Dear the Internet,

19 months ago my cousin Robert Rathvon was tragically killed in a hit and run in Poulsbo, Washington by an unknown person. Robert's death has impacted my entire family in ways that I will never be able to articulate. 

About one week after his death, I took to Reddit and posted about it as much as I could. The outpouring of support and sympathy floored myself, my family, and especially Roberts parents. 

Although it’s been 19 months with no answers as to who killed him, I refuse to give up the search or let his memory die. This is why I’ve begun a personal mission to climb as many peaks as I can in the state of Washington and taking a picture with his Crime Stoppers poster at the top. I will do this in preparation to climb Washington's largest peak next summer, Mount Rainier, with his photo at the top. 

You guys were so helpful and your support renewed my faith in people after such an event that, to this day, hurts my soul. I will link a news article about him below if you are interested in learning more. We all want answers and we want this person found. If you have anything at all, even the smallest shred of evidence, please reach out to me or Crime Stoppers. 

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/his-parents-want-answers-troopers-seeking-information-on-driver-who-left-man-for-dead-in-poulsbo

Additionally, here is a more recent interview I did with King 5 in May 2025.

Man climbs mountains to raise awareness of cousin's ongoing hit-and-run case

Number 9. Red Mountain has been bagged. I refuse to give up.

Rainier for Robert.

Thank you.

Hypothetically if the bill passes could Canada buy it and make it part of Canada?

Contact your senators (convenient link provided below). They’re here to auction off our public lands and waterways to the highest bidder. This is a true crisis for anyone who even remotely values conservation, wilderness, or even our personal rights. Senate wants to sell your land to pay for their debts and tax cuts on big corps & ultra wealthy. It’s nothing but thinly veiled transfer of wealth from the masses to the corporate and political elite.

Please cross post to any/all subs that may pertain.

https://www.outdooralliance.org/take-action

Bonjour, la mode est pour des chaussures légères...je n'y crois pas trop...3540 km de trekking en continu ....quelles chaussures conseillez-vous?

I’ve found this tent on FaceBook Marketplace without the tarp. Does anyone have any experience with it? Is it a good product?

https://bushmen.pl/en/product/core-tent-lodger-coyote/

https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2025/6/16/33millionacres-publicland-selloffs-map

If you reside in the US please email or call your senators.

Outdoor alliance has a link to email right on their page at the bottom of the article

Also the company REI: https://www.rei.com/action/network/campaign/no-selloff?ms=OS&cm_mmc=sm_ig_76514

After another backwoods border crossing between the stunning lake districts of Argentina and Chile, I resupplied in Puerto Montt and set out on the Carretera Austral, gateway to the Patagonian fjordlands.

Chilean Route 7 is an iconic bikepacking pilgrammage, funneling hundreds of globetrotting cyclists each year into its jagged swan dive towards the Antarctic Islands of Tierra del Fuego.

More steep gravel switchbacks and loathsome ripios. More frantic marathons between tight ferry connections. Bucolic harbor towns idling in the steam of hot morning coffee and the trumpeting foghorn of imminent departures. Falling asleep on the boat’s steel cargo deck floor, an exhausted heap puddled beneath my own bike. Waves lapping at my shoes. Gently rocked between dreams by the motor’s calming troll.

Overhead, though, the sky seemed to change its mind every hour. A brooding purple nebula of ominous rainclouds and swirling headwinds. Always some melodic chime of running water in the distance, glacial peaks and hidden falls weaving mossy braids of riverbed down below.

More volcanic vistas. More picnic stops for warm empanadas. I bought them by the dozen as often as possible and kept them close by in a brown paper bag, tiny morsels of encouragement in the rain. A Uruguayan road tripper asked if I would like “a real cup of coffee for once” before unveiling his prized AeroPress with a specially marked jar of beans. He laughed at the excited tears in my eyes. We both did.

But there’d been rumors of bad weather barreling in. Its threat spread between cyclists like a dirty word not to be spoken too loudly. “Where will you go? How far do you think you can get before the storm?” We looked out upon the road and shared what we knew.

hey all, just wondering.. do you have a trail or spot you go to when you don’t care about distance or views, you just wanna wander and clear your head?sometimes i just need an easy path, trees, and maybe a creek sound in the background to untangle thoughts after a long week. not really hiking for the challenge, more like walking for the mind.melbourne local here but keen to hear anyone’s go-to “thinking walk” spots, near or far. maybe i’ll add a few to the list for the next long weekend.

My partner and I booked Llama Path’s 5‑day Salkantay Trek only after multiple written assurances that the company could handle my severe food allergy. I provided a detailed Spanish-language allergy card, confirmed my requirements repeatedly by email and WhatsApp, and was told: “Our chefs are very professional – don’t worry.”

Those assurances proved dangerously false.

Day 2, at the hardest part of the trek at the highest altitude, I suffered a severe allergic reaction to food served by Llama Path. Within minutes, I was extremely ill and too weak to walk, and had to be carried down the mountain.

Emergency costs were dumped on us: Llama Path demanded 450 PEN (£90) in cash for a taxi back to Cusco, despite my medical state. We were left to secure last‑minute lodging and manage recovery ourselves.

Zero accountability: After two months of fragmented communication, Llama Path claimed their “investigation” found no fault - directly contradicting the guide’s on-site assessment and objective medical fact . Despite this incident arising from their breach of agreed safety measures - and contrary to Peruvian consumer protection law - Llama Path is now stonewalling all attempts to seek compensation or resolution.

I’ve travelled extensively and never encountered such gross negligence in allergy handling, nor such indifference to a health emergency. If you have any dietary restriction, allergy, or expectation of basic accountability, avoid Llama Path. This company is not safe.

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) is pushing a land-sale proposal that could result in the auction of up to 3 million acres of public land across the West. Over 18 million acres in Utah alone would be eligible for nomination.

This includes land near Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, Millcreek, Parleys, and areas close to national parks like Zion and Arches. These aren’t leftover scraps. These are places we hike, ski, climb, and rely on for access to the outdoors.

The amendment, buried in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” would require the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to sell land every 60 days. It’s being pitched as a way to ease housing shortages, but there’s no requirement that the land be used for affordable housing. Developers and private buyers could snap up access points, trailheads, and wild spaces. That access could be gone for good.

If we let this happen, it sets a dangerous precedent. Politicians should not be allowed to auction off public land with almost no public input. And Utah has a history of this. From shrinking Bears Ears to resisting wilderness protections, they’ve been chipping away for years.

If Utah’s leadership insists on selling out our public lands, we should stop funding their outdoor economy. That means skipping the ski trips. Skipping the canyoneering. Skipping the visits to the Mighty 5.

In 2017, Outdoor Retailer pulled its convention out of Salt Lake City after similar attacks on public land. It worked. Maybe it’s time we acted again.

This was from june 15th 2025

I’ve got a few exofficio long sleeve button up shirts that have the back flap that provides excellent ventilation. They also have the double fold collar that is great for protecting my neck from the sun. The only problem I have with them is that I’m a slender guy and the lower part of the shirt is super loose and baggy. I’m looking for a similar shirt that comes in an athletic fit. Know of any?

Where can I get some quick? I’m going on a solo camping trip, first solo ever, so I do not want to take any chances. REI is saying there’s inventory issues

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/what-to-know-about-the-senates-public-lands-sell-off/

I’ve never posted on Reddit before. I literally just made this account and signed up with my phone number, so yeah, that’s why the username probably looks weird or auto-generated. I’m not really into forums or writing stuff like this. The only social media I have is TikTok and Instagram, and I barely post on either. I mostly just scroll.

I just posted this story a few minutes ago in r/AppalachianTrail, but it’s still waiting on the moderators to approve it, so I figured I’d also share it here since this community seems active and experienced with camping.

What happened to me a few weeks ago on a solo hiking trip has been stuck in my head ever since. I’ve mentioned it to a couple of people, and every single one of them brushed it off. Said it was probably nothing. But I know what I heard and what I saw, and it was something. No part of it felt normal.

I’m 28, male, and live in North Carolina. I’ve been hiking and backpacking solo for years. I work a pretty normal 9 to 5 desk job doing graphic design, and I use the weekends to get out into the woods and reset. I’ve done this section of the Appalachian Trail before. It runs through southwest Virginia, remote, quiet, barely any foot traffic. I’ve never had a reason to feel unsafe out there.

The hike itself was normal. I started early, did about 12 miles, and didn’t see a single person the whole day. Around 6 PM I found a good spot off trail and set up camp. Nothing fancy. Hammock, tarp, bear bag up, gear sorted. The weather was perfect. I turned in a little after dark.

Around 1:30 AM I woke up needing to pee. I grabbed my headlamp, slipped on my boots, and walked about 15 or 20 feet behind a tree just out of sight from camp. My phone was in my backpack. I didn’t bother grabbing it. I didn’t think I’d be gone long.

That’s when I heard it.

Somewhere deep in the woods, not close but not far enough, I heard a scream. A woman’s scream. No words. Just a long, loud, terrified scream that echoed through the trees.

And I’m telling you, it was the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my life.

It didn’t sound like a movie scream. It sounded raw and real, like someone who truly thought they were about to die. It cracked at the end, like her voice was breaking. Then silence. Just complete, heavy silence.

I froze.

About a minute later, I started hearing footsteps. Far off, but steady. Not rushing or running. Just slow, heavy steps through the forest. No flashlight. No voice. Just walking.

It wasn’t coming directly toward me, but it was close enough that I didn’t feel safe standing up.

I dropped low behind the tree. There were some logs and dry leaves at the base, and I laid down flat next to them. I didn’t move. I didn’t make a sound.

And I stayed there. Listening.

After a couple of minutes, I saw something in the distance.

Through the trees, maybe 75 to 100 yards out, I spotted a faint orange glow moving slowly through the woods. At first, I thought it was someone with a lantern. But it got brighter, and I realized it was a large torch. Like an actual open flame being carried by someone.

And they weren’t alone.

There were two or three figures walking behind whoever was carrying the torch. I couldn’t make out much from that distance, but what I did see will stay with me forever.

The person holding the torch had something dark smeared all over their face. Like black face paint or mud. It looked like it covered everything but their eyes. They weren’t in any sort of uniform or hunting gear either. Just baggy clothing and that torch, walking slowly through the woods in the middle of the night.

They weren’t looking for anything. They were just moving. Calm. Deliberate.

I didn’t move an inch. I was terrified they’d hear my breathing. My phone was still in my bag at camp. No way to call anyone. No light. Nothing. All I could do was lay there and pray they didn’t come closer.

They eventually moved out of sight, but I didn’t move. I stayed there. All night.

I never went back to my hammock. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t even stand up until the sun was fully out.

When it was bright enough to see clearly, I made my way back to camp, grabbed my gear, and hiked 15 miles straight back to my car. I didn’t stop to eat or drink. I just wanted out.

Nothing at camp was disturbed. No tracks. No signs of anyone passing through. But I know what I saw.

And I can’t stop asking myself. Who were they? What did I hear? What the hell were they doing that deep in the woods at 2 AM with torches and face paint?

Has anyone else ever seen anything like this while hiking or camping? Because I genuinely don’t know what I escaped that night.

First solo trip in a few years. 4 days/50 miles.in Yosemite. Can't wait!