My good friend adventure filmmaker Dominic Gill is in a tight spot and he needs your help. Just when he was about to embark upon another epic transcontinental bicycle trip his partner Ernie Greenwald has taken ill. The 76-year-old cancer patient suffered a bout of pneumonia after a round of chemotherapy  and simply can not peddle along the 4,000-mile journey as planned from California to New York. But Dom still hopes to make the ride. And in the classic fashion of his award-winning film of the same title he hopes to find a few people across America to “Take A Seat” and cycle their way across the country in Ernie’s place. There’s only one catch. You have to be disabled.

• Do you or a friend have a disability that prevents you from getting outdoors as much as they would like? (These could be people in a very early stage of cancer, amputees, older persons who find it difficult to exercise, blind people or those suffering from breathing difficulties etc.)
• Do you live anywhere approximately on our route from West to East across the States?
• Would you be excited about the prospect of taking part in a cross country bike tour on an ultra comfortable tandem bicycle?
• Would you be happy to talk to a camera on the bicycle (not a big intimidating one, just a small one wielded by Dom on the back!)
• Would you be prepared to camp if all equipment was provided by way of a support vehicle (that can also be used to travel should a problem arise).

If the answer is yes to all of the above, Dominic would love to hear from you!! Being fit or strong is not necessary (Dom can take up the slack), but being prepared to cycle for between 2 and 20 days (depending on the leg of the journey – see green pins on this interactive route map) and being up for the challenge is. The Dom and Ernie team is currently sourcing funding to ensure the riders have return travel to their start point or home.

You may have listened to the Joy Trip Project interview with Dominic earlier this year:click here>> http://joytripproject.org/blog/2010/02/16/take-a-seat-2/ He’s not only a true adventurer, but he’s a funny guy with a great sense of humor and just an all around wonderful human being. It would be a shame for him to make this next ride. This journey (with an almost confirmed departure date of Wed July 3rd 2010) has the potential not only to make an incredible story, but to provide an inspirational example to those who are striving to get out and achieve something in the face of adversity.

We are all hoping that Ernie, the inspiration behind this project, will be well enough to undertake a stage of this journey, but for the time being will be relieved as and when he makes a full and speedy recovery. In the mean time, help us find others willing to give adventure bicycle touring a try – no previous experience necessary! Get in touch with Dom today! Send an email to domgill@hotmail.com

About a week ago I watched for the first time as a friend hurled himself off the bridge that spans the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. I’ll refer to him only as my friend because a jump from this 876-foot structure is illegal. And though he landed safely with the aid of a parachute, twice in fact, I don’t want to see him get into trouble.

Certainly my friend risked his own life and potentially put others in danger (but that’s a stretch). As a legal matter BASE-jumping, in my opinion, is a victimless crime that, rather than prosecution, deserves recognition as a legitimate sport and regulation by a body of experts to assure its safety.

Not unlike any hazardous sport BASE-jumping offers many inherent risks. But these risks are mitigated with training and experience. The two jumps depicted in this short film were the latest of more than 65 successful dives from an Antenna, a Span or the Earth.

“I’m only an ASE-jumper,” my friend said. “I haven’t jumped from a building yet.”

Prior to hurdling himself off landed structures, my friend first received instruction in skydiving, jumping from airplanes. He learned to pack his own shoot and properly maintain his equipment. Safety among BASE-jumpers is their first concern. Should I take up the sport and can assure you that I’ll take every precaution and learn important skills before I even attempt a jump from a great height. And though many people have died while BASE-jumping despite their advance preparation, as in any risky venture, those who do it accept the danger as an intrinsic aspect of the sport they love.

What remains to be considered is the crime of trespass, when BASE-jumpers like my friend seek and acquire unlawful access to private or public property to ply their skills. While there are many legal places from which to plummet these guarded and prohibited spots bring with them a different kind of risk that’s also quite alluring. That begs the question: should illegal BASE-jumpers who land successfully be prosecuted if they are caught? As long as they do not damage property or cause harm to others should they be fined or incarcerated?

I for one believe they should not. What do you think? Greater risk would likely ensue should BASE-jumpers try to flee from authorities, taking flight desperate not to get caught. But there would also be the risk of chaotic lawlessness should BASE-jumpers of varying degrees of experience and expertise attempt leaps without the fear of legal ramifications. What’s to stop them?

It’s human nature to explore and push the boundaries of our natural environment, our comfort zone. Adventure is the acceptance of risk in the hope of an ecstatic experience that will affirm the very life we put on the line. The alternative is a life without passion or purpose tethered to the Earth chained down in an existence of mediocrity. The law and safety not withstanding there will always be an intense appeal to those of adventurous spirit with the utter audacity to presume that they can fly.

Happy landings.   -JEM

Special social media coverage of the New River Rendezvous comes courtesy of Osprey, Prana, Trango, Sterling Rope, Evolv, Chaco, the New River Alliance of Climbers and Waterstone Outdoors.

Social media is a vibrant exchange of ideas.  Join the conversation by becoming engaged.  Send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com. Or find us on Facebook or Twitter

Fans of the documentary “Take a Seat” by adventure filmmaker Dominic Gill will be happy to hear that the biking Britain has a new project in the works. On the heels of his trans-continental trek from Alaska to Argentina, Dom is now planning to take a 74-year-old California man on a tandem bike ride across the United States.

In 2006 Ernie Greenwald was retired and living quietly in the town of Lompoc. Six months to the day that his wife passed away, Ernie met Dom. And inspired by the spirit of adventure the two peddled 60 miles together on Dom’s tandem bike to Santa Barbara.

Now despite suffering from Lymphocytic Leukemia Ernie is heading out on a grand journey to explore his country. Riding a custom tandem/upright/recumbent hybrid bike Dom and Ernie plan to peddle coast to coast in search of the American Dream.

“It’s about squeezing what you can out of life and not letting the hurdles stop you,” Dom said this morning in a Facebook chat session. “Its about discovering whether the age-old hospitality that built America in the days of the founding fathers still exists in some small comfortable way.”

The two will begin in June, 2010. The Joy Trip Project will follow their progress and post updates to this blog. Who knows? We might even find them on the road and bring you direct reports from the field. Look for a documentary on the Dom & Ernie Project sometime in 2011.

Find details and follow along on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27752458842

I don’t know about you. But I’ve got a hard time getting motivated, especially when it comes to doing something hard, something that might take a lot of time, cost a bit of money or might even be a little scary. Life’s journey can be tough enough just trying to get by making it from day to the next. But every once in a while, someone comes along that prompts you to action. They get you psyched up and excited because you can see they’re going places and the next thing you know it you get swept up in the momentum and just like your own life’s journey heads in a whole new direction. You follow that person right a new road of adventure. Last fall I met a guy just like that.

Now before get the wrong idea, I didn’t get on the back of that bicycle. I can tell you that had I me this guy riding down the coast of California I would have climbed aboard in a second. Dominic Gill was one a one of a few dozen movie producers I met during the 2009 Banff Film Festival. His documentary called Take A Seat follows his two-year journey by tandem bicycle over 20,000 mile of open road. Asking total strangers to pedal behind him on what his calls the stoker seat his travels brought a fresh sense of adventure into hearts and minds of everyone he met or who tagged along for the ride.

Music this week by the band Trees On Fire

Special thanks to the New Belgium Brewing Company for underwriting travel expenses to Banff that made this podcast possible. Also thanks to our sponsors, Recreational Equipment Inc, REI and Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com.

Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care.

It’s been more than a month since the last podcast. Thanks to everyone for all the emails and Facebook messages asking for the next edition. After an action packed first season of production, the realities of life came crashing down like a devastating wave. The recession of 2009 made times a bit tough. Simply put the project was placed indefinite hold while I scrambled together a few odd writing jobs through the end of December and all of January. I had to work to make enough cash to pay our property tax bill. I’m happy to say that I recently wrote a fat check to city of Madison and now the project is back on track.

Bryan Smith

I’ve learned a lot through that first season. With the collapse of traditional media, as newspapers and magazine continue to fold up under the weight of an antiquated model of communication, I’ve discovered that this form of storytelling, sharing music, art and adventure online is the wave of the future. With many creative souls out there building new high quality content for Internet there’s no shortage of great stories to tell. If you’ve been following along on the blog and on Facebook, you’ll know that I’ve been more than a little busy still traveling and finding new subjects to share with you. And in the process I’ve become thoroughly inspired by the work of many others who are pushing the boundaries of creative expression as they explore the heights and depths of the human spirit.

You’ve heard me mention my friend Fitz Cahall. He’s the creator of my favorite podcast The Dirtbag Diaries. Fitz has new project that recently posted the Internet, a series of short films that depict the lives of adventurers chasing their passion through course of a year, a season.

I connected with Fitz toward the end of last year during the Banff Mountain Film Festival. There I saw the premiere edition of the 22 part film series The Season. It’s an exciting yet, moderately paced thoughtful contemplation on what motivates ordinary people who do exceptional things in the outdoors. At the Banff Centre for mountain culture, in Alberta Canada, I also met Fitz’s partner co-producer and director of the Season Bryan Smith.

Produced exclusively for distribution online, the Season brings Internet adventure storytelling to a new level. Directed by Bryan Smith this new film series illustrates the narrative behind the lives of people like each of us who aspire to lead a rich live in adventure.

The Season Trailer from Fitz Cahall on Vimeo.

The Season produced by Bryan Smith and Fitz Cahall premieres online at www.theseasontv.com.

Music this week by Jake Shimabukuro.

Special thanks to the New Belgium Brewing Company for underwriting travel expenses to Banff that made this podcast possible. Also thanks to our sponsors, Recreational Equipment Inc, REI and Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com.

Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care.

We’ve explored much of the modern world. Today very little is left to tempt the imagination. We’ve succeeded in climbing the highest mountains. We’ve traveled to the depths of the ocean. There’s not much of our planet that we haven’t seen. It would seem then now that what remains of adventure, at least on earth, isn’t to discover where human beings have yet to go but instead where we’ve been.

A new film by produced in cooperation PBS and National Geographic takes a look at the discovery and exploration of an ancient civilization. The new film The Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Secret Caves premiered at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival.  In this edition of The Joy Trip Project producer and professional mountain guide Peter Athans takes us on an amazing journey to reveal the great mysteries of a long-ago culture once forgotten.

New music this week by Chad Farran from his album Another Ride. Find his online at www.chadfarran.com.

This podcast is brought to you thank to generous support of our sponsors Recreational Equipment Inc. REI and Patagonia. Special thanks to the New Belgium Brewing Company for underwriting in part travel expenses to Banff to make this edition possible. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them.

An intermittent wireless connection drove me from my room to the lobby for better service.  Otherwise accommodations in Lloyd Hall at Canada’s Banff Centre were incredible. Nestled in a valley surrounded by the snow-covered Rockies of Alberta, you’d be hard pressed to find much fault with the home of the 34^th annual Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.

I’ve had tougher assignments. In a cozy leather chair I sat with my laptop working up a yet another post for this blog. Looking up from the screen I happen to see walking past my friend and colleague Fitz Cahall. He’s the host and creator of the podcast the Dirtbag Diaries. I called him over. On his way to one of many fabulous presentations Fitz plopped down on the couch across from me for a chat.

“This place is truly amazing,” he said. “I can’t think of anywhere else you can meet and hangout with so many artists, poets, playwrights, musicians. You can be having lunch and sit across from a guy writing a symphony!”

Like many here in the U.S., for years I have enjoyed the adventure movies that go on tour from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. But I never knew anything about the institution that promotes them. The Banff Centre is a cultural arts facility whose mission is to inspire creativity. Inviting artists from all over the world, Banff provides a communal space where people can paint, sculpt, write, dance, take photographs and perform music. Visitors can get instruction to improve their skills or work independently and delve deeply into the creative process to evoke their muse.

Among the many disciplines cultivated at Banff are literature and film making that tell the stories of adventure in mountain regions throughout the world. Spanning more than a week, The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals are a showcase of the year’s best productions created to explore and celebrate the active lifestyle. Looking back after Banff there are many standout highlights worth sharing.

Steve House

I did an interview with climber and now writer Steve House several weeks before. Then we discussed his new book Beyond the Mountain. At Banff House took the prize for mountain literature. You can hear our conversation online on the Joy Trip Project podcast.

House read a few passages from his book during one of two lunchtime lectures. And during a panel discussion on writing biography he was asked, “When is it a good time to write a story of someone’s life?” House replied, “I’ve lost a lot of friends in the mountains. There was some part of me that wanted to write my story myself while was still alive.”

Royal Robbins

At the second lecture we heard from Royal Robbins.  He read from his new book To Be Brave, the first in a seven volume series called My Life, which received a special jury prize. In the passage he read Robbins described his first climbing experiences on a fragile hemp rope back in 1945. “They weren’t very strong and would probably have done very little to protect you from a fall,” he said. “But we had a saying, ‘the leader should never fall’.”

Niall Grimes

The literature grand prize went to Niall Grimes for his book Jerry Moffatt –Revelations. Though not accurately credited as being the ghostwriter of Moffatt’s life story, Grimes offers up a detailed account of a great innovator who declared himself the best climber in the world. “Very few people could have gotten away with that,” Grimes said. “But he went out and climbed the hardest routes anyone had climbed at the time and climbed them better.”

Karstern Heur and his son Zev in the film "Finding Farley" Photo: Karsten Heuer, courtesy of The Banff Centre

The grand film prize went to a movie that unfortunately I didn’t see. Finding Farley was one of 62 films shown out of 227 entries from 28 countries. Despite having access to the complete collection of movies in an on-demand screening room for media, this one got passed me. Finding Farley also took the People’s Choice award, selected by viewers who did see it as the most popular film at the festival.

This story depicts the journey of a family who treks 5,000 kilometers across Canada to follow in the footsteps of renowned author Farley Mowat. So surprised by the success of the film when accepting her award director Leanne Allison said, “I’m just glad we were invited to be here.”

From the film "Mont-Blanc Speed Flying" Photo courtesy of The Banff Centre

Other films I did get the chance to see will be included as reviews in upcoming posts to this blog. But two films in particular deserve mention now. Mont–Blanc Speed Flying received the award for Best Short Mountain Film. This 10-minute movie depicts a team of paraglide skiers making their away along a flight path through the rugged slopes of the French Alps from the top of Europe’s highest peak. Using a single camera in one long shot the film records the graceful decent of winged humans from this lofty perch occasionally touching ground to ski short turns on the snow below. Watching it viewers could imagine that they themselves could actually fly.

On the night I arrived in Banff I connected with the festival’s film coordinator, Lana Hettinga. I figured she’d have a bit of insight on the best films to see. So I asked her, “Of all the movies here, which one should I not miss.” With only a moments thought Hettinga replied “Solo.”

From the film "Solo" Winner of the Best Film on Mountain Sports award photo courtesy of The Banff Centre

Winner of the Best Film on Mountain Sports prize Solo is heart wrenching from the opening credits. A garbled radio transmission plays to a black screen with subtitles. A lone kayaker on a first-ever paddle from Australia to New Zealand makes an urgent plea for help. His fate is uncertain, but you’re left with an immediate sense of dred as the story unfolds. You’re pretty sure he’s not going to make it.

The film then jumps to the beginning of the story as adventurer Andrew McAuley paddles away from his wife and young son. With the camera mounted to the deck of his kayak you can clearly see his face. Covered in a heavy white sunscreen his visage has the appearance of a death mask slashed with bitter scares of grief and fear.

“I’m so afraid,” he says wracked with sobs into the camera. “I’m afraid I’ll never see my wife and my son again… I don’t know what I’m doing. I wonder why I’m doing this. And I don’t have an answer.”

David Cox

It’s through the power of film and storytelling that we explore this uniquely human desire to risk our lives purely for the sake of adventure. Though most of these mountain films end happily there is always that element of pending doom that rivets our attention. Banff Center executive director of mountain culture & environment David Cox  says the thrill of adventure is what keeps people coming back for more.

“Our ticket sales are up 10 percent from last year,” Cox said. “And that’s in a down economy. What a great way to have fun when you don’t have a lot of money.”

The Banff Mountain Film Festival goes on tour this week with stops across the country. Here you’ll find periodic reviews of films you’ll be able to see as well as a few interviews with filmmakers and authors. Hopefully readers of this blog will chime in with their questions and comments. After 34 years Banff is still going strong and the stories continue.

JEM

Special thanks to New Belgium Brewing Company for underwriting in part travel expenses for coverage The Banff Mountain Film Festival

Just had a terrific interview with filmmaker Dominic Gill at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. His movie called “Take a Seat” follows his journey from Alaska to the tip of South America on a tandem bicycle, a journey of 20,000 Miles.

What’s fascinating about his story is the fact he invited complete strangers to ride on his back seat and travel with him for as long as they like. Some road with him for only a few hours, some for a single day. One person tagged along for six weeks.

I met Gill in the media lounge at the Banff Center. He was writing the manuscript for a book about his trip. The funny thing is you can already buy “Take a Seat,” Amazon.com.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Gill said. “I haven’t even finished it yet. I wanted to know how long the book is and Amazon says it’s 280 pages. That’s good to know.”

Special thanks this week to New Belgium Brewing Company for underwriting travel expenses during The 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival.