Writer Jonathan Waterman is a frequent contributor to Adventure Journal. His last piece, “Seeking Hard Desert Truth,” appeared in AJ04, and his next will be…Jon, what’s it gonna be, amigo?
“I’m just going to say it right from the start, I like Kathmandu,” said author Chris Reichel. “I love all its dirty, grimy, crowded, noisy mess. I’ve noticed it’s become fashionable among travelers to hate on Kathmandu, much like somebody from the country would hate on a big city. I can see where they’re coming from—the difference between the peace and beauty of the Himalayas versus the mayhem of Kathmandu is staggering—but there’s something about Kathmandu that just draws me in.”
Reichel is a principal contributor to Drunk Cyclist and writes under his nom de self at The Reichel Cycle. drunkcyclist.com, thereichelcycle.com, @dirty_biker
Photographer David Carlier was the ringleader behind the Aletsch Glacier hydrospeeding hijinks—see more of his worldview at davidcarlierphotography.com and @davidcarlierphotography.
Perhaps our favorite Peter Heller story is that he sat down in a coffee shop in Denver one day, tapped at the keyboard on his laptop, and saw this line staring back at him:
My name is Hig, one name. Big Hig if you need another.
That was the beginning. For the next seven months, he went to the coffee shop, listened to what Hig had to say to him, then found himself at the end of it with his astonishing debut novel, The Dog Stars, which we have, of course, excerpted here. No road map. No plan. Talk about faith.
His most recent novel, Celine, is a mystery/road trip/adventure based on his mother, who passed away in 2014. One reviewer complained the main character was implausibly drawn, that no Brooklyn-based senior citizen and artist with emphysema could be an ace shot with a .45 and crack open cases for the FBI. Well, he was wrong: Caro Heller’s extraordinary life was real, and it makes for a right good yarn that leads from the rugged coast of Big Sur to the empty Montana wilderness.
Find Heller’s books wherever books are sold. Find Heller at peterheller.net.
Leath Tonino is a regular contributor to The Sun, Orion, and High Country News—you know, smart publications.
Andrew Burr, andrewburr.com, @andrew_burr
Jimmy Chin, jimmychin.com, @jimkchin, @jimmy_chin
Forest Woodward, forestwoodward.com, @forestwoodward
Jen See’s work appeared in our inaugural issue, our second issue, and here in numero cinco. This is a pattern, and we like it. twobluebikes.com, @iamjensee
Lael Wilcox is hard to pin down ’cause she’s typically out finding joy on two wheels, but good places to start are laelwilcox.com and @laelwilcox. IRL, photographer Nicholas Carman probably can be found not too far from her, but on the internet you’ll catch him at gypsybytrade.wordpress.com and @nicholascarman.
As for Baja Divide route beta, guess where to go? C’mon, guess! That’s right, you said bajadivide.com and therefore you win all the route beta you can fit in your brain!
Justin Housman is senior editor of Adventure Journal and a staff writer at adventure-journal.com.
Krista Langlois is a frequent contributor to Adventure Journal. kristaleelanglois.com, @cestmoilanglois
Pete McBride, petemcbride.com, @photogpedro
Jane Pargiter, ecoflight.org
Forest Woodward, forestwoodward.com, @forestwoodward
Sarah Gilman writes often for Last Word on Nothing, a collective of science and nature writers, where this story first appeared. lastwordonnothing.com, sarahmgilman.com, @Sarah_Gilman
Manasseh Franklin is currently posted up in Victor, Idaho, but, well…that could change. glaciersinmotion.wordpress.com, @manassehfrass.
Hendri Coetzee’s family is keeping his exuberant passion for life alive at livingthebestdayever.com. And like many paddlers, writer Jeff Moag was personally inspired by Coetzee’s determination to live each day to the fullest. @jeffmoag
As we closed this issue, photographer and paddler Chris Korbulic was in the Colombian Amazon on an expedition in the spirit of Hendri—light, fast, and through deep wilderness that only became open in late 2016, when FARC rebels laid down their arms, ending a 52-year-old civil war. Highlighting the risks of exploration in unsettled territory, his team was detained by ex-rebels and eventually released. chriskorbulic.com, @ckorbulic
Menus are produced, written, and photographed by Megan McDuffie and Michael van Vliet, who after living full time on the road for several years have settled in Bend, Oregon. freshoffthegrid.com
When we caught up with Greta Rybus to discuss her summer camp shoot, she was in Norway at an artist’s residency, which is a lot like summer camp—only colder and without the moccasin-making sessions. gretarybus.com, @gretarybus
41 issues. 10 years. Independently owned. Printed on 70lb uncoated paper with a soft-touch cover, solar-powered, and shipped in a brown paper envelope. Free domestic shipping.