Feathered Friends Blog

Loneliness, Warmth, and Finding Home in South Dakota’s Black Hills

Guest post by Korrin L. Bishop. 

A -10 degree night is the kind of cold that settles deep into your bones and finds a way to creep into your heart. A chill in the heart serves to over-activate the brain, and left unchecked, can spiral into loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Luckily, the antidote is fairly simple—warmth.

 

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Climbing at the Edge of Nowhere

This post is one of a series highlighting the outdoors experience of Feathered Friends employees. Written by Mandy Godwin. 

The first I learn about his Aconcagua trip, Mike Burns is standing behind the desk at the Feathered Friends flagship Seattle store and holding a sheet of photo slides up to the light. He passes me the loupe, and holding the lens to the page, I see with incredible lucidity an image of him twenty years younger, wearing bright primary colors at high altitude in South America.

 

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One Season, 28 Volcanoes: Two Women Take on the Cascades

This post is one of a series that takes a closer look at the lives of Feathered Friends Ambassadors. Written by Mandy Godwin

Madeline Dunn picks up the phone a few minutes after getting off a plane in Utah. She’s just flown in to meet Kate Carothers, her friend and 2018 Volcano Project climbing partner, in the Wasatch Mountains for a day of spontaneous training. After an entire season of living in different states, planning together but training separately, today marks their first day back in the mountains together—a milestone in the preparation for this summer’s ambitious ski mountaineering project.

 

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Down Care Guide

Down is an absolutely amazing material, and with a little extra love your gear can be the gift that keeps on giving for a long time.

Below are the best practices to keep your favorite jacket, sleeping bag, or comforter fluffy and warm for years to come.

 

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Summer on the Divide: A Thru-Hiker’s Notes on the Continental Divide Trail

Our own Tessa McGee reflects on her time hiking the Continental Divide Trail. Words and images by Tessa McGee.

I’m not sure how to tell this story. I’m not much of a storyteller and there are a lot of ways to sum something like this up. A recap feels a bit like trying to tie a little bow around some unruly pile of junk. I find it hard to talk about thru-hiking without making too much out of too little, or too little out of too much. It’s not for anybody else, so sharing it feels a bit uncomfortable. But here it goes – in the spirit of reflection in the start of a New Year – I’ll try to strike a balance!

It was 136 days with 21 zeros (days off). June 28th – November 10th, 2017. Canada to Mexico through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. My hike was a little over 2700 miles.

 

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