Each week, I bring you my most captivating discoveries in the areas of adventure, outdoor gear, travel, and wellness. Skyblue’s weekly report has it all. Read on to find out what you may have missed this week (8/21-8/27) and more!
Welcome to Skyblue’s Weekly Roundup!
This week, I’m bringing you the latest and greatest in adventure, outdoor gear, travel, and wellness. Get up to speed with all of the newest product updates, releases, and news from Skyblue’s weekly report. Read on for a roundup of what happened this past week (8/21-8/27) and more!
Highlights From The Week
This week, I published my Explorer’s Guide to the Olympic Peninsula Loop, Washington.
Writing this guide took me back to my days as a Seattle based hydrogeologist when I spent several months working on the Olympic Peninsula developing and testing of series high capacity (>500 to 1000 rpm) water wells for a variety of clients. Those assignments took me to Sequim, Port Angeles and a site just a few miles south of the Hoh Rainforest.
Beautiful sea stack at sunset from Second Beach near La Push, Washington.
This was my launching pad to tons of exploration throughout Olympic National Park’s many campsites and epic trails. I even spent a week on an assignment in the Elwah River Valley during the famous demolition of the Elwah Dam. I’m so lucky to have those experiences. If you’re ever in that part of the world, I hope our guides assist you find your own epic adventures.
G.L.R. (Gorge Lakes Rim) Scramble in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: We just updated our detailed trail review for the G.L.R. (Gorge Lakes Rim) Scramble. The attraction of the peaks is partly due to their isolated location, a fact that also makes the scramble more challenging. If you’d like to take on a 13-15-mile hike along the Continental Divide, which includes scrambling and conquering up to five summits, the Gorge Lakes Rim (G.L.R.) Scramble should be your next adventure.
End of Summer Sales Round Up: If you’re in the market for new gear to take with you on your outdoorsy escapades and adventures, these End of Summer sales can help you get better quality tools and supplies. We’ve rounded up all the top discounts from the top outdoor brands, including REI, Backcountry, Black Diamond, and many more. Now is the time to stock up on your outdoor essentials. Check out our annual Round Up of End of Summer Sales.
Adventure Travel
Escape Campervans’ Summer’s Not Over Yet Sale! 25% OFF Your Last-Minute Campervan Adventure With Escape Campervans. There’s still plenty of time to pack in some serious fun with 25% OFF DAILY RATES on ALL rental campervans and locations!
Complete with a convenient kitchenette, a cozy bed, and versatile interior space to hang out, these rental campervans are like a home-away-from-home that’s always ready for an adventure. Start planning your late-summer road trip today and use code EXTENDSUMMER to save 25%! Pick up: Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Chicago, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Seattle.
Christy Sports Seasonal Rentals are now Live for 2024/2025 Winter Season! RESERVE ONLINE AND AVOID THE RUSH. Save Up to 20%! Reserve your season rental gear now so you can shred later. Pick up your equipment when the leaves change and return when spring has sprung!
evoTrip Courses & Education Packages: Earn your turns and earn your stripes with evoTrip’s backcountry courses. From ski mountaineering to splitboarding, wilderness medicine to avalanche safety, evoTrip offers courses for skiers of all levels in Washington, Utah, and Colorado. Join evoTrip on the skin track this winter and start your backcountry journey. Now is the time to sign up, these classes are already filling up fast!
Take the Ultimate Everest Base Camp Trek ($5500) in 2024: Stand at the foothills of the tallest mountain in the world and experience the legendary 80-mile trek to Everest Base Camp.
Mingle with aspiring summiters, sleep in tents on the glacier, and have a chance to participate in an ice climbing clinic. Over the course of 20 days, enjoy red-hued rhododendron forests, historical villages, Buddhist monasteries, suspension bridges, and the highest peaks on Earth accompanied by Sherpas and yaks. Maybe even join them for a beer or two at the highest pub in the world.
Book your Ultimate Everest Base Camp Trek Now! Spots are filling up FAST!
Join Caroline Pemberton in a Webinar as she takes you on an unforgettable journey to the Everest Base Camp.
Dive deep into her personal story – from her brother’s monumental climb to an unexpected proposal atop the world. Discover the unique allure of the Khumbu Valley, its rich history, vibrant culture, and tantalizing food. Get front row seats to the ultimate Everest experience, all while gaining practical tips on altitude, training, and gear essentials. This isn’t just any trek; it’s a transformative adventure.
Discoveries
Snow Peak’s Seven Must-Try BBQ Recipes: If you’re craving the smokey flavor of barbecue, try one of these seven options. Choose from a variety of side dishes and entrées intended for the campsite. Each one relies on Snow Peak’s varied assortment of grills, stoves and barbecues, from the Takibi Fire & Grill to the Double Barbecue Box and Smokemeister.
Essential Reading For Wanderers and Adventure Seekers: Outdoor writing is filled with tales of adventure and exploration, but what’s most impressive are the subtler explorations of nature and self. Adventure is subjective; one person’s glory could be another’s bore.
Journeying through the Australian Outback, musing about life in the American Southwest, learning about the social behavior of chimpanzees in Tanzania, and embarking on one’s own across the Pacific Crest Trail... if you want to be inspired or just need a break from your day-to-day life, these 11 books impart wisdom on what it means to live an adventurous life and discover the world around us.
Pacific Crest Trail Marker and trail.
The Cardboard Canvasses of Frederick Stivers: Frederick Stivers’s artwork is often characterized by an unspoken chaos. It’s as if one could see the marks left by a trout leaping for its prey on the surface of a stream, if you know how to look closely. This is because Stivers is known for his command of capturing the wilderness he loves in his sketches, drawn on any material he can get his hands on. Read the profile on Frederick Stiver’s artwork at the Filson Journal.
Stivers is known for sketching hauntingly realistic images of the wilderness he loves on any surface he can find. Photo: Filson.
Product News
Taylor Stitch and GORUCK have partnered up to create the perfect gear for adventuring off the beaten path. The Hard Road Loadout has everything that you need for your outdoor journeys. Everything in The Hard Road Loadout collection is designed to perform under pressure and withstand years of abuse (and stand up to the occasional misogi) so you can stay focused on the goal at hand, namely, doing hard things.
The GR1 USA Pack in Raindrop Camo Ripstop WashWax. Photo: Taylor Stitch.
onX Maps, popularly used by outdoor enthusiasts for its apps and interactive mapping capabilities, has just unveiled a new tool called ‘Recent Imagery.’ This feature was created in partnership with Planet, a renowned source of Earth-observing satellite imagery. It enables users to access maps that are refreshed every two weeks with up-to-date satellite views so as to provide them with useful information about their terrain, from bypassing recently burned areas to mapping out current water sources or scouting foliage.
Toughen up your Apple watch! If you’re looking for a way to toughen up your Apple watch, then you should check out Nomad’s new ‘Rugged Case.‘ For just $120, you can transform your watch into a piece of gear fit for the trails. This case is made from hardened 315L stainless steel and features an integrated FKM Rugged Band plus a 1000 HV diamond-like coating for extra protection. It fits all versions of the Apple Watch from series four through eight, including the SE model.
Nomad’s Rugged Case transforms your Apple Watch into a bold, adventure-ready statement piece. Photo: Nomad.
Crafted with precision, Nomad’s Rugged Case transforms your Apple Watch into a bold, adventure-ready statement piece. Further customize your case with interchangeable Black and Ultra Orange buttons.
Montana Knife Company: Josh Smith’s Montana Knife Co. products have been flying off the shelves. Their latest release, the MKC Hellgate Hatchet ($375), sold out in four minutes flat. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to get your hands on the Speedgoat Fixed Blade ($225). Its 1.7-ounce parkerized 52100 carbon steel blade has a handle wrapped with seven feet of 550 paracord that makes it ultralight and easy to carry.
At the start of Montana Knife Company, Master Bladesmith Josh Smith created a knife that could do it all: light enough to carry when hunting mountain goats, and tough enough to field dress a moose. He named this particular knife the “Blackfoot” and it has stayed his preferred blade ever since. The Blackfoot Fixed Blade 2.0 ($300) was designed with gutting, caping, skinning, and deboning in mind.
The Blackfoot Fixed Blade 2.0 is the only hunting knife you’ll ever need. Photo: Montana Knife Company.
Inspired by the Blackfoot River Valley of Lincoln, Montana where Josh was raised, this knife is a perfect companion for every outdoor activity. It is lightweight yet sharp and tough. Whether you are fly fishing, bird hunting, or going on a big game hunting trip, the Blackfoot knife is your ideal choice. If you can only take one blade with you, make it this one.
Huckberry’s New Trail Shop: I’m a fan of gear that looks as good as it works. That’s why I love what Huckberry has put together in their new Trail Shop. They’ve tested out all the pieces for themselves on trails and hikes, so you know they perform. Plus, with their fresh designs, trail gear is no longer the last refuge of style.
Huckberry’s recently released Trail Shop is full of amazing finds, like Trail Running Kits, high-performance sneakers and clothing for running off the beaten path. The store also has a selection of lightweight boots and technical apparel, designed to help you tackle those long-distance treks.
Huckberry’s recently released Trail Shop is full of amazing finds, like Trail Running Kits and Hiking gear. Photo: Huckberry.
Roark’s Run Amok product line in collaboration with Black Sabbath: Roark has partnered with iconic heavy metal band Black Sabbath to create a trail running and active capsule collection that pays homage to rock and roll, the lifeblood: maintaining perpetual movement and keeping us all forever young.
Roark has partnered with iconic heavy metal band Black Sabbath to create a trail running and active capsule collection that pays homage to rock and roll. Photo: Roark.
1620 Workwear has improved their signature Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0 with three additional pockets, an enhanced double knee reinforcement that conforms to the body’s shape, two loops for a hammer, 50% stronger threads and a hidden pocket at the bottom of the knee reinforcement for inserting commercial knee pads. This is undoubtedly the best double-kneed work pants ever created. Read my product review!
1620 Workwear has improved their signature Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0. Photo: Brian Hamilton.
Stio: Stio makes apparel for the mountain life and they have just released some Early Fall Favorites. Stio provides the perfect outdoor apparel for any adventure, whether it be a grand escapade or just another regular day outside.
Stio makes apparel for the mountain life. Photo: Stio.
Don’t miss your chance to own the Sidecut Tech Hoodie ($198), which will make any autumn hike even more enjoyable. This lightweight layer is ideal for outdoor adventures in the mountains, or just keeping up with life’s daily tasks. It provides warmth, protection from the wind, and a comfortable fit no matter what you’re doing. The Alpiner Hooded Jacket ($299) is alpine light and highly breathable, Polartec® Alpha® Active insulation warms yet allows steam to escape during early morning skins and fall trail runs.
Filson’s Fall Camp Essentials: As we head into the peak of camping season, we’ve compiled a list of Filson’s most dependable essentials for use around the campsite. The Granite Spire Fleece Jacket ($225) is made with fleece that’s hard-faced on the exterior and lofted on the interior. This construction yields a layer that is quite wind-resistant while maintaining excellent breathability. As much a jacket as it is a heavy shirt, this updated Mackinaw Wool Jac-Shirt ($425) is warm, weather-resistant, and highly breathable. Filson’s original Jac-Shirt, introduced nearly 50 years ago and built with soft and warm wool, serves as a heavy shirt or a light jacket.
Filson’s Lined Mackinaw Wool Jac-Shirt in the Red-Oak colorway. Photo: Filson.
Happy International Dog Day (8/26)! Who’s A Good Dog? Sure, toys are nice, but they don’t last forever. Show your furry friend some love with a gift they can’t destroy this International Dog Day. YETI Dog Bowls and Dog Beds are built to last, season after season.
YETI Dog Bowls and Beds are durable and long-lasting. Photo: YETI.
G-SHOCK: Black & Rust Collection – GA100RC-1A, GA700RC-1A, GA2100RC-1A, GX56RC-1. Strengthen your look with G-SHOCK in a design evoking rusted iron that stands the test of time. These watches pay homage to the undying G-SHOCK quest for the ultimate toughness in neoclassic black and rust designs evoking the sheer tenacity of rusted iron. Sepia tones inspired by the textural look of rusted metal nicely complement the base black. Accents in light blue make for timeless style with a rustic flair.
These watches pay homage to the undying G-SHOCK quest for the ultimate toughness in neoclassic black and rust designs evoking the sheer tenacity of rusted iron. Photo: G-Shock.
Skyblue Featured Video: Montana Knife Company’s Blackfoot 2.0
