Oh, 2016. It was the year the Internet declared everything went wrong, the year Merriam-Webster named “surreal” their summarizing word, the year that, honestly, became its own meme.
But, despite the nay-sayers, 2016 was full of magic too. This was the year when the Dawn Wall fell again in shocking record time, the year when #OptOutside brought millions of people together in the outdoors and the year when more people than ever before visited our national parks. We can all agree that 2016 had a plethora of beautiful moments.
With that in mind, last week we asked you to post your favorite adventure pictures from the year on Instagram, tagging #OptOutside. You stepped up to the challenge, showing us just how much outdoor joy you found in 2016, plus your plans for getting outside in the new year.
Together we can make 2017 the best year yet—especially in our favorite wild places. But for now, we’ll take a look back on the spectacular year of adventure we just left behind:
Photo by @photoswithfern.
Photo by @thegreennomads.
Photo by @krahman86.
Photo by @samanthajonez.
Photo by @kathybach3.
Photo by @not_a_superhero_teacher.
Photo by @yenners.
Photo by @classroomworldwide.
Photo by @davi_mcd.
Photo by @emur27.
Photo by @rachel_sonego.
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