The trees are changing colour, the animals are preparing to hibernate, and that crisp, cool, fall air is settling in. Ask any Albertan, and you’ll learn that one of the best times to venture out to the mountains is the shoulder season in September and October—after the hustle of the summer tourist season has died down, and before the frigid temperatures set in.

For backcountry enthusiasts, fall can be the perfect time for a wilderness adventure. For Alberta Outdoors reader Kyle E. Short, the cooler days are a signal that it’s time to prepare for an annual sheep hunting adventure with friends. “One in Ten, Part I” is the first of the reader-submitted stories from Kyle as he documents his forays into sheep country.

In “How to Explore the Backcountry Around Crowsnest Pass,” Avenue Calgary shares the secret to avoiding crowds at any time of year with the expertise of a local guide company, and what you need to be prepared for your wilderness adventure.

We promised tales of wilderness adventure, and there’s no shortage of it in the pages of Mountain Life: Rocky Mountains. The magazine takes us on epic journeys across the country, with stories like “We All Need Each Other” by Kristin Schnelten, chronicling filmmaker and adventurer Dianne Whelan’s six years on the Trans Canada Trail. Or for skiiers seeking ideas for their own backcountry getaway, there’s great ideas in “Any Shelter in a Storm” by Kevin Hjertaas. Remote cabins book up so quickly that the more adventurous are finding alternative shelter to keep warm. Yep, we’re talking tin huts and snow caves!

Moving up North, we learn about two longtime friends on a trek in the Yukon bush, with “One Came Back” by Rhiannon Russell for Up Here. What could possibly go wrong on the planned adventure—starting in the fall and lasting anywhere from six weeks to three months—camping and scouting for gold prospecting in spring? A lot. A lot can go wrong.

Whether you’re inspired to plan your own wilderness adventure, or you’re happy reading about it from the warm safety of your home, you can learn all about it in a magazine!