Best American Adventures: Get Fit at a Navy SEAL Immersion Camp

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph courtesy of Seal Fit

Sure, all that multisport ultratraining makes you tough. But this will make you even tougher. Since they were first formed in the early ’60s, the Navy SEAL (aka Sea, Air, and Land) units have acquired a well-deserved reputation for being the best trained military units on the planet. And it's not an easy club to join: The Navy considers the 30 weeks of SEAL training the toughest in the world.

If the idea of training at such an intense level is appealing, sign up for weeklong warrior camp with former SEALs. The course simulates real SEAL training’s “Hell Week.” It will put you through the same brutal experiences the SEALs use to prepare soldiers to suffer in the field, bond, and survive the terror of close combat. Think cranking out thousands of push-ups, learning to carry heavy logs long distances as a unit, and being perpetually covered in mud.

“We’re trying to shock these guys into reality,” says Mark Divine, a former SEAL and founder of NavySEALs.com and SEALFIT (not affiliated with the U.S. military). “We want to take them out of their comfort zone and let them understand that what they are volunteering for is not Boy Scout camp.”

The hardest part of SEAL training is not how physically demanding it is but how mentally and emotionally challenging it is to survive the week. But Divine and other SEALs who run the camps believe that if you can make it through the program, the experience will carry over to the boardroom or any of those “easy” outdoor adventure sports.

Need to Know: NavySEALs (www.sealfit.com) SEAL FIT Warrior Camp costs $1,295 for three days or consider their one-week immersion "SEALFIT Academy" for $4,995. The camp also offers online coaching programs and less intense fit camps.

Best American Adventures: Horsepack the Gila Wilderness

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by David Fenton

A founder of the Wilderness Society and granddaddy of American conservation, Aldo Leopold once worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the high, wild Mogollon Mountains of New Mexico. It was here that he dreamed up the idea of legal “wilderness.” In a 1921 article for the Journal of Forestry, Leopold declared that wilderness should be "a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state, open to lawful hunting and fishing, big enough to absorb a two weeks’ pack trip, and kept devoid of roads, artificial trails, cottages, or other works of man."

Three years later, the Gila Wilderness became the first spot the Forest Service would protect according to Leopold’s vision. (Lasting federal protection came in 1964, when Congress passed the actual Wilderness Act.) So what better way to explore the spot than as Leopold wanted it explored—on a two weeks’ horsepacking trip.

While there’s a certain luxury to horsepacking in the wild—travelers can carry in far more than they can on their backs—it’s also an art in its own right, since learning how to work with the animals and tackle is a must. But riding high in the saddle makes it possible to really enjoy the trip though the Gila’s forests and meadows, instead of hiking head-down. The Gila is also home to wildlife you won’t find in other parts of the Rockies, including peccaries (wild pigs!), coatimundi, Gila monsters (surprise), and recently reintroduced Mexican wolves—and don’t forget to pack the fly rods for a chance to catch rare Gila trout.

Need to Know: Gila Wilderness Ventures (www.gilawildernessventures.com) runs six-day horsepacking trips, starting at $1,460 per person.

Best American Adventures: Ski Mountaineer Mount Shasta

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Kate Siber; Photograph by Chris Carr, Shasta Mountain Guides

Mount Shasta is one of the largest Cascade volcanoes by volume, but think of it as a gentle giant. This 14,163-foot (4,317-meter) volcano that towers over northern California is a veritable utopia for mountaineers: It’s gifted with spectacular vertical relief, relatively mild terrain, and reliably sunny weather that makes for prime climbing conditions. “There are few places in the world where you have that much vertical without the objective hazards,” says Chris Carr, director of Shasta Mountain Guides.

From a base camp above 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), the outfitter offers three-day courses that teach novices the basics of ski or snowboard mountaineering, such as how to use ski crampons, climb with skins, and self-arrest. Day three is when they put it all together for a summit bid: Students rise at 2 or 3 a.m. and zigzag 5,000 vertical feet (1,524 meters) up to the peak, a jumble of boulders big enough for multiple people to scramble on top to take in the views, which stretch as far as 125 miles (200 kilometers). The reward is one of the longest continuous ski descents in the Lower 48: Through some of the nation’s best corn snow, you’ll turn 7,000 vertical feet (2,134 meters) down a consistent 35- or 45-degree slope all the way to the trailhead.

Need to Know: Join Shasta Mountain Guides (www.shastaguides.com) on a prescheduled trip, starting at $595, from May through June.

Best American Adventures: Backcountry Ski the 10th Mountain Division Huts

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Kate Siber; Photograph by Pat Gaines

Colorado’s 10th Mountain Division Huts are the fruits of one man’s crazy idea: Fritz Benedict, a 10th Mountain Division soldier who fought in World War II and an Aspen architect, dreamed of setting up a system of winter huts to rival the Alps’ Haute Route. The results arguably outdid the Europeans at their own game. Today, the system, located on the division’s former training grounds between Aspen, Vail, and Leadville, is 14 huts strong and connects to another 17 in the area. Linked with 300-plus miles (483-plus kilometers) of skiable routes, it’s the largest system of its kind on the continent.

It also accesses the best of Rocky Mountain skiing and a menu of terrain and scenery as diverse as the state itself. Choose to stay at one or to link up several. Backcountry beginners often head to the McNamara Hut, a stone’s throw from mellow intermediate ski touring. Or, for seasoned alpine tourers and telemarkers, the Eiseman Hut has access to steep couloirs and lines that’ll grow hair on most anyone’s chest.

No matter the level of challenge, the greatest reward is returning to the huts themselves. “Hut,” in fact, might be a misnomer: These are more like miniature trophy homes, with wood-fired heating stoves, propane cook stoves, porches, private rooms, million-dollar views, and sometimes even saunas. Come evening, after a long day and a good dinner, kick back by the fire in the grand tradition of America’s storied ski pioneers.

Need to Know: The 10th Mountain Division Hut Association (www.huts.org) holds a lottery for winter hut reservations every spring. Huts from $30 per person, and guides are available.

Best American Adventures: Paddle Lake Powell

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Robert Earle Howells; Photograph by James Kay, Stock Connection/Aurora Photos

The huge upside of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, nexus of an environmental battle lost a generation ago, is the emergence of its progeny, Lake Powell, as a supreme freshwater kayaking destination. The lake’s green-water tentacles extend from the main 185-mile (300-kilometer) watercourse into 96 side canyons, where kayakers can paddle free of tides, waves, currents, and motorboats. A reverential hush inevitably descends upon a group of kayakers when they proceed into slots of Navajo sandstone towering 500 feet (150 meters) overhead that constrict to barely the length of a paddle.

The size and complexity of the lake convey both challenge and mystery to the experience. Kayakers wanting to go the DIY route might need two full days to get to the best kayaking—and even then they can find themselves paddling into inviting slots that turn out to be blank walls. Outfitters provide a motor assist and the local beta for five-day trips that get you into canyons like Cascade, Driftwood, and Rainbow, beneath the numinous presence of Navajo Mountain (10,388 feet, or 3,166 meters) and the Kaiparowits Plateau. Rainbow Canyon is the gateway to the massive natural arch of Rainbow Bridge.

The typical routine is to paddle eight to ten miles (13 to 16 kilometers) a day, venture into a slot, cross the channel, paddle another, proceed afoot when the canyon closes in entirely, and paddle back out to camp on the main channel where sunset, stars, and sunrise are players in the drama.

Spring and fall are the best times to paddle free of the swarms of speedboats and personal watercraft that plague the lake in summer. Warm water lingers right into fall.

Need to Know: No fees or permits are required to enjoy Lake Powell. Get general info at www.nps.gov/glca. Outfitters and rentals: Kayak Powell (www.kayakpowell.com) provides shuttles, tours, and rentals. A five-day tour starts at $895.

Best American Adventures: Bodysurf the Wedge

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Kate Siber; Photograph by David McNew, Getty Images

Most of the time, when humans mess with nature, they lose. But at the Wedge, a monstrously big and powerful break off Newport Beach, California, they hit the jackpot—for bodysurfers, that is. There, an Army Corps of Engineers jetty relays big swells, forming slow-moving, pyramid-shaped waves that, during South Pacific storm cycles, can top 30 feet (9 meters). They’re too steep for surfers but perfect for the ultimate man-versus-nature contest: bodysurfing.

When the surf goes off, as many as 15 locals brave the indiscriminate spin cycle in hopes of catching a wave’s sweet spot. “The absolute most difficult part of it all is the moment you decide to go,” says Fred Simpson, owner of Viper Surfing Fins and a Wedge veteran. After that, there’s a purgatory of about five seconds, when even the best bodysurfers won’t know whether the wave, like an unbroken mustang, will let them mount or pitch them forward with the force of the South Pacific hurricane that birthed it. If they succeed, the reward is the ultimate rush: a perfect 50-yard (45-meter) glide through water moving as fast as that from a fire hose.

On high-surf days, only the bravest—and most practiced—take to the water, but as many as a thousand spectators come to watch and feel the reverberating rumble of the waves from a 15-foot (5-meter) sand berm that makes a natural stadium. The waves break so close to shore, they offer an opportunity rare in the world of bodysurfing: An onlooker can see the open-mouth, wide-eyed, absolutely-in-the-moment expression on a bodysurfer’s face as he or she takes on Mother Nature.

Need to Know: Locals say that if someone has to explain how to bodysurf the Wedge, you shouldn’t be there. Thus, there are no lessons available, and newcomers must bring fins and demonstrate their skills for the beach’s gantlet of lifeguards. Practice on nearby beaches and low-surf days.

Best American Adventures: Mountain Bike the Tahoe Rim Trail

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by Scott Markewitz, Aurora Photos

Encircling the largest alpine lake in North America, the 165-mile (266-kilometer) Tahoe Rim Trail just may be the singletrack with the greatest view in the United States. More than 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the trail are open to mountain bikes. In fact, the riding here is so sublime that the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) named the 21.8-mile (35-kilometer) section between Tahoe Meadows and Spooner Summit as one of its Epics, an honor bestowed on trails that epitomize the best that mountain biking has to offer.

For good reason: The trail takes in gritty climbs and fast descents with spectacular views of Tahoe to the west and the Nevada desert to the east. Nine miles (14 kilometers) in, you’ll split off onto the adjacent 22-mile (35-kilometer) Flume Trail, which starts at the Spooner Lake campground. Though not officially part of the Rim Trail itself, it’s the signature ride here, and it requires a decent climb and a bit of singletrack to get down. Just remember, it’s tough to keep your eyes on the trail with all those eye-popping views of the lake. One of the best things about the rides on the Rim Trail is that it can be just as much fun for novices as it is for fat-tire vets.

Need to Know: Some sections of the trail are only open to bikes on certain days. Many local bike shops provide shuttles for the point-to-point rides in the Rim Trail. Rent bikes and check in on trail conditions at Flume Trail Mountain Bikes (www.theflumetrail.com). Bike rentals start at $45 a day; shuttles from $15. Read about the trail at www.tahoerimtrail.org.

Best American Adventures: Race the Leadville Trail 100

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by David Zalubowski, AP

Leadville was always the epicenter of the core endurance mountain biking race scene, but when Lance Armstrong started competing—and winning—the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, a hundred-mile (161-kilometer), high-altitude sufferfest, it became the showcase race of mountain biking pain. The course is so hard that even the mighty Armstrong was humbled the first time he raced it (in 2008), when Colorado local and six-time champion Dave Wiens beat him by two minutes. But Armstrong broke the course record in 2009 and will be back to defend his crown in 2010.

Plenty of mere mortals take on the race, too, but don’t expect to be on Armstrong's wheel. The course gains 12,612 vertical feet (3,844 meters), with several heart-busting 3,000-foot (914-meter) climbs and a highpoint at nearly 13,000 feet (42,651 meters). At that altitude, not only does it become tough to breathe, legs also grow dead and sluggish. And don’t think the race is just for the guys—last year’s women’s winner, Rebecca Rusch, finished in an impressive 8 hours, 15 minutes. If pedaling is not your thing, there’s the Leadville Trail 100 run.

Need to Know: Register by January for the 2011 race. Entrants are then chosen by lottery. For information, go to www.leadvilletrail100.com.

Best American Adventures: Float the Tatshenshini-Alsek River

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

Photograph by Whit Richardson, Aurora Photos

The opportunity for a true wilderness expedition experience in the U.S. is slowly disappearing. The best bet you have left is a float down the Tatshenshini-Alsek river system (which does, however, require that you start in Canada). It’s not so much the isolation that makes the standard nine-day to two-week, 140-mile (255-kilometer) trip from Yukon’s Dalton Post to Alaska’s Dry Bay so sublime as it is the scenery.

Flowing through a deep gorge, the Tatshenshini runs through lively Class III white water before slowing down for grizzly viewing. But that’s just a warm-up. When the river flows into the Alsek in British Columbia’s Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, it’s surrounded by massive glaciers, many of which calve giant chunks of ice into Lake Alsek. This lake, the largest glacier-dammed lake in North America, is the center of attraction on the river trip. (Consider taking a few extra days to hike the banks of the Tatshenshini and Walker Glacier inside the park.) Headed into Alaska, the Alsek leaves the glaciers, but chances are icebergs will be making the voyage to the sea alongside your raft.

Need to Know: Book a nine-day trip with Mountain Travel Sobek (www.mtsobek.com), starting at $2,995 per person.

Best American Adventures: Climb the Grand Teton

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by Greg Von Doersten, Aurora Photos

Lording over the surrounding Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at 13,770 feet (4,197 meters), the elegant Grand Teton demands to be summited. Lucky there are countless routes up the iconic peak for climbers of all abilities. In fact, it’s the ideal technical peak for everyone from alpinists looking for new challenges to average folks who just want to be guided to the top.

The most popular route, the Exum Ridge, is an absolute beauty, consisting of incredibly exposed 5.4 climbing that is easy enough for someone with very little experience or a first alpine climb, yet it’s so beautiful that it keeps even hardened rock dogs coming back for more. Those who want more of a challenge can climb the entire Direct Exum Ridge, which begins lower down and requires more difficult 5.7 climbing. For even more seasoned climbers, the North Ridge is a dream trip, encompassing 5.8 climbing on another exposed route. But no matter your experience level or how many times you have stood on top, the view is one of the best in the West, surveying three states, with the other peaks of the Tetons at your feet, and stretching north across the massive caldera of Yellowstone National Park.

Need to Know: Exum Mountain Guides (www.exumguides.com) offers a four-day Classic Grand Teton Climb, starting at $475.