Where’s humans’ place in the natural world? This week, take a fresh look at an old question with Doug Chadwick, explore the intricacies of trail building and learn about repurposing clothes with the mom behind Napkin Apocalypse. Read all these words and more on The Cleanest Line.

A close-up image of diatoms that resemble small glass fans

Culture

Four Fifths a Grizzly

Prolific author and National Geographic magazine writer Doug Chadwick takes a fresh look at humans’ place in the natural world in this excerpt from his book, Four Fifths a Grizzly. In his accessible and engaging style, Chadwick approaches the subject from a scientific angle, with the underlying message that humans are not all that different from any other creature.

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A person in a blue jacket riding a bike down a rocky trail with lots of green trees

Mountain Biking

Water Always Wins

Whatever the form of transit, a trail is one of the most basic ways we connect with a natural environment. Building a trail, however, is full of subtle rules. Follow these rules and you can bring dirt to life and create something that lasts for centuries. Ignore them, and well—a builder may create a trail, but nature decides if it remains intact.

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A mom and her child sit at sewing tables working on their own projects. There's a window in front of them with lots of trees beyond it

Culture

Mommy, Where Do Clothes Come From?

Nearly every Wednesday, Courtney Reynolds can be found elbow-deep in a bin of someone else’s castoffs, searching for scraps of fabric to turn into clothing for her three preschool-age kids, or to sell in her online shop, Napkin Apocalypse.

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Photos: (Top) Sometimes described as algae that live in glass houses, diatoms are photosynthetic protists that construct shells of pure silica. This marine species grows in clusters on seaweeds. WIM VAN EGMOND (Middle) Locals like Uijin Park love Rocky Knob Bike Park for its steep, extensive and potentially punishing rockwork, of which few trails provide a better example than the highly technical, boulder-paved pathways of Stone Soup. TJ KEARNS (Middle) This family’s thread runs deep. Courtney Reynolds sews a quilt sourced from a local swap meet into a jacket for her twin girls while her son, Sammy, starts a project of his own on his kid-sized sewing machine. TIM DAVIS (Bottom) More leisure than sport for Ian Siadak and Dan Hart as they get a slow start to their day on El Cap Tower while climbing The Nose. Yosemite National Park, California. AUSTIN SIADAK

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