The Outdoor Parent

Today I am happy to announce the launch on a new website that I have the pleasure to be involved in in a small way. The Outdoor Parent was the idea of Fitz Cahall of the Dirtbag Diaries, where those who've been reading the Dirtbag Dad Diaries know allowed me to shamelessly use and alter the name for this site.

The Outdoor Parent is in our own words...

The Outdoor Parent is a collection of surfers, climbers and skiers who have embarked the greatest adventure -- parenthood -- and lived to tell about it. Stories, perspective and reflections on parenting, children and the outdoor lifestyle.

I'm am going to be a contributing writer on the site, as well as Steve Bohrer, and other fathers and mothers of like mind who are doing what we can to raise our children with a love of, and respect for, the natural world and all life has to offer outside of our "modern" bubbles.

It Takes a Village

While I think the saying "It takes a village" is off base family-wise, at least as a blanket statement used in a semi-recent book. It is a great metaphor in instances like like this. I believe that it takes parents to raise a child, but community has a lesser but important role in shaping a child's sense of social awareness. This is a great little story and one similar to what I hope to be writing as Levi gets older.

Found on The Cleanest Line

During spring break last week, my son, Owen, and I joined up with five different families and friends in Hueco Tanks, Texas to enjoy a week of bouldering, camping and a refreshing dose of community-style living. I am a big believer in the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." I grew up in a large family (seven kids) and we lived in a neighborhood full of kids of all ages. Since our street formed the last cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood of Southern California...

Read the rest of the story here.

180 Degrees South -Trailer

I can't even put into words how much I'm looking forward to this film. Judging from the trailer, and previous Woodshed Films productions, this is going to be a huge hit with me and everyone that experiences it. Shelter was and is my favorite surf movie, and 180 South really seems to capture the spirit that makes me tick. I may not have had these levels of adventures, but its something I aspire to experience and to help my son experience as well. I'll be sure to put up a full review after I'm able to see the entire film.

Morning People

Field Report taken from Patagonia, written by Heather Sterling.

It’s early morning and our pre-dawn bedroom is see-your-breath freezing. But I’m curled up with my daughter Lily, snug in our cozy nest of blankets. I’m in that happy place between dreaming and waking. A habitual late-riser, I relish long, lazy mornings. I love adventure, I just prefer to initiate it after 9:00 a.m. and a good dose of caffeine...

Read the rest here.