Buckle Down

James Q Martin has an incredible, carefree life. For the last five years he’s traveled the world, often to warm locales to photograph beautiful athletes in stunning places. It would be hard to let go of that kind of job, but two years ago, James stumbled upon a blog post about the impending damming of the Rio Baker in Chile’s Asyen region. It set off a powerful reaction. A decade earlier, James had traveled through the Asyen region, and the great wilderness left a lasting impression. Now, with the massive hydro-electric project impending, James came up with an idea. What if you took a naturalist, a writer, a photographer, a filmmaker and a conservationist on a source to sea descent to document the last days of a wild river? Could that act even help save? In 2010, James launched Rios Libres and made his dream happen. Completing his dream, would mean giving up the perfect lifestyle. With that, we present our 2011 Year of Big Ideas show. Professional athletes, passionate weekend warriors and Dirtbag Diaries contributors come together to present what they are working on in the coming year. Get inspired and then buckle down.

When you are done listening check out Rios Libres website and learn how you can help.

Also, check out Caleb Simpson’s new energy bar company Adventure Naturals (now Bearded Brothers).

Music: Coma Summer by Weekend   •   Kinison, Part 1 by Danny Saul   •   Pyramid by Planes   •   Do by Do Make Say Think

Music provided by IODA Promonet.