The Shorts — Hooch
Hooch
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/171414388″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”It’s never encouraging to be awoken in a tent by headlights. I wanted to play possum–roll over, and pretend to sleep until they left,” writes David Hanson. “But this was exactly why I was here, a few hundred miles into a 500-mile canoe float down Georgia’s Chattahoochee. I came here to see the river, but I really came here to see its people. And here they were.”
Today, we bring you David’s story of discovering a culture at once foreign and strangely familiar–and all within a day’s drive of the place where he grew up.
David recently returned to the Chattahoochee to create a documentary, Who Owns Water, that chronicles a tri-state water war that threatens the river and the communities that depend on it.
Music: Requiem for Radio by The Cassettes • Flat Black by Drop Top Lincoln • Plantation by Jason Shaw • Baby, Please Don’t Go by Big Bill Broonzy • Road to Godavari by Denise Casey
Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, Free Music Archive and Diaries’ Listener Denise Casey.
The Shorts — 5 Steps to Bailing
5 Steps to Bailing
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/169380591″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”The reality of climbing is, if you climb long enough, you’re bound to bail,” writes Dean Fleming. “I’ve left rappel biners on sport bolted 5.8s. I’ve bailed from trees, chockstones, fixed cams, and Manzanita bushes. Sure, sometimes my pride gets a little dinged, but so far I’ve survived some pretty weird situations.”
We figured with that kind of experience, Dean could teach us a thing or two. Today, Dean presents another Lifestyle Tip for the Committed, with his five step guide to convinving your climbing partner to rig a retreat.
Find more of Dean’s words + photos at California Climber Magazine.
Music: Veiled Beauty, Dark Magic by Secret Archives of the Vatican • We All Fall Down by Lorenzo’s Music • Like Eating Glass by Bloc Party
Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley and Free Music Archive.
The Shorts — Go For It!
Go For It!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/167325209″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”Encouragement. Peer Pressure. Bullying. Call it what you like,” writes Tom Ireson, “but the climbing community is full of it.”
We rely on our friends, mentors and coaches to push us past our own self-doubt–help us realize what we’re capable of. And yet, we never actually know what someone is capable of ahead of time. Today, we bring you a story on searching for the line between pushing someone to succeed, and pushing them too far.
You can hear more of Tom’s stories if you visit him at The Olive Branch in El Chorro, Spain–a family run hostel for adventurers of all kinds–where he works as a chef.
You can find Paul’s music here.
Music: Mince Meat by Dangerdoom • The Hag’s Spree by Wood Spider • 000 by Frinko
Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley and Free Music Archive.
Mothers Have it Hardest
Mothers Have it Hardest
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/160145642″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”I remember really quickly going from, ‘Wow, I’m home, this feels great’, to ‘Holy s***, what did I do to my mom’?” says alpinist Kyle Dempster. “And that was the first time I saw how truly difficult it is for mothers.”
Today, we bring you two stories–one from Hilary Oliver, and one from Kyle Dempster and his mother, Terry–about the struggle of loving an adventurer. The struggle between loving them so much that you don’t want to see them hurt, and loving them so much that you want to support them in pursuing their dreams–in doing the things that make them tick.
This story was originally inspired by one of Kyle’s blog posts by the same title. You can find more of Kyle’s writing at Through My Eyes.
You can find Hilary’s writing at TheGription.
Music: The Walk by Nony Zero • Fly by Jason Tyler Burton • Walk a Mile in My Spurs by Stillborn Identity • Shadowlark by The King in Yellow • Last Chance for Love by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club • Around the Bend by woodrowgerber • Yucca by Dokapi • Pay My Dues by Battery Life • Hard Right by Drop Top Lincoln
Most music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.
The Shorts — The Drowning Machine
The Drowning Machine
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158154837″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”I was disoriented beneath the cold water. I kicked toward the surface, but the force of the water held me down. I twisted and hung underwater for a moment. A thought passed through my head–this is what it feels like to drown,” writes Dan Gingold. Dan and three friends planned to raft the Musconetcong River into the larfer Delaware River over three days. With the river running high with spring rains and little prior recon, their mellow trip became more than they bargained for as they navigated multiple dams.
Music: Imagine Magenta by Dan-O • In This Minute by A Single Voice • Wild Wind by John Berry from Big North • Trouble With River Cities by Pela from Anytown Graffiti
Many thanks to John for letting us use his music. He found us and we are grateful!
Some of Pela’s members have regrouped and now perform as Augustines.
Most music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.
