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.
You can subscribe to Adventure Journal here.
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.
Endangered Spaces — Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Boulder, Utah. Population 250. Sitting in the heart of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, this small town of ranchers and settled-down dirtbags prides itself on staying out of the spotlight. It’s the right amount of quiet here. The ranchers ranch. A few small businesses cater to hikers and wanderers. Visitors come and go. Boulder was thrust into the spotlight in 1996 when President Clinton declared the monument. And in 2017, Boulder again found itself at the center of the debate when President Trump issued an order to cut the size of the monument by nearly half. For this installment of Endangered Spaces, we traveled to Boulder to capture a snapshot of a community thrust into a fight they did not choose. A fight they may have little influence over. And a fight about how to protect public lands and who decides. The outcome of that fight will have lasting implications not just for Boulder, but to all communities who rely on public lands.
For a population of 250, Boulder had a lot to say.
Case Status: Wilderness Society et al. v. Trump et al.
NRDC summary
Washington Post article about GSENM
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Land Legs by Andy G. Cohen • Manly Nunn Steps Out by Doctor Turtle • Hillbilly Hayduke by Jason Tyler Burton • To the Rise by Jason Tyler Burton • Belly of the Whale by Jason Tyler Burton • Primary Colors by Ken Christianson
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts– Fistful Of Hearts
“We biked through wind, rain, and snow. If lightning struck, we kept going. We only stopped if it got too close. We outran tornadoes in Oklahoma. We waited out a storm in an old horse barn in Montana, huddled like penguins, our bikes cast carelessly aside in the mud,” writes John Flynn. After John lost his mom to cancer, he biked with a group of friends from Texas to Alaska to try to find her again– in the mountains, the rivers, and the solitude of the open road.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Snowy Daze by Ketsa • Behind Your Window by Kai Engel • The Return by nisei23 • Waves by Sergey Cheremisinov • North Coast Jug Band by John Berry Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Dreamer
“I’ve spent my entire life going on adventures, but I wasn’t ever really the creator of these adventures,” says Kathy Holcombe. “My role is as the dream maker. And, I have a lot of pride in that role.” Exist in a relationship long enough and we fall into roles. Life is busy. It doesn’t make sense to double up on work. Cultural gender dynamics come into play. One partner excels at certain things. But what happens when we step out of our role? In the fall of 2017, Kathy Holcombe stepped out of her role in the family, and embarked on a year of adventures that challenged her in ways she never expected, and profoundly changed her view of herself.
You can follow Kathy and her family’s adventures on their blog at www.Famagogo.com
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Low Horizon by Kai Engel • Freaks by Bradley Carter • October Morning by Bradley Carter • The Very Beginning by Bradley Carter • The Rent is Late by Publish the Quest • Manly Nunn Steps Out by Doctor Turtle • Blowback Blues by Canyon Kids • Lau by Richard Smith • Carried Away by Jason Tyler Burton Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
