National Parks

Adventure Activism, Interview, National Parks, New Century Vision, The Centennial Initiative / 15.08.2016

Through much of the summer of 2016 The Joy Trip Project has been on the road collecting stories to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our National Parks. In the hopes of raising awareness for the importance of protecting our public lands for future generations the Project is presenting a series of short videos and podcasts that aim to illustrate the thoughts of real people working to preserve the enduring legacy of environmental conservation. In this edition JTP producer James Edward Mills spoke to environmental educator Steve Noud after a...

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Alaska, National Parks, New Century Vision, Short Story, Sierra Club, We are the Arctic / 04.07.2016

There on the Arctic tundra I searched my tent frantically for a lighter. Years of wilderness training had taught me the importance of fire, but never before had the need been greater than it was at that moment. Even as the glacial ice melted around me in the heat of an Alaskan summer I shivered in desperate need to turn spark to flame and provide the relief these dire circumstances demanded. Just the day before I had mused without irony how seldom, if ever, I had lit a fire...

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Adventure Activism, National Forests, National Parks, New Century Vision / 06.06.2016

After 16 days of rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon I was still covered in a fine layer of dust and sand. Even having taken a shower eariler that morning I carried that residual film of grime you inevitably accumulate while camping. Noseblind to my own body odor I'm sure that I stank, but with a few hours left to kill before my flight back home to Wisconsin I just had to make a visit to the Canyon Rim for one last look and to begin the...

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Commentary, Life Out Loud, National Parks / 09.05.2016

People tell me I have a problem. When I go out with friends or whenever I'm alone I am constantly working the buttons of my iPhone. Texting, updating my Facebook status, posting photos to Instagram I'm constantly plugged into to the Internet world of Social Media. But despite being so thoroughly connect with thousands of people around the planet I have never been so disengaged from the world in which I live. As a communications professional I enjoy the excuse of endulging this online obsession as acts of necessity....

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Books, Cool on Kickstarter, National Parks / 24.02.2016

Few things in the human experience are more profound than the power of storytelling. Dating back to the days of our earliest ancestors members of our tribe gathered around the fire at night to share their experiences of life on Earth. Camped under a blanket of stars primitive men and women recounted their adventures of the hunt or a newly discovered landscape rich with food and shelter to the marvel of their kin eager to hear more exciting tales. The long tradition of fireside storytelling endures to this...

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Adventure Activism, Capitol Christmas Tree, National Forests, National Parks, On Assignment, Social Media, Special Events / 26.10.2015

I never thought it would come to this. After years of railing on and on about the early arrival of the holiday season I suddenly find myself utterly and completely complicit in its delivery! Even though we have yet to celebrate Halloween today I am excited for the prospects of seeking out an evergreen for decorating. But this is no ordinary spruce. The Christmas tree I aim to acquire will stand on the grounds of U.S. Capitol Building as a symbol of peace for the American People. As an...

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