Resources

As a foreign correspondent for the past thirty years, author and frequent AJ contributor Mark Jenkins has explored the most remote, difficult, and dangerous places on the planet. On assignment in Afghanistan, he was arrested by the Tajik KGB and interrogated for a week. On assignment in Burma, he was arrested by the military junta multiple times. On assignment in eastern Congo, he was captured by the murderous Hutu guerillas. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, said, “Mark Jenkins purposefully goes out and taunts the gods. How he gets away with it is probably why he’s had thirty to forty arrests—and no convictions.” markjenkins.net

This isn’t the first time northern bald ibises have seen measures to safeguard their dwindling numbers. In 1504, Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach, the last feudal ruler of Salzburg, decreed the bird to be of protected status after hunting ibis chicks decimated their population. It was one of the first times a species fell under government protection.

Denise Hruby is a journalist, writer, and National Geographic Explorer. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, Washington Post, and on CNN. Hruby has reported from more than twenty-five countries, including active war zones in Ukraine and South Sudan. She lives in Vienna, Austria. denisehruby.com

Nina Riggio is a photojournalist based in Colorado and California. She has biked across the U.S., thru-hiked Colorado solo, and drives a Mitsubishi Delica called Annie Oakley. nina-riggio.com, @ninareeg

Want even more beta on the incredible Jannu climb direct from the alpinists’ mouths? Head to Instagram: Matt Cornell, @matt_cornell25; Jackson Marvell, @jackson_marvell; Alan Rousseau, @rousseaualan

Author and frequent AJ contributor Kelly Cordes is a longtime climber and writer living in Colorado. He told us, “Being in touch with these guys was so damned cool, simultaneously blew my mind and made me nostalgic, somehow taking me back to my first trip to Pakistan, in 2004. These guys are far better climbers than I ever was, but in a small way I felt like I understood, and their sharing their deeper experience with me felt like a gift, a connection across time, space, and this bizarre pursuit that we love.” @kellycordes

Dan Coe is the graphics editor for the Washington Geological Survey, in Olympia. His work has been published pretty much everywhere: National Geographic, Atlas Obscura, Colossal, High Country News, and Nature, among other cool outlets. You want prints of his art, you say? Here you go: society6.com/geocoe/prints. For more, dancoecarto.com, @geo_coe

In 2022, REI set a record with $3.85 billion in sales. In an April 2023 press release titled “Investing in the Employee Experience,” REI stated the company spent fifty million dollars on pay raises for hourly employees and delivered ninety-two million in additional bonuses and retirement contributions. The press release made no mention of union efforts. REI’s union members maintain a blog at ourrei.com

Bryce Covert is a runner, hiker, and economic journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. She’s a contributing writer at the Nation, and her writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Times, and Slate, among other outlets. brycecovert.com, @brycecovert

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, in Southwest Alaska, is home to the largest concentration of brown bears in the world. Nearly one hundred fifty individuals have been recorded there, and it’s not uncommon to see dozens of bears foraging and lounging at the same time.

Seth Kantner is a commercial fisherman, wildlife photographer, wilderness guide, and author; he’s a regular Adventure Journal contributor. His most recent book is A Thousand Trails Home: Living With Caribou. He lives in Northwest Alaska. sethkantner.com

Harvey Manning is best known for his voluminous “100 Hikes” series of guidebooks detailing hikes throughout Washington. We’d probably start with 100 Classic Hikes: Washington, Third Edition, from Mountaineers Books, 2016. Numerous trails in Washington are named for Manning, and he named countless peaks in the state, most of which are real, we’re pretty sure.

Writer Katie Ives is the former editor in chief of Alpinist and author of Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams, Mountaineers Books, 2021, which features some of Manning’s made-up peaks.

In addition to cool, reasonably priced places to crash, these outdoor lodging properties can introduce you to new gear. Depending on the location, LOGE Camps has high-end board and bike demos. Snow Peak Campfield has nearly everything Snow Peak makes. fieldstation.com, logecamps.com, snowpeakcampfield.com

Heading from L.A. to Joshua Tree and need to stock up on grinds? Staying in the low desert to shred the amazing Palm Springs singletrack? Chef Tanya’s Kitchen is a feast of earthly delights, with two locations, one in Palm Springs, another in Palm Desert. We recommend the Bahn Mi & You…and the El Cubano…and the Chupacabra. cheftanyaskitchen.com, @cheftanyaskitchen

Three Square was photographed at Lost Creek Canyon Ranch, four hundred acres of desert oasis and ranch buildings (including a bordello) just fifteen minutes west of Palm Springs and available for location shoots. lostcreekcanyonranch.com

Photographer Jackson Casimiro is a filmmaker and editor based in Los Angeles, as well as the producer of the AJ podcast. jacksoncasimiro.com, @jacksoncasimiro