Author: James Edward Mills

Appalachian Trail, Climbing, Color The Crag, Covid-19, Diversity, Film preview, Uncategorized / 17.11.2020

Taking a break from his daily training session Aden Conrad stopped to chat with his friend Malik Martin. A talented athlete, this aspiring sport climber needed just a few minutes to rest and allow the lactic acid to ease its way out of his powerful forearms. As they casually spoke, Malik took a quick succession of pictures of Aden with his Nikon camera. Just a few clicks of his shutter and the photojournalist captured a moment in the life of a young man transformed by the power of...

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Capitol Christmas Tree, Choose Outdoors, Environmental Journalism, Joy To America, National Forests, Public Land, U.S. Forest Service / 06.11.2020

On November 5, 2020 members of the United States Forest Service successfully harvested the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre Gunnison National Forests of Colorado. Despite the tumult of the global COVID-19 Pandemic and a contentious presidential election these dedicated men and women in partnership with corporate sponsors, small private businesses, local government agencies and nonprofit organizations coordinated the complicated task of extracting an 55-foot tall 82- year-old Engleman Spruce Tree for safe transport by truck to Washington D.C. Taken from the GMUG, the ancestral...

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#BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter, Film preview, Film Review, mountainfilm, ReThinkOutside / 19.10.2020

This month the talented young artist Jonathan Malik Martin celebrates his directorial debut in the new video for the latest expression of singer/songwriter Milck titled Somebody’s Beloved. Set in his home town of Memphis, Tennessee, Malik brings all of his storytelling skills to bear in this subtly powerful narrative that depicts the personal devastation brought on by the shattering impact of gun violence in the Black community. The remarkable vision of the photojournalist known as Malik Tha Martian, first came to my attention through Instagram. Like many avid users...

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Diversity, Essays, Guest Contributor, National Forests, Outdoors For All, Private Land, Public Land, ReThinkOutside / 09.10.2020

I am African-American.  Feels important that I say that up front.  Born in New York city and raised by black parents on land belonging to a wealthy, Jewish family, I was “homeschooled” emotionally and spiritually on a diet of black power, black striving and black possibility.  I often joke with people that I lived with Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali whose presence my father invoked on a regular basis.  My parents, Henry and Rose, grew up in Floyd, Virginia – poor and black with a high school education. ...

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Commentary, Diversity, Everyone In A Park, Hiking, Ice Age Trail, National Forests, National Parks, Outdoor Recreation, Public Land, ReThinkOutside, The Adventure Gap, Wisconsin / 21.09.2020

Immediately after breakfast, our little group sat discussing what would happen next. A steady rain had been falling since late the night before and the prospects of the hike we had planned appeared grim. Holding up my iPad I showed everyone an image of the local weather radar map.“As can see there’s a bit of window opening up,” I said pointing to a clear spot in a mass of swirling colors ranging from yellow/orange to deep red. “If we start now, we should be OK for a little...

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Everyone In A Park, Everyone Outside, National Forests, National Monuments, National Parks, Public Land / 18.09.2020

Last year on my birthday I celebrated by giving the gift of an annual National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to a complete stranger. Thanks to the generosity of private donors in 2019 I was able to extend that same gift to 5 other people in our community throughout the month of September! Today I am thrilled to announce that I have another 5 passes to give away donated by my friends at USParkPass.com. This $80 value for each pass will help to reduce the financial barrier...

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