Outside Podcast

In this week's Long Read with Outside Magazine Features Editor Fred Drier, we explore an entirely different kind of poaching than the one you're thinking of. This isn't a story about illegally hunted grizzly bears or gray wolves, it's about trees.

In the Pacific Northwest, loggers venture deep into national forests to illegally cut down protected species of trees that they can then sell as specialty lumber for thousands of dollars.

Today's story was reported by Nick Davidson, about a high profile case of timber poaching that occurred in Washington's Olympic National Forest in 2018 and how a team of forest service rangers and investigators ended up cracking the case by using tree DNA.

We love our extreme endurance athletes, like Ironman champions, the lady who walked to the South Pole, and Alex Honnold. But, regardless of how many times we stare slack jawed at their accomplishments, we never stop asking: Why? Why do they choose to do these outrageous, objectively un-fun things? Record setting open ocean rower Kelsey Pfendler has the most relatable answer for these un-relatable outdoor pursuits: “ There’s a part of me that I don’t get to be unless I’m in those places.”  In July 2026, Kelsey became the first American woman, youngest woman, and fastest person overall–breaking both the women's and men's records–to row solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii. Nothing about the 2,400-mile journey is easily identifiable to regular ole outdoor folks, but Kelsey’s ideas on the importance of endurance sports, fear, and motivation are relevant to everyone. After all, who doesn't need a little motivation to push harder when the going get tough?

Recorded live at Postcard Cabins, Blake Brook, presented by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy

When it comes to the outdoors, New Englanders are a particular bunch, known far and wide for their insistence that — where you might be in the world and whatever you might be doing — you’re missing out if you haven’t done it in New England. Hiking, biking, surfing or skiing, if you haven’t encountered these characters in the wild, you may have found them in your social feeds, where they’re masterfully depicted by Matt Lyons.

Matt amassed millions of social followers with his hilarious caricatures of outdoorsy stereotypes, but he only mocks what he knows himself, and he knows the New Hampshire wilderness better than most. From thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to weekend escapes from Boston, Matt knows the value of slowing down and getting outdoors. That made him the perfect guest to join us at Postcard Cabins, tucked into the woods just 90 minutes outside the city.

We talked about that thru hike, as well as the unconventional path Matt took from middle school teacher to social media phenom, and of course why his native New England is such a treasure trove of characters for one of the funniest people in all the outdoors.

Plan your stay at Postcard Cabins, part of Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy: https://www.marriott.com/brands/outdoor-collection.mi

You’ve surely heard the stories of a deeply competitive athlete whose drive to win has wreaked havoc on those around them. But can the positive attributes of competitive drive, like  goal setting and persistence be harnessed to achieve something totally different than dominance—even something altruistic? If you’re mountain biker Eliot Jackson, the answer is yes.

Eliot parlayed national championships in motocross into top 10 finishes in downhill mountain bike racing. When he retired at 36 years old, Eliot shifted his drive to confront the racism in cycling, sparked by the national racial justice reckoning that swept the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

In 2020, Eliot founded Grow Cycling,  a foundation to promote access and inclusion in the sport. Under Eliot’s guidance, the foundation turned ideas into real life solutions, starting with a 50-acre bike park in Inglewood, California. It's a shining example of a vibrant, diverse bike scene and how individual competitiveness can create real community.

Recorded live at Trailborn Jackson Hole, presented by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy.

What does Jackson Hole look like through the eyes of a big-mountain ski superhero who's just as excited to talk about the town's artists and musicians as its powder? On this special episode of the Outside Podcast, brought to you by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, we sit down with Jim Ryan, recorded live at Trailborn Jackson Hole in Jackson, Wyoming.

Jim is a Vermont ski racer who headed west when his race career ended, and he became a fixture in the Jackson community, and not only in the ways you'd think. He's respected by the town's world-class athletes, but he'll just as happily tell you about its swing dancers, its creatives, and its... LARPers?

Together, it adds up to one big idea: you've been thinking about Jackson all wrong. By the end, you'll be booking your own stay at Trailborn Jackson Hole to see it for yourself.

Plan your stay at Trailborn Jackson Hole, part of Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy: https://www.marriott.com/brands/outdoor-collection.mi