are practically trail-running shoes, excelling during lengthy ascents below tree line. Others, like the Scarpa Gecko LT, are closer to a climbing shoe, affording superb footing on techy scrambles.

Modern climbers have the opposite problem. Go to any outdoor recreation store and prepare to be overwhelmed by shelves of cutting-edge climbing shoes and marketing gibberish. That’s how I felt ...

special shoes and hand powder as they try to ascend rock structures. But rock climbing also has a lesser-known forest counterpart: tree climbing. Not like when you were a kid, freely swinging from ...

Wear close-toed hiking shoes or boots. Pack multiple liters of water and lots of snacks. Maybe a sandwich, too. You’ll exert a lot of energy between climbing the tree, hiking to the tree and ...