The Dirtbag Diaries

Our sports, our passions provide a special opportunity to visit the natural world's wildest places.  This tradition began with climber, writer and godfather of conservation John Muir. He was a dirtbag before he was an icon.  Now, there are members of our community -- boaters, skiers and photographers -- who are following in Muir's footsteps. They don't necessarily come from traditional activist roots, but have chosen to take stand for little places and big ideas. Today, we present three stories.  A city girl sheds caution to start a farm. A kayaker becomes a journalist. An adventure photographer forgoes a career traveling the globe to run for office back at home.   I am John Muir. You are John Muir.  We all have a Yosemite.

Here are the cuts from the New Conservationists. I think I accidentally called St. George...St. Gross in a section of the episode.  Total mistake. Freudian slip.

 

The Most Serene Republic
"Heavens To Purgatory" (mp3)
from "...And The Ever Expanding Universe"
(Arts & Crafts)

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Herman Dune
"Don't Lie About Me" (mp3)
from "Don't Lie About Me!"
(Everloving)

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Balmorhea
"The Winter" (mp3)
from "Rivers Arms"
(Western Vinyl)

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Egadz!
"Have Some Guts Kid" (mp3)
from "Egadz is Dead"
(Kid Without Radio)

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Do Make Say Think
"Do" (mp3)
from "Other Truths"
(Constellation)

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Can you insure adventure?  Last summer, climber and writer Majka Burhardt embarked on an adventure two years in the making. In the last moments before leaving, Burhardt decided to purchase travel insurance. Her trip to Namibia was an insurance underwriter’s nightmare. It turns out that climbing is blacklisted. On top of that, while abroad Burhardt couldn’t partake in sleigh rides, play American Football or Zorb. She didn’t even know what Zorbing was, but suddenly she wanted to try it. After all the work to make her trip happen, she wanted more than insurance. Burhardt wanted assurance that her adventure would be a success.  The thing is – you can’t plan adventure.  

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Music from Underwriting Adventure....

Tinariwen
"Imidiwan Afrik Temdam" (mp3)
from "Imidiwan: Companions"
(World Village)

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Mantis
"What? (feat. Justis)" (mp3)
from "Still Life"
(Brick Records)

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Selva de Mar
"Reggae Ehad" (mp3)
from "Selva de Mar"
(Whatabout Music)

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It was a tough summer in the climbing community. We lost heroes, friends, mentors, legends, sons and parents. We celebrate their lives with stories and memorials, but after the glasses are raised and the happy times recounted, those closest to the deceased are left in the vacuum their lives once inhabited.  The living confront hard questions and dark emotions. This year, 22-year-old Evan Piche’s world turned upside down. He discovered, that even in the worst moments there are seeds of growth.

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Here are the cuts from Episode 31...

Peter Broderick
"The Path to Recovery" (mp3)
from "Music for Falling from Trees"
(Western Vinyl)

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We Were Promised Jetpacks
"Ships With Holes Will Sink" (mp3)
from "These Four Walls"
(Fat Cat Records)

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ZAZA
"Sooner or Later" (mp3)
from "Cameo"
(Kanine Records LLC)

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I hope everyone is out on vacation. At the moment, I'm running around gathering stories and trying to keep up with my tomato plants.  This fall we will have some familiar voices and some new ones. There will be some laughter and one very serious story. There will be tales from afar and ones a little closer to home.  I'm excited.  I've also been working on a new project -- one that will compliment what I've been trying to do with the Diaries. It will go live in January, but you can grab a sneak peak here. In the meantime, here are some cuts to close the summer with.  Tracks are listed below.


Bands:

Publish the Quest -- the new project from long time collaborator Jacob Bain.

The Secret Life of Sophia -- This Brooklyn-based band created a concept album centered around the hopes and stories of alpinist.

CunninLynguists
"Don't Leave (When Winter Comes) [feat. Slug]" (mp3)
from "Strange Journey Volume One"
(QN5, Inc.)

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Blind Pilot
"Go On, Say It" (mp3)
from "IODA SXSW Opening Day Bash Sampler 2009"
(ioda)

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Matt & Kim
"Yea Yeah" (mp3)
from "Self Titled"
(iheartcomix)

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Frightened Rabbit
"Head Rolls Off" (mp3)
from "The Midnight Organ Fight"
(Fat Cat Records)

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Deer Tick
"Easy" (mp3)
from "Born on Flag Day"
(Partisan Records)

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Rae & Christian
"Play On (feat. The Jungle Brothers)" (mp3)
from "Raiding The Vaults"
(RAC)

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Faunts
"Feel.Love.Thinking.Of." (mp3)
from "Feel.Love.Thinking.Of."
(Friendly Fire Recordings)

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Some of us were lucky enough to hoist a bulging pack onto our shoulders, stumble into the mountains and return changed at a young age. Some of us heard the mountains’ calling later in life. That doesn’t mean the passion burns any less bright.  When writer Sarah Wroot took her first hike through Scottland’s craggy hills, she was overwhelmed with a surprising notion. “If I had a pack and a tent, I could keep going. I could be free to go wherever I want,” she thought. The idea took hold. Today, Sarah takes us all the way the Scottish Highlands and a journey that changed her life.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. We’ll be back this fall with a whole new season of stories.

“The planks of my boat are three eighths of an inch thick. Three eighths – this is the distance between myself and the depths,” writes surfer and adventurer Christian Beamish. Two years ago, Beamish crafted an 18-foot-long sailboat in his San Clemente garage.  His obsession with sailboat-assisted surfing began with small week-long voyages and evolved into preposterous idea – sail the entire length of Baja looking for waves. It would be a solo mission. The proposed trip left his friends questioning his mental state and his mother in tears. It would require big, open-water crossings in rough seas, and in the end it would leave Beamish changed. How far would you go to find the physical and mental limits of human endurance? How raw does your soul have to get before you find peace?

Here are the cuts from today's show.  Remember we're looking for leads on some of my story projects this summer.  If you've got a tip please pass it along....

Deer Tick
"Easy" (mp3)
from "Born on Flag Day"
(Partisan Records)

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West Indian Girl
"Beach" (mp3)
from "We Believe"
(Origami Music)

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Sunparlour Players
"Battle Of 77" (mp3)
from "Wave North"
(Outside Music)

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Sinkane
"Apache Beat" (mp3)
from "Sinkane"
(Emergency Umbrella)

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Lymbyc Systym
"Processed Spirits" (mp3)
from "Field Studies"
(Magic Bullet)

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Lymbyc Systym
"Lotan Baba" (mp3)
from "Carved By Glaciers"
(Magic Bullet)

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Up in the Northwest, we say that summer doesn’t actually start until July 4th. Right now, we’re experiencing our annual June gloom. So I thought it was time to invoke blue skies and warmer temps.  A season’s worth of summits, single track and lounging on the riverbank is just around the corner. It’s time for me to do my part in the changing of the seasons.

Happy summer.

here are the cuts from Summer Invocation....

Lymbyc Systym
"Carved By Glaciers" (mp3)
from "Carved By Glaciers"
(Magic Bullet)

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Seekret Socyetee
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (mp3)
from "The IL2 Word"
(Quickstar Productions)

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The Summer break is coming up in August and I will be out gathering stories. We’ve got some cool stories already planned for next fall, but there were a couple of ideas I wanted to work on and I’m hoping to get people’s input.  So if you’ve got an idea or a story that fits within these concepts, let me know by dropping us an email.  The Dirtbag Diaries is driven by listener input. Your thoughts matter.

1. Partners – I’m hoping to compile a story about partnerships.  We rely on our closest friends and our significant others to motivate for adventures and endure epics.  Those shared experiences can result in some funny and serious moments. If you’ve got a story about a favorite climbing partner or a story you’ve heard, it would be great to here about them.

2. The Economy – I’m curious. How has the economic downturn impacted the Dirtbag Nation?  In difficult economic times have the mountains and rivers become more important or something that you can’t afford. For most of us, wilderness has always provided us a viewpoint on which to reflect on our lives. The natural world can provide important perspective on life in the flatlands.  Has the economy impacted you directly?  Let me know. I know we are all looking for escape, but sometimes it’s worth covering important topics from our perspective. After all, who else out there is going to do it?

“I had convinced myself at that point that my goal was so important it was worth dying for,” says alpine master Steve House about his 15-year-old dream of climbing the Rupal Face. Big Dreams require big commitment. We may not all dream on the same scale and commitment levels, but we all share dreams. They pull us through our lives on solid ground.  Today writer and climber Sarah Garlick presents: The Dreamers — reflections from four generations of the world’s best climbers: Steve House, Henry Barber, Steve Schneider, and Colin Haley. In the process Sarah found out a little bit about herself. Do you have a life long dream? What if you completed it? What if you never realized it?


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Today's music came from our friends, The Secret Life of Sofia. This Brooklyn-based band aren't your typical indie rockers -- they've got an affinity for the wide open space and big mountains. Their latest album Seven Summits is featured here today.

"It is in some ways a concept album - part historical fiction, part personal experience.  Its writing was largely influenced by an obsession with the mountains and my relationship with them," lead singer Kyle Wilson told me. You can purchase the album through their myspace page linked above.

On a personal note, I really dig this album. It's very difficult to write songs that speak to the power of high places without falling into ridiculous cliche. I've listened to this album dozens of times and at each listen I find some new historical reference or emotion I recognize from my own connection to the mountains. It is in some ways as much a novel as it is a record and Wilson avoids the cliche by sticking to inventive images that we all know and recognize but would never think to include in a song. Seriously, check it out.