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Breaking News, Diversity, Madison, Outdoor Recreation, The Adventure Gap / 01.05.2015

When my friend Fred Harrington contacted me by text last year I figured he just wanted to get together for a beer. A neighbor around the corner from our house on the Near Westside, he and I, along with our wives frequently meet for drinks and dining at one of many local restaurants in Madison. “Do you have any time Wed to discuss the book nomination for Edgewood College?” the message read. “Preferably over beer, Maybe just before during or after dinner? It is due Fri.” Beer was certainly included...

Breaking News, The Adventure Gap, Yosemite / 24.04.2015

My publisher the Mountaineers Books informs me that my work of non-fiction The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors will be on sale in Yosemite National Park! As you can imagine I'm really excited! Much of the inspiration behind my work in diversity in outdoor recreation stems from the creation of the National Park Service. The story of the famed Buffalo Soldiers and their efforts to protect and preserve wilderness areas at Yosemite and Sequoia at the turn of the last century lit a fire in my spirit...

5Point, Film Festival, Special Events / 23.04.2015

For the past seven years, mountain-inspired athletes, artists and activists have gathered in Carbondale in late April to share their love of adventure. This meeting of the minds is afforded by the 5Point Film Festival, a three-day bonanza of films, live performances and storytelling that celebrates the active lifestyle. Within its relatively short lifespan, the festival has grown into one of the country’s premier adventure film events. But it also showcases much more than just what’s on the screen. “5Point has created its own personality to become more like...

Africa, Life Out Loud, National Parks, Tanzania, Travel / 30.03.2015

The great writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner put into perspective a profound notion that has changed the world. “The national park idea, the best idea we ever had,” he once wrote, “was inevitable as soon as Americans learned to confront the wild continent not with fear and cupidity but with delight, wonder, and awe.” In 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the opening of the world’s first national park the entry was marked with a monument to the understanding that the natural world is where everyone can find the basic...

Africa, Diversity, Tanzania, Travel / 28.03.2015

Over the past several months I've been touring the United States in order to promote my new book. In The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors I address the issue of diversity in the world of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. It is my hope that by exploring those areas well outside of our comfort zones we can learn to truly love and embrace the many things that make life on our planet truly wonderful. And while much of my work has been focused on the...

Book Review, Cool on Kickstarter, Kids in Nature / 18.03.2015

The Earth is constantly speaking to us. The language of our planet is a subtle form of communication through which those who are willing to listen can hear the most profound messages. And in a new book by photographer Chris Burkard a child learns that when we engage the world in a conversation there’s a good chance the Earth will talk back. The Boy Who Spoke to The Earth is a picture book beautifully illustrated by David McClellan that answers one of life’s great questions: Where can I find happiness?...