Stay Wild — Charlotte Austin

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STAY WILD

Charlotte Austin — "Deep in the snow-covered Methow Valley, a group of friends has skied miles into a tiny cabin in the mountains. There's a wood-burning stove, a scarlet sunset, and ski boots scattered across the floor. At the table sits Claire Giordano, a Seattle-based field painter, laying out her supplies."

— "Changing Landscapes: A Fireside Interview with Painter Claire Giordano." Stay Wild. Spring 2019.

Charlotte Austin — "Write in Sharpie, in pencil, in eyeliner or blood. Just do it physically, in words written by hand, because research suggests that handwriting actually changes brain function, making you focus in different ways than when you type. Remind yourself that you don't need to draw conclusions about what you see or feel or hear — the magic is in the simple, revolutionary act of sitting still and noticing."

— “A Possibly Controversial Confession” Stay Wild, Winter 2019

“People who don’t climb ask what it’s like to find yourself on a mountain. They imagine a spiritual place, some ethereal journey bookmarked with prayer flags and picturesque Sherpa children and lean, wind-hardened people gazing into the distance wearing name-brand parks. You don’t find yourself on a mountain, I tell them. Mountains and beautiful and hash and wild, yes, but mountains are also both more and less than most people imagine them to be.”

— “Thoughts on Mountains and Love,” Stay Wild. Spring 2017.

“The lines between gear and fashion are increasingly blurred. Big outdoor brands are launching heritage lines. Stylish twenty-somethings dress like Swedish men from the forties. Companies in Portland, Oregon and Maine are specifically designing products to be heavier, more durable, less modern. Waxed canvas is big. In autumn 2013, Marie Claire dressed models in L.L. Bean. We’re sentimental for a more-authentic time that—in truth—we have never known.”

— “The Things We Carry: Meditations on Gear,” Stay Wild. Winter 2015.

“Each breath burned. As we trudged up the glacier, I trade our route of ascent with my eyes: milky blue ice, undulating in every direction.”

— “The Rules of Adventure,” Stay Wild. Fall 2016.

REI

Western Confluence