Expedition Denali

Adventure Activism, Climbing, Expedition Denali, Outdoor Recreation / 01.07.2012

Anchorage, Alaska 3:55 AM July 1, 2012 The Alaska Backpackers Inn I usually find it tough to sleep on days like this. Here where the sun just barely sets light seeps in through the thick curtains and it never truly gets dark. I'm up early to pack a bag that's not as heavy as it looks. The Alaska Backpackers Inn is a newly refurbished apartment complex in downtown Anchorage made to resemble a hotel poorly. The though clean, secure and a good value for the buck, the noxious smell of new paint and chemical antiseptics makes it tough to take a full breath. Traffic noise from the open window drones on through the night of the midnight sun. There's no air conditioning, so it's hot. And with all these distractions what lies in the days ahead has me juggling emotions mixed with both excitement and dread. Enough though my whole life has led up to this moment it seems that once again I've discovered my destiny on the road I took to avoid it.
5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Adventure Media Review, Climbing, Diversity, Environmental Justice, Expedition Denali, Interview, National Parks, NPR, Public Radio / 18.05.2012

Just a few minutes ago I came in off the trail from the rim of the Grand Canyon. Settling into a wireless hot spot and a cold Corona at the Yavapai Lodge I fired up the laptop to find a message on Facebook from my old friend Menno van Wyk. He was my boss at Montrail since before it was called One Sport. So we go way back. It was of course great to hear from him, but his post to my time line filled me with dread. "James...

5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 07.05.2012

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Chinese philosopher Laozi (c 604 bc - c 531 bc) Our journey to the highest peak in North America technically began months ago. During the past several weeks a flurry of emails and text messages across the Internet pulled together a cadre of disassociated adventurers to share a common dream. And over a weekend in May we took the first actual steps toward our goal. In a remote lodge on a ridge above Lake Tahoe our team...

Adventure Media Review, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Guest Contributor, National Parks / 12.03.2012

“Artists have gone with us into the Arctic and I have heard them rave over the wonderful beauties of the scene, and I have seen them at work trying to reproduce some of it, with good results but with nothing like the effect of the original…”it is color run riot”’ ----from A Black Explorer at the North Pole, pg. 67, by Matthew A. Henson African Americans have been explorers and adventurers from the very beginnings of our republic.  People of African descent accompanied many of the earliest Spanish explorers including...

Adventure Media Review, Climbing, Commentary, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 07.03.2012

[caption id="attachment_6951" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Cheleas Griffie on Separate Reality, Yosemite Valley (photo by Greg Epperson)[/caption] When it comes to diversity in outdoor recreation it seems there are simply those who don’t care. After 400 years of racial strife and oppression throughout American history I’m sure we’d all like to put it behind us. In fact most of us likely spend time outside to get away from all the socially charged bickering back and forth between one ethnic group or another. I get that. But please, don’t tell me, a...

Climbing, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Expedition News / 24.02.2012

[caption id="attachment_6921" align="alignleft" width="300"] NOLS Denali Expedition participants Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Chelesea Griffie, Philip Henderson, James Mills & Stephen Shobe[/caption] For the first time a team of African-American climbers is assembling to make a bid for the summit of the tallest peak in North America, Mount Denali. To be lead by the National Outdoor Leadership School in 2013 this expedition aims to encourage minority youth to enjoy outdoor recreation as part of an active lifestyle as well as create a cadre of role models for careers in environmental protection. Also known...