Diversity

Books, Diversity, The Joy Trip Reading Project / 07.07.2021

On June 30, 2021 at 5PM Central Time The Joy Trip Reading Project hosted our sixth online book discussion with Derick Lugo, author of the Unlikely Thru-Hiker.  Prior to the experiences portrayed in his debut memoir, this young writer had never hiked, camped or pitched a tent a day in his life. However, this Brooklyn-born, New York City urbanite hopped a train to Georgia, grabbed a taxi to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, and then he did as he has always done — put one foot in...

#BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter, Book Review, Books, Diversity, The Joy Trip Project Reading Circle / 24.05.2021

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tomorrow May 25, 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the day that George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Already in the midst of the global Covid-19 Pandemic and an incredibly divisive presidential campaign year, this event ignited a firestorm of moral outrage that spanned the world with public demonstrations and protests. In the spirit of the Black Lives Matter Movement,  many of us took the time to educate ourselves on issues of social justice by reading books written...

#BlackLivesMatter, Adventure Activism, Adventure Racing, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Magazines, Sierra Club, Sierra Magazine / 11.04.2021

Adventure racer Clifton Lyles assembled his most recent team of action-sport athletes to make history. Given a chance to try out for a spot on World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji—Amazon Prime's 2020 revival of a reality series that broadcast from 1995 to 2002, hosted by Bear Grylls—the former US marine put together Team Onyx, the first all-Black American adventure-racing team. Lyles is one of a growing number of Black men and women making a name for themselves in adventure racing, an adrenaline-fueled sport that pits competitors against one another...

#BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Ice Age Trail, Magazines, National Parks, Sierra Club, Winter, Wisconsin / 07.03.2021

In and of itself, the journey across Wisconsin’s Ice Age National Scenic Hiking Trail is a monumental undertaking. But the 1,200-mile walk from Potawatomi State Park, on the shores of Lake Michigan, to the St. Croix River at the Minnesota border is made all the more daunting by the deep snow and frigid temperatures of a Wisconsin winter. Despite the hazards posed by prolonged exposure, thru-hiker Emily Ford, who set out from the eastern terminus in January, remains determined to complete the almost-three-month-long trek. If she completes her journey,...

#BlackLivesMatter, Black In National Parks Week, Black Lives Matter, Book Review, Books, Diversity, Interview, National Parks, PBS, Podcast, The Adventure Gap, Yosemite / 05.03.2021

Even though we might be seeing the back end of the global Covid-19 Pandemic many of us are still stuck at home wading through endless meetings over Zoom and other teleconferencing platforms. With the hopes of creating a little community spirit and to encourage folks out there to step away from their screens and maybe crack open a book instead, I started a little group called the Joy Trip Reading Project. Each month we’re taking a deep dive into stories of primarily Black authors whose work centers around...

Adventure Activism, Banff, Breaking News, Commentary, Diversity, Magazines, National Geographic, Public Land / 01.03.2021

At some point I went from indulging a childhood fantasy to setting a life goal. I know that in the mid 1980s I imagined creating a career of adventure, but the realities of making an honest living relegated my job prospects to positions first in sales and marketing, then in print journalism. More than a decade ago I started to attend the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta to report on the culture of environmental filmmaking and action sports. It was there that...