A bright side to 2018: a lot of good art came out of the dumpster fire, including bonkers true crime books and films that make our palms sweat just thinking about them. Here are the best outdoor reads, watches, and listens, from our obvious favorites to a few that slipped past听our radar.
Books
鈥楲ands of Lost Borders鈥 by Kate Harris
If you are here for the blend of far-flung adventure, deep observation, and all-out sufferfest, there was no better book this year than Kate Harris鈥檚 . Her journey by bike across the Silk Road is a gorgeously written interrogation into why we crave the thrill of exploration, and what we learn from crossing borders, political or imagined.
鈥楴orthland鈥 by Porter Fox
Speaking of borders (and occasional sufferfests),听 examines the line between the U.S. and Canada, which gets far less attention than the shorter border to the south. He travels it by boat, foot, and road, to look at how it鈥檚 shaped U.S. history, and how it鈥檚 at the center of conflicts about oil pipelines and immigration.
鈥楩lorida鈥 by Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff is incredibly good at visceral descriptions of place and in , her collection of short stories that circle the weirdness and wild side of the state, the landscape is a character all its own, dangerous and unpredictable. The 11 pieces read like ghost stories, and the characters, all searching for some kind of solace, still burn after you put the book down.
鈥楢cid West鈥 by Joshua Wheeler
Halfway across the country, Joshua Wheeler digs into the myths and misconceptions of his home state, New Mexico, in his collection of essays, . He鈥檚 fascinated with the ways that history鈥攍ike the legacy of the nuclear bomb tests鈥攄oesn鈥檛 go away, and, like Groff, his sharply visual prose pulls out the obsessive oddities that go on in a place people stereotype or ignore.
鈥楥hesapeake Requiem鈥 by Earl Swift
听颈蝉听contributor Earl Swift鈥檚 look at the crab fisherman of Tangier Island, Virginia, who are losing their land thanks to what they call 鈥渆rosion.鈥 It鈥檚 a compelling, human-scale book about sea level rise, politics, parity, and how hard it can be to see a climate crisis, even when you鈥檙e in its midst.
鈥楨ager鈥 by Ben Goldfarb
You鈥檒l never be able to look at streams the same way again after reading ,听Goldfarb鈥檚 deep and detailed look at how beavers, and the lack thereof after the fur trade, shaped the North American landscape. His听charming, funny writing, and his eye for quirky details will turn anyone into a beaver believer.
鈥楾he Feather Thief鈥 by Kirk Wallace Johnson
There are so many too-crazy-to-be-true layers to听 that you鈥檇 be forgiven for thinking it was a novel. Robbery, obsession, and Charles Darwin all weave together in a true crime book for the birds. Or, at least about the birds.
鈥楾he Last Cowboys鈥 by John Branch
New York Times sportswriter John Branch has a knack for digging into highly specific circles and cogently showing them to the outside world鈥攈e鈥檚 the writer behind the Pulitzer-winning avalanche story, 鈥.鈥 In he turns his undivided attention to the dominant rodeo champions of the Wright family, and digs into the narrow margin of livelihood that comes from both saddle bronc riding听and ranching in the drying west.
Movies
鈥楩ree Solo鈥 and 鈥楾he Dawn Wall鈥櫶
At this point, there鈥檚 probably nothing new we can tell you about Free Solo听 and The Dawn Wall, this year鈥檚 blockbuster climbing films. But it鈥檚 validating and invigorating听to see the obsessive dedication听and complex decision making that underlie big wall climbing treated with such big screen care and respect.
鈥楻eturn to Mount Kennedy鈥
In 1965, Jim Whittaker and Bobby Kennedy were among the first people to climb Mount Kennedy in the Yukon. Fifty years later, their sons went back to the mountain to try to climb it and see what bonded their fathers together. 听is full of beautiful shots, and a beautiful original Eddie Vedder score.
鈥3100: Run and Become鈥
It is not easy to make a long, gripping move about distance running, especially when that running happens around a New York City block, but 听bucks that monotony by looking at why we run, and what we get from it.
鈥楾he Moment鈥
On the opposite end of the adrenaline spectrum, Darcy Turrene鈥檚 thrashy, hilarious is a joyful look at the underdog scene of early days freeride mountain biking in British Columbia.
鈥楲eave No Trace鈥
A father and daughter living feral in the Oregon woods jolt back to society in and struggle to adapt in very different ways. The film touches on trauma, technology, and living in the shadow of our parents well-intentioned, but ultimately flawed ideal. It might make you question living off the grid.
鈥楳补颈苍别鈥
In another look at idylls that might not be so idyllic after all, follows two PCT thru-hikers whose trips become intertwined. And scores big points for portraying the unglamorous reality of life on the trail.
Podcasts
鈥榃ild Thing鈥
Journalist Laura Krantz comes into the myth of bigfoot skeptical in , but in her deep dive into the legends and lore about sasquatch, the lines become fuzzier, and she starts to question her assumptions.
鈥楾he Habitat鈥
Once we鈥檝e beaten down all the nooks of this planet, we鈥檙e going to have to find another place to abuse, and looks at how NASA is starting to explore that, by sticking a group of people in a Mars simulator. Anyone who鈥檚 been tent bound for a long time will be quick to see similarities.
鈥楤耻苍诲测惫颈濒濒别鈥
Leah Sotille鈥檚 podcast is fair, balanced, skeptical reporting on the Bundy family, their fight with federal land managers, and their occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The best parts come from Sotille鈥檚 willingness to challenge her own assumptions in a situation that feels partisan and deeply divisive. It鈥檚 something we could all probably do more of.
鈥楽afety Third鈥
The interviews in ,听hosted by Paddy O鈥機onnell and Elizabeth Nakano, veer between fart joke level humor, and figuring-out-your-shit deep talks鈥攅xactly the kinds of conversations you鈥檇 want to have with your best friend, if your BFF听was a big wave surfer, or the head of Colorado鈥檚 recreation industry office.
TV
鈥榃ild Wild Country鈥
In the most thought-provoking Netflix docu-series of the spring, , a guru brings his disciples to the high desert of Oregon in the early鈥80s, where they click and clash with the local ranchers. The conflict spills out from there, in surprising ways.
鈥楳omentum Generation鈥
贬叠翱鈥檚 听goes deep into the world of the battles and relationships ships of the 90s surf scene that launched legends like Kelly Slater and Shane Dorian.
鈥楥补尘辫颈苍驳鈥
If you鈥檙e into a totally different kind of infighting, 贬叠翱鈥檚 Camping gets into all possible dramedy that can come from a camping trip.
Music
鈥楪olden Hour鈥 by Kacey Musgraves
Music isn鈥檛 inherently outdoorsy, but听Kasey Musgraves鈥檚 cracked the code for road trips, campfires, and the spaces in between adventures. It鈥檚听a gauzy, glittery country pop with a gritty backbone.
鈥楾ree of Forgiveness鈥 by John Prine
John Prine鈥檚 contemplative , his first new album in 13 years, is classic Prine storytelling鈥攑erfect for long drives to faraway places, when you鈥檝e got a lot of time to be alone with your thoughts.
鈥淲arriors鈥 by Karmic
On the single front, Karmic鈥檚 鈥溾 is the best pump-up, pre-race, try-not-to-dance-while-you鈥檙e-putting-your-ski-boots-on song of the year.