Though they may love nothing more than being outdoors, most people spend the work week behind a desk, on a sales floor or standing on a factory line. Because they can enjoy the wild only on Saturdays and Sundays, some outdoor enthusiasts have earned the nickname "Weekend Warriors."

Billy Crystal takes this concept one step further in City Slickers by playing Mitch, a middle-aged man who "tries to find his smile" by joining his friends on a real cattle drive. Each year, on Mitch's birthday, his best friends Phil (Daniel Stern) and Ed (the late Bruno Kirby) treat him to some macho, outdoor adventure, the latest being a trip to Pamplona, Spain to run with the bulls.

For his next birthday, Phil and Ed take Mitch off to play cowboys for real. Instead of a dude ranch, however, these three businessmen spend two weeks driving cattle from New Mexico to Colorado. Under the watchful eye of Curly (Jack Palance), the Trail Boss, Mitch and his buddies ride horses and eat food that's "brown and hot" with other city slickers. Things don't quite go as planned, however, after Curly dies suddenly on the trail and his two drunken assistants abandon the group. Mitch, Phil and Ed step up and decide to complete the cattle drive without any professional assistance. Mitch even becomes a surrogate mother for an orphaned calf that he names Norman.

More insightful than funny, City Slickers deals more with finding happiness in life than anything else. Disenchanted with his career as a radio station ad executive, Mitch reluctantly heads to New Mexico with his friends to discover what Curly calls the "One Thing" that makes life worthwhile. Along the journey, Mitch and the boys ride through some gorgeous and treacherous parts of New Mexico and Colorado. Despite getting in touch with the outdoors, Mitch still can't get rid of his city slicker ways. In one scene, he pulls out a battery-powered coffee grinder that triggers a cattle stampede.

With its mature, insightful themes and breathtaking scenery, City Slickers will make you ditch your three-piece suit for a pair of jeans, saddle and a cowboy hat.

Before extreme sports added a new level of danger to athletic competitions, bicycle messengers in urban areas such as New York City risked their necks just to make a paycheck. Because a cyclist can navigate through the worst Manhattan traffic jam, many companies employed these urban daredevils to deliver important documents.

Hot off his success in "Footloose," Kevin Bacon hung up his dancing shoes to star in the 1986 urban adventure "Quicksilver." Bacon played Jack Casey, a cocky 1980's stock broker who bets everything he, his clients and his parents have on a risky deal. When that deal goes sour, Jack loses just about everything, including his self-respect. Still hungering for the thrills and speed of Wall Street, Jack buys a bicycle and becomes an employee of the Quicksilver Messenger Service. When a former stock market colleague asks him why he works as a messenger, Jack says it's because "When I'm on the street, I feel good, man. I feel exhilarated." After he befriends a new messenger named Terri (a cute-as-a-button Jamie Gertz), Jack cycles into trouble once again. Terri unknowingly delivers narcotics for a drug dealer and Jack puts himself in harm's way trying to help her. Jack's affection for Terri leads to the ultimate life-or-death showdown for this messenger.

An often overlooked film from the 1980's, "Quicksilver" pays homage to bicycle messengers who go as fast as they want. The highlight of the film is a head-to-head competition between Jack and another messenger on the New York streets, with Roger Daltrey's memorable "Quicksilver Lightning" playing in the background.

Besides a good puncture repair kit and strong legs, a bicycle messenger needs a reliable messenger bag. For Jack Casey, a good choice would be the appropriately-named Jack Pack by OGIO. With its audio pocket, Jack could listen to hits by Roger Daltrey as he made his deliveries.

An underrated movie from the 1980's, it's worth going for a ride with Kevin Bacon in this bicycle adventure. "Quicksilver," rated PG for violence, adult situations and language, is available on DVD.

Traveling on the open road gives you an intoxicating feeling of freedom, no matter if you are a jogger, hiker or bicycle enthusiast. For high school graduate Dave Stoller (Dennis Christopher), the lead character in 1979's Breaking Away, his bicycle also gives him the freedom to be someone totally different than himself.

Living near Indiana University in Bloomington, Dave becomes obsessed with competitive bicycling racing and Team Cinzano, the Italian bicycling team. Not content to be himself, Dave reinvents himself as an Italian exchange student to impress a pretty co-ed, even adopting a fake foreign accent. Eventually, though, Dave learns who the true heroes are in his life, especially after a painful encounter with Team Cinzano. He starts to embrace his status as a "Cutter," the cruel nickname given to townspeople by the wealthy college students. The term refers to the men and women who spend their lives cutting and shaping the limestone blocks harvested from the quarries in Bloomington.

A simple, yet moving story about family and friends, "Breaking Away" features some impressive footage of "The Little 500," an annual bicycle race held at Indiana University in Bloomington. Jackie Earle Haley, who plays the masked vigilante Rorschach in the "Watchmen" movie, does a great job here as the scrappy Moocher. What Moocher lacks in size, he more than makes up in attitude.

Dave does a lot of serious training in "Breaking Away," including riding in the rain and racing down the highway next to a long-distance trucker. Director Peter Yates also shows the physical dangers of bicycle racing, especially when competing against unscrupulous opponents.

Though Dave favored a simple t-shirt and shorts while riding his bike, he could have improved his performance by wearing an Ultra LS Cycle Jersey. This product from Zoot Sports helps keep a competitive bicyclist warm and dry even under the harshest road conditions.

One of the best sports-themed movies of the 20th-century, Breaking Away is a story about finding your way in the world and embracing the freedom of the open road and the outdoors.

A big part of the enjoyment that comes with exploring the great outdoors is doing it your own way, not the way that everyone else thinks you should. This fierce sense of outdoor independence dominates "The Straight Story," a big screen adventure that also focuses on some of the most gorgeous areas of the United States.

The late, great actor Richard Farnsworth stars as Alvin Straight, the real life Iowa farmer who rode a lawn mower nearly 300 miles to visit his ailing brother in Wisconsin. Not a person who liked to take charity from anyone, Straight spent a good portion of the summer of 1994 traveling the back roads at a blazing 5 miles per hour. At night, the proud and stubborn Straight would cook and camp out under the stars, paying for supplies out of his own pocket. When a kindly husband and wife offered Alvin the use of their telephone, he left cash by the phone to pay for the call. Most people would have given up along the way and accepted a ride or a bus ticket, but the stubborn Straight kept on going like a true outdoorsman.

Director David Lynch, known for such edgy material as "Blue Velvet," makes "The Straight Story" a virtual love letter to the great outdoors. As he shows Alvin Straight's long journey from Iowa to Wisconsin, Lynch captures some unspoiled wilderness on film.

Part biography and part documentary, "The Straight Story" is a film that will entice viewers to explore the great outdoors, but make sure to gas up your car and not the riding mower before hitting the road.

A few years before Kevin Costner danced with wolves on the big screen, he starred in an interesting little film called "AmericanFlyers." Here, Costner plays Dr. Marcus Sommers, a sports physician who invites his estranged brother David (David Marshall Grant) to train with him for a grueling bicycle race called the "Hell of the West."

Because their father died years earlier from a cerebral aneurism, his mom is worried that David may have inherited the same genetic defect. At his mother's urging, Marcus invites David to visit him at the sports medicine clinic where he works. Marcus puts his brother through his paces and, when David exceeds the doctor's expectations, Marcus tells him he has the "cardiovascular system of King Kong's little brother."

Marcus also encourages David to join him in "The Hell of the West," slowly bonding with his brother as they bicycle through the mountains. Along the way, David meets an attractive young lady (Alexandra Paul from "Baywatch") who joins their racing team. As the race progresses, however, Marcus starts to have difficulty keeping up with his little brother.

Largely ignored during its initial release in 1985, "American Flyers" focused on competitive bicycle racing long before Lance Armstrong started breaking records in the Tour de France. Kevin Costner, known for the classic baseball film "Field of Dreams," does a decent job here as Dr. Sommers, but it is not his best role by any means.

The real selling point of "American Flyers" is, of course, the race itself. Director John Badham ("War Games,") and his camera crew captured some beautiful shots of Colorado mountain roads for the racing sequences. The plot is pretty standard stuff, but the scenery truly is unforgettable.

If you want to try your legs at racing through the mountains like Marcus and David, the best place to start is with your shoes. Before you begin training, invest in a good pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators, which are tough enough to handle the punishment of a stage race like "The Hell of the West."

Long before the series focused more on style than substance, Sylvester Stallone gave one of the best performances of his career in "First Blood," the story of a Vietnam Vet who had serious difficulty returning to civilian life.

Stallone plays John J. Rambo, a decorated war hero trying to reconnect with some members of his squad. Unfortunately, after traveling to a small town, he learns that one of his Green Beret buddies has died from long-term exposure to the chemicals used during the Vietnam conflict. Of all the soldiers in his squad, he literally is the last man standing.

The frustrated Rambo simply wants to get something to eat and leave town, but the narrow-minded local sheriff (Brian Dennehy) doesn't like the way he looks and drives him to the city limits. When Rambo returns to town, the sheriff promptly arrests him, abusing him with a high-pressure hose and a straight razor. The mental and physical torture reawakens Rambo's guerilla warfare skills and he escapes into the woods. With only a survival knife and his military training, the former soldier wages his own personal war against both the town and the memories that still haunt him from Vietnam.

The best scenes in "First Blood" take place in the wilderness, where John J. Rambo goes into hiding and lives off the land. As his former commander tells the police, Rambo has been trained to eat things that "would make a billy goat puke." He also has an incredible tolerance for pain, especially during one outdoor sequence where he has to sew up his own wounded arm.

A soldier such as John Rambo can survive with just a knife, but most people who enjoy camping really can use a good duffel bag like the Expedition made by Mountain Hardware. When you need to haul a lot of gear into rough terrain, the Expedition is roomy enough to hold everything you need.

Though the later "Rambo" movies focused more on special effects than characters, "First Blood" remains one of the best outdoor movies ever made.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, men who had lost everything because of the economy "rode the rails" in search of something better. "Emperor of the North," a classic film from the 1970's, showed how truly dangerous this activity could become for these hobos. Character actor Ernest Borgnine ("The Poseidon Adventure") starred as Shack, a legendary train conductor who didn't take kindly to bums riding his train cars for free. If it came down to it, Shack would prefer to kill a homeless rider rather than let anyone ride his train illegally.

Shack's lethal reputation made him a legend among those riding the rails, and anyone who could safely ride the conductor's train for free would become a hero. A hobo named "A Number 1" (the legendary Lee Marvin) takes up the challenge, hoping to escape the watchful eye of the lethal Shack during the trip. Unfortunately, the veteran hobo gets stuck with a novice rider (Keith Carradine) whose ego and inexperience may get them both killed.

Most of the action takes place on top of a moving train, and this makes "Emperor of the North" exceptionally gritty and harsh. This is not a battle of wits between conductor and hobo but rather a fight to the death between two Depression-era gladiators, neither of whom is willing to back down.

At his crusty best, Ernest Borgnine rules both the film and the train as Shack, the conductor who has no compassion or sympathy for anyone. Shack's weapon of choice was a large hook attached to a heavy-duty chain, which he wielded like a pair of nunchucks against any man who dared hitch a ride on his train.

Lee Marvin goes toe-to-toe with Borgnine as the veteran rail rider looking to bolster his reputation. "A Number 1" was the kind of man who liked to travel light, so if it was available to him, he would have worn a Mountain Hardwear Lodown Jacket with enough goose down to keep him warm on those cold train rides.

With its simple, yet effective story, "Emperor of the North" definitely is a classic outdoor adventure. "Emperor of the North" is available on DVD.

As an adventure story, "The River Wild" gives audiences a very bumpy introduction to the world of white water rafting. In this 1994 thriller, Meryl Streep plays Gail Hartman, a wife and mother who enjoys rafting down some of the more challenging rivers.

While taking son Roarke (*Joseph Mazzello* from "Jurassic Park") and husband Tom (*David Strathairn*) on a rafting trip, they meet a nice young man named Wade (*Kevin Bacon*). It soon becomes apparent, though, that Wade and his buddy aren't quite as nice as they seem. As it turns out, the two men are armed robbers and need someone to guide them down the river. With the lives of her family at stake, Gail reluctantly agrees to take the two men to meet their accomplices. Along the way, she uses all her white water rafting skills to dump these desperate criminals overboard. As the water becomes more and more threatening, Gail faces the twin dangers of death by drowning and a bullet from Wade's gun.

Directed by Curtis Hanson ("8 Mile"), "The River Wild" is a game of cat-and-mouse set against a breathtaking outdoor backdrop. Filmed in multiple locations, including Glacier National Park in Montana and Oregon's Upper Rogue River, Hanson gives white water rafters and those interested in the sport a really good look at some prime spots for rafting.

Things get pretty wet and wild for Gail and her family on the rapids. Tom, her onscreen husband, could have benefited greatly if he wore a Marmont Storm Front jacket, which would have kept him warm and dry while he helped his wife figure a way out of their predicament.

An actor with a reputation for co-starring with just about everyone in Hollywood, Kevin Bacon is pretty cold blooded in "The River Wild." He and Meryl Streep turn a rafting trip into a real matter of life and death. "The River Wild" is a good movie to watch, even if you aren't a rafting enthusiast.

"The River Wild," rated PG-13 for some violence and threatening moments, is available on DVD.

There are many movies, which upon watching their footage, inspire people to get out into the wild in one way or another. One of such movies is the IMAX film, Yellowstone. Set in Yellowstone National Park in Montana, the beauty of the park's nature and wildlife will leave those who have never visited planning a trip.

As seen in the movie Yellowstone, there are many breathtaking scenes of nature all around Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful, the famous geyser, is located at Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful can be viewed by foot on the trail or by car on a one-way drive. To get the whole nature experience, by foot is probably best. Since this will be on a hiking trail, onlookers should be sure to wear the proper hiking shoes, as well as carry a knapsack of hiking supplies.

Yellowstone also features an animal stampede, which may also be seen at the Yellowstone National Park. There is an abundance of wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, much of which can be seen very up close. It is important to stay in your car in some areas because of this closeness. There are designated areas to view animals on foot. Safety is key when in a natural wildlife habitat.

Inspired by Yellowstone to run wild in the nature at Montana's Yellowstone National Park? You just may be in luck. Backcountry hiking sites with overnight camping are available at the park, with a Backcountry Use Permit. Be sure to bring all your hiking and camping gear to be prepared.

Because a safe distance from the wild animals is at least 100 yards away (anything closer is prohibited for safety purposes), a good pair of binoculars is essential for viewing wildlife. To capture those images, a good camera is also ideal.

When it's time to settle in for the night, a sturdy tent can provide a decent shelter in an outdoor environment. Be sure to choose the one that is the right size for your group. Speaking of groups, keep in mind that when in a wild outdoor scene, such as this, safety is in numbers. Backcountry hiking alone is not recommended by the parks.

Sources:
http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2008/08/yellowstone.php
http://www.nps.gov/yell

Looking for a new adventure? Get into the wild with outdoor movies. Movies with intense nature scenes can invoke that adventurous spirit and inspire us to explore new territory. Ever heard of the movie Cliffhanger with Sylvester Stallone?

In the movie Cliffhanger, Stallone's character does some serious mountain climbing to evade the villains. He uses amazing rock climbing skills to leap from cliff to cliff with ease. I'm not saying you should be leaping cliffs here, but perhaps you could try a little rock climbing. Whether you're normally the adventurous type or not, it could be interesting, as well as fun and exhilarating to learn a new skill such as rock climbing. The best bet for beginners is to take a class. Rock climbing is not a sport that you test out by yourself, and even if you're skilled, you'll still want to go in a group for safety purposes.

Just as in the movie, be sure you have the right gear. One thing that Stallone always has while rock climbing in Cliffhanger are trusty carabiners. Without carabiners, rock climbing would be quite dangerous, especially at the extremely high elevations Stallone faced in the movie. Key locking carabiners will help to secure a hold, making the climb safer. To get a good foothold, you also will want to wear the right footwear. Depending on the terrain, there will be a variety of choices. There are rock climbing shoes, as well as crampons.

Also needed, of course, will be a strong harness. Carabiners attach to these to secure the hold to the rocks. Other tools and accessories include an axe, a helmet, camming devices and gloves. The camming devices, along with the harness and carabiners, will help secure your position during climbing. Stability is very important in rock climbing.

Rock climbing can be quite an interesting to hobby to take on and is also a great way to exercise in a less mundane way than those daily workouts. Just remember to always be safe and follow the instructions of a professional. Also be sure to check with a doctor before starting or stopping any physical activities.