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The Joy Trip Project

Commentary, Kids in Nature, Madison / 26.01.2016

After a deep breath to steady my nerves I pushed upon the door. Beginning my second year of public speaking I was in the habit now of arriving a few minutes early to gage the room and get a feel for the audience. Knowing what likely lay in store, this particular crowd made me a bit nervous. But fully committed now to my mission I set aside the anxiety I felt and smiled broadly in the face of my worst nightmare, a class of 30 sixth-graders. At Sherman Middle...

Balance Madison, Commentary / 19.01.2016

Now that we're well into the New Year most everyone I meet seems to ask me the same question: “What are you working on next?” I suppose that with that question comes the expectation of something more exciting than they might have previously imagined. After a 12-month tour filled with adventures from one end of the country to the other including a short detour through the national parks of Tanzania and a visit to White House I’m fairly certain that 2015 will be tough to beat. But rather than...

Adventure Activism, Capitol Christmas Tree / 24.12.2015

On this Christmas Eve I am reminded of the magnificent tree we delivered to the U.S. Captiol in Washington D.C. Over the past several weeks I've reported on the long journey of the People's Tree from the Chugach National Forest of Alaska that the Kenaitze First Nation Tribe called Ch'wala ka'a. When this 74-foot Lutz Spruce was dedicated on December 2, 2015 tribal members gathered in the halls of Congress to share songs and stories of their heritage that reflect a deep and profound relationship with the natural world....

Adventure Media Review, Banff, Film Review, Podcast / 18.12.2015

[caption id="attachment_2063505" align="aligncenter" width="581"] Courtesy Sweetgrass Productions[/caption] From the opening  frames of the latest film by Sweetgrass Productions the monumental scale of the subject fills the screen. In concert with vocals and orchestra the images swell with the music in pace with the magnitude of a very controversial issue and the mountain wilderness which surrounds it. Never one to shy from the dramatic filmmaker Nick Waggoner sets the stage with meticulous care, like the conductor of a great opera. At the heart of this wonderful documentary is the age-old...

The Watch List / 14.12.2015

As the holiday movie season ramps up to full steam in theaters there are several new releases in the adventure film genre worth taking a look at online. Even with expanded cable TV options for your viewing pleasure there still doesn’t seem to be enough media to command our interest through the cold cruel months of winter or to inspire our best efforts in outdoor pursuits through the woods on skis, bikes, boots or boards. But every week I seem to get a new press release or media...

Capitol Christmas Tree / 07.12.2015

Much even to my own surprise I spent the morning of Black Friday in a shopping mall. I had every intention of joining my friends at REI in “opting out” of the day after Thanksgiving spending frenzy, but there were a few critical items that I needed for my next Joy Trip. I reconciled my apparent lack of solidarity with the movement to spend more time in natural world with a purchase I made in the sincere hope of saving it. I found what I was looking for in...