Whether chasing grizzly bears in the North Cascades, stranding his only siblings in an icy Alaska river, or drinking his own urine in the desert, Ted Alvarez goes to unhealthy lengths in pursuit of a good story. He was a National Magazine Award finalist for Backpacker Magazine’s “The Truth About Bears” in 2014 (he lost to Oprah), and contributed to Ellie-winning stories for that publication in 2015 and 2009. He is Backpacker's Northwest editor, and is the author of The National Parks Coast To Coast: 100 Best Hikes (Falcon Guides).  

In 2011, he joined environmental news site Grist.org as managing editor, and became executive editor in 2014. His writing has appeared in Outside, Men's Health, Skiing, Alaska Beyond, Crosscut, Mountain, The Vail Daily, Rollingstone.com, The Boulder Daily Camera, Gear Patrol, New West, Budget Living, Westword, SEED, Scientific American's 60-Second Science, and many more. Obsessions include outdoor adventure travel, science, survival, the environment, gear, goofs, and coffee in heroic doses. He lives in Seattle. You should probably hire him for something.

(Photo by Daniel Penner)