This week’s cover story tells the story of a runner finding a sense of belonging on an Alaskan retreat for people of color.

I’M RUNNING THROUGH the woods in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula with about a dozen other people. The air is cool, and the trees’ leaves are shiny and wet from the morning’s rain.

Ever since she founded Harlem Run in 2013, Alison Mariella Désir has been building community in the world of running—and uplifting people who are underrepresented in it. In August, she led a running retreat exclusively for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in Alaska.

Sitara Siverls is sitting at the bedside of a bald Caucasian man in a dimly lit intensive care unit (ICU) room, holding his hand. Outside in the hall, doctors and nurses move briskly.

A bus full of Detroiters arrived at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during for the five-day Michigan Ice Fest, held Feb. 8-13.

Kids who spend  time in wild nature reap all kinds of benefits, including improved physical and mental health, lower stress, and higher confidence. Yet many kids and their families have never camped nor hiked. The biggest  barrier to getting in the woods? The significant cost of outdoor gear. Now, “gear libraries” across the United States are addressing this challenge by enabling many organizations serving youths to use borrowed gear—for free.

No longer confined to the walls of a studio, yoga has made its way into many outdoor-adventure activities. People practice yoga on cliffs, in forests, on standup paddleboards (SUP), and in the snow (“snowga”). Devotees use yoga to get exercise, to feel grounded, and to bring a sense of peace and tranquility to their hectic lives—many of the same reasons people spend time in nature. Proponents say combining yoga and outdoor pursuits can deepen the benefits of each. 

Among the outdoorsy set, few topics are as likely to spark heated debate as the trend known as “glamping” (an ugly mash-up of “glamour” and “camping”). The term conjures up accommodations that are at once posh and woodsy. Think: Swiss Family Robinson-style treehouses, safari tents with high-thread-count linens, tepees with wi-fi. For some, glamping is simply camping made more comfortable. Others have a darker view.

Outdoor Insider talks to Forest Woodward, who made the award-winning film 'The Important Places'