Very excited to share the news that I’m the first guest editor over at L.L. Bean. I’ll be writing stories, sharing images from their incredible archive and more. First up I made the case for outdoor life in all its drama. This photo is from a salmon river in Canada. It was the last morning of our trip. We knew the weather was arriving and…it did. And that’s alright! This factors into The Optimist, so I’ll leave the story there for the moment. We’ve been indoors so much that we’ve lost a clear sense of time. Everything is both extended and confined. It’s disorienting and hard to tell where we are in the calendar. That’s another reason to look forward to spring. Hopefully we can all make it a few more months, then get outside with a vengeance. 

The case for the outdoor life means the outdoors in all its elements, even when those elements are less than perfect. Scottish people tell you they get four seasons of weather in a day. Though somebody told me it was actually four seasons in an hour. That abrupt shift in mood is part of a dramatic charm on a hike across the Highlands.

A well-dressed man is ready for what comes his way, he doesn’t fear rain or cold. He’s ready to bring his beloved overcoat out for a turn. Similarly, an accomplished angler is prepared to pursue a trout even when the conditions aren’t ideal. The fact remains conditions are temperamental a lot of the time—just ask a fishing guide. The sooner we make peace with that the better. 

I’m for seasons—seasons are good. Seasons give symmetry to the year, clues about what to eat, what to wear, and it’s not too much to say, seasons bring rhythm to our lives. Who can’t resist the first day in April that really feels like spring? Or driving in October when leaves change and a hillside of trees is entirely red? That means the cold seasons too! I grew up in Minneapolis and went to college in Maine, so I’m on familiar terms with the wintry side of things. There’s nothing like the first snowstorm of the year, even if some of the magic disappears if you have to shovel your car out the next morning.

I’m here to say: Weather, in all its variations, is part of a complete life. So be a man or woman of all seasons. When I’m struggling with winter I take the lead from our family’s Bernese Mountain Dog, who is never happier than when he’s covered in white. He wants to head out whenever he can, even in the snow, and that’s a good strategy. So head out to hike, to fish, to camp, to ski or just to walk the dog. The world outside is calling, it’s all there waiting for you.