California

Mikael Kennedy California IIMikael Kennedy CaliforniaPeople, have you bought Mikael Kennedy's new book, California? If you haven't, do it now. Because if there's anyone to listen to in this situation, it's yours truly. I was sitting right next to this amazing feller the entire time he was shooting. And yes, it was as magical in real life as it looks printed on paper.GO.

Chipper Bro

Chipper Bro Chipper Bro IIIf you've ever had the honor of walking into the Patagonia offices in Ventura, CA and being greeted by the guy pictured above - Chipper - then you should consider yourself a lucky son of a bitch. And chances are good that you'll never forget The Nicest And Most Enthusiastic Man In The World. Read a great interview with Chip "Chipper Bro" Bell, the 11 time (!) World Frisbee Freestyle Champion at Patagonia's great blog/site, The Cleanest Line. When you're done there, rush over and WATCH THIS.

Craig – How did you come to work at Patagonia?Chip – I had just finished a ten-year tour with the Pro Frisbee® Freestyle circuit and was looking for a job. I heard that Patagonia was hiring, so I applied and they hired me. I was super stoked to find out that the company provided benefits because I was newly married with a baby on the way.Craig – You are an 11-time World Frisbee Freestyle Champion. How did you get involved in the sport?Chip – Frisbee Freestyle was considered a cool, alternative sport in the late ‘70s. I started playing with friends in Santa Barbara, which was the mecca for Freestyle enthusiasts. Eventually my passion became a livelihood and I traveled all over the world with my team. We were world champions for over ten years. This is my thirty-third year as a pro.

Breaking Records on Everest

Great article in Marie Claire about Ellisa Arnot and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa trying to set a world record on Everest:

MELISSA ARNOT AND Pasang Lhamu Sherpa are two professional female mountain climbers in a male-dominated industry—but until last year, they had never met. "We've known about each other for a long time," says Arnot, 30, a petite blonde from Idaho who holds the record for Everest summits by a non-Sherpa woman (five). Pasang Lhamu, 29, who has summited Everest once and is one of a handful of Sherpa women trained as a guide and sponsored as an athlete, even searched for Arnot on Facebook. Then, in August, they ran into each other on Mount Rainier.

Steve Fugate

Steve Fugate

Trail Therapy: The 34,000 Mile Journey of Steve Fugate:

I saw Steve Fugate on the side of the road in the middle of the Californian desert in January. In 1999, lost his son to suicide. A few years later, he lost his daughter to a drug overdose. At sixty-four years old, he has walked across the United States seven times to raise awareness for depression and suicide and to inspire people he meets to “love life.”  After fourteen years and 34,000 miles of walking, Steve continues his quest to heal his heart and the hearts of those in need one step at a time.

Watch this now. Seriously. And Steve? Nice Danners.

BIGFOOT COUNTRY

Bigfoot Country

BIGFOOT COUNTRY: The Adventures of Woody and the Blue Ox:

After building his own truck-bed camper from scratch in Carpinteria, California, Trevor Gordon embarked on a mission to find surf and adventure in the heart of Cascadia's Bigfoot Country. Watch BIGFOOT COUNTRY: The Adventures of Woody and the Blue Ox: Chapter One HERE.

Commemorating Controversy

NMAIAt the NMAI:

In the late summer of 1862, a war raged across southern Minnesota between Dakota akicitas (warriors) and the U.S. military and immigrant settlers. In the end, hundreds were dead and thousands more would lose their homes forever. On December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hung in Mankato, Minnesota, by order of President Abraham Lincoln. This remains the largest mass execution in United States history. The bloodshed of 1862 and its aftermath left deep wounds that have yet to heal. What happened 150 years ago continues to matter today.Commemorating Controversy: The Dakota–U.S. War of 1862—an exhibition of 12 panels exploring the causes, voices, events, and long-lasting consequences of the conflict—was produced by students at Gustavus Adolphus College, in conjunction with the Nicollet County Historical Society. The project was funded by Gustavus Adolphus College, the Nicollet County Historical Society, the Minnesota Humanities Center, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the people of Minnesota through a grant supported by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

See the panels in PDF form here.