Matthew Thornton recalls his family's old miner stories, while making a few of his own.

Walking down the trail in the middle of a mostly forgotten mountain range, I point out the remains of a long abandoned mining community from the glory days of the gold rush. These small signs of former lives are only noticeable because they were once pointed out to me. A few miles down the trail, I see the cabin’s roof between the trees and give a yell to announce our arrival. Since miners have a tradition of keeping wolf-dogs, it’s a good thing to announce your arrival early.

Bryson Malone takes his mom on her first backpack in Sequoia National Park.

This April, I took my 53-year-old mom on her first backpacking trip ever. We spent 4 days in the stunning backcountry of Sequoia National Park and strengthened our minds, bodies, and, most importantly, our relationship. I had seen and experienced the selfless, deeply loving side of her, but the time we spent together on the trail showed me her gritty, badass side.

Mark Nielsen and his Overland Empire family embrace the rain.

We loaded up the trucks around noon and hit the road by one on a Wednesday. It was about a nine hour drive to our first stop in South Carolina before moving on to the hills of North Carolina for Overland Expo.

Van camping along Iceland’s legendary Ring Road with Kennett Mohrman.

Natty and I met while both studying photography in Florida and moved to the Pacific Northwest after we got married. My mom grew up in Washington state, where my family would spend our vacations, and I always dreamed of growing up and moving to this region. There is something about being surrounded by epic mountainous landscapes that has always inspired me.

Last October, Kym Pham celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act by visiting as many US National Parks as the road allowed.

The spirit of Kerouac and Steinbeck kidnapped me early in my teen years. Turning the faded pages of their books, my eyes poured over each word, my imagination happily lost between a desert highway and waking up to majestic mountains, scenes of raw beauty my young mind could only imagine. I wondered often what it would take for all the stars to align so that I could someday get in a car and simply drive into the horizon.