Playground Boot Camp

“I oughta be doing that with you,” the moderately overweight mom who was watching her son yelled.

“We’re starting a class in April,” Polly Eslinger yelled back. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Eslinger’s response seemed to surprise the woman: We were on Cary’s Middle Creek Park Playground at the time, six grown-ups mixed among  kids cavorting on the equipment. A class in what, the woman probably wondered — playing on a playground? read more

Recommended reading: Outside’s back

Today’s post is late, thanks to the April issue of Outside magazine.

Years ago, Outside was an adventure magazine. Columnists such as Tim Cahill and Mark Jenkins wrote about personal experiences ranging from platypus hunting (Cahill) to losing a climbing buddy (Jenkins). Each issue took you to the far ends of the planet, places those of us who fancied ourselves as adventurous knew we would likely only visit through the pages of Outside. Over the past few years, though, Outside has drifted from its roots, becoming more of a “lifestyle” magazine. “Lifestyle” meaning the magazine’s focus shifted from gutty adventure to glitzy gear and pricey destinations. read more

Explore the outdoors, discover yourself.