Emily Pennington

Emily Pennington was put on her first international flight at 3 weeks old and has been an avid adventurer ever since. She has a degree in Theatre and Film from University of Southern California and has a keen eye for both photography and literary storytelling. After decades of dance and circus performance, she shifted her sights to outdoor adventure 10 years ago, and has hiked, backpacked and mountaineered her way around the world. To date, she’s hiked on all 7 continents (including Antarctica) and has completed the John Muir Trail, the Annapurna Circuit, the Laugavegur Trail, the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, the High Sierra Trail, the Inca Trail, and Tasmania’s notorious Overland Track. She’s visited every U.S. national park, and her book Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America’s National Parks, came out in 2023.

Emily has been an active gear tester, product reviewer, and outdoor journalist for the last 8 years. When she’s not hunched over her desk writing on a deadline, you can find her nerding out about her favorite hiking boots, eating Ben & Jerry’s, wrestling with her dog Marla, or hiking all over the Rocky Mountains, near her hometown of Boulder.