The Dirtbag Diaries

When David King set out to ride his bike across the US, he had read the books, bought the right gear and trained tirelessly on hills back home.  But biking day in and day out started to wear on him mentally, as well as physically. As he cranked up a steep pass early in the trip, David wondered whether he had the mental tenacity to complete the ride. 

After road racing bicycles for seven years, Gary Visser settled into life in South Carolina. He discovered a new passion in the salt water marshes, raised a family, and taught his son, Garrett, to fly fish. As Garrett prepares to leave for college, Gary appreciates that letting go, much like his parents did more than 30 years ago, is harder than one might think. 

Our long held dream of creating a live performance of The Dirtbag Diaries came true this spring at the 5Point Film Festival. Today we present the stories of the folks behind the camera. Mickey Smith and Nick Waggoner join us on stage. Welcome to the 5Point Film Festival. 

For years, Becca and I have wanted to create a live performance of The Dirtbag Diaries. When 5Point Film Festival gurus Julie Kennedy and Beda Calhoun approached me earlier this year about creating a onstage storytelling hour at the festival, I immediately said yes. Baybe Champ and Frank Smethhurst join us on stage. Welcome to the 5Point Film Festival. 

For surfer Wade Grocott, his local break is thousands of kilometers away. The weeks he's not surfing, he's surrounded by the prairies of Saskatchewan. Answering the questions of his fellow and understandably curious Saskatchewanians is just part of the process. Surfing? Saskatchewan? Really? Wade has got the answers.

In 2005, Gregg Bleakney was on the rise. He had all the trappings of a successful life, but Gregg also had a secret.  Something he wasn't sharing with his boss, his family or friends, even his longtime girl friend.  It was an idea that was about to change his life.  Today, we present Ditch Logic. Evolving as a person isn't always pretty.  

How do you choose the stories to retell when you get back from a trip? Shane Robinson writes, "At first, I tried to recount every amazing detail of my travels, only to watch my unsuspecting friends' eyes gloss over in boredom." The stories we share are gateways beyond the mechanics of a trip, but dig into how we appreciate spending times away from our daily routines.

Jacob Bain has traveled to SE Asia, Cuba, and Africa. And though he sometimes has climbing gear, he always has a guitar. In the summer of 2010, Johnny Fernandes invited Jacob and his band Publish the Quest to Cape Verde to partake in a musical experience as part of his goal to preserve the local music. Can a hook, a horn line and a new take on a traditional song overcome culture and language barriers?

Mike Colpo went to guide school in search of a different life. His rugged instructor, Cody, taught him the basics of guiding climbers, but also pushed Mike and the other students towards something bigger. Mike found himself facing a fear greater than physical risk.

Our sports have long heralded rating systems that let us know just how we're doing. We may bicker over their ratings, but we return to them again and again. They help us set goals, and push ourselves harder. Today, Brendan Leonard dives in with some simple ideas on who and what are hard core. How do you measure up?

Christine McMahon read Ranger Rick, stole her brother's Boy Scouts Manual to learn survival tricks and was driving by age 9. She grew up relatively carefree surrounded by friends and family who made sure she feared nothing. Until the day circled in red on her calendar arrived. The day when she would try to walk again. It was time for Christine to take the first steps to leaving the crutches and wheelchairs behind and embrace the possible on her own.

We present our 2011 Year of Big Ideas show.  Professional athletes, passionate weekend warriors and Dirtbag Diaries contributors come together to present what they are working on in the coming year. Get inspired and then buckle down.

Mark Rutherford and John Merritt grew up sharing the same sand box. Twenty years ago, Mark began a successful adventure fly fishing guide service in the Bristol Bay region. An avid fisherman, John got in touch with Mark and scheduled a trip. That first trip marked the beginning of a decade of trips, each more adventurous than the last.  Today, we are headed up stream to the confluence of several lives. 

After hitchhiking in Canada and Arizona, Graham Waugh thought he'd easily catch a ride from Needles to Joshua Tree. He didn't account for the nearly deserted 100 odd miles on California's highway 95. He scrawled "Canadian" on his last piece of cardboard, and only then did he discovered something wonderful.

This last fall, Becca and I embarked on a trip of a lifetime. To those who asked, I offered a slew of reasons. Those closest to me knew better. I was trying to save myself.  At its core, The Diaries has always been about the joy of wild places and our community's profound optimism, but at times contributors have stepped forward to provide stories about personal struggle, sorrow and depression Today, I present my own story.

Surfer. Waves. Design. Surfboard. In 25 years of surfing, Will Ranken never thought much about how those four elements interrelated to one another. When he needed a new board, he would buy one off the racks, hand over the cash, and soon he was paddling into the line up again. That was the status quo, until he read an article about making and shaping wooden surfboards. 

Today, we present Tales of Terror, two stories from the most terrifying moments of our contributor's lives. Our first story was recorded in the field somewhere in Afghanistan. The second comes from my old stomping ground -- Tahoe.  Despite the differences, both stories are the result of passion, imagination and creativity. 

When writer and biker Dean Campbell packs he "always forgets one thing and always brings too much to read." Can your packing style influence how you experience a new place? After traveling by bike for four months through Africa, Dean understands that what we bring dictates what we take home from our distant travels.

This summer I decided to not only try road biking, I decided to embrace it in all its spandex glory. My climbing could suffer. The mountain bike could collect cobwebs in the garage. Along the way, I discovered the joy of riding through my city.

Growing up, inheritance and parenthood – these themes have quietly woven their way into the Diaries’ Fabric. Today, Bob Nydam presents a story about the sometimes painful process of watching a child grow up.