The Joy Trip Project

You should never trust a reporter who claims to be an expert. As a professional journalist I’m constantly amazed by what I don’t know. Much of the work you’ll find here at The Joy Trip Project is the result of painstaking research. I seek out multiple sources, read up on the latest literature and get the perspective of knowledgeable people who can speak intelligently on the topic at hand. Add a little analysis and insight from my personal experience and the result is a balanced story that is thought provoking and compelling. Hopefully what you learn will allow you to draw your own well-informed conclusions. With these same laudable reporting skills I plan to bring a little clarity to the world of social media through a dynamic new communications platform called Channel Signal. As part of a small team of market analysts I’m going to begin a series of reports and commentaries on various aspects of the Outdoor Industry. Future posts to The Joy Trip Project web site will include stories whose details derive from the thoughts and opinions of the key outdoor product design and development influencers as well as those working on behalf of environmental protection.

My buddy Jimmy Chin is heading to the summit of Kilimanjaro this week. As one of the most sought-after high altitude photographers in the world I can’t say I’m surprised. When we first met he was complaining about having to go back to climb Everest  - again. “I’ve already been there twice this year,” he said when we first met in 2006. “But this one’s important. So I’ve got to go.” Can’t say that I felt too sorry for him. But on that particular occasion he was heading back to Nepal to shoot pictures of fellow North Face athlete Kit DesLauriers’ ski decent of the highest mountain in the world. That winter she became the first person to ski the Seven Summits and Jimmy was there to film it.

The collected works of modern artists will change the world. I’m convinced that those who combine creative expression with a love of the natural world will bring to light the critical issues that must be addressed in order to protect and preserve the ecology of our planet at risk. Singer/Songwriter Jon T. Howard is one of those artists plying message to mission. Later this week he’s heading out on a voyage across the North Atlantic Gyre. The goal is to raise awareness for the world’s ocean becoming thoroughly polluted with disposable plastic water bottles.