Jul

Home Front

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104317814″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]There’s a story that you may have heard kicked around in the newspapers and nightly news for the last few months. It’s as unsettling as it is tragic. The rate of suicide among active military personnel, reservists, and veterans has increased to nearly 22 suicides a day. 22 every day, even as more resources are being allocated to prevent it–and finding a solution is likely as complicated as understanding why.

Veterans Stacy Bare and Nick Watson know the struggles that service members face as they readjust to civilian life. Addiction. Depression. An overwhelming feeling of being out of place. But over time, both found a place in the outdoors and the surrounding community to recreate what they missed from the military, and to feel like they had really come home. And they didn’t stop there–they became determined to find a way to make that transition easier for other veterans too. Today, we bring you their stories and the story of how these two veteran’s are creating a community for other veterans on the home front.

This episode does contain graphic descriptions of violence and adult language.

Music: LeadMaster by DJ Skyblast • Fall in Line by Aluminum Forest • Ghost Dance by Ken Christianson • Irene by Caribou • Sonny by Moondog Matinee • MK Ultra by The Black Angels • My My by Menomena

Some music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.

Jul

The Shorts — The Making of a Patriot

The Making of a Patriot

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/101476475″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]”Three months ago, I’m not sure I would have considered myself a patriot,” writes Hilary Oliver. “Mentally, I separated my nation―government, states, and people―from my country: the mountains, deserts, plains and oceans that took my breath away. Maybe I had taken my privileges for granted, but I couldn’t tell you the last time my heart swelled with love or pride for my nation.”

Then she drove into Zion National Park. With it’s soaring sandstone walls, and man’s will imposed upon the landscape to make viewpoints accessible, Hilary found an appreciation for her country and nation.

Music: Twilight Hymn by Night’s Bright Colors • Mountain, Soul, Fire by woodrowgerber • Please Don’t Ask Me to Explain It by by The Walthall Tango • Staring At The Sun by TV On The Radio

Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.

Jul

Mikey Buys a House

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99547607″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]We’ve told stories about people quitting jobs, ditching mortgages and selling worldly possessions to go live life on their own terms. The road is ubiquitous with freedom, and sometimes we hear its call later in life. But what if you heard the call at 13 years old? If you had lived your entire adult life on the road? If you’d never signed a lease or even paid rent. Would there come a time to settle down? Meet climber and photographer Mikey Schaefer. Passion can lead to the most incredible places, even to the most American of dreams–Buying a home. This is our version of the picket fence.

Music: We Are Nowhere and It’s Now by Bright Eyes • She’s the One by Caribou • The Waydown by Modest Mouse • Small Answering Machine mix by Cassettes Won’t Listen

Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.

Jun

The Shorts — Bootstrapping

Bootstrapping

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/97425353″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Our baptism in wild places is different for each of us. For some, it’s ingrained so early in life that it hardly registers as a memory. For most, it was probably a little awkward, a bit daunting, yet so compelling that we wanted to do it again. For Wendy Irwin, it began with, “a soft-shell cooler, a MacGyver like trust in the magical properties of duct tape, and a ‘Tent for Sale’ ad in the classifieds.” Though much went wrong on Wendy’s first backpacking trip, the tendrils of nature’s beauty wound themselves into her mind and around her heart. And years later, when she met a teenager hiking the John Muir trail carrying two backpacks, she knew to smile and wish him luck. Because if you love it, you’ll figure it out.

Music: Swimming by Manuel Da Costa • Angeline The Baker/Leather Britches by Bradley Carter • High Country by The Maybe Sometimes

Some music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley.

May

Live from 5Point Vol. 6

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/96453451″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Our second installment from the third annual Live from 5Point in April at the 5Point Film Festival. If you missed the last episode, we talked with snowboarder Kevin Pearce and skier Chris Davenport. Today, we present stories from James Walsh and Kyle Dempster. James has focused his camera lens on the biking culture within African. But the creative process can be a frustrating journey where you have to be doggedly determined to succeed. Today, James talks about the odyssey of being a filmmaker.

Kyle’s path as an alpinist is firmly rooted in first ascents around the world and a good humor. He’s won the Piolet d’Or twice. And in 2012, he traded in a climbing partner for a bike as he journeyed through Krygystan in search of more first ascents. Today, Kyle talks about the origins for his trip, how it evolved, and how his dad helped an alpinist take a bike trip.

Music: Stargazing by Ken Christianson • Turn Out The Lights by The New Amsterdams provided by Mevio’s Music Alley