The Joy Trip Project
By The Joy Trip Project
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Podcast Description
Reporting on the business, art and culture of the sustainable active lifestyle
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CleanSUP Wisconsin Life | Recently I was asked to create at story about outdoor recreation for the Wisconsin Public Radio program 'Wisconsin Life'. With such unseasonably warm weather I managed to get my stand up paddle board out onto Madison's lakes earlier than ever before. So I went out on Lake Wingra with my digital recorder to gather sound and an experience to write a short essay. ~JEM SUP Wisconsin Spring has come early to Wisconsin this year. It’s a warm day in March when I strap my Stand Up paddle board to the roof of my car and make the short drive to Madison’s Lake Wingra. Winter’s ice has only just retreated and the clear open water ripples beneath bright sunshine. So early in the season the boat docks haven’t yet been put in place and I’m among the first to venture out. Eleven feet four inches long, my board eases in to the chilly water. Dressed in neoprene booties, Lycra tights and a life jacket I hold the board steady with one foot, the other planted firmly on the wooden pier as I adjust the length of my paddle. I push away from shore with a gentle kick propelled just a little by a light breeze from the south. I’m a little out of practice after the winter, so it takes a few strokes of the paddle to find my center of balance on the board, to set my feet. Within minutes, though, I find that familiar rhythm as I sweep the blade through the water past the tall brown marsh grass and freeze-dried cattails along the shore. Standing tall above the water I can see swaying lake weeds beneath me and schools of blue gill that dart out before the rushing surge of my board. Faster now, the wind at my back, the lake’s current carries me toward the far shore. With a starboard turn I paddle along the beach front … locking breath and pulse to each stroke … building first then settling to a sustainable cadence. Turning again into the wind I set a course straight in the direction of a distant tree. Matching each sweep of the paddle left side, right side and back again the blade balances the arch of travel to pull evenly through the water ever forward. Canadian Geese honk with encouragement as I go past and a family of ducks scatters, taking flight. With this lake all to myself I feel uniquely part of a great whole. Surrounded by water and wildlife, astride my board, I too can fly like the birds . And as the sun slowly sets, I can see on the horizon many more great adventures on the lakes and rivers of Wisconsin. The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 3/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanVisions of the Arctic | For most of his life wildlife photographer Florian Schulz has fought to protect the diversity of animals species around the world. Working in the most remote region of the planet he’s tracked and documented the wild birds of Mexico, big game animals of... | 2/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThere is no alternative: an intererview with eco-economist Andrew Winston | For companies in the Outdoor Industry day-to-day operations that protect and preserve the environment naturally make good sense. So-called green business practices are meant to be sustainable, using a minimum amount energy and mostly renewable res... | 1/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Canterbury Trail | When it comes to adventure writing the sharpest literary minds draw on the subject matter they know best. Author Angie Abdou brings to her latest book themes from an ancient English text first made popular in the middle ages. "I was a medievalist in a past life, which is a weird thing to be," Angie said at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. "But before I took up fiction writing I taught medieval studies." You may remember from courses in English lit the classic travel stories known collectively as the Canterbury Tales. Written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century it’s a dark ages joy trip that follows the path of Christian pilgrims on their way from London to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent. "And I think for people who haven’t read Chaucer they think it’s a classic text and that it must be serious and religious," Angie said. "But Chaucer is a raunchy, bawdy, wild, wild text. And I always like the idea of how it might manifest, or turn into a contemporary novel, because he’s writing social satire of the whole breath of medieval society. And he uses the devise of a pilgrimage to bring together diverse groups that wouldn’t otherwise spend time together. So he has the fighters and prayers and workers and women and men and upper and lower, people who would normally never interact, but they’re together for the space of this pilgrimage. And so he’s able to satire the whole group. And so I thought where I live, what’s a pilgrimage? And it’s the back country ski-touring trek." Set in the fictional town of Coalton, somewhere in the Canadian Rockies Abdou tells in her book the many stories of mountain people. Drawn to a remote ski lodge by the last big snow dump of the year, these stereotypical nature lovers gather to offer up a bit of social satire on those who lead an active lifestyle. "So you have the redneck snowmobiles and the pothead ski-bums and the snowshoeing hippies and they’re all…this developer guy who wants to cess out the territory and all the different groups from my town are headed back to the backcountry," Angie said. "So I get to get them together and I put them in the same hut in the back country and see what happens!" The tales are every bit as raunchy, bawdy and wild as anything Chaucer ever wrote. And in the classic style of the medieval poet Angie Abdou shares a comical story our own lives in adventure she calls The Canterbury Trail. Music this week by Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of our sponsor Patagonia. Discover their conservation and new media initiatives on their blog the Cleanestline.com. And special thanks to the Walton Works whose support underwrote travel expenses to Banff so I could bring back this and other great stories. Visit the Walton Works.com Thanks for listening., But you know I want to hear from you. So please drop me a note with your questions, comments and criticisms to info@joytripproject.com. | 12/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHow to become a National Geographic Explorer | If you've ever wondered how you might become an explorer for National Geographic believe it or not it can be as simple as attending a seminar. During the Banff Mountain Film Festival in a conference room at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada aspiring young explorers learn the ropes of turning their dreams of adventure into an assignment for National Geographic. Their works may land on television, on the web or the famous magazine with the bright yellow border. Carrie Regan, Vice president of specials development at National Geographic Television tells young photographers, writers and filmmakers what she wants to see and hear in a pitch. “In brief it's basically looking for great adventures, adventures with great payoffs, a great discovery,” Regan said. “Think about what the hook would be, what would make viewers when they tune in for the first 5 minutes say, ‘Oh, my God! I have to stick around and see if they're going to solve this mystery if they're going to accomplish this quest’.” For many, like those at this seminar, the dream of exploration began between the pages of National Geographic Magazine. Who can forget the image of early human ancestors discovered at Olduvai Gorge or the hunting eyes of the “Afghan girl” Sharbat Gula? Those vivid pictures and compelling stories have inspired people for generations to travel the world in search of adventure and scientific discovery. Since 1888 National Geographic has supported more than 10,000 expeditions to the most remote corners of the globe. And those gathered here want to be among the next group of explorers. In this seminar Regan encourages them to keep a few things in mind. ‘So really think about how this is going to be visually different,” she said “what great characters we have and what's that great payoff that will keep viewers tuned in.” Developing content across a variety of different media National Geographic is looking for new and exciting stories. Gregory McGruder, vice president of public programs at National Geographic also sits on the Expeditions counsel as well as the Young Explorers Grant counsel. He helps to pick from among the many projects that apply for support and funding. But he warns new applicants not to make up the social and culture significance the magazine is known for in their stories. He says just keep it real. “We've got really good radar for things that are shoehorned in kind of improperly,” McGruder said. “If it's something about adventure make it adventure. Don't add the cultural element as a tag-on. I mean the cultural element is fine, but it just has to be authentic.” It is this authenticity that adventure filmmaker and past National Geographic Younger Explorer Grant recipient Andy Maser brings to the magazine. “I got a young explorer grant in 2009 for a project in Bolivia that blended climate change with white-water kayaking,” he said. Maser's project for National Geographic proposed to demonstrate through a paddling adventure how a warming planet might impact the availability of water in a major city like La Paz. “A lot of their water comes from melting glaciers that are rapidly receding because of climate change,” Maser said. “So we launched an expedition to study these glaciers and then paddle the rivers that flow with the melt waters of these glaciers.” Maser, who's now 26, pitched his expedition idea to National Geographic in consideration of a Young Explorers Grant. Now he’s a professional adventure filmmaker. “Working with National Geographic it really opens doors. The young explorers grant is a small grant. It's only between $2,000 and $5,000,” Maser said. “But it's not necessarily the money that's the most valuable part of these small grants it's the people you meet and people you get to collaborate with and just the opportunities that you get by being associated with National Geographic.” (Learn more about Maser's Kayaking Bolivia project online: | 12/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean‘Cold’ an interview with climber photographer Cory Richards | Making the rounds at mountain film festivals all over the world is a new movie by Anson Fogel and Cory Richards. In the classic style of adventure storytelling Richards shares his tale of three climbers in his award-winning film 'Cold'. “It’s a very raw real look into what’s kind of going on inside my head as I did a climb with Simone Moro and Denis Urubko last winter on a peak called Gasherbrum II,” Richards said in an interview. Ascending one of the highest peaks in the world at temperature 50 degrees below zero as the film opens Richards can’t help but ask himself a quintessential question. “What the f#@%! am I doing here? We have to get down,” he says in the film. Gasherbrum II stands more than 8,000 feet above sea level. “For you guys who aren’t good at math that’s above 26, 240 feet. There’s 14 of them in the world. Obviously Everest is the highest,” Richards said. “And 9 of those peaks are in Nepal and Tibet. And 5 are in Pakistan. And for the past 26 years since the Polish advent of winter 8,000 meter climbing all of the peaks in Nepal and Tibet had been climbed in winter, but none of the Pakistani 8,000-meter peaks had been successfully climbed in winter.” Going after this Pakistani summit through a Himalayan winter in the tradition of the great Polish climbers of the last century Richards and his team Italian climber Simone Moro and Denis Urubko of Kazakhstan attempted to do what no one had done before. “So when we did it on February 2nd 2011 it was actually a monumental achievement. And it’s funny for me to say that because I don’t necessarily look at it in that way. That’s not something that I think. But that’s how it’s viewed,” Richards said. “ ‘Cold’ is basically a representation of what I think goes on in everybody’s head when they’re climbing. They think about their family. They think about their life. They think about the doubts they have. And hopefully it’s just a real perspective, verses a chest pounding triumphant heroic film. It’s not meant to be that.” At the 2011 Banff Mountain Film Festival ‘Cold’ took the grand prize. Climber, photographer and filmmaker Cory Richards also took a few minutes to tell me about his life now making movies on the highest mountains in the world. JTP: What’s really fascinating is that you actually did all the photography yourself with a handheld camera throughout the entire expedition. At high altitude that’s a lot to take on in addition to actually doing the climb. What was it like to be able to be responsible for both climbing and surviving on Gasherbraum II and taking pictures? Cory: You know it’s funny a lot of people talk about just that fact, that…”what’s it like to film up there?” And for me, coming from a photography background, coming from a film background, I don’t actually think of it like that because that’s just why I get invited to go on these trips because that’s my job. So I think it’s an added aspect, but it’s something that’s sort of hard for me to describe because it’s not a tangible thought process any more. This is what I’m doing here. This is what I have to do. So I’m doing it. JTP: At the same time though you also have to have the presence of mind to set the shot, to be able to while Simone is puking on the summit you’re there holding the camera. Cory: Yeah JTP: You can’t be on your knees Cory: Yeah, it’s weird! It’s so true. You have to go fast sometimes to get ahead. You’re trying to be the fly on the wall. But what’s interesting is you’re also doing the climb. So at the same time Simone’s puking, I want to puke. But as a photographer and a filmmaker you realize that that’s a important and special moment. You hate to see your friends suffering but you have to realize that that’s pivotal. Something’s happening in front of you. And because you’re thinking about all that y | 12/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFreedom Climbers | Writer and former director of the Banff Mountain Film Festival Bernadette McDonald has new book that offers a unique perspective on high altitude climbing in the Himalaya. As the author of several titles on the subject she’s well regarded in the international mountaineering community. And back in 2003 she came up with an idea for this latest project at an adventure film festival in Poland. “And as most ideas do, this one began at a party,” McDonald said. It was the after party of this festival and McDonald was in the clubhouse of the Katowice Mountain Club. She knew a number of these climbers from her years working at the festival. But in this particular situation she was sort of swamped with them, she said. There were dozens of climbers in this clubhouse and there was a lot of energy in the room. “But it wasn’t just about the festival. It was about a community of the hardest core climbers I had ever seen in my life,” McDonald said. “And the stories that I heard that night, the passion and the depth of their history in the mountains absolutely astonished me. But the other thing that struck me was that it felt like it was the end of an era because a lot of the best of those climbers had already died in the mountains. It felt a bit like an Irish wake. That’s the way it struck me and I thought there was a story here. Because the situation in which they grew up, the conditions, the hardships that they endured were so different than anything that I had ever experienced and more different than most people I knew had experienced. And I somehow felt that those two things were linked.” From the mid1970s through the 1980s Polish climbers dominated the Himalayan mountaineering scene. This generation of adventurers rose up from the horrific occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II only to be subjugated afterward by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. For thousands of young people at that time the mountains were their only escape and many of them ventured far away from Poland into the high of places of Central Asia where they distinguished themselves among the best alpinists in the world. In her book Freedom Climbers Bernadette McDonald tells their story. Music this week by guitarist Alex Chudnovsky and singer songwriter Cheryl B. Englehart The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsors Patagonia and The Walton Works | 11/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Descent | On NPR’s All Things Considered veteran public radio reporter Alex Chadwick tells an intimate story of environmental activist Tim DeChristopher. Before he was sentenced to two years in federal prison for an act of civil disobedience DeChristopher and Chadwick spent several days together on a whitewater rafting trip. Chadwick: Every time you write a piece you have to kind of figure out what the piece is about what the story’s about. I actually finished this piece before I really understood what it’s about. It’s about two guys in trouble who go done a river. DeChristopher had been convicted of disrupting a Bureau of Land Management auction of oil and gas drilling leases on property adjacent to two national parks in the state of Utah. Chadwick: So he was waiting to be sentenced and I was going through struggles of my own that had to do with the loss of my wife and I my just feeling lost and kind of uncertain about really everything. And the two of us go down this river together and just have an experience and adventure. Chadwick had recently lost his wife National Public Radio producer Carolyn Chadwick. And on the invitation of river guide and activist John Weisheit he and DeChristopher made a long journey down the Colorado River through the rapids of Cataract Canyon. In the time that hey spent together two men shared their stories in a piece for radio called the Descent. On this trip DeChristopher ponders the sacrifices we he made, everything he’s given up to protect the environment. DeChristopher: And I started to accept that in a lot of ways I have nothing to loose by fighting back because I’ve already grieved the loss of everything that can be taken away from me. Chadwick: Everything. Carolyn loved being outside. She loved the rivers, the west the way the night ski here makes star galleries. We were coming some day. We were coming to the river and she wouldn’t be scared. She was afraid of her end sometimes. But she almost never showed it. She didn’t want to talk about it. I’m on this journey because of her. John Weisheit knows what I lost and he thinks the river is transformative, healing maybe. I’m carrying a recorder and making notes and talking with time out of habit, or maybe to learn that I still can. Clearly Chadwick hasn’t lost his touch. And in the Descent he paints a picture of DeChristopher that provides an alternative view of the calm serious activist so willing to lay down his freedom. Chadwick: I saw on the river a different side of him a lightness a sense of fun and pleasure and laughter that’s absent from his life in Salt Lake City as an activist. He had a good time on the river. He had a really good time as did I. -- You can listen to Chadwick's piece the descent on the KCRW public radio program Unficitional, with a revised version also available at the NPR show All Things Considered. Music by Max Carmichael The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 10/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanCoffee Story Ethiopia | An interview with climber and writer Majka Burhardt Many Americans -maybe even most of us- begin our mornings with a steaming cup of coffee. That wonderfully dark warm beverage helps to kick start your day and put a little bounce in your step. But if you’re like me, you probably haven’t put a whole lot of thought into where it comes from or how it’s grown. That’s why writer and climber Majka Burhardt traveled more than 8,000 miles to discover the story. “I went to Ethiopia originally as a journalist to try to find a rare coffee,” she said. “That coffee receives about $150 a pound on the U.S. market and we tried to find the genetic roots of it in Ethiopia. We didn’t find the coffee. But I wound up staying there and climbing and writing a book called Vertical Ethiopia about doing first ascents — and really, a book about how to use rock climbing to tell a different story about Ethiopia that was not only about drought, poverty, and famine.” Majka and I first met as we discussed her early journeys through eastern Africa. Her book Vertical Ethiopia details her adventures while climbing some of the very first routes on the cliffs of Gheralta in a region called Tigray. And during her travels while climbing she discovered that in addition to its rich and complex flavors, coffee also offers a deep look to the history of Ethiopia and its people. "Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. It's the home of 10,000 varietals of coffee,” Majka said. “So for me to come back and tell the stories behind coffee, that was just the ultimate expression of what is Ethiopia. In some ways you can tell the story of Ethiopia through coffee.” I had the pleasure of traveling through Africa with Majka as she was finishing up the last few chapters of her latest book. And as we reconnected during the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City Utah we had a chance to talk about what she learned and to share her new book Coffee Story Ethiopia. Music this week by Cheryl B. Englehardt The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of our sponsor Patagonia Check out their latest new media and conservation initiatives at their blog thecleanestline.com | 10/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Ledge | An interview with climber, writer and public speaker Jim Davidson As an adventure journalist I have the opportunity to meet some amazing people. And it was through the magic of social media that I became friends with climber, writer and public speaker Jim Davidson. We first got acquainted on Facebook. But last year we met in person at a café in the Canadian Rockies, a town called Banff. There he told his incredible story of friendship, adventure and survival that’s the subject of his new book, “The Ledge”. On a routine decent of Mt. Rainier Jim and his climbing partner Mike Price suddenly fell and were trapped in a deep crevasse. "After a few more distant impacts, there is silence and darkness beneath this cocoon of snow," Jim writes in his book. "I wonder whether it's quiet now because the snow has ceased falling or because I am buried so deep that I can no longer hear what's happening on top of the thick snowpack. The silence terrifies me. I open my eyes -at least I think I do- but blackness envelops me. To make sure they're actually open, I blink a few times and feel sharp snow grains scratch my eyelids. I see nothing. I'm buried alive." Jim’s partner Mike died in the fall. And it was only after several hours of painstaking effort that Jim was able, all alone, to climb his way to safety. Despite the tragic circumstances of his story as detailed in his book Jim finds great comfort in the lessons he’s learned through the power of persistence, determination and the bonds of friendship. Ironically these are life-long skills that Jim picked up as a young a man not as a climber, but doing dangerous work with his father as a high altitude painter of tall buildings towers and bridges. The Ledge: an adventure story of friendship and survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan is available in hardcover and published by Ballantine Books. You can learn more online at Jim’s web site Speaking of Adventure. Music by Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 9/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRon Kauk, a climber’s journey | Ron Kauk is one of the best known climbers in Yosemite Valley. He was among that early generation of big wall pioneers that set the standards and established the major routes that are still popular today. Since 1974 he’s been a regular in the Yosemite climbing community. Having made the first free ascent of Washington Column in 1975 with John Long and John Bachar Kauk renamed the route Astroman and it became the most challenging climb in the Valley for more than 10 years. On a joy trip out to the west coast this summer I had the chance to meet Kauk and talk to him about his younger days in Yosemite. "For me it was like entering this incredible world of granite and rivers and trees and this interesting like-minded group of people in this place we’re sitting in which is camp four," Kauk said. "It was colorful and energized with this enthusiasm to climb but also live simply. To think that you could walk in and feel so comfortable and belong to this group and inspire each other just out here on these boulders ... or out there on those big walls once you learned the fundamentals." It’s been more than 30 years and Kauk is still climbing in Yosemite. With a life philosophy that includes a deep and abiding appreciation for nature he continues to inspire young people through a non-profit called Sacred Rok. Making the connection between spirituality and the preservation of wild places he’s taking the sport of rock climbing to a whole new level. Music this week by Eric Garcia & Jake Shimabukuro | 9/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDean Karnazes | An interview with the inspirational ultra-marathon runner of the Endurance 50 Back in 2006 ultra distance runner Dean Karnazes performed an amazing stunt. Over the course of 50 days he ran 50 marathons in each of the 50 United States. An inspiring feat to be sure, running 26.2 mile every day and then traveling quickly by car to the next state and do it again. But what was especially interesting to Dean and me too with I spoke to him were the stories of the many people he met along away. Dean Karnazes is touring the country as part of The North Face Speakers Series. And in anticipation of an upcoming visit here to Madison, WI I’m treating you this week to a Joy Trip flashback from an interview I recorded with Dean in 2007. You’ll be surprised how some who inspires so many can be inspired by others. You can learn about Dean Karnazes and his career in running online just visit the athletes page at the North Face.com Music by the band Hot Buttered Rum | 9/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Raven’s Gift | An interview with writer and explorer Jon Turk Many of us put a lot on the line for the sake of adventure. And for writer and scientist Jon Turk the decision to paddle a kayak across the Pacific Ocean from Asia to North American was in keeping with a tradition of discovery as old as humanity itself. “You look for an audacious and bold plan that’s still feasible,” Turk said. “You look to be vulnerable and at the same time secure. And at that time, which was about 10 years ago now nobody had successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean in a standard production off the shelf-kayak.” Turk had a dream to paddle more than 3,000 miles across a vast ocean. But he would later realize that he was actually tracing a migratory route he believes was followed by ancient humans thousands of years ago. And it kind of makes you wonder why anyone today or way back when would ever to do such a thing. “We all agree that migration is difficult,” Turk said. “It’s difficult to get into a canoe, to leave your homeland with deer in the forest, seals in the bay, with salmon in the streams and paddle three thousand miles across the arctic in the middle of the ice ages.” If it’s so difficult again the question then as it is today is why? The anthropologist will tell you that because we are a pragmatic people the only reason why we would do something that difficult, paddle 3,000 miles across the ocean, is if we are force out of our homeland by warfare or starvation or lured into more productive hunting grounds by a more productive place. In other words it was beaten up, famished people who had just lost a war escaping for their lives. But Jon Turk doesn’t believe that. “I don’t believe that on two grounds,” he said. “First of all it’s such a hard trip that if you started out beaten up weakened, famished loosing most of your warriors in a battle you’re going to die. Second of all I think the hardest and most audacious journeys are following dreams, not pragmatic reasons. Pragmatism will get you so far. But the dream will get you farther.” So following his dream Jon Turk ventured out across the ocean and along the way he discovered a few interesting ideas about the very nature of adventure. And his book, The Raven’s Gift he explores the power of risk and vulnerability as a way for travelers to experience magic. The Raven's Gift is published by St. Martins Press Music this week by Chad Farran The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of our sponsor Patagonia | 8/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanShelton Johnson speaks to the Conservation Alliance | For those of us who spend a great deal of time outdoors it’s hard to believe that there are many of those who don’t. Especially when it comes to our national parks there is an entire segment of the United States population, natural born citizens who seldom if ever visit. This is particularly true among people of color. African-Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic minorities spend far less time in nature than their white counterparts. And in a shifting demographic where minorities will soon become the majority there’s rising concern throughout the conservation movement that one day in the not so distant future most U.S. citizens will have no personal relationship with or affinity for the natural world. This concern is expressed most eloquently by National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. The only permanent African-American ranger at Yosemite National Park his mission is to share with audiences, black and white, lessons of stewardship that illustrate the bond with nature that is every U.S. citizen’s birth rite. An interpretive ranger that tells the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, African-American cavalrymen who projected Yosemite at the turn of last century, Johnson puts into context the importance of wilderness not merely as a point of national pride but an intrinsic value of what it mean to be human. At the biannual meeting of the Conservation Alliance at the 2011 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City Utah, Shelton Johnson was the keynote speaker. Best known for his prominent role in the Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks, America's Best Idea," he was also instrumental in bringing Yosemite Valley to the attention of leading black talk show host Oprah Winfrey. In a nationally televised visit to the park in 2010 Winfrey used her media clout to invite millions of minorities across the country to explore the great outdoors. In this unabridged audio recording Johnson is welcomed to the podium by Conservation Alliance executive director John Sterling. For 40 minutes Ranger Johnson inspired a rapt crowd with a message to encourage all people, regardless of race, to embrace the wonders of nature and to claim their inheritance of our national treasures Music this week by the band Hot Buttered Rum The Joy Trip Project is brought with the support of our sponsor Patagonia. Coverage of the 2011 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was supported by Knupp, Watson & Wallman | 8/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAlex Honnold the reluctant free-soloist | Many of us have a deep fascination with rock climbers. Big wall climbers in particular captivate our wonder and attention as we marvel that their daring feats of courage. And in the movie Alone on the Wall from Sender Films fans are introduced to a new breed of climber and the most breathtaking alpine style of all. Alex Honnold is one of those guys who has distinguished himself as a climber doing amazing things. Climbing the Yosemite big wall of Half Dome without a rope is what he’s best known for but he says there’s more to him than that. “I hate to be defined as a free soloist,” he said. “I spend like 99 percent of my time climbing with a rope, climbing with climbing with my friends. So it’s kind of annoying to be pegged as THE free-soloist, because that’s just a small part of what I do.” At the 2010 Banff Mountain Film Festival I had the chance to talk to Alex about his life in climbing and what makes this reluctant free-soloist tick. You check out Alex Honnold and his life in climbing the movie Alone on The Wall part of the First Ascent series now DVD at Sender Films.com. Music this week by Chad Farran The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 7/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAdventure Media: Happy a new film by Roko Belic | If you haven’t figured it out yet, a big part of this program is trying to figure out what makes people happy. Personally I believe happiness isn’t just something that happens. I think we all try to create things in our lives that bring us joy. But as Benjamin Frankly once said The Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to pursue happiness but it’s up to each of us catch it. I learned that quote from my friend Los Angeles filmmaker Roko Belic. At the 2011 Mountain Film Festival in Telluride Colorado he shared with me his latest project a movie he calls Happy. “The way that I got into making Happy is very simple,” Belic said. “A friend of mine named Tom Shadyack called me and said that he had read an article in the New York Times that compares countries in terms of happiness. And this article said that although America is one of the richest countries it’s nowhere near the happiest. And Tom said ‘you know this is something I’ve been thinking about because I live in Hollywood and I’m surrounded by very successful wealthy, talented people who’ve essentially achieved an exaggerated version of the American dream and yet many of them are not happy. So we should get to the bottom of this and explore happiness in a documentary film.’ And I said Absolutely. Sounds amazing!” So Belic spent more than four years traveling the world to explore many different cultures and communities. Along the way asked several leading experts in the science of human behavior exactly what it means to happy. And through the making of this film he discovered for himself and those of us in the audience a few simple answers to one of life’s most complicated questions. The film Happy by Roko Belic isnow in festival and special screening distribution. For more information visit www.thehappymovie.com. Music this week by Jake Shimabukur The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 7/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAdventure Media: With My Own Two Wheels | The transformational power of bicycles is the subject of a new film by brothers Jacob & Isaac Seigel-Boettner. “With My Own Two Wheels” takes us on a ride through the developing world to see how these simple mechanical devices are changing peoples’ lives. Though here in the U.S. we take for granted the ease of going from place to place by car, the filmmakers demonstrate that bicycles offer for many living in poverty a way out. Co-director Jacob Seigel-Boettner said his project was an opportunity to connect with real people around the world with real stories about their bikes. “We were incredibly lucky to find all of these not only great characters,” he said “but people who were willing to let us follow them around with a camera wherever and however long we wanted to.” With a recent showing at the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride and now in private screening distribution, the 44-minute film depicts the stories of five individuals, each with a different spin on how bikes empower them. “We started with World Bicycle Relief,” said Jacob Seigel-Boettner . “With work I had done in the bike industry, I knew they were not only the largest but the most sustainable bike development organization in terms of distributing bikes, and training mechanics and making sure that it was done right.” So the directors built a story around five people for whom bicycles made a big difference. Fred is a caregiver from Zambia who rides from village to village visiting aids patients. Carlos is the inventor of pedal-powered device called the bicimaniquina that offers a small-scale industrial alternative to diesel-fueled machines. Sharkey in Santa Barbara California avoids life in gangs working in a neighborhood bike shop called Bici Centro. In India a young girl named Bharati gets an education thanks to a local program called Ashta No Kai that provides bicycles for her and her friends to ride to school. And Mirriam is a polio-stricken bike mechanic in Ghana. “I know that her life is changed by it. I know that she now sees herself in the world as an influential person,” said David Branigan of Bikes Not Bombs. “She sees herself as having skills that other people don’t have that are a value to her community and even to the world.” After a run on the festival circuit the filmmakers plan to provide young people with teaching materials to learn how bicycles can benefit society. “We believe the bicycle is something that kids cannot only learn from but they all get at that age,” said Seigel-Boettner . “And it’s not a really complicated development intervention that takes a lot of explaining. It’s something that’s very tangible and the film makes sense to them. So we feel through the film we really want kids when they’re getting car keys to really think about the bike in a different way and realize how it can impact their lives and impact their peers around the world.” For more information visit www.withmyowntwowheels.org. The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 6/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanA walk in the park with John Muir | Yosemite Valley California, president day: I’m walking with my recorder along a wooded path with a long bearded man wearing period clothing circa 1890, a tweed coat, a wool vest with a red pocket square and wide brimmed hat. Ahead of us is Yosemite Falls, a massive flowage of water running white and fast, churning with melted snow from the high country upstream. The man describes a fanciful vision of what we see. "Can you imagine? Can you imagine if in the midst of its headlong descent with all this whirling fairy springtime spray and those rushing comet tails that the fall was suddenly frozen solid and then carried bodily out into the middle of the valley that we might go around it and see it from all sides in the sunshine,” he says. “Oh was a show it would make. This colossal white pillar half a mile tall adorned with airy flowing drapery as if chiseled out of white marble.” Who better with whom to tour one of America’s greatest National Parks than the man himself John Muir. As if transported back in time I had the rare opportunity to get his impressions on Yosemite today. “Look at these high granite walls lying about 5,000 feet above sea level. With all the plant people and fellow mortals this good planet provides in this particular place makes it a very sacred place indeed,” he says. “It’s a true temple, a temple I think people would need to thrive in. And those who visit it now-a-days will have an opportunity to because it’s been persevered for so long and so carefully by so many. It is a great pleasure indeed to have it remain for all of us for our own health and vigor.” Our National Parks began as idea. They are monuments to the notion that all people no matter their degree of wealth, social status, race or ethnicity have a fundamental right to commune with natural world and receive the life affirming benefits of wild and scenic places. Today we visit Yosemite and talk to historian and actor Lee Stetson who in voice of John Muir explains why our National Parks are indeed America’s best idea. Stetson appears as the voice and image of John Muir the PBS television documentary film series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by Ken Burns. To find out when the series will air in your community visit PBS.org/kenburns. Music this week by the Conductive Alliance The Joy Trip Project is made possible thanks to support of our sponsor Patagonia. | 4/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Freedom Riders | Now that spring is in the air it’s time to start thinking about that next great road trip. In the coming weeks I’ll pack up the Jetta and head out on a tour of the adventure media and film festivals. Looking for stories that celebrate the active lifestyle and environmental conservation I’ll be reporting from the 5Points Festival in Carbondale Colorado and then the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. But as I’m making my plans I can’t help but think about how much our nation has changed over the past half century. Last year at Mountain Film I met a man who helped me put the freedom of road travel into a different perspective. Earnest “Rip” Patton is from Nashville, Tennessee. He’s considered an historian and a civil rights activist of the last 50s and early 60s. Fifty years ago Rip was among first wave of student activists who road on buses into the Southern United States in the spring of 1961. Called the Freedom Rides the plan was to organize demonstrations in protest of racial segregation. “We were at the time when the Freedom Rides were first started by CORE Congress of Racial Equality on May 4th 1961 we were trying to desegregate the movie theaters downtown,” Rip said. The protesters came south to challenge the laws that prevented blacks and whites from using common public facilities like lunch counters, swimming pools and yes movie theaters. That bus trip through the south was met with hostility and violence. Most of the Freedom Riders were put jail, many were badly beaten and several of them were killed. Ironically Rip is telling me his story at a festival where a film depicting events of his life called the Freedom Riders had just premiered. Fifty years earlier he and his friends struggled through the spring of 1961 simply for the right to even be in the audience. Last year at Mountain Film in Telluride I talked to Rip about his experience as a Freedom Rider. At this celebration of adventure culture it seemed all too appropriate to showcase a film based our recent history where travel played such an important role. I also connected with German-American artist Charlotta Janssen who had on display an amazing gallery show of paintings based on the mug shots of the arrested protesters. Despite great opposition Rip and the Freedom Riders held their ground. Through non-violent protests they successfully lead the charge to desegregate the south and inspire a new generation to demand their civil rights. It’s only because of the sacrifices they made that any of us can enjoy the freedom to travel that we do today. Music this week by blues guitarist Big Bill Broonzy The Joy Trip Project is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsor Patagonia | 4/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThree Cups of Tea- The Play | Millions of people around the world have read the bestselling book Three Cups of Tea. Written by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson it’s the amazing true story of one man’s journey to turn a failed attempt to climb K2 into an international movement for peace. Working to build schools in the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan Greg Mortenson has inspired the production of a one-man play about his life starring Curtis Nielson. A Literature to Life production of The American Place Theater This stage adaptation of the popular book brings to life the spirit of exploration that delves to find the common threads of humanity that bind us all together. Three Cups of Tea is playing to captivated audiences across North America. This one-man show is a dramatic and heartwarming reenactment of the book. But Curtis Nielson’s portrayal of Greg Mortenson is a story in itself. In this interview recorded at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Alberta, Canada Curtis tells us how his journey as actor has led him to discover many wonderful gifts on the stage of life. Music this week by the Ahn Trio and Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia | 3/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAlison Gannett saving snow | There are plenty of people out there talking about climate change. But how many are actually doing something about it. Even those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors can be guilty of contributing to the destruction of the natural environment we love. We fly in jets from place to place for the sake of adventure. And many of us are still driving low gas mileage carbon emitting SUVs. Our active lifestyles can put a really hurting on the planet. So that’s why we can all take a few lessons from professional skier and environmental advocate Alison Gannett. “I went to school for climate change and majored in education for environmental issues. And then I went to school for solar design for alternative home building,” she said. “At the same time I had a professional skiing career, doing crazy things like the X-Games and jumping off cliffs for a living.” But while she had two careers running parallel to one another Gannett suffered a devastating crash at the X-Game. Because she was badly injured and unable to compete several of her sponsors immediately dropped her. And that got Gannett to thinking. “I realized how shallow a lot of my ski industry sponsors were,” she said. “I decided wouldn’t it be cool to partner with companies that have more at stake and care more about than just selling clothing.” Though many of the competitors and colleagues though she was crazy for chasing the more lucrative sponsorship deals Gannett changed her professional priorities to work instead with companies who share her environmentally conscious values. “I want to chase ethics,” she said. “I want to work with companies that have the same beliefs that I do.” It turns out that there are plenty of sponsors out there willing to support Gannett’s mission to raise awareness for the ongoing crisis of climate change. Blending her interests in sustainable living and an active lifestyle, she’s proven to be a very effective spokesperson for both. “As an athlete getting older I’d have to say that I have better sponsor relationships now than I ever did,” she said. “And now working with the Save Our Snow Foundation and working with schools, working with Congress, working with the White House I’m saving our snow, saving our planet and making the world a better place.” Allison Gannett is the kind of adventure athlete that walks her talk. While still leading an exciting life as a professional skier she’s making a big difference in educating the general public on the realities of climate change. And Through her work at the Save Our Snow Foundation and on her own organic farm in Colorado she’s showing us what we each can to do to slow it down. Music this week by Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia Special thanks to The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market | 1/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Extreme Ice Survey | Any photographer will tell you, seeing is believing. But when it comes to climate change, a long slow process that occurs over time, its difficult to capture a single image that demonstrates the sheer magnitude of this global crisis. Even though the most obvious and apparent result of our warming planet is the recession of glacial ice, in some of the most remote places in the world it’s hard to truly show how relatively quickly and dramatically that ice is melting. So photographer James Balog came up with a plan to record the progress of climate change by taking a series of pictures from specific locations near glaciers over the course of several months. "We have time-lapse cameras installed permanently at these various glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Montana, Alaska and soon to be around Mount Everest," Balog said. "And these cameras shoot every half hour around the clock as long as it’s daylight and they’re looking down on these glaciers that are changing and we make this visual record of the landscape in flux." Called the Extreme Ice Survey these images around the world shot on tripods show the cascade of glacial ice as it forms and then melts. The passage of time is quickly sped up to show the pace of change and its apparent progress. "These cameras shoot all year long and we sometimes don’t get back for a year or more to download the images," Balog said. "But once we get the pictures we run them through video post production and turn them into a film clip showing the landscape as it changed over that previous period of time. In these film clips glacial ice melts at a rate consistent with the human perception of time. Weeks and then months literally pass in the blink of an eye. As Balog’s cameras watch around the clock his images are making an enduring record of melting glaciers that are amazing and a bit frightening to behold. The images that James Balog and his team continue to capture through the Extreme Ice Survey offer compelling proof of receding glaciers around world. This evidence on a global scale is clear to see and even the most skeptical deniers of climate change may come to believe. Music this week by Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia Special thanks to The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market | 1/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMountain 2 Mountain | An interview with executive director Shannon Galpin In her travels through Afghanistan the locals call Shannon Galpin the blond, blue-eyed infidel. At 36 this mountain bike racer from Breckenridge, Colorado makes her way through active war zones waging peace. As the executive director of her own non-governmental organization called Mountain 2 Mountain Shannon works on behalf of vulnerable women and children caught in the crossfire. “Our focus is to look at women in Afghanistan as beyond the victims but as the solutions and as the agents of change, “ Shannon said “and that these women that we are trying to work with through education and training are truly the solutions for the country.” Afghanistan has been a place of violent conflict for more than 40 years and with U.S. Troops on the ground now for almost a decade ordinary people, with no special training like Shannon are getting involved trying to find a peaceful solution. “I started traveling over there two or three years ago. I have spent time living in the middle east,” Shannon said. “I lived in Lebanon and traveled throughout the Middle East for a couple of years and I have always connected with the regions that have the worst human rights, that have the worst gender equity rights.” A single mother with a daughter at home Shannon is like many American women frustrated with the plight of people here at home and half a world away who suffer largely because of their gender. “What I realized was that I was ranting a lot and I was upset about it, and it was old adage of be the change that you want to see in the world,” Shannon said, and instead of complaining I should just get off my ass and do it.” So Shannon took action. No kidding. She sold her house and started a non-profit that goes directly to serve women and children in Afghanistan. Mountain 2 Mountain provides education and pre-natal opportunities that empower women to take control of their lives. And with stable households where children, boys and girls, are encouraged to go to school how much more likely are the prospects of peace in the future? “I want to see ripple effects in Afghanistan that effect the ability of women to have control over their destiny,” Shannon said. You can’t help but be inspired by Shannon’s story. Hers is the kind of narrative that makes this program so much fun and really an honor to produce. But while I was piecing together the sound clips for today’s episode I came across a piece of information that we didn’t discuss in our interview. So I had to get Shannon on the phone and have her take me back to something that happened almost 20 years ago. “When I was 17 I had moved to Minneapolis right after high school graduation,” Shannon said. “And I decided that I was going to pursue a career as a dancer and was basically working and living in downtown Minneapolis.” She had left her home in North Dakota to begin a life dramatically different than the one she leads today. But something happened in Minneapolis that changed the course of her destiny. “I was working late one night and instead of taking the bus that I should have taken I took an earlier bus, which dropped me off on the far side of a park,” she said. “And through a series of, looking back now bad choices or bad decisions I walked through the park and I was attacked.” To put it bluntly Shannon was raped. A stranger wearing a ski mask caring a knife brutally assaulted her and left her for dead. Though she survived and reassembled the shattered piece of her, Shannon would come to realize that even though she put that chapter of her life in the past her journey through it was far from over. Music this week by new contributing artist Cheryl B. Englehardt The Joy Trip Project is made possible through the generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. Check out their latest new media projects and conservation initiatives at their blog the cleanest line.com. | 12/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRobert Egger | An interview with the founder of the D.C. Central Kitchen In the spirit of charitable giving Robert Egger is leading the charge in America to show that philanthropy and looking out for the best interest of others can be business as usual. Dedicated to feeding the homeless and providing job training for the formerly incarcerated Egger’s work at the D.C. Central Kitchen serves the poor in our nation’s capital. In cooperation with restaurants and catering business, the D.C. Kitchen collects more than 3,000 pounds of surplus food each day. The non-profit makes 4,500 meals that are distributed to over 100 shelters, transitional housing facilities and rehabilitation centers throughout the Washington D.C. area. And Robert Egger travels the country giving talks on the value of philanthropic giving as an engine for social change. At the D.C. Central Kitchen Egger is using food to build stronger communities, combating hunger while creating opportunities. The Joy Trip Project is made possible through the generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. Check out their latest new media projects and conservation initiatives at their blog the cleanest line.com. | 12/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanKarina Hollekim | A podcast interview with the star of the film 20 Seconds of Joy After a long career as a professional skier and BASE jumper Karina Hollekim was living her dream. In 2006 at the paragliding world cup in Switzerland she and a group of friends were invited to do an exhibition jump. It was just going to be a routine flight in wing suits sailing away from an airplane to entertain a crowd of thousands below. Flying high overhead Karina couldn’t have been more happy. "I was there with friends I was having fun and everything was just perfect," she said. Karina made the jump from a small plane and carved turns through the sky in her wing suit. As she flew she filmed the others with a camera mounted on her helmet. "I could see the smile on the face of my friend and everything was great. I was suppose to open the parachute and land on the grassy field in front of the spectators. I could hear the clapping and roaring from the thousands of spectators underneath," she said. "And then a split second later I realized that something had gone wrong. And 15 seconds later my life was changed forever." When Karina pulled the ripcord her parachute deployed, but there was a malfunction. "I had what we call a line-over and when you have this it’s impossible to control the canopy and it starts spinning," she said. "I spun uncontrollably toward the ground at more than 100 kilometers an hour." With no way to break her fall she hit the ground, her body sprawled across a huge boulder. "And normally I think big rocks are something you don’t want to hit. But I think actually this particular rock saved my life. Because by hitting this rock it crushed everything that I had from my hips on down. I had four fractures in my left leg, left femur. I had broken knees. I had 21 open fractures in my right thigh. But it saved by back and it saved my head and therefore I was still alive. Despite these devastating injuries Karina Hollekim survived. And in the years that followed she forged an incredible journey to not only recover physically, but reclaim much of the life she loved while going on to inspire others. Music this week by new contributing artist Cheryl B. Englehardt The Joy Trip Project is made possible through the generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. Check out their latest new media projects and conservation initiatives at their blog the cleanest line.com. | 12/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanStones Into Schools | An interview with the author Greg Mortenson It’s been on the New York Times bestseller list for 197 weeks. The book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin continues to engage and inspire millions of people around world. This story of one man’s journey to build schools for children in the most remote regions Pakistan and Afghanistan has helped to forge a better understanding of how to encourage peace and cooperation where there has been only war and armed conflict for decades. But when I met with Mortenson at the MountainFilm Festival in Telluride Colorado he shared with me his latest project. “The second book I wrote, Stones Into Schools, is more about Afghanistan," he said in an interview. "It’s also about the lessons I learned in Three Cups of Tea about empowering the people, listening to the elders, about really letting the people themselves do the work. So I tried in the to really show that people themselves can be empowered.” Stones Into Schools isn’t just a sequel to a popular piece of non-fiction. It’s a testament to the impact one person can make in the lives of others. By providing the people of Afghanistan with the tools they need to help themselves, Mortenson is doing more than building schools. He’s paving a long road toward a world that lives in peace. A short documentary called Stones Into Schools based on the new book is currently part of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. Stones into Schools - Watch more Videos at Vodpod. Music this week by Chad Farran The Joy Trip Project is made possible through the generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. Check out their latest new media projects and conservation initiatives at their blog the cleanest line.com. | 11/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPoint of no return | An interview with Sender Films producers Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer I just got back from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Held every year in November at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada this celebration of alpine culture marks the end of one adventure season and the beginning of the next. After putting in time at the MountainFilm Festival Telluride and few other events throughout the year I’ve had the chance to see a lot of movies about athletes and explorers pushing the boundaries of the human experience. But one film in particular hits really close home. Called Point of No Return this movie for television produced by Sender Films depicts of lives of guys I once knew who died tragically in the pursuit of a dream. Climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash with cameraman Wade Johnson were killed in the making of this film. While making their retreat from a failed attempt to climb Mount Edgar in western China, a devastating avalanche swept through the region to claim their lives. With footage recovered with their bodies the movie Point of No Return is a tribute to three men who paid the ultimate price to follow their passion for adventure. I had the opportunity to talk to producers Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen to discuss both the risks and the consequences of a lifestyle that is often fraught with danger. Is it worth it living life on the edge? Point of No Return - First Ascent from Mountainfilm in Telluride on Vimeo. The film Point of No Return is part of the First Ascent Series produced by Sender Films in Cooperation with National Geographic. You get The Six Episode DVD Box Set on line at www.Senderfilms.com Music this week by Jake Shimabukuro The Joy Trip Project is made possible thanks the generous support of sponsor Patagonia. Check out their latest new media projects and conservation initiatives at their blog www.thecleanestline.com. | 11/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Dom & Ernie Project | An all inclusive adventure for the disabled only I’m packing my bags and taking this show on the road. And you’re wondering, so what’s new? James you travel all the time. That’s right. I do. The Joy Trip Project is all about venturing out into the wide world and finding those stories about people who are doing what they can to make a difference, to make the world a better place. But this time, it’s just a bit different. This time, I’m going to Africa. You’ll find out why exactly I’m going intercontinental in an upcoming edition. So stay tuned. But yesterday, and I mean while I’m sorting my socks and underwear I get a text message from my friend adventure filmmaker and a true Joy Tripper Dominic Gill. You’ve met him on the show before. Dom’s from the United Kingdom, the UK. He’s riding his bike across the country from LA to New York on a trip he calls The Dom & Ernie Project. And on my iPhone it says: James we just crossed into Wisconsin. We’ll be in Madison tonight. Believe it or not, I dropped everything. Cleared my schedule and made plans, because Dom and I just had to visit. And for you my loyal listeners I just had to bring you his story. Because Dom’s not just riding across the country, that’s been done to death. Just like before in the last story he’s riding a tandem bicycle and all along the way he’s picking up people, random strangers to come along on the ride. Before when he road 20,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina he’d pick up just about anyone. But this time he’s only bringing along people with a disability. "We had Ryan with traumatic brain injury. Then we had Carlos who is visually impaired. The after that we had two brothers, Warren and Chad Woodbury who had muscular dystrophy," Dominic said. "And then 59-year-old Kelly Lane who has Parkinson’s disease, he jumped on. And then he switched out with Rachel who has Cerebral Palsy and she’s just cycled 250-miles from Minneapolis where she lives to here." These are people with profound disabilities, people who under normal circumstances would never have the opportunity to take part in such an amazing adventure. And yet thanks to the Dom & Ernie Project Dominic and his crew Alonzo and Nadia, these disabled cyclists are getting out and experiencing the world. They’re traveling hundreds of miles in a way they may have never dreamed of before. Listen to the first Dominic Gill interview on the Joy Trip Project: Take A Seat Music by Chad Farran and The Ahn Trio The Joy Trip Project is bought to you thanks to sponsors Patagonia, Osprey, Clik Elite and Mountain Hardwear. Their generous support makes this latest series of stories possible. Support us by supporting them | 9/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Last Man on the Mountain | An interview with author Jennifer Jordan In 1939 Dudley Wolfe was on one of the earliest expeditions to reach the summit of K2. An adventurer and one of the wealthiest men in the world he was left for dead with a rescue team of Sherpa after a devastating avalanche. Some say he was the victim of his own foolishness, others say he was abandoned by the members of his climbing party as they fled the mountain to save their own lives. And even though his body has been found there remains a great deal of controversy around Wolfe’s death that continues to this day. In her book “The Last Man on the Mountain” Jennifer Jordan gives us a close look into life of an American adventurer and the first to die on K2. This interview with the Jennifer Jordan was recorded on location at the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado. The book Last Man on the Mountain is now out in hardcover. You can find more information online, visit jenniferjordan.net. Music this week by the Dave Mathews Band. This podcast is brought to you thank to generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com. Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care. | 8/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanLet Me Down Easy | I know. It’s been a long time since the last audio edition of The Joy Trip Project. But if you’ve been following the blog and the Facebook page you’ll know that I’ve been traveling on an extend Joy Trip. I just got back. Over the past several weeks of summer I’ve been conducting interviews and collecting stories about people and institutions hard at work making the world a better place. I know that sounds like hyperbole or so vague that it sounds almost meaningless. But there’s really no other way for me to describe the athletes, artist and activists who find their way on this show. Yeah I know we talk a lot about climbing mountains or making movies about people who climb mountains or base jumping or kayaking or whatever, the point is these people work at protecting the planet and improving the lives of others by being actively engaged in the world in which they live. Through their stories about their adventures they stand as an example of how each of us can make a difference in the course our own lives and perhaps do some good. A few weeks ago I was at the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride. And if you’ve ever been you’ll know this annual celebration of adventure culture through cinema is about a lot more than high altitude thrill rides and adrenaline induced mayhem. The collected speakers, authors, and filmmakers give us a look from their perspective into the many complex questions of life. One of the presenters and judge in the film competition was the actress Anna Deavere Smith. And while she’s not a climber or a skier or any type of outdoor professional through the power of storytelling she has the ability show us a glimpse into the lives others who ponder these same questions. As part of her research to develop characters for Let Me Down Easy Ms. Smith interviewed a 340 people at the Yale School of Medicine facing their own mortality as they navigate their way through the American healthcare system. This isn’t the kind of story I usually do on the Project. But I felt this presentation is important because those of us who lead healthy, down right vigorous active lives probably never think about how people in our community, probably people you know deal with chronic illness. And I’m sure few enough of us realize how much courage it takes to stare death in the face when retreat is not an option. This edition of the Joy Trip Project is dedicated to the memory of Public Radio Producer Carolyn Jensen Chadwick who passed away as this piece was in production. She and her husband Alex Chadwick, the producers of National Geographic Radio Expeditions on NPR, inspired the creation of this program. And for that we will always be grateful. Music this week by Chad Farran and Chris Isaak. The Joy Trip Project is brought to thanks to the generous support of our sponsor Patagonia makers fine outdoor clothing. I’m thrilled to report that they’ve signed on for another year. So again Thank you! Find them online at Patagonia.com. -- This podcast is brought to you thank to generous support of our sponsor Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com. Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care. | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 30 Episodes |
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