Podcasts

Empowered women like Kim Reynolds call themselves what they like. This Chick runs a business out of Colorado showing other women how to climb rock and ice called Chicks Rock. "It’s fun. I think sharing life experiences, climbing experiences, there’s a certain comradery," Reynolds said. " Someone might have the same challenges or same talents or whatever as I as do and it’s nice to experience that with other women." A few weeks ago Kim, a certified mountain guide and life coach, lead a small group of women on a rock climbing trip to a local crag about 40 miles north of Madison, Wisconsin,  a spot called Devil’s Lake. I only came out for the day to take pictures and ask a few questions. Because on this trip there were no men allowed. "I think men are fun. I don’t want to leave them out, but there’s also a trend toward more and more women’s trips I think," Reynolds said. "And women wanting to do things with other women and learn from other women and have that opportunity." In the world of adventure women are busting out on their own. They’re leaving husbands, boyfriends and children at home to discover their strengths and celebrate the feminine side of the wild. Hear their story in this edition of The Joy Trip Project.

If you’ve been watching television or checking your favorite web sites lately, you’ve noticed one number keeps popping up. On October 24^rd in particular people around the world have been plastering the number 350 on billboards, marching with it on signs and performing physical stunts to share this number with as many people as possible. Groups numbering in the thousands have gathered across the U.S. and in many countries to spell out 350 on surfaces from grassy fields, to mountain summits, to the open ocean. Writer and environmental activist Bill McKibben says 350 is a number we all need to be aware of. "It’s the most important number in the world. It’s the amount of carbon, that’s measured in parts per million, that the scientists now say is the most we can have in the atmosphere and maintain the civilization that we now enjoy," McKibben said. "We’re past that number already. We need to get back to it. That’s why the stakes are so urgent."