Aspiring ultra-distance runner Ryan Mills has the best of intentions. The name of his quest project notwithstanding he hopes to raise awareness for the importance of leading an active lifestyle and putting an end to a coach-bound existence. “A Rude Awakening” is an enterprise that aims to aggressively demonstrate how time outside can motivate a dramatic change. Making his way on foot over 184 miles through the scorching desert of Death Valley National Park Mills wants to show the glaring contrast between a life confined to urban jungles and 8 days fully engaged by primal wilderness.

“What we strive to do is to inspire individuals to make that transition from sedentary lifestyle to a more healthy active one through reconnecting with the outdoors,” Mills writes on Kickstarter. “It is ‘Rude’ in the manner regarding the rugged approach in which we choose to conduct our journey.”

Himself prompted by the adventurous spirit of travels, Mills said he got the idea for this audacious journey when he encountered a pair of intercontinental travelers stuck in the Saline Valley with a flat tire. “While we stopped to see what we could help with, we met an inspiring couple who had just begun an overland journey in their truck from San Fransisco down the Pan-am Highway to the southern most tip of South America,” Mills wrote in an email exchange. “Although I don’t have the time in my life at this point to do something to that scale, this recent contact with these people truly inspired me to start doing things of my own…baby steps right?”

A fitness buff studying geography at UCLA this former U.S. Marine wants to blend his interests in athletics and the outdoors into one big adventure. “Although I don’t have time to cross two continents, I figured what the hell?  Why not run across one of the largest national parks in the United States?” he said.

The plan is to take just over a week to traverse Death Valley running about 23 miles a day. With little previous experience, save for a 31-mile training run through Joshua Tree National Park, Mills said this expedition is hardly a race and he’s not out to set any kind of record.

“The point is to travel across the entirety of a national park encountering many of the amazing physical features Death Valley has to offer hoping to make a connection with those who follow me, as well as having the opportunity to overcome my own physical boundaries,” he said.

Along the way Mills plans to record the experience on camera with the intension of creating a short film. Despite the difficult of the trip he hopes that those who follow along online will be inspired to explore the possibility of creating a similar journey of their own.

“My team and I are putting a lot of time and effort into this to try and impact as many lives as we can,” Mills said. “If we can positively affect one person’s life through this experience, I will consider this expedition a success!”

The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia

photo by Andy Maser

;

A new film by Andy Maser is having a big impact on efforts to remove obsolete dams on rivers worldwide. “ Year of the River” features graphic footage of the explosive charges that took out the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River back in October of 2011. The film offers up a compelling story of why moving water should be allowed to run free across the land. Thanks to the Internet the completed short movie already has a solid following of support with millions of viewers having seen the highlights on Vimeo and YouTube. Posted to the National Geographic video web site as well as news organizations and countless personal shares on Facebook and Twitter Maser’s video has most certainly gone viral.

“We’ve seen something like 1.8 million views, about 400,000 on my Vimeo account and it’s all over Japan,” Maser said. “Right now I’d say 3 million is actually pretty conservative.”

photo by Andy Maser

Having premiered at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in January ‘Year of the River’ was released this week for viewing online. Supported by American Rivers, American Whitewater and the Hydropower Reform Coalition the movie aims to illustrate two of the most dramatic and successful dam removal initiatives in modern times. A month before the Condit Dam was blown up with 700 pounds of dynamite the largest river restoration in history began on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. And thanks to the original video millions of people have been made aware of the issue and will now hopefully get involved in other similar projects.

“The plan was to get people far and wide to engage,” Maser said. “I think it’s a great success and really exceeded my expectations.”

The conservation group American Rivers hopes to remove 100 dams in 2012. There are more than 26,000 dams across the United States that pose a risk to public safety. And as many as 15 percent of dams are deemed abandoned with no clear owners to repair or maintain them. Supporters of the new film hope to inspire citizen with dysfunctional dams in their communities to write their state and federal legislators and insist that they take action. =>;Learn more

“People are hungry for positive news, and these river restoration stories are so inspiring,” said Amy Kober, senior communications director for American Rivers in a press release. “Our goal with the video was to share the good news and help people celebrate, and hopefully create some renewed appreciation for healthy, free-flowing rivers.”

Maser said his film project will continue over the next three years as the newly released White Salmon River is fully restored. Inspired by National Geographic photographer James Balog, creator of the Extreme Ice Survey Project, Maser has installed time-lapse camera equipment near the dam site to record the restoration as it progresses. Still with many hazards and obstacles in its path there is still much work left to do before the river truly flows free. Maser, a life-long kayaker, said he looks forward to being there with his boat with it finally does.

“Concrete removal is the next step. There’s a hole in the dam but you can’t paddle through it safely yet,” he said. “The earliest anyone will paddle it will be in September. I definitely want to be there for that!

The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsorPatagonia

Just a few days late for Valentine’s Day but it’s never too late for love!
One of the Joy Trip Project’s contributing musical artists Cheryl Englhardt just posted this cute little video of her song “I Luv U” from the album One Up

Purchase on iTunes: http://bit.ly/jlkBrU
Official Website: http://www.CBEmusic.com
Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CBE
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CBEmusic

The Joy Trip Project is always looking to profile new music. Whether you’re a singer-song writer or an eight-piece band I’d love to hear from you and maybe include your work in an upcoming edition of the podcast. Drop me a note at info@joytripproject.com

Tim DeChristopher with Peaceful Uprising activists at Mountain Film in Telluride

For his stand to protect wilderness environmental activist Tim DeChristopher got a two-year prison sentence. But the man trusted to manage the finances of his non-profit Peaceful Uprising walked away with considerably more. Steve Sugarman executive director of the fiscal sponsor organization the International Humanities Center is being sought in California by state and federal authorities. His group is believed to have misappropriated almost $1 million in charitable donations contributed to DeChristopher’s and more than 200 other philanthropic organizations nation-wide. A story in the Los Angeles Times puts the total at $877,000. Though he came highly recommended by many Sugarman seems to have played on the trust of the most giving to bilk do-gooders out of their cash in a Ponzi-scheme worthy of financier Bernie Madoff.

When DeChristopher put a stop to the auction of public land in Utah he was convicted of a crime. But his acclaimed act of civil disobedience, which aimed to hold the oil and gas industries accountable for their role in climate change, created a national movement. Peaceful Uprising now works to raise the stakes in the effort to end global warming. But like any philanthropic organization the group of activists still has to cover expenses. And with the help of a fiscal sponsor it works within the law to raise money and prompt public action to achieve social change. But little did the non-profit realize the cash it collected from donors was vulnerable to theft.

Under its status as a 501(c)(3) organization a fiscal sponsor helps non-profits legally collect and distribute tax-deductible funds contributed by the general public. For a fee ranging between 3 and 20 percent the sponsor pays the group’s bills and satisfies its obligations to the federal government. It’s common practice for a small activist organization to outsource these particular duties and Sugarman’s International Humanities Center had many satisfied customers.

“They had a great reputation with different climate organizations, women’s justice organizations. And after talking to a few different people everyone said these were the people to go to,” said Cori Redstone of Peaceful Uprising. “And at first they were really responsible. We could get a hold of them and they were taking care of things.”

But all that changed late last year as things slowly began to unravel. Redstone’s group became aware that several of its employees were not being paid.

“A lot of our phone calls went unanswered as well as our emails,” she said. “We got less and less communication and finally sometime in December we were finally able to get a hold of Steve Sugarman, who gave us a round-about story and started acting erratically. Finally he told us that they were shutting down.”

With $35,000 in unpaid bills and a total of $88,000 in donations unaccounted for Peaceful Uprising received notice that the Center was going out of business. The Los Angeles Times reports that Sugarman told some executive directors of effected non-profits that he “blamed the problems on the economic downturn and an anticipated $15.2-million grant that never materialized.” But as the Times reports he neglected to inform his clients that the IRS had filed a $69,570 tax lien against the Center. And In September 2011, the California “state Franchise Tax Board suspended the Center’s corporate status because it had failed to file the nonprofit equivalent of a tax return.”

Now that his clients and law enforcement are looking for him Sugarman is nowhere to be found. And each non-profit is left to figure out how they will ultimately recover.

“It’s going to take a long time to replace this money,” Redstone at Peaceful Uprising said. “But regardless of what happens we’ve always been a volunteer organization. We’ve very rarely had many funds to draw on and so we know that we will go on and continue to do the work that we do. We’ll just have to scale back a little bit.”

The same is likely true of many of the effected groups. Operating on shoestring budgets they’re unfortunately used to this kind economic hardship. But despite this experience non-profits will still need to rely on fiscal sponsors to manage their money in the future.

“The reason they’re doing this is they don’t want to take on the financial responsibility themselves,” said John Sterling, executive director of the Conservation Alliance, a non-profit that funds environmental protection initiatives throughout the United States. “These groups are usually high on passion and low on experience when it comes to governance. But you’ve got to do your homework and ask a lot of questions in the non-profit world.”

As the situation in California unfolds charitable organizations will likely use this as a teaching moment. Not to distract from their important work they must recognize that despite their selflessness they are still  vulnerable to deception.

“People in the non-profit sector are very empathetic and trusting which makes us the perfect target for this,” Redstone said. “The best thing to do is to just be totally transparent and be open with our donors as well as be open with the non-profits and let people know that this does happen.”

It remains to be seen whether Sugarman intended to steal his clients’ money from the outset. Some speculate that he perhaps over extended himself in a frenzied rush to have non-profit contributions keep pace with expenses. His best intentions not withstanding the money is apparently gone and it’s not coming back.  When you play fast and loose with the funds and resources of others you’ll always run the risk of coming up short. Just like in a game of musical chairs as players shift from one seat to the next those without the skill or experience to avoid it will be left standing alone with nowhere to go when tune suddenly stops and jig is up.

The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsors Patagonia and The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market

In this extra large-format (15” x 10”) panoramic photo essay—the official companion book to the new IMAX® film To The Arctic 3D from Warner Bros. Pictures, MacGillivray Freeman Films and IMAX Corporation—award-winning nature photographer Florian Schulz takes readers on a personal journey to the remote-yet-vibrant Arctic.

In contrast to the common perception of the Arctic as a ‘vast nothingness,’ Schulz’s images display an ecosystem of surprising richness that is teeming with life. Following the cycle of one year, To The Arctic showcases a pageant of wildlife—oddly captivating shapes of muskoxen, waves of migrating caribou, and some of the most extraordinary images ever captured of a mother polar bear and her two cubs.

From expansive aerials of the rich reds and golds of the summer tundra and stark landscapes of ice, underwater glimpses of beluga whale pods and baby seals, to up-close and intimately personal portraits of a mother polar bear and her young cubs—Schulz’s range of imagery, accompanied by his personal fieldwork stories, explores the remarkable diversity and drama of life in the Arctic. Complementing Schulz’s work is a foreword by Dr. Sylvia Earle, explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and leader of the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, as well as essays from Tom Campion of the Alaska Wilderness League and Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker, Greg MacGillivray, of MacGillivray Freeman Films.

The book also includes several first-person accounts that describe Schulz’s larger-than-life adventures in the far north, where he endured subfreezing temperatures, camped on ice sheets, dove beneath icebergs, and rode hundreds of kilometers by dogsled in his efforts to capture life in the Arctic.

www.mountaineersbooks.org

The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsors Patagonia and the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market

For most of his life wildlife photographer Florian Schulz has fought to protect the diversity of animals species around the world. Working in the most remote region of the planet he’s tracked and documented the wild birds of Mexico, big game animals of the African continent as well as the migratory patterns of caribou in the Alaskan Arctic. And it’s in this frozen region known for its vast featureless landscapes where Florian has followed and photographed the great Polar Bears of the northern hemisphere.

Florian:

It’s really a land of extremes both in temperatures but also in the survival of animals in these harsh environments. And for me that is so intriguing, how the natural world is able cope and adapt to such extreme places. And I found it anything else but a barren wasteland.

With patient study after long months in the field Florian has come to a profound understanding of nature’s most delicate balance. By observing large animals musk ox, wolves, moose and grizzly bears he hopes to make those who see his photographs realize that all of these species have a direct relationship with each other, the land and in no small way the survival of humanity.

At the bi-annual breakfast meeting of the Conservation Alliance at the 2012 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City Utah Florian Schulz was the keynote speaker. Shortly after his presentation he shared with me how he first came to forge an intimate relationship with the harsh and forbidding environment of the Alaskan Arctic.

Florian:

I realized once I gave the land some time, once almost I got invited in I was starting to be able to see and document things that I would have never dreamt of seeing. But I have to be honest that you won’t go there and immediately just see everything. I mean it’s definitely important that you do spend the time and you don’t too big expectations because it’s a vast open place and wildlife sometimes is very dispersed.

JTP:

I think that’s actually one of the most compelling things about your work in that not unlike ice it takes a long time to develop. You have to slow it down. I’m interested in finding out how it is that you were able to slow yourself down enough to get a full appreciation for the minute changes that you wouldn’t necessarily see instantly just by being there. How did you find yourself even able to work in the solitude of that area?

Florian:

I think as a photographer you have it a little bit easier because if you are dreaming of exceptional images that kind of really occupies you. So if it’s a question of how do you get the patience? How do you go to a remote location year after year even though you haven’t been successful in finding the caribou for example? It is because you are envisioning these most spectacular images and that gives you so much excitement that you’re willing to go through the millions of mosquitoes, the freezing temperatures where you’re just really suffering. But that fascination with the images kind of let’s you endure all of that. But I don’t care enough about the suffering like that because you get rewarded with the view of an iceberg underneath the water or, you know, a view of thick bill murres diving as if they were penguins going down into the depths of the ocean. So yeah it’s rewarding. That’s why you can endure it.

JTP:

The work that you’re doing helped to establish a program called Freedom to Roam and the primary premise as I understand it is to create wildlife corridors through which animal species can successfully migrate for mating, for the gathering of food. How is it that you came to understand the necessity for the establishment and maintenance of wildlife corridors?

Florian:

If you think about Europe and how chopped up for example the last natural areas there are you very quickly realize that any large predators life wolves, grizzly bears or even things like lynx they get dramatically reduced. They go extinct and so on if these natural areas become small and smaller. When I did a lot of work in Yellowstone I realized that even a park like that, if it’s not really connected to other natural areas around it where for example grizzly bears can go beyond the park’s boarders to find food like white bark pine, or bison for example. In the winter time the snow doesn’t allow them to get to the food that they leave the park. If that doesn’t work any more the animals inside the park suffer. And over time the diversity in the park will go down. Yet at the same time within the Freedom to Roam project that I’ve been working on which is Yellowstone to Yukon, Baja to Beaufort and even in Mexico rainforest to reef you have to think beyond just the simple migration routes. You have to think that natural areas need to be connected because even plants migrate. Even insects migrate. So one has to realize that nature only does well if it’s embedded, if it’s a web of life, if it’s connected. And I almost call some of these corridors or connection routes almost as if they’re the roots. For example to a national park that gives the national park the vitality. And if it doesn’t have that embedded interconnectedness with the surrounding natural areas even the animals in a protected national park the diversity of animals will go down.

JTP:

That’s actually something you can see, you can observe. Through the course of your work I think what you’ve done is raise the awareness for even the necessity for such a thing. What do you think is most import for people who have the ability to help establish these corridors? What do they need to know to maintain the stability of these animal populations?

Florian:

I think that what everybody needs to know is that if we want to maintain beautiful large fauna around like big mammals whether it’s bison, elk, moose and grizzly bears wolves, any of these spectacular mega-fauna we need to think in the new way which is connectedness, interconnectedness, wildlife corridors. So I think the next most important step is that we establish a term. That’s why I’ve been promoting the term National Corridor. Because what I figure is for example with Yellowstone in 1872, the first national park was created. And it was the first time a term, national park. Now the idea has spread around the world and we have national parks everywhere. If we could do this for wildlife corridors and call them national corridors or national wildlife corridors and define it, how a corridor needs to look. And it could have certain land use happening there, but the most important thing is that the habitat gets protected. If we could establish national corridors as a term, define it then that idea could spread around the world. I think these are the two really important things.

JTP:

You travel with your wife Emil through some pretty dangerous areas and you had the opportunity to interact with quite a few different animal species. What was that relationship like in terms of working with your wife to both take the pictures and also study the animals in these areas.

Florian:

Because often I’m seriously out for months at a time it would be terrible if Emil my wife and I wouldn’t often go out together because I wouldn’t see her for several months. To be out there together as a team is really wonderful because you may see something beautiful out. You may discover a bird. You may have any observation of a behavior or an animal and you can share it with your partner. And just by sharing it, by wording it, the whole experience becomes more special, more beautiful. And you will be able to recall it later on too and recall this very beautiful experience you both shared together. Now of course sometimes people say, ‘how is it possible? You are sometimes together 24 hours a day for several months at a time. How come you are not hating each other or like screaming at each other all the time?’ But I think the passion for just being outdoors as well as for the wildlife connects us so well that we are so excited about observing the animals that the other issues that normally might come up are just not very big.

JTP:

Is there anything in particular that you’ve learned or any life lessons that you’ve come away with personally from your work both as a photographer and as a conservationist?

Florian:

I think that if you’re in conservation and if you look at the status of the planet right now often it can be really, really depressing. And at the same time we know that we humans are only a very unimportant thing in regards to life on earth if we think long term. That I now sometimes dare to relax a little bit and say you know what? We can’t manage or change everything. If we keep ruining this planet this way who we will hurt in the end is us as human beings. But I’ve now translated it into a more philosophical and ethical fight let’s say. Because I want to fight for keeping the diversity of life on this planet, but more because I find that we as humans should really understand that that is one of the greatest values and the greatest beauty of this planet. So even though if we keep destroying this earth the earth will recuperate if we think long-term in tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. But right now I feel a responsibility, especially thinking of my child, that I want to do whatever I can to fight to maintain this beautiful diversity on this planet.

Florian Schulz produces a wide variety wildlife photography multi media. Check out his last video called Visions of the Arctic. You can learn more about his work online at Visions of the wild.com

Music this week by new contributing artist Kelly Carpenter

The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia. Check their latest conservation and new media initiatives on their blog the cleanestline.com. Additional support is also provided by the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Discover new technologies, products and services for your next great adventure all under one big tent. Visit Outdoor Retailer.com.

The beauty and grandeur for our national parks may best be witnessed through the eyes of those visiting for the first time. And in a new film by Amy Marquis a vision of Yosemite is revealed to the hearts and minds of people absent not just in their own lifetimes but for many generations. ‘The Way Home: Returning to the National Parks’ follows a brief but compelling journey of African-American seniors who came to claim their rightful place among the millions of citizens who cherish these sacred lands first preserved and protected by their ancestors in the last century.

Produced while on a six-week sabbatical from her job as associate editor of National Parks Magazine, Marquis’ 9-minute movie poignantly explores the issue of racial diversity as it pertains to park visitation in general and Yosemite specifically. Making up a mere 1 percent of park visitors annually, African-Americans are woefully under represented. With the support of the National Park Conservation Association Marquis hopes her film will help to show not only what people of color are missing but to also demonstrate their long standing heritage as park stewards.

“It’s a priority of NPCA to begin engaging audiences and groups of people who are not currently engaged in our national parks,” she said in an interview. “We’re very focused on the National Park Service Centennial in 2016. And part of our vision for the future of the Parks Service is to make sure that all Americans are enjoying these places that they own.”

Few visitors black or white are aware of the contributions made by African-Americans to the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia and Yellowstone National Parks during their inception in the early 1900’s. Ranger Shelton Johnson who appears in the film shares the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, black members the U.S. Calvary who patrolled the parks at the turn of the 20^th century to perform many of the same duties that park service employees do today. But despite this historical legacy many African-Americans are simply unfamiliar with the privileges entitled to them as citizens and need as Johnson says to be extended an invitation of welcome.

“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise,” he said as the film opens. “But if I could go to paradise without dying and see all that is there sign me up! And Yosemite for many people is such a place.”

‘The Way Home’ is a subtle expression of greeting, a warm smile to entice viewers to enter. Free of controversial discussions that seek to find cause or assign blame the film seeks to move forward the idea of diversity in our national parks. And though the question of race is often fraught with animosity Marquis said she believes there is room to find common ground.

“I’m hoping that the film appeals to a part of us that’s human,” she said. “Yes, color is a big part of this story. But when it comes down to it these are real people, having real experiences on lands that mean a lot to many different people.”

In order to protect and preserve these lands devotees our national parks must ultimately come to recognize the importance of making wild places relevant and accessible to as many people as possible. Seemingly less obvious than many of the other rights people of color have fought to achieve, access to public lands can only be realized when its value is made clear and we demand it.  As surely as we embrace our liberty as citizens Ranger Johnson said we must embrace our national parks. And here is where all Americans will witness the final act of the civil rights movement.

” If Martin Luther King were alive today he would be first and foremost to say we as a people need to go to Yellowstone. We need to go to the Grand Canyon,” he said. “Because if this is America’s best idea and we played a role in its creation how dare we not choose that for ourselves.”

The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia

I believe in symbols. The Endless Knot is a captivating image that illustrates a guiding principle of the Joy Trip Project. Everything is connected and united into a dynamic whole of infinite possibilities. As an expression of art I hope to share my vision of the Endless Knot to raise funding for an upcoming project.

I’ve been invited to take part in a historic climb to put the first all-African-American team on the summit of Mount Denali. As one of the few people of color working in the outdoor industry issues of diversity are naturally important to me. And I believe that it’s time for me to help demonstrate the value of bringing a more diverse audience of participants into the sport of climbing as well as the community of wilderness conservation.

Working with the National Outdoor Leadership School I’m now training to reestablish my mountaineering skills. And over the next several months I’ll devote a great deal of my writing talent to develop stories derived from my personal experience as I prepare for this climb. I’ll write about the backgrounds of the other participants and the many topics that surround people of color and their relationship with the natural world. I’ll also create each week a new stained glass Endless Knot to help mark my progress over more than 52 weeks until we journey to Denali in the spring of 2013.

In order to raise the funds I’ll need to make this project possible a new Endless Knot will be available for purchase on eBay with an opening bid of $150. Supporters of this project can help by paying as much as they can above the opening price and share their enthusiasm with friends and colleagues who might like to bid as well in the weeks that follow. The first Knot in the series “Stained Glass Endless Knot 001″ can be found online. Visit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110820863306&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Constructed of stained glass and lead solder polished to a silvery sheen each knot is a unique handmade work of art. Measuring 9″ high by 7″ wide the ornament is designed to hang in a well-lit outward facing window.

In Buddhism the Endless Knot signifies the dramatic interaction of the opposing forces in the dualistic world of manifestation, leading to their union, and ultimately to harmony in the universe. The intertwining of lines represents how all phenomena are conjoined and yoked together as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the whole composition is a pattern that is closed in on itself with no gaps, leading to a representational form of great simplicity and fully balanced harmony.

The Endless Knot is a well-recognized symbol in the mountaineering community. I believe that it represents the life balance that climbers must cultivate in their personal, professional and spiritual lives in order to peacefully contend with the challenges of nature and their own internal conflicts. It’s this balance that I aim to achieve in my own life and as this adventure begins I hope that others can share in the many lessons I’m sure to discover. ~JEM

An inspiring new painting is now available in print reproduction. ‘Perfect Balance’ by artist Brandon Kralik is a stark representation of the human spirit in pursuit of pure adventure. In contrast with the raw vulnerability of naked passion the exquisite oil painting might be called instead ‘Nude Ascending Slackline’. Free of the adrenaline-induced bravado of extreme sport culture Kralik’s rendering prompts the viewer to look within to explore the deep recesses of one’s own ambition and the numbing fear that often stifles it.

“The feeling is subjective but my intention was to show the grace and beauty of the human form doing something that has never been done, yet possible,” Kralik shared in an exchange on Facebook. “One looks up at this woman and down into the abyss simultaneously. The desire to push boundaries, to better oneself is a natural condition of being human. To be able to manage, to balance, all of life’s challenges and walk one’s talk, to focus so clearly on what one wishes to accomplish and KNOW that it is the only possible outcome. This is what this painting is about. It is here to remind us, on a daily basis of what we are really capable of if we just set our minds to it. Anything!”

The growing popularity of slacklining was made clear as Gibbon sponsored athlete Andy Lewis stole the show last night at half-time during the Super Bowl. Displaying his signature moves and vibrant personality Lewis succeeded in pulling this once obscure sport into the public mainstream quite literally overnight. But Kralik’s painting ‘Perfect Balance’ provides a much more personal and intimate reflection on its more spiritual aspects. We’re made to see what is possible when we set aside our fears and apprehensions to walk the line with purpose and pure intention.

View more of Brandon Kralik’s work online. Visit: http://www.brandonkralik.com

The Joy Trip Project Adventure Media Review is made possible with the support of sponsor Patagonia

Few movies you’re better off watching from home. A new film created by Jeremy Mendes and Leanne Allison premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to deprive big screen viewers a unique opportunity to interact online with a captivating central character.

Bear 71 follows the tragic life of a female grizzly radio tagged and monitored electronically from 2001 to 2009 in the Canadian Rockies’ Banff National Park. Through motion activated still and live action cameras the filmmakers successfully documented her interactions with other animals and human visitors to tell the story of wildlife management from the sympathetic perspective of the bear.

A 20-minute documentary Bear 71 takes viewers on a guided journey through her home range. Narrated in her own words the mother grizzly details the challenges she must face as she tries to evade both contact and harassment among the millions of humans that cross her path every year.  Global positioning satellite telemetry creates a detailed map of her movements that allow park rangers to follow her wherever she goes. And viewers online can track the course of her existence right up to the moment of her sudden and most untimely death.

Unfortunately it’s the same technology used to create this film that ultimately derives its outcome. Human intervention made possible through machines and electronic gadgets drives Bear 71 and her cubs into an environment that runs contrary to a million years of evolution.

“It’s hard to say where the wired world ends and the wild one begins,” she mourns. “What’s the first rule of survival? Don’t do what comes naturally.”

Bear 71 is a graphic depiction of the glaring contrast between human civilization and the untamed wilderness.  With state of the art social media and web-based interactivity the film’s video game-like quality might even serve as a subtle reminder of what we stand to loose should we fail to protect the natural world, the great open prairies of Canada. A virtual experience may one day be all that remains.

Despite the new first rule of survival a grizzly bear will always do what comes naturally. “The thing is you can take the grizzly out of the prairie, but you can’t take the prairie out of the grizzly,” said Bear 71. “If you take us by surprise we don’t look around for a tree to climb. We take what’s coming, head on.”

And in a direct confrontation with humanity, that’s a fight she simply will not win.

Bear 71 from National Film Board of Canada on Vimeo.