A Video A Day... Inspire a Nation

Ever since Amy and Dave Freeman were selected as one of the candidates for National Geographic's Adventure of the Year, I've been intrigued by their passion and determination of preserving our wild areas.  As founders of the Wilderness Classroom, they've lead educational and adventure trips form canoeing to dog sledding, all the while teaching people about the importance of experiencing and caring for our land.

Their most recent project?  A 2000 mile canoe paddle, sail, and portage from Ely, Minnesota to Washington D.C.  The goal? To bring awareness and support against the introduction of sulfide ore mining on the front porch of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  The mining would contaminant the watershed of this pristine area and destroy potentially all of the natural ecology of the lakes.  As the most highly visited wilderness area in the country, the Freemans knew they needed to take act.

And they did. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, the Freemans made their final portage to our capitol with their canoe in tow.  And this canoe is amazing.  Along the entire length of their journey, from their big kick-off party, to strolling into DC, Amy and Dave held over 20 events to educate people on this important cause.  And the supporters signed the boat!  Very cool!  They estimate that the boat carries over 2,000 signatures.  they also have over 10,000 electronic signatures on their petition (Sign it Here!).  The canoe's name is Sig and according to a recent interview with National Geographic, Amy and Dave confirmed that the US Forest Service would be displaying the canoe in Washington DC to help raise further awareness for this important cause.

So check out this inspiring documentary about Amy and Dave's amazing adventure to save the Boundary Waters, sign the petition, and maybe, even travel to experience this incredible wilderness area.

A Video A Day... Grandma KickAss

This lady will show you up!  55 and still cruising down the mountains.  Solo.  Wow!  If you ever need some inspiration to get outside, this is it.  You go, Uta!

Granny MacAsskick from Summitride on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Footsteps

Footsteps: our greatest gift

To move, be free and set a course of our choosing

The rhythm that carries us to the mingling of heaven and earth 

Cold in the shadows of giants but drawn onwards, ever onwards

Until we have no choice but to rest our feet, open our eyes, and fill our hearts

Before we set sail again

Born by wild spirits with only our souls as a compass

We bask in the purity of the moment and ask only for the gift of another day

Amid the world's great towers our feet echo, through flaming forest, alongside dancing waters, under vast and mysterious skies, they echo

Relentless in their cadence, knocking on the door to the unknown

The door which, when it swings defiantly open, reminds us of the irrelevance of humanity and the consequence of time

We strive to pay homage to her majesty, her mystery, her magic, but she thwarts us

Refusing as she does to be bound by the confinements of our imaginations

Our mother flaunts her immortality

And our only answer is footsteps

Footsteps from Rockhouse Motion on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Picos Picturesque

I will let the beauty of this video take center stage.  Enjoy.

Colors of Europa from Daniel Santos on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Lumberjacked

As avid outdoors adventurers, we tend to see the destruction of our natural places as disturbing and unnatural. We want to see more parks and wilderness areas and less skyscrapers and congestion.  I think this video is a wonderful depiction of the constant battle we face with progress and technology.  Our lumberjack friend is successful in the end, but as they hold their new baby trees, it's clear that the battle is always raging on and is always uphill.  But we keep on plodding and fighting for what we believe to be right.  Regardless, you will enjoy this great short animated film and leave feeling pumped by its edgy music and positive message.

LUMBERJACKED from Joel Mackenzie on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Dreams

"Life on the Line" a highlining documentary by J.R. Racine, follows Team Trail Magic, a social group out of southern California.  This group of close friends travel the country daring their own fears on new lines, testing their determination with new challenges, like free lining, or without protection.  This film puts into words perfectly the importance of having dreams and going after them actively and with passion.  And so, with the video posted here, I will say unto you the transcript from this wonderful and enlightening short documentary.

"Nothing stands between you and your dreams. Literally nothing.  The bigger the dreams, the bigger that nothing space is.  It's only natural for a mind to start filling that empty space with things: your doubts, your fears.  They grow and grow until they seem to block your dreams from sight.  And if you aren't' careful, you may utter the worst of all curses; "I can't".  Those words are dream killers.  They’ve doomed people to sit idle their whole lives gazing longingly across at their dreams. Wishing to be there, but shirking their blame, because they 'can't'.  But 'can’t' is a lie.  All it takes is a little courage, just enough courage to stand on, just strong enough to buoy you up above your own doubts and fears.

Stretch it from where you aren't to where you want to be.  Then… take a step. That will be the hardest thing to do, taking that first step, it always is. Everyday life is so solid, why leave it for something as impossibly thin as courage.  A lot of people never do. But if you do take that first step, you will see that your courage can hold you up.

And you will take a second step.  And another.

 From the middle of that nothing, your fears will seem bigger than ever. They will try to drag up down into their depths and your courage may sway.  That is the worst feeling of all. But keep walking.  You cannot fight fear.  You can only walk through it until it has passed under you. 

 Keep walking until your dreams fill your entire vision, because eventually, one of those steps will land you back on solid ground atop your dreams. The fear will be gone and you will see with clarity that your dreams were never as far away as your imagined."

A Video A Day... Success

"I just find it hard to talk about success, because I don't want to be like 'Yay, we won' and then people think everything's good."

On December 4, 2011, Miranda Gibson climbed 60 meters into a eucalyptus tree sit and began a protest on logging which lasted 449 days.  Only when a forest fire (most certainly lit to force her out) drove her out of the tree sit, did her feet touch back down to Earth. Through rain, heat, and snow, Miranda fought for the forests she held most dear.  Combined with a grassroots effort, StillWild StillThreatened and over two decades of environmental conservation action, did the government finally dedicate the forests World Heritage site.  Although this designation is a step forward, the government is weak to the economical gains of the land and the fight continues to retain protection over these amazing forest.

Grassroots efforts like these exist all over the world they are constantly struggling against cooperate endeavors to harvest natural resources that are unsustainable.  Decades go by before even rudimentary protection gets enacted.  In the meantime, millions of acres of forests, hundreds of miles of rivers, and numerous endangered species are driven away, destroyed, or become extinct.

In the documentary Still Falling, Miranda expresses her disdain for talking about 'successes.'  She emphasizes "not celebrating success to the point where you forgot that you have to keep fighting."  Every battle won, does not mean that the war is over. In a world wrought with environmental catastrophes, every step needs to be cherished and each success needs to fuel the fire of passion, not diminish it.  There's always something to fight for and whether it's giving money or time, writing letters, making phone calls, or standing on a picket line, we all must contribute to our failing world.  And if we don't, there might not be a world worth living in anymore.


Still Falling from Burning Hearts Media on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Finding Your Landmark

YouTube is a plethora of information.  Some... leaves much to be desired.  But others are, for lack of a better word... addicting.  The latter is true for the YouTube channel Landmark Adventures.

The channel's host, Brooklynn, is a backpacker and avid adventurer.  She travels into the wilderness areas of California, solo, challenging herself to complete longer and more exciting terrain.  She's hiked the Tahoe Yosemite Trail and the John Muir Trail.  She hand crafts bush knives and does trail work.  She's pretty much what every amateur adventurer strives to be.

She's quick-witted, funny, and engaging.  Her videos are clever and make you long for spending lots of time in the natural world.  She is currently working on completing her videos from her John Muir Trail.  Each segment leaves you eager for more and she has a way with bringing you onto the trail with her.  Her most recent video "Lord of the Bags" shows Brooklynn take on the daring task of returning a lost bag to a desperate hiker.  As a lover of Tolkien, this amusing epic left me rolling in fits of laughter.  She hit it right on the nose.

Brooklynn has a gift.  And at only 35, she's setting out in life confident and excited about her prospects for expanding her portfolio of experiences.  Watch her videos and support her passions.  Because, after all, we are all seeking out that which we love and giving back is how we show our dedication to personal triumphs.  Bonus: you're in for one sweet ride!

A Video A Day... Badass Girls

Want to see some lovely ladies tearing it up on their long boards?  I know I do.  These increible women are the Longboard Girls Crew and this ride of the Madrid Mountains is so full of adventure and thrill.

 They ride the way we used to when we were kids.  On our bikes or boards, racing full speed down a hill.  We never cared about whether we got hurt or not.  And it did hurt.  There was always a skinned knee and blood, but that didn't stop us from doing it again the next day.  Every day there was adventure waiting to be discovered and never did we stop to consider the consequences of fun.

But eventually we grew up and discovered that pain was avoidable and crashing into trees at the expense of a long run wasn't worth it.  We began to understand those consequences and we no longer ignored the results of our recklessness. And we lost the freedom.

That's why I love this video.  Not every loses that carefree mentality and I love watching people going all out with nothing the fear.  I wish I could be like that again, face into the wind, tearing up my knees on the pavement.  I try to reach out to that childhood idea every once in a while, but I always find myself hesitent.  So I try my best to be a fearless adventurer and when I can't, I watch other people who can.

Find your inner fearlessness.  And discover thrills long since forgotten.  And as the Decemberists put it, "And you won't make a dime, On this gray granite mountain mine, Of dirt you're made and of dirt you will return."


Carving the Mountains from Juan Rayos on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Pro Snow!

Who doesn't want to watch a cute cartoon snowflake tell us about the effects of global warming and the ski industry?  Adorable and important!

A Video A Day... Why Run?

I absolutely love this video.  It's poetic and romanticizes our ideas about why we run.  I don't run as often as I would like and someday soon I would like to consider myself a runner.  For me, this is true inspiration.

A Video A Day... Turn Your 9-5 into a 5-9

5 to 9 Microadventure from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

 Last week, I posted a video by Simon Edwards about his micro adventure in Sussex.  Here is the video that started it all.  Introducing:  THE MICRO ADVENTURE!  The 5-9 is an unused time that requires some much needed TLC.  In the midst of our busy lives, sometimes it seems that we don't take care of ourselves.  And sometimes it's as simple as setting outside your front door.  For three British office workers, they're about to set out on their first micro adventure.  In the words of Alastair Humphreys, "You don't need to fly to the other side of the planet to find wilderness and beauty."  It's about trying something new, getting outside your comfort zone, and experiencing the world more intimately.  "Adventure is about enthusiasm, ambition, open-mindedness, and curiosity," meaning that you don't have to take on some huge endeavor.  Camp in your backyard, bike to a city park.  Don't waste the moments dreaming about something big.  If you're doing something new, its an adventure.  Always remember, "Adventure is a state of mind."  So what's the plan?

A Video A Day... Always Something New

I feel stuck.  Stuck in the mud and feeling like sometimes the end is the same old thing.  Some days I wake up and feel like I've lost the journey and that I've come to the destination with nothing to show for it.  For two people and their son, they also felt this way and decided to change it.  They sold everything, bought an Airstream and set out on a journey to explore the country.  They live simply, moving at their own pace, never feeling the pressure to rush or make a deadline.  And they're learning that you don't have to live sedentary in a pre-subscribed life.  They make their own rules and are living life more holistically.  I'm not going to write much more, because the video is just too good.  If you're feeling that your life is missing adventure and the unknowns of tomorrow, watch this film and maybe when you wake up, you will decide to change it.



Tomorrow Somewhere New from Dark Rye on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... National Parks Challenge

Conrad Anker, professional mountaineer, lends his insight into the importance of our national parks system as he leads a groups of skiers on an ascent of Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska.

The filmography of this movie is awe-inspiring.  The landscape is unearthly and Anker's passion for his profession is clear in his narration.  I'm jealous that he gets to take part in opportunities like this on a regular basis.

"It's a great thing in the United States that we started the national parks system; it could be one of our greats contributions to the world.  And it's there for future generations to come, to take in the wonders, to breath in the fresh air, and to return rejuvenated and excited for life."

This video will inspire you to put Denali on your bucket list of adventures and motivate the planner in you to start making it possible.  Dream big and support our National Parks.

Conrad Anker in Denali: National Parks Epic Challenge from National Park Foundation on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... For the Love of Mountains

As the title of my blog suggests, I love mountains.  I love everything from their tranquil creeks and forests, to their daunting heights and rapid weather patterns.  I found this short video presenting some statistics of mountains around the world and thought I would share it with you.  The music is hauntingly beautiful and the animation is exciting.  Some of the stats are well known, others aren't.  Check it out.


For the Love of Mountains from Al Boardman on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Running Patagonia

I've seen climbing in Patagonia.  I've seen hiking in Patagonia.  I've even seen surfing in Patagonia.  Now we get an awesome documentary about two friends trail running Patagonia?  Sign me up!

Jason Schlarb and Jeremy Wolf are off on another trail running adventure.  Fresh off their finished film about running the Dolomites, these two team up to run through some of the most beautiful and historically amazing place in the world: Patagonia.  The scenery is clearly stunning and their passion for their sport makes the anticipation for this film hard to bear.  Running the Dolomites was great, but Patagonia is an adventurer's dream trip.  The video is due out in the spring, so until then, I guess the trailer will have to do.


Around Patagonia Trailer from Schlarb-Wolf Productions on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Climb the Wall

Sometimes simplicity is elegance.  And I don't really have much to say other than this is fluid perfection.  Watch and see for yourself.

The Wall from Arnaud Ly Van Manh on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Where We Began

"The forest is ever changing, you come back to the forest after having not been for a week and a tree has fallen down, there is so much scope to try out new things, the possibilities are pretty endless."

 A teaser trailer for what looks like a fantastic film documenting the world of free running.  What is commonly known as parkour, free running is a discipline drawn from military training exercises that consist of 'obstacle' courses utilizing the most efficient route possible.  While popularized by the urban sport, there's a part of free running that takes place outside of the city.  This beautiful display of athletic ability will only be outdone by the beauty of the scenery.  No release date yet, but we'll have to settle with the teaser for now.


Where We Began - Official Teaser from AJ MEDIA on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Keep Exploring: British Columbia

Photographer Brice Portolano takes us on a photographic journey through British Columbia in this visually stunning video.  In the South Chilcotin Mountains, he tells us about his passion for nature and wildlife and his inspiration into reaching places untouched and unspoiled by man.  There are only the animals to keep him company and the views atop high talus peaks.  The imagery is stunning and will make you want to pack your bags right now and get out into the wilderness.


Keep Exploring - Brice Portolano from Mathieu Le Lay on Vimeo.

A Video A Day... Micro Adventure Accessibility

The idea behind "micro adventures" is that they are supposed to be easy, accessible, and available.  As Alistair Humphreys describes it, you would leave work at 5pm travel to a place relatively close to home, camp for the night, and travel back in time for work the following morning.  His idea was to allow adventure to slip into the time where we only wish we could do something.  There is time for adventure and it doesn't have to be an Everest sized epic.

In this video, Simon Edwards packs up his gear and hops on his bike for a wonderful overnight adventure in Sussex, England.  It's not about the distance or the difficulty.  It's not about waiting around for the right time or enough vacation to make it memorable.  It's about making successful use of the time you do have and experiencing life in those moments.  So don't wait!  Get out there and experience your own micro adventure!
A Micro Adventure (#1) Southdowns/West Sussex from Simon Edwards on Vimeo.