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We recently asked readers to submit photos for a new special section, “Weekday Warrior,” which highlights outdoor-adventure activities you can do in your neighborhood and near home. Our third group of winners are highlighted below. (See here for the first winning photos from last month, and here for the second batch of winners.) These amateur shooters will receive outerwear and other swag from Köppen, a new brand and sponsor of the “Weekday Warrior” section. Congrats to the winners! Be sure to go to our new channel to enter the contest and submit a “Weekday Warrior” photo of your own!
Photographer: Jason Madsen
Photographer: Jason Madsen; “These photos are from a day hike in the Columbia River Gorge, right outside of Portland, Oregon. My buddy is a photographer by hobby and wanted to take some pictures of Metlako falls and Punch Bowl falls in the early morning (better colors and foggy). Both of these falls are on the same trail. I just love to be outdoors, and was merely along for the ride. The hike is small, 3 to 4 miles round-trip, and relatively easy to get in and get out.”
Photographer: Michael Lemberger; “This photo was taken in Mineral Point Park in Madison, Wisconsin, during my commute at about 8:35 in the morning on January 13, 2012. It was shot at about mile 9 of 10, with my workplace almost in sight. It’s geo-tagged on my Flickr page here.”
Photographer: Tiff Thayer; Said Kevin Kirsch, who is pictured, “I was at a skate park in the Elliot Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. I was looking to see what these city bikes could do outside of their intended purpose, if you will. I have another one of me actually getting six inches of air. My face is grimacing trying to get the 45-pounder off the ground though. Dare you to use one on your next adventure trip!”
Lunch Break Skating at Vermilion Lakes, Banff; Photographer: Jim Baker (submitted by Meagan Stewart); Said Stewart, who is pictured above, “My boss took this photo of me. It was actually taken during a lunch break [from work at The Banff Centre], which I hope explains the outfit!” Continued Stewart: “That photo was taken just prior to the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Typically, that’s a time of year that my festival colleagues and I don’t have much time to take breaks, but when the ice is that good we find the time. That day it was so clear and smooth that we could see fish swimming beneath our feet and our shadows on the bottom of the lake.”
Photographer: Nathanael Kuenzli (submitted by Kate Watson); “This photo was taken in mid-December on Two Island Lake, which is off the Gunflint Trail outside Grand Marais, Minn. Although this winter has been kind of a bummer in terms of snow sports, the one advantage of low-snow winters is that lakes freeze up and make perfect, relatively snow-free skating rinks. Since skiing wasn’t really an option in December and we were itching for some winter sport action we headed inland from Grand Marais trying to find good ice.”
Photographer: Yu Kuwabara; “The picture was taken at sunrise on my birthday, Jan 11th. In previous years, I’ve taken the day off as a ski day, but due to the slow winter we are having this year I decided to start the first day of my 32nd year by running up Mission Peak in Fremont, Calif., with three of my friends. It’s a popular place to watch the sun rise, and the parking lot at the trailhead is nearly full every day an hour before dawn. The trail climbs 2000ft in 3 miles on a fire road through a cow pasture, and you can enjoy a panoramic view of the bay the entire hike to the summit. It’s a hell of a way to start your day.”
PHOTOCONTESTDETAILS: Submit a photo of yourself with a caption participating in a unique weekday activity and if your photo is chosen we’ll ship you a piece of gear from Köppen, including jackets, hats, mid-layer fleece tops, and more. We will have dozens of winners, so go to the Weekday Warrior channel and sign up now and submit a photo for your chance to get some fresh Köppen gear!
—Check out the new section for a list of Weekday Warrior activities, including tips on organizing activities ranging from an ad hoc alleycat bike race to skateboarding with your dog! Night hikes, open water swimming, and urban bushwhacking are among the activities on our Weekday Warrior blog.
Stephen Regenold is the founder of GearJunkie, which he launched as a nationally syndicated newspaper column in 2002. As a journalist, writer, and gear nerd, Regenold has covered the outdoors industry for over two decades, including as a correspondent for the New York Times. A father of five, Regenold and his wife, Tara, live in Minneapolis.
