The barefoot craze has made its way to hiking boots. Merrell will offer multiple "barefoot-influenced" boot models with lighter weights and low-drop, flexible builds beginning in 2013.

Think of any cliché of wilderness beauty and it's nearly certain to fit in with the fjord region of Norway. Last month, our writer took a week to tour part of the region. Here's a peek at what he saw along the way.

Iceland! This week, a GearJunkie editor jetted to Reykjavík for some high-latitude adventure + to see the debut of a new footwear line from Danish shoemaker ECCO. Here are a few images from the action so far. . .

"Out of the bright light and into the dark -- once we pulled the rope we were committed to going down." That's a snippet from this adventure tale, where GearJunkie contributor Ryan Stuart explores an uncharted set of slots off the Grand Canyon.

This week, Chuck Regenold, age 63 and the father of GearJunkie editor Stephen Regenold, hiked the 96-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota's Badlands. He went solo and carried all food and water for the trek, battling blisters, vague trail spurs, and free-range steer not happy to see him along the route.

A three-day canyon descent in Utah provided an optimal gear test venue for our writer, who shouldered a 50-pound pack to climb down, crawl, stem, rappel, and otherwise scramble into the depths on a famous desert route.

The adventure is on! This year, the GearJunkie crew heads "off the map" to iconic outdoor destinations around North America. Follow us on an exclusive five-part video series that starts today.

Sore, soggy, and a bit wind-burnt in the face from constant north-blowing gales, the GearJunkie team is back from California and an adventure on the state's infamous Lost Coast.

GearJunkie is going off the grid. This week, to film the first episode of a new video series, a few of us here at GearJunkie will be trekking a lonesome and infamous shoreline route in northern California on a backpacking trip.

A website unveiled this week at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference lets you "hike" more than 300 miles of trails on your computer screen. Explore Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone with the click of a mouse.