by Kenny Gorham – MTB Guide and Owner of Bighorn Mountain Biking The familiar subtropical forests I knew by heart were replaced by towering orange mesas, sprawling sagebrush lowlands, and ancient sandstone arches. When I moved to Moab in 2017, everything I knew from the forested trails near my hometown of Tampa had to be updated—the mountain biking was so totally different. Gone were the lush glades of the Gulf Coast and in were slick rock trails that turn to peanut butter in rain and delicate cryptobiotic crust susceptible to trampling. In order to recreate responsibly here, I needed a whole ..read more

Did you know only 5% of Grand Canyon visitors hike below the rim? No doubt the views at the top are stunning, but the sights inside are even better. Descending from the lip you are absorbed by interchanging layers of beige and red limestones, sandstones, and shales dripping down the sheer walls like grains in an hourglass. Each band reveals a different chapter of geologic history. To brush against rock nearly 70 million years old, you have to go down, down, down. But this is no walk in the park. With over 5,000 feet of elevation loss to the bottom and average temperatures in the summer reachin ..read more

Three million hikers get on the Appalachian Trail every year.  Let that sink in. Three million people leave their footprints—and their waste more often than not—slopped along the wilderness of this monumental, 2,190-mile footpath.  For millions more, the A.T. has been a source of inspiration and joy for nearly a century. They go for the forest and wild lands, fulfillment and friendship, solitude or any other which reason… but no one goes to see trash strewn about or rundown huts along the way. Unfortunately, that’s what happened during the pandemic, big time. The most important thing ..read more

The “golden days” of crowd-free slopes have been gone for a while.  Whether it’s a dawn patrol Glory lap or a long tour in Grand Teton National Park, chasing the endless backcountry skiing in Jackson Hole is a near-daily routine for the folks who’ve carved out a life here—as well as the tens of thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage to these iconic slopes.  These days, however, popular backcountry areas are starting to look like resort mogul fields. Any time there’s fresh snow it’s a mad dash to the trailhead, and we’re all guilty of getting a little ahead of ourselves when th ..read more

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: The post The Manaslu Circuit — The Hidden Gem of Nepali Hiking appeared first on 57hours - Discover amazing outdoor adventures ..read more

57hours Guide Education Fund: Developing The Next Generation of Mountain Guides We work with over 400 guides across the world, and one common denominator resonates among them all: professional courses are expensive.  That’s why we started the Guide Education Fund, which is designed to alleviate some of the financial burdens associated with both entering the guiding industry and career advancement. 1% of our yearly profit goes towards scholarships to help pay for guide courses, exams, and travel expenses. We Are Proud to Offer Up to $8,000 in Scholarship Funding in 2022 The funds are to be ..read more

When I first moved to New York from Macau, it was incredibly hard to find a climbing partner.  There weren’t that many Asians in the climbing world (yet!), and the few friends I had at the time said climbing was crazy and declined going out with me. For meeting other people, my somewhat broken English didn’t help. The good news was that I loved—and still love—teaching.  If there weren’t partners already out there for me, I would help create some! I got the opportunity to teach as a part of the Mountain Education Alliance LEAD Program. Photo courtesy of Anthony LeongWhy Don’t You Turn ..read more

When I first heard of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) nearly six years ago, I didn’t even know guiding was a career option. I was new to the outdoor industry and my only experience so far had been through an undergraduate outdoor recreation program. After graduating, I started climbing consistently and it quickly became a huge part of my life. While I developed as an outdoor educator, rock climbing was the one thing that continued to call my attention. Through my career in outdoor ed I began to learn the intricacies of rock climbing. At the time, I had endless questions about t ..read more

I didn’t expect to endanger a cheetah on my first trip to Kenya’s Masai Mara. But as the driver of our van revved the engine, the cheetah leapt to its feet and retreated into the bush, startled by the clamoring vehicle, kicked up dust, and exclaiming tourists frantically trying to photograph it. The worry, the cheetah, forced me to wonder: what was I doing here? Two zebra gallop away from our vehicle in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Photo by Tate DruckerGoing for broke It was my fourth year traveling in East Africa, but this was the first time my perception of safaris began to unravel. I had booked the ..read more

Seeing Machu Picchu at sunrise is the highlight of the four-day Inca Trail. Photo courtesy of Marinel Malvar de Jesus Many hikers deem the classic four-day Inca Trail a must-do, in part because the trek leads you to the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. I had the privilege to hike it myself in 2012 when I led a trip to Peru with 30 hikers from Washington, DC. It was my first time trekking at high altitude in the Andes mountains, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The Inca Trail winds through a variety of landscapes ranging from rain forests to cloud-covered peaks, and ultimately, to th ..read more