The Dirtbag Diaries

Up in the Northwest, we say that summer doesn’t actually start until July 4th. Right now, we’re experiencing our annual June gloom. So I thought it was time to invoke blue skies and warmer temps.  A season’s worth of summits, single track and lounging on the riverbank is just around the corner. It’s time for me to do my part in the changing of the seasons.

Happy summer.

here are the cuts from Summer Invocation....

Lymbyc Systym
"Carved By Glaciers" (mp3)
from "Carved By Glaciers"
(Magic Bullet)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Seekret Socyetee
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (mp3)
from "The IL2 Word"
(Quickstar Productions)

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The Summer break is coming up in August and I will be out gathering stories. We’ve got some cool stories already planned for next fall, but there were a couple of ideas I wanted to work on and I’m hoping to get people’s input.  So if you’ve got an idea or a story that fits within these concepts, let me know by dropping us an email.  The Dirtbag Diaries is driven by listener input. Your thoughts matter.

1. Partners – I’m hoping to compile a story about partnerships.  We rely on our closest friends and our significant others to motivate for adventures and endure epics.  Those shared experiences can result in some funny and serious moments. If you’ve got a story about a favorite climbing partner or a story you’ve heard, it would be great to here about them.

2. The Economy – I’m curious. How has the economic downturn impacted the Dirtbag Nation?  In difficult economic times have the mountains and rivers become more important or something that you can’t afford. For most of us, wilderness has always provided us a viewpoint on which to reflect on our lives. The natural world can provide important perspective on life in the flatlands.  Has the economy impacted you directly?  Let me know. I know we are all looking for escape, but sometimes it’s worth covering important topics from our perspective. After all, who else out there is going to do it?

“I had convinced myself at that point that my goal was so important it was worth dying for,” says alpine master Steve House about his 15-year-old dream of climbing the Rupal Face. Big Dreams require big commitment. We may not all dream on the same scale and commitment levels, but we all share dreams. They pull us through our lives on solid ground.  Today writer and climber Sarah Garlick presents: The Dreamers — reflections from four generations of the world’s best climbers: Steve House, Henry Barber, Steve Schneider, and Colin Haley. In the process Sarah found out a little bit about herself. Do you have a life long dream? What if you completed it? What if you never realized it?


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Today's music came from our friends, The Secret Life of Sofia. This Brooklyn-based band aren't your typical indie rockers -- they've got an affinity for the wide open space and big mountains. Their latest album Seven Summits is featured here today.

"It is in some ways a concept album - part historical fiction, part personal experience.  Its writing was largely influenced by an obsession with the mountains and my relationship with them," lead singer Kyle Wilson told me. You can purchase the album through their myspace page linked above.

On a personal note, I really dig this album. It's very difficult to write songs that speak to the power of high places without falling into ridiculous cliche. I've listened to this album dozens of times and at each listen I find some new historical reference or emotion I recognize from my own connection to the mountains. It is in some ways as much a novel as it is a record and Wilson avoids the cliche by sticking to inventive images that we all know and recognize but would never think to include in a song. Seriously, check it out.

“Is there a statute of limitations on finding something you’re passionate about? Is there a certain age when learning something new becomes too much to take on, or we become to afraid to fail or afraid to let others see us fail?” writes Brendan Leonard. A few Christmases back, Brendan received a rather strange gift from his brother - an old rope. Brendan wasn’t a climber. He had no intention of becoming of climber. Sometimes though gifts can change our lives. It turns out that 60-meters of climbing rope has taken him farther than he could have ever dreamed.

here are the cuts from the latest show. You can download them by left clicking on the mp3 link.

Clues
"Perfect Fit" (mp3)
from "Clues"
(Constellation)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Clues
"Remember Severed Head" (mp3)
from "Clues"
(Constellation)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Kokolo
"Trouble Come, Trouble Go" (mp3)
from "The Rough Guide To Afrobeat Revival"
(Rough Guides/World Music Network)

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Rodriguez
"Heikki's Suburbia Bus Tour" (mp3)
from "Coming From Reality"
(Light In The Attic)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel
"Hesitation Blues" (mp3)
from "Willie And The Wheel"
(Bismeaux Records)

Buy at Willie and the Wheel Website
Stream from Rhapsody

“Life isn’t a bolted sport route,” says writer Scotty Kennedy. “The gear is sketchy and the route is difficult to read.”  In 2001, Scott and his wife Sophie were living in the States. Scott was interning at a magazine. Sophie was dirtbagging it in Camp Four. On weekends, they would meet up to climb in Yosemite’s high country, Tuolumne.   Sometimes small choices reverberate through our lives. Something as simple as the day’s route can carve the bedrock of our personalities.  On the Great White Book, Scott was offered a chance to look inside. What he saw was too difficult to share even with those closest to him.

here are the cuts from the show

CunninLynguists
"Don't Leave (When Winter Comes) [feat. Slug]" (mp3)
from "Strange Journey Volume One"
(QN5, Inc.)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Dengue Fever
"March of the Balloon Animals" (mp3)
from "Dengue Fever Presents: Sleepwalking Through the Mekong"
(M80)

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Great Northern
"Warning" (mp3)
from "Remind Me Where The Light Is"
(Eenie Meenie Records)

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Megan Sturdy first wrote me about a year ago. She had two distinct and seemingly incongruent passions – climbing and curing cancer. In Sturdy’s mind, there was no reason that her dual passions had to conflict. I invited her to participate in 2009’s Year of Big Ideas.

A PhD student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Sturdy has figured out how to harness the energy of our community to further her lab’s research into Cyanobacteria’s potential role in curing cancer. Sturdy created a system for climbers to help collect water samples from high alpine lakes in order to test chemically unique strains of Cyanobacteria. Now, she has targeted the remote and isolated island of Samoa and its alpine lakes for her next collecting trip. The trip will require grants, a little dirtbag ingenuity and a good-old-fashioned climber’s gathering.

On Saturday June 6th, Sturdy, with the help of Muir Valley owners the Webers (Rick Weber is in the midst of his own struggle with cancer), will hold a climbing scavenger hunt and fundraiser. Teams of two will start climbing. At the top of each route, competitors will find clues that will lead them towards their next route.  “I want to throw the angst, fear and competition dread out the window,” Sturdy wrote. “This is about climbing camaraderie.”

There will be prizes, BBQ and events to keep the little ones busy. So if the Red River Gorge is in your neck of the woods, check it out. It’s events like these that make our community so special.  The dirtbag you’re tied to might be curing cancer when she’s not cragging.

When: Saturday, June 6th
What: A scavenger hunt to raise money for cancer research.
Suggested Donation: $20

For more information, links and directions to the event visit Climbing for Cancer Research.

In September 2008, Chad Kellogg and climbing partner Dylan Johnson stood atop 6250-meter Siguniang in Western China after completing the 10,000-foot-long SW Ridge. It was a mind-bending ascent through a massive big wall, a razor edge ridge and high altitude ice climbing. The two friends endured days without water and several sleepless nights. Dylan lost 30 pounds over the course of their ascent. If that sounds epic, it pales in comparison to what Kellogg went through to even return to the mountain that had filled his thoughts for years. During a prior trip, Chad was called home after his wife Lara died in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge. Four months later, he was diagnosed with cancer. Summits fade, routes disappear into alpinists’ memory, but occasionally mountains extend back into life on level ground. Sometimes we don’t just want to climb a mountain. We need to.

Here are the cuts from The Cowboy and the Maiden.

Balmorhea
"Harm & Boon" (mp3)
from "All Is Wild, All Is Silent"
(Western Vinyl)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
"Malbicho" (mp3)
from "La Luz Del Ritmo"
(Nacional Records)

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Egadz!
"Grim Advantage Pt. 1" (mp3)
from "Shining Hours"
(Kid Without Radio)

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Suburban Dark
"Comms" (mp3)
from "Expeditions"
(The Frequency Lab)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Home Video
"Sleep Sweet" (mp3)
from "No Certain Night or Morning - iTunes Exclusive"
(Defend Music Inc.)

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 Today, The Dirtbag Diaries launches a new companion site – The Outdoor Parent. Our goal: provide stoke. Stoke to get you out of bed before dawn for a long run through the woods or a solid surf session at a favorite break. Stoke to rally the kids out for a weekend of camping beneath dark, starry skies or just around the corner to the edges of your local park. We celebrate skinned knees, hand-me-down jeans and big smiles. We believe in unchecked imagination and learning by doing. Already, we’ve got some posts up and running. Please have a look around. Leave a comment and let us know what you think. The Outdoor Parent is looking for contributors so if you’re interested or know someone who might be, please drop us a line.

Here is what you can expect from us.

    * Perspective from climbers, skiers, surfers and modern explorers who have embarked on the ultimate adventure — parenthood.
    * Interviews with athletes who prove that chasing the dream and instilling a love of the natural world in kids are one and the same.
    * Creative tips for turning the natural world into an outdoor classroom.
    * Thoughtful discussion on topics that concern you — balancing personal goals with raising a family, risk, the environment.

Music from the show
The American Analog Set
"Make It Take It" (mp3)
from "Hard to Find: Singles and Unreleased 2000-2005"
(Hometown Fantasy)

More On This Album

“As beginners, the foreign language of awkward body movements communicates a commonality and leaves an ego naked. In this fragile moment, we are able to lay a foundation, a connection,” writes Becca. It’s hard to forget the first time you wedged fingers into a granite crack or careened wildly out of control down a ski slope. I bet you remember who was alongside of you.  In the outdoor world, as we age, we can become picky. We are able to discern choss from splitter granite or hard packed moguls from Utah’s finest snow.  Opportunities to return to that beginner’s wonder can be rare. Sometimes it is as simple as trading two planks for one. 

                                     CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

The Chill Program is a non-profit, learn-to-ride program for under-served youth in urban areas across the U.S. In short, it's a kick-ass program started by Jake and Donna Burton of Burton Snowboards fame that gets 2,200 youth who have never ridden before and probably wouldn't have the opportunity to do so other wise out on the slopes. It's not some photo-op program either.  The Chill people do it right. This isn't just a chance to try snowboarding; it's a chance to learn. The program last six weeks. Participants receive lift tickets, rentals, transport to the mountain, lessons and most of all a pretty unforgettable time. 

I've been involved as a volunteer for Chill for about three seasons now, and am always blown away by the impact it can have (You might remember this Story). Snowboarding isn't going to solve the world's ills, but this program can have a pretty powerful influence on some (certainly not all) of it's participants.  Most of all...it's a frickin blast to volunteer.  Check out their site for locations. I'd highly recommend it for people looking to get involved in their communities.

Music Today

Matt & Kim
"Yea Yeah" (mp3)
from "Self Titled"
(iheartcomix)

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The Blakes
"Two Times" (mp3)
from "The Blakes"
(Light In The Attic)

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Stream from Rhapsody


Substantial
"Day in the Life (feat. Steph)" (mp3)
from "My Favorite Things"
(QN5, Inc.)

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