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#ORWinter, Diversity, Life Out Loud, Millennials, Outdoor Retailer / 20.01.2017

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the last day of the 2017 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market I stood thumbing the screen of my iPhone. My 2:45 appointment was running a bit late, so I waited patiently killing time like a teenager slouched over my Twitter feed in front of The North Face booth. Looking up as he approached I caught the attention of Gear Junkie editor Sean McCoy. He strode over to ask me a question. “We’re still trying to give away the last of our Best-In-Show Awards,” he said. “What was the most...

Adventure Activism, Books, Capitol Christmas Tree, National Forests, On Assignment, Public Land, Special Events / 15.12.2016

The Joy Trip Project has published a small book of photographs depicting the events surrounding the 2016 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour. Although many of these images were widely distributed online via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter I am very happy to be able to share the work of this latest project in printed form. This book in two formats (7X7 and 10X8) is available now at Blurb.com as a lasting reminder of the many special people I had the pleasure to meet and photograph on this wonderful adventure. In...

#BlackLivesMatter, Capitol Christmas Tree, Commentary, Destinations, Diversity / 29.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a brisk afternoon in late November I walked from the United States Capitol Building to the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington D.C. My legs were a bit sore having already spent a long morning on my feet taking pictures of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Just arrived from its home in the Payette National Forest near McCall, Idaho the People’s Tree had made a long journey of more than 3,800 miles over four weeks of travel to receive a hero’s welcome from a...

Adventure Activism, Capitol Christmas Tree / 14.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]verlooking the Clearwater River a crowd slowly gathered to witness something remarkable. Making its way to Washington D.C. from the Payette National Forest in Idaho the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was due to arrive at one of more 26 scheduled stops across the country. Here at the Nez Perce National Historic Park rangers of the National Park Service had erected a traditional First Nation tipi to mark the arrival of the People’s Tree. On this clear November day members of the Nez Perce Tribe rode onto the asphalt parking...

Commentary / 23.10.2016

Smack in the middle of the North American Association of Environmental Educators Conference my business card scanner started working again. Held this year in my home town of Madison Wisconsin the event brought into my world some of the finest minds working diligently on the critical issues of science in the natural world. Most inspired by the keynote from Dr. David Suzuki, a renown geneticist from British Columbia host of “The Nature of Things”, I took to heart his prophetic words of rebuke and encouragement. “It is un-American...

Commentary, Diversity, Environmental Justice, Essays / 11.10.2016

Fall chores had preempted my regularly scheduled Sunday morning rituals. Yoga would have to wait as I raked the first round of fallen leaves from the lawn and prepared a pile of yard waste in anticipation of a Thursday pick-up. Sasha came bounding into the garden like a black scud missile on target to obliterate my efforts in a flurry of paws and her wagging tail. Our puppy loves the displacement of splashing puddles and swirling leaves as she turns every moment of our lives into a happy...