foote and Natasha Buffo explore how the memory of their parents guide them through life’s biggest moments—from a grueling hundred-mile run to the choice to become a mother. Support comes from⁠⁠ Oboz⁠⁠ : ⁠Comment on the Roadless Rule⁠ by Sept 21⁠ Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Libby Costello and Sophia Walters met as teammates on the UCLA rowing team, but after graduation, they each struggled to reimagine what the sport would mean to them without the structure of Division 1 athletics. Years later, the two friends came back together with an audacious goal: to row self-supported across the Pacific Ocean. With the freedom of a month in the open ocean, the two friends reclaim their relationship to their shared passion.  Support comes from Kuat Racks  Oboz  Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Born and raised in Hawaii, World Champion spear fisher and renowned chef Kimi Werner has travelled around the world to catch and cook fish big and small, educating others how to lead a life of sustainable consumption. Those are just a few reasons producer Marco Siler-Gonzales spent three years running down an interview with her. In her new book, Kimi’s Kitchen, Kimi connects the many lessons learned in the water to the cherished meals she’s passing down to her son and how we can all reconnect with what makes us feel at home. Support comes from Oboz  Kodiak Find Kodiak at kodiakcakes.com or your local grocery store Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

In late summer of 2025, Kurt Refsnider straddled the Canadian border in Washington, pointing his bike south towards the border of Mexico. He was about to bring concept to reality: the first rider to attempt the Orogenesis trail, a decades long pursuit to bring a mammoth single track through-ride across the entire pacific crest of the United States and Mexico. This is a story of how a trail is made.  Orogenesis Collective is raising $250K by the end of the year to care for the trail.  Listen to Fitz’s story about riding the Oregon Timber Trail (Apple | Spotify) Support comes from Kuat Racks  Oboz Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.

Tyler and Paul, two fathers at different ends of the parenting spectrum, contend with what it means to live an adventurous life as a parent. As they embark on challenges of their own, they both come away with new perspectives on how to define success in the outdoors.  Support comes from Kuat Racks  Oboz  Darn Tough () Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order.  Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today and get episodes ad free.