Better Than I Found It
“The land doesn’t belong to me, it doesn’t belong to any of us,” says Joshua Tree resident Rand Abbott. “We’re guests here on this earth. It’s my responsibility to make sure that my daughter’s children’s children get to see what Joshua Tree is really like not just from a video or from a book.” Joshua Tree National Park feels like an extension of Rand’s backyard– a place where he can climb, watch wildlife or find solace through big changes in his life. When a partial shutdown of the US government in December 2018 left J-Tree open but unmonitored, Rand became a voice of reason to take care of a place he cherishes.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Harbor by Kai Engel • erik by Fog Lake • Frontier by Canyon Kids • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — Out and Back
A lot of folks like a loop trail or a point-to-point run, but I find something really magical about a good out-and-back. On the way out, I feel one way. Then I turn around and run the same steps back, but I feel different,” writes Anya Miller. When Anya learned that her stepdad had passed away, she immediately headed to her favorite Colorado trail in the Indian Peaks Wilderness to start moving through the overwhelming grief that she felt.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Labyrinth by Sergey Cheremisinov • Closer to You by Sergey Cheremisinov • Brooks by Kai Engel • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
Tandemonium
Say the word bike, and words like, fun, freedom, fast, come to mind. But does a tandem bike double the fun or divide the freedom? One thing seems certain, whether you’re headed to collaboration or catastrophe, you’ll get there quicker on a tandem. From adventures with loved ones to cycling with strangers, we bring you five stories of the mythical unicorns of the bicycle community and fates linked by a bike frame and chain. Tandemonium!
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Orca by Little Glass Men • Walking Barefoot on Grass by Kai Engel • Brothers by Cleod9 • Your Pulse by Little Glass Men • 550 by John Berry • Wake Me Up by Publish the Quest • Deep Water Solo by Bradley Carter • July by Kai Engel • Sometimes Rhythms by Publish the Quest • Primary Colors by Ken Christianson • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — Beyond Failure
Leah Breen had always been taught to embrace failure. You can’t win every mountain bike race, or make it to the top of every pitch. Learn from it, and keep going. But when she felt her partner’s climbing rope careen through her hands over a cliff, she realized in an instant that the consequences of her failure could be much larger than individual defeat. Are there some failures you can’t embrace?
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • I Dare You by Little Glass Men • Anxiety by Kai Engel • Double Helix by Nisei23 • Lake Rise by John Berry • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
Fit To Print
When Steve Casimiro moved across the country to write for Powder magazine in the 1980’s, he wasn’t sure his work was going to matter. But after 30 years living and breathing outdoor publication, and starting his own magazine, Steve reflects on the importance of storytelling in our culture.
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Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Modulation of the Spirit by Little Glass Men • Falling into You by Little Glass Men • Ombak by Little Glass Men • Holy Water by Denise Casey • Labyrinth by Sergey Cheremisinov • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
