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The Goodland Journal: Volume Two

The Goodland is an outdoor adventure website featuring the work of up and coming creatives and athletes worldwide. We publish a biannual journal that fosters creative storytelling and mindful living through outdoor experiences. Check out our latest journal! @tothegoodland #findyourgoodland

The Goodland is an outdoor adventure website featuring the work of up and coming creatives and athletes worldwide. We publish a biannual journal that fosters creative storytelling and mindful living through outdoor experiences. Check out our latest journal! @tothegoodland #findyourgoodland

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong><br />

V OLUME T WO - JULY 2021<br />

<strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 1


Letter From Basecamp<br />

<strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> Contributors:<br />

G.P. Scheppler Simon Bell<br />

@gscheppler<br />

@Simon_Bell<br />

Santino Martirano Alben Osaki<br />

santinomartiarno.com albenosaki.com<br />

Evan Ruderman<br />

evanjruderman.com<br />

About Us:<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> was founded as a medium<br />

to share untold stories and creations from<br />

athletes, photographers, writers, and artists<br />

who all take inspiration from the beauty of<br />

the outdoors.<br />

Our goal is to have our reader find the<br />

stories, music, and visual art we feature to<br />

be reflective, inspiring, and timeless.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> Basecamp:<br />

Oliver Ambros Mitch Bender<br />

Art Director<br />

Editor & Illustrator<br />

Micah Shanks Alben Osaki<br />

Editor<br />

Editor & Marketing<br />

Evan Ruderman<br />

Editor-at-large<br />

Contact Us:<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong><br />

basecamp@tothegoodland.com<br />

@tothegoodland<br />

Covers:<br />

Front Photo: Simon Bell<br />

Back Photo: G.P. Scheppler<br />

It’s undeniable, the outdoors is a special place; seemingly as much<br />

a human playground of serenity, expedition, and gathering as it is a<br />

realm of diverse life, unpredictable threats, and humbling vistas. Yet, as<br />

the whispers about this special place have turned to shouts in the form<br />

of social media geotagging, 3 hour lines into <strong>The</strong> Valley, and brands<br />

jockeying to sell “essential” gear, it is easy to forget the roots of it all.<br />

Like most, we appreciate the death-defying pursuits and celebrity<br />

athlete stories, but can find them unrelatable and frequently recycled<br />

by big media companies. Instead, we prefer to find our inspiration and<br />

creative roots from the voices of those often overlooked in the outdoor<br />

landscape: the average, dedicated outdoor lover. <strong>The</strong>y come from all<br />

types of backgrounds, from the local at your nearby crag or lineup, to a<br />

quiet coworker sneaking out to Cascade peaks each weekend.<br />

To them, it is never about the flashy gear, carving like Seal Tooth, or<br />

the delusional belief that we all weren’t beginners at some point. Rather,<br />

it is the unadulterated and wholesome pursuit of getting out there no<br />

matter the circumstances, simply for the sake of passion, challenge,<br />

mindfulness, and fun.<br />

In the following pages, you’ll find a collection of stories that showcase<br />

this mentality and amplify these often unheard voices. Though tales<br />

of intrigue, creativity, danger, and awe, these stories likewise remain<br />

relatable and incredibly inspirational to all.<br />

We believe Santino Martirano sums it up best in his piece, “An Ode to<br />

Hobbyists”, found on page 20: “I am here today to celebrate hobbyists,<br />

those who thrive between 5pm and 9am and find the sweet spot that we<br />

call balance.”<br />

We’re here to celebrate with them too.<br />

Keep trekking,<br />

Basecamp<br />

© 2021 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong>. All rights reserved.<br />

Nothing in whole or in part from this volume may be reproduced without written permission from<br />

2 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 3<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> or the contributors found within this volume.


<strong>The</strong> Stories Inside<br />

08 Goodlist <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 42 Sometimes I Wonder<br />

<strong>The</strong> musical accompaniment to<br />

best experience the journal.<br />

By: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong><br />

A contemplation of the value of<br />

modern photography.<br />

By: Evan Ruderman<br />

10<br />

Just a Kid From Kaua’i<br />

A climber’s journey from the<br />

volcanoes of the Pacific to the<br />

granite towers of Tuolumne.<br />

By: Alben Osaki<br />

54 Stoke Seaker<br />

One man’s journey to the creative life.<br />

By: G.P. Scheppler<br />

20 An Ode to Hobbyists<br />

I am here today to celebrate those<br />

who thrive from 5pm-9am.<br />

By: Santino Martirano<br />

30 Progression, Succession,<br />

and Some Skiing<br />

Searching for lines and perspective<br />

in the High Sierra.<br />

By: Simon Bell<br />

4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 5


<strong>The</strong> Goodlist:<br />

Music as Inspiration<br />

<strong>Volume</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> has always paused to<br />

make room for music in our adventures<br />

and in our stories. Just as nature is a gift,<br />

music also gives to us without reciprocity<br />

or expectation.<br />

Carrying on our tradition, we hope that<br />

<strong>The</strong> Goodlist: <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> sets the<br />

mood as an inspirational soundtrack to<br />

accompany the stories found within these<br />

pages. Enjoy!<br />

Scan or click our Spotify code to listen to<br />

<strong>The</strong> Goodlist: <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> while you read.<br />

<strong>Two</strong><br />

6 <strong>The</strong> 6 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 7 7


Just a Kid<br />

From Kaua'i<br />

By: Alben Osaki<br />

A climber’s journey from the volcanoes of the<br />

Pacific to the granite towers of Tuolumne.<br />

8 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 9


I<br />

grew up on a tiny island called<br />

Kaua’i, in the middle of the Pacific<br />

ocean. Rock climbing wasn’t a thing<br />

for me growing up. It wasn’t until years<br />

and years later, in my late twenties, did<br />

I climb my first route. A forty foot route<br />

on top rope, using a static rope, at a<br />

crag in Makapu’u, Hawai’i. It was pretty<br />

sketchy.<br />

Little did I know that a few years<br />

later I’d be topping out on a seven<br />

hundred foot route in Yosemite.<br />

I blinked wearily as we pulled into<br />

the trailhead for Cathedral Peak, in<br />

Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne<br />

Meadows. It was just after 6AM,<br />

and about twenty seven degrees<br />

Fahrenheit. <strong>The</strong> air was crisp, even<br />

sharp, as I inhaled. Ahead of us was<br />

what the guidebook said was an hour<br />

and a half approach. Despite having<br />

been awake since 3:30AM, all I could<br />

think was, man, I really love this.<br />

I always wanted to climb something<br />

like Cathedral. It has this air of wildness<br />

to it. Sure, Cathedral Peak isn’t that<br />

wild. Since John Muir did the first<br />

ascent back in 1869, people regularly<br />

climb it in a day and can be back in a<br />

hotel room by the evening. But it was<br />

wild to me. As primarily a bolt-clipping<br />

sport climber, more used to 15 minute<br />

approaches to crags, rather than a<br />

miles long approach to the base of a<br />

mountain, this definitely fell under my<br />

“wild” column.<br />

It was interesting starting my<br />

climbing “career” in a place like<br />

Hawai’i. It’s not a huge sport there,<br />

but it’s definitely growing. I remember<br />

basically learning how to climb by<br />

asking the guys at the only climbing<br />

gear store on the island for some tips.<br />

Add a dash of Youtube and a sprinkle<br />

of asking randos at the crag some<br />

questions, and you have the recipe for<br />

the foundation of my climbing. Not<br />

what I would recommend, by the way,<br />

but that was the reality of the time. I<br />

didn’t learn to climb in a gym; my first<br />

three or four months of climbing was<br />

all outdoors.<br />

It’s not that there wasn’t a gym on<br />

the island. In fact, there were two<br />

at the time. <strong>The</strong> one I went to was<br />

Volcanic Rock Gym on the east side of<br />

the island. My friend Sean and I would<br />

make our daily pilgrimage to pull on<br />

some plastic in this tiny gym filled with<br />

chalk dust and good people.<br />

As we approached the base of<br />

Cathedral Peak, I stared up at the<br />

imposing wall of granite and I could<br />

start to feel the butterflies flutter in my<br />

stomach. This would be the largest<br />

wall I’ve ever climbed, by a country<br />

mile. One of my climbing partners,<br />

Bodin, led the first few pitches, before<br />

he graciously let me lead the rest of<br />

the way. “This was your idea,” he said<br />

to me, “You should lead.”<br />

Despite some choss, the climbing<br />

was pretty easy and I never felt like I<br />

was ever in any danger.<br />

10 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 11


It was like nowhere else in the world I<br />

had ever been, and it was a climb unlike<br />

any other I had ever done.<br />

12 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 13


Vertical Roots: Climbing at the crag in Mokulē'ia, Hawai'i<br />

14 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 15<br />

Yosemite: Belay station on the Southeast Buttress; Bodie and I shortly after beginning.


<strong>The</strong>re were always good ledges to build anchors on.<br />

Everything felt quite comfortable, which I suppose I should<br />

expect for such an easily graded (5.6) route. Regardless, to this<br />

day it was one of my most satisfying climbing experiences in my<br />

life.<br />

As we kept getting higher and higher, I couldn’t help but look<br />

back behind and beneath us. Photos don’t do this landscape<br />

justice. Alpine lakes and granite towers abound. It was like<br />

nowhere else in the world I had ever been. It was like being on<br />

another planet.<br />

As I topped out and tagged the summit block, I gazed into<br />

the wilderness. <strong>The</strong> sun was lying low on the horizon and the<br />

sky was as clear as can be. I couldn’t have asked for more<br />

perfect conditions. I hate to utilize a cliché, but I can’t think of<br />

any other word to describe it but “epic”.<br />

I think back on my climbing “origin story” often. We didn’t<br />

have fancy climbing gyms or bougie outdoor stores with the<br />

newest and shiniest gear in Hawai’i. Volcanic Rock Gym was<br />

essentially a very large garage with bouldering walls. Climb<br />

Aloha, the only place that I knew of on the island to buy gear,<br />

was a small, unassuming store tucked in the corner of a busy<br />

street.<br />

I never would have dreamt that my path would lead me, just<br />

a kid from a tiny island called Kaua’i in the middle of the Pacific,<br />

to the top of Cathedral Peak in Yosemite.<br />

But there I was.<br />

16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 17


An Ode to<br />

Hobbyists<br />

I am here today to celebrate hobbyists,<br />

those who thrive between 5pm and 9am and<br />

find the sweet spot that we call balance.<br />

By: Santino Martirano<br />

18 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 19


Through life<br />

we dabble...<br />

We try new things, and we test the waters by sticking a<br />

toe in. But every so often something special happens and<br />

we can’t help but to dive deep.<br />

This my friends, is a hobby and more poetically known<br />

as a passion. Whether it is dirt biking, ice climbing<br />

or writing that makes us tick, we tend to look up to<br />

professionals who inspire us. We use the same gear,<br />

techniques, and even help build cultural trends from the<br />

nonchalant “dudeee” to the way we act and dress.<br />

20 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 21


I am here today to<br />

celebrate hobbyists, those<br />

who thrive between 5pm<br />

and 9am and find the sweet<br />

spot that we call balance.<br />

Balance (to me) is spending<br />

time doing what you love and<br />

letting that magical feeling<br />

spill into the rest of your life.<br />

From work to play, everything<br />

seems easier when we spend<br />

a few hours a week expressing<br />

ourselves.<br />

<strong>The</strong> professionals keep us<br />

going but the people that<br />

truly inspire me are the ones<br />

working from 9-5 every day<br />

that still make the time to<br />

chase their hobbies.<br />

You see, we do not have to<br />

trek up the tallest peak for it<br />

to matter. We do not need to<br />

write a book to enjoy writing,<br />

and we certainly do not have<br />

to climb without ropes to<br />

make something epic.<br />

22 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 23


<strong>The</strong> Send Off: Allen Stoltzfus making some quick adjustments before heading out.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Neighborhood: Winter Park, CO: where balance may come easy.<br />

24 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 25


Through the day to day, hobbies<br />

allow the world to disconnect<br />

from pressure, work, stress,<br />

and anxiety. <strong>The</strong>y allow us to<br />

focus on the present, enjoy the<br />

moment, and leave the worry<br />

behind.<br />

And, if you are lucky enough<br />

to find yourself slipping into that<br />

flow state, recognize it, capture<br />

it, and<br />

Run with it.<br />

Mondays: Allen jumping<br />

on a pitch of ice on a<br />

Monday afternoon after<br />

26 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> a day in <strong>Two</strong> the office. 27


Progression,<br />

Succession,<br />

and Some<br />

Skiing<br />

By:<br />

Simon Bell<br />

Searching for lines and<br />

perspective in the High Sierrra.<br />

28 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 29


If you asked the greatest<br />

thinkers, doers, and<br />

achievers what they have for<br />

inspiration, I bet they’d all say<br />

the same thing at some point:<br />

a person, place or thing that<br />

has motivated them along<br />

their journey. It seems critical<br />

to the success of a person to<br />

have mentors and inspirations.<br />

Someone that’s better at<br />

something, a person who<br />

has mastered their craft, or a<br />

place that sparks imagination<br />

is often the reason for<br />

attraction to and progress<br />

toward something.<br />

As a twenty-something,<br />

I can respectfully say that<br />

I’ve come a long way. But,<br />

being a young man, newly<br />

licensed dentist, and outdoor<br />

enthusiast, it seems the room<br />

for improvement in most<br />

aspects of my life is literally<br />

sky high. It can often be<br />

overwhelming to find your<br />

personal rhythm and authentic<br />

style in life these days with all<br />

of the influence we have. How<br />

do we find our way amongst<br />

millions of ways to do things?<br />

Let’s apply the concept to<br />

sliding on snow. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />

many ways to ski: in bounds<br />

vs. out of bounds? Skiing solo<br />

to improve vs. skiing with your<br />

Modes of travel: <strong>The</strong> many wheels and vessels that make the backcountry accessible.<br />

<strong>Two</strong> Faces of a Journey:<br />

<strong>The</strong> final push versus<br />

R&R after a big day<br />

trekking in the Sierra.<br />

30 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 31


uds to drink beer? Skimo, freeski...<br />

freemo? At some point you latch on to<br />

something.<br />

For my ski world, it was the<br />

mountains and a small group of dudes<br />

who cared about being outside,<br />

pushing physical limits, finding good<br />

snow, and staying super safe in the<br />

backcountry. Being relatively new<br />

to the sport, it took a while to catch<br />

up with the knowledge, fitness, and<br />

awareness. But my backcountry<br />

partners were vital in igniting the fire<br />

while simultaneously creating a vision<br />

of where I wanted to end up. And<br />

the mountains, well, they spoke for<br />

themselves.<br />

This spring we were on the East<br />

Side. <strong>The</strong> Sierra are California’s pride<br />

and joy of spring skiing. Being in<br />

those zones is always a whirlwind of<br />

sentiments but this time specifically I<br />

was overwhelmed with the joy of the<br />

perspective of where I came from both<br />

literally and figuratively. And I was<br />

doing it with friends. Friends who I’ve<br />

learned from and who have inspired<br />

me to push toward a goal.<br />

Simon Says: Nice<br />

place for a walk!<br />

32 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 33


Scenes from above: Heads down, counting steps, pushing mentally and phsycailly.<br />

34 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 35


“It seems<br />

critical to the<br />

success of a<br />

person to have<br />

mentors and<br />

inspirations.”<br />

- S.B.<br />

36 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 37


Despite all attitudes toward skinning<br />

up icy hardpack or the boot pack up<br />

exposed couloirs or the long approach,<br />

I’ve got to say the feeling of euphoria<br />

after ripping skins and skiing is far out.<br />

So it seems that progress requires a<br />

vision. That vision is usually created by<br />

a person, friend, father, grandfather,<br />

personal hero, who has come before<br />

you and made an impact. Keep<br />

your eyes open! <strong>The</strong>n the figurative<br />

trigger is pulled and initiates the rest:<br />

thinking, planning, putting in the<br />

hard work, asking for advice, taking<br />

the class, finding a way to make the<br />

vision a reality. <strong>The</strong> mountain top is the<br />

pinnacle – the realization of the dream<br />

come true. <strong>The</strong>n the fun begins as you<br />

take your turn to feel what it means to<br />

accomplish and reap the reward for<br />

taking initiative. But I promise you, on<br />

that mountain top as you look deeper<br />

into the mountain range, you’ll see<br />

someone or something else that will<br />

energize you again. <strong>The</strong>rein lies the<br />

addictive property of progression and<br />

success. Reach one blissful peak to<br />

envy another and so on. So again: on<br />

your quest, whatever or wherever it<br />

may be, don’t forget to ENJOY IT!<br />

Reflection: (Left to Right) All<br />

natural ice bath in spring runoff.<br />

Always good perspective to<br />

38 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> see how <strong>Volume</strong> far you’ve <strong>Two</strong> come. 39


SOMETIMES I WONDER BY: EVAN RUDERMAN<br />

40 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 41


Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes<br />

I wonder about the point of it<br />

all, about the value in spending<br />

so much time and effort shooting<br />

photos. For the past two years, this<br />

is what I have spent the majority<br />

of my life doing. Shooting photos,<br />

planning photo shoots, prepping<br />

camera gear for said shoots, editing<br />

photos, sending photos to brands and<br />

publications, thinking about what the<br />

next shoot should be and pitching<br />

ideas to brands. When I’m not doing<br />

any of these, I’m likely daydreaming<br />

about one of them. But every once in a<br />

while, I snap out of it, and ask myself,<br />

what’s the point of all this anyways?<br />

I can’t help but think about all the<br />

other people working to do the same<br />

thing, to shoot photos revolving<br />

around the outdoors and outdoor<br />

recreation. While everyone likes to<br />

think their work is important, in a time<br />

with so much content being created<br />

on a daily basis it’s hard to even<br />

pretend individual pieces of work are<br />

important. I debate this internally day<br />

after day, which is strange for someone<br />

who is exactly where they one day<br />

wanted to be.<br />

I began shooting photos as a<br />

hobby in high school but didn’t study<br />

photography in college as I never<br />

thought it could be anything more<br />

than something I did for fun. I did,<br />

however, longingly look at a wide<br />

range of photographers who had<br />

created careers out of shooting photos<br />

and fantasized how cool it would be to<br />

one day do the same.<br />

As college came to an end I had no<br />

idea what I was going to do and just<br />

for the sake of it applied to intern for<br />

acclaimed photographer Chris Burkard.<br />

Still unsure how, I got the internship,<br />

asked to stick around for a second<br />

internship round, and eventually got<br />

hired on full time as a photo assistant.<br />

Today I continue to both work for<br />

Chris and am pursuing a freelance<br />

career of my own. When people ask<br />

me what I do, I tell them I am an<br />

outdoor photographer. Fifteen year<br />

old me would be incredibly happy, but<br />

twenty-four year old me can feel quite<br />

conflicted about it.<br />

For some context, my mom is a<br />

Superior Court Judge. My dad works<br />

for an affordable housing nonprofit,<br />

and my older brother creates<br />

renewable climate action plans for<br />

towns and cities throughout the West<br />

Coast. And I, the youngest, have to<br />

chuckle to myself a little bit when I tell<br />

people I’m an outdoor photographer.<br />

When I look at the big picture in<br />

this way, what I do seems incredibly<br />

unimportant. Aren’t there better ways<br />

to spend my time - both for myself and<br />

for others? I wonder.<br />

42 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 43


I was always curious if other<br />

creatives felt this way, if they<br />

pondered the importance of their<br />

work and careers - or if they all<br />

just thought they were the coolest<br />

things since sliced bread. At times<br />

it feels as if everyone in the industry<br />

takes themselves too seriously, with<br />

long winded Instagram captions<br />

and lots of self professed hours<br />

of “grinding.” Others however,<br />

seem to revel in the fact that they<br />

have turned such a funny thing<br />

- spending time outside - into a<br />

viable career. I don’t think I’ve<br />

chosen which side of the fence to<br />

stand on for this one yet.<br />

It wasn’t until I watched a film<br />

made by one of my biggest<br />

inspirations in the photo world that<br />

I realized other photographers do<br />

think about this, and that some<br />

have thought far longer and harder<br />

than I on the issue. In Jerome<br />

Tanon’s self-narrated film, <strong>The</strong><br />

Eternal Beauty of Snowboarding,<br />

he offers his own thoughts on<br />

the matter after years of shooting<br />

photos of snowboarding.<br />

Somewhere in the hour long film he<br />

exclaims:<br />

“But still, while the world is<br />

struggling for peace, human rights,<br />

and saving our planet, we’re up<br />

here jumping in the snow, thinking<br />

that we’re the coolest thing around.<br />

Where’s the beauty in that?<br />

Roots: A Childhood of<br />

snowboarding comes<br />

in handy for capturing<br />

44 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> athletes <strong>Volume</strong> in <strong>Two</strong> Japan. 45


“What is the point of having<br />

freedom if you don’t use it to<br />

do what you love most?”<br />

Well, aren’t we using that very freedom<br />

our ancestors fought for? Shouldn’t we<br />

be a little more grateful, though? Surely,<br />

yeah. Thank you. Now let me ask, what is<br />

the point of having freedom if you don’t<br />

use it to do what you love most?”<br />

In this short quote he nails it all. <strong>The</strong><br />

subtle feeling of guilt, the uncertainty<br />

on the matter, and the idea that maybe<br />

we’re actually doing exactly what we<br />

should be. Yes, there are so many more<br />

important issues facing the world today<br />

that it seems silly to be shooting photos<br />

- yet I think that a lot of good can be<br />

done with photography. And yes, my<br />

ancestors surely had it harder than I.<br />

My great grandfather immigrated here<br />

from Russia to create a better life for his<br />

family. On the other side of the family, my<br />

grandmother immigrated here will fleeing<br />

Poland during WWII and the Holocaust.<br />

But doesn’t that make what I am lucky<br />

enough to do all the more beautiful?<br />

Few things give me more pleasure than<br />

calling my grandmother and telling her<br />

about my most recent adventures, my<br />

trips that I get to call work. She tells<br />

me every time we talk about how lucky<br />

I am and how much joy she gets from<br />

seeing me take advantage of all the<br />

opportunities I’m given.<br />

46 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 47


Cold Fingers: Dumping<br />

snow in Japan, captured on<br />

48 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> 35mm <strong>Two</strong> format. 49


Like Jerome, I have a feeling that many<br />

years down the line I’ll still be contemplating<br />

the value of my work, but I’ll still be doing<br />

it. I don’t think there will ever be an answer<br />

- it’s something I’ll always wonder about,<br />

somewhere between feeling lucky and feeling<br />

guilty. For now, the more I do think about<br />

it, the more I desire to shoot meaningful,<br />

impactful projects that could put my work<br />

closer to the “do good” nature of my parents’<br />

and brother’s work while still making a living<br />

from shooting photos. Another piece of me<br />

will work to just be happy where I am, making<br />

good use of all the freedom I’ve been lucky<br />

enough to have to do what I love most - taking<br />

photos.<br />

50 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 51


One man’s journey to the creative life.<br />

By G.P. Scheppler<br />

52 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 53


<strong>The</strong> air tastes of salt<br />

as we wiggle into<br />

neoprene second<br />

skins above the metronomic<br />

thumping of south swell. Blue<br />

rays of the new day illuminate<br />

groups of stoke seekers<br />

scattered about the parking<br />

lot like dandelion on seeds.<br />

Before locking my keys in a<br />

strong box and turning on my<br />

camera I always try to take a<br />

second to be grateful.<br />

Today is a good day to be<br />

alive and in nature.<br />

My surf buddy for the day<br />

is a soon to be retired Force<br />

Recon Marine, a man who by<br />

the looks of his service record<br />

should be wired tighter than a<br />

duck’s asshole. Yet, before me<br />

stands a smiling man as slack<br />

as the tide; more <strong>The</strong> Dude<br />

than Rambo.<br />

We met through One More<br />

Wave, a 501(3)(c) non-profit<br />

based out of San Diego that<br />

provides custom adaptive surf<br />

equipment and community<br />

to disabled veterans, but we<br />

would have been friends no<br />

matter the circumstance. Cut<br />

from the same cloth, as the<br />

saying goes.<br />

Between sessions we gab<br />

about work, relationships,<br />

54 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 55


family, and other things normal friends<br />

talk about. Only occasionally does the<br />

conversation drift to darker subjects or<br />

tales of our time in service. Such is the<br />

nature of life in a community afflicted<br />

by the plight of suicide.<br />

One tends to focus on the present<br />

and future to keep from going mad<br />

when haunted by echoes of the past.<br />

Had you told me a decade ago that<br />

I would spend my days working in the<br />

surf zone I would’ve assumed it would<br />

be in a water safety capacity. That I<br />

get paid for words and pictures is a<br />

fact that still makes me giggle with<br />

amusement whenever a paycheck<br />

clears.<br />

If only my high school English<br />

teachers could see me now.<br />

My career as a professional<br />

storyteller started in 2018 when I<br />

became a Rebele <strong>Journal</strong>ism Scholar<br />

at Cabrillo College. I was assigned to a<br />

local paper, the Pajaronian, and told to<br />

introduce myself to the Sports Editor.<br />

Gone were my days in booty shorts<br />

leading Crossfit classes replaced with<br />

late night deadlines and hours onend<br />

spent at amature sporting events.<br />

Though I would have been loathed to<br />

admit it at the time, the turn of events<br />

couldn’t have made me happier. I<br />

always wanted to be a sports writer.<br />

I figured out quickly that I could get<br />

paid twice as much by taking pictures<br />

of the games I covered, so I invested<br />

in a Sony A6000 with a couple of<br />

kit lenses. After a short runway of<br />

watching Youtube videos I was selling<br />

shots to local publications of various<br />

sporting events and eventually<br />

parlayed my skill set into a staff<br />

position at Cabrillo College.<br />

Life as a grown up was starting to<br />

take shape. My path stretched out in<br />

front of me clear as day.<br />

After two hours of intermittent<br />

light and elusive swell we call it quits<br />

and leave to punch into our day<br />

jobs. Living as close as we do to the<br />

sea comes with a great deal of fiscal<br />

responsibility. So we hustle off to Zoom<br />

calls and clay diamonds, all the while<br />

texting each other updates and surf<br />

projections for our inevitable evening<br />

session. <strong>The</strong> morning has yielded<br />

some gold, but the two of us failed to<br />

link up for the perfect shot. <strong>The</strong> hunt<br />

must continue, we shall return.<br />

When the pandemic hit, I found<br />

myself out of a job and looking for<br />

ways to make ends meet. Freelancing<br />

my services to whomever would<br />

return my calls, I cobbled together a<br />

couple months and spent all my free<br />

time studying the technical elements<br />

of photography in a way I never had<br />

before. I was leveling up my skills,<br />

something told me I was going to<br />

need it.<br />

56 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>The</strong> Head Honcho: One More Wave founder Alex West drops into <strong>Volume</strong> a perfect <strong>Two</strong> peak. 57


“If only my high<br />

school English<br />

teachers could see<br />

me now.”<br />

When dry lightning ignited the state<br />

of California in late August I found<br />

my way into the CZU Lightning<br />

Complex Fire evacuation zone and<br />

started getting stories out through<br />

words, pictures, and social media<br />

reporting. A few well placed jokes and<br />

knowing how to carry myself in unsafe<br />

scenarios enabled me to go beyond<br />

the conventional press junket out<br />

onto the fireline with federal wildland<br />

firefighters from the Bureau of Land<br />

Management.<br />

<strong>The</strong> images and stories I gathered<br />

there changed the trajectory of my<br />

whole career. I sold my first cover<br />

photo and suddenly my phone started<br />

ringing with inquiries.<br />

For the first time, I felt like a true<br />

professional storyteller.<br />

My surf buddy is hardcore about<br />

surfing, much as I suspect he has been<br />

hardcore about everything in his life<br />

up until this point. He regularly logs<br />

double days, and has been known to<br />

surf three times between moons.<br />

58 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 59


<strong>The</strong>n again, if surfing brings peace<br />

who could blame his borderline<br />

obsession with the sea.<br />

Working together to get impactful<br />

images is truly a pleasure. <strong>The</strong> more<br />

experienced the rider the safer the<br />

shoot tends to be. Folks often ask why<br />

I don’t frequent beginner breaks. Short<br />

answer, I like having both eyes and<br />

only the idea of what it feels like to be<br />

run over by a surf fin.<br />

As the sun begins to set we connect<br />

perfectly on three consecutive waves.<br />

<strong>The</strong> feeling of excitement at getting<br />

such epic shots is only elevated by the<br />

fact they feature a friend. <strong>The</strong>re is no<br />

talk of Instagram, no thought of how<br />

to sell the shot, just a moment of stoke<br />

between two new, old friends.<br />

<strong>The</strong> mission of One More Wave<br />

is to save veteran lives through surf<br />

and art therapies, and whenever we<br />

surf together the mission gets a bit<br />

stronger.<br />

Deep: Unknown rider<br />

getting so pitted at <strong>The</strong><br />

Hook in Santa Cruz.<br />

60 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 61


Seekers of Swell,<br />

Snow, and Stoke<br />

Thank you for reading <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> of the <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong>! We<br />

hope these five stories of adventure in the outdoors have motivated<br />

you to get out and chase your own experiences in nature.<br />

Above all, we believe that the outdoors is a place for people from<br />

all backgrounds, where one doesn’t need to be a sponsored athlete<br />

or own a fancy camera to discover special, life-changing moments.<br />

But when you do happen upon one of these special moments of<br />

swell, snow, or stoke, be sure to live it out fully.<br />

As always, keep trekking!<br />

62 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong> 63


<strong>Volume</strong> <strong>Two</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> Send Off: (Top to<br />

Bottom) inser typing<br />

about each photo here.<br />

64 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Goodland</strong> <strong>Journal</strong><br />

www.tothegoodland.com

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