M. John Fayhee has been writing for Backpacker since 1986. His 13th book, “A Long Tangent: Musings by an old man & his young dog hiking every day for a year,” was released last fall by Mimbres Press.

For the past 18 years, I've used the same hefty lock—even when I'm riding cheap clunkers around town. Here's why.

The Hornbein Couloir poses a fantasy ski descent that only two parties have ever attempted. Neither was successful.