The Joy Trip Project

I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Casimiro at a journalism conference in Boulder back last spring. He and I were among a dozen or more writers in the outdoor space sharing our ideas as guests of Mountain Hardwear, an event they call the Trends Retreat. There’s something about a National Geographic reporter/photographer that makes you take notice and hang on his every word.  Steve’s a brilliant, charming guy who’s as willing to listen to your stories as he is to share his own. Frankly, his are better. To be more specific Steve’s most prominent work can be found in the pages of National Geographic Adventure, the Yellow Book’s adolescent younger cousin. But this troubled youth won’t make it to drinking age. As of last month in a recovering economy the popular high profile adrenaline magazine is out of business. Plummeting ad revenue apparently made the glossy picture rich pages too expensive to print and now Steve’s out of a job.

Sara Lingafelter came on to adventure scene with the grace of a ballet dancer and the energy of a rock star. I’ve been at this 20 years now and I’ve seen my share of young women and men go about “finding themselves” in the outdoors.  Most “live the dream” by scamming free gear, conning sponsored vacations, alienating family, neglecting friends and forgetting how to bathe, but not Sara. This once Seattle-area lawyer came to the wild world with humility and thoughtful consideration. Sara took the odd shop job,...