Pursuit of Adventure - Jeff Brenner

Pursuit of Adventure

Through the lens of Jeff Brenner

Definitely caught the travel bug after going through this interview. Until then I’ll just be living through Jeff’s photographs and story telling. There’s something special about the beauty he finds in travel and I think you’ll feel it, too.

Why do you adventure? I adventure because we have so many amazing places around us. I was lucky enough to grow up only two hours away from Yosemite. It's always sad to me when I hear people in my town say that they've never been. I feel like it's such a missed opportunity to be so close to a place where people travel across the world to see. This is what initiated my pursuit of adventure. There's an insane amount of diverse places to see in the US.

Why take risks in life? I've always been a thrill seeker. I chased the adrenaline rush since I was a kid. The short answer is that playing it safe has never appealed to me. I'm not knocking those that do. To each their own. But even if I crash and burn (which has happened many times), I'd rather have the satisfaction of knowing I took a chance on something.  

When you were growing up what or who did you want to be? As a kid, I was really into archeology. I was convinced I'd be digging up fossils in my adult life. I'm not too sure when that changed, but I still have an infatuation with that stuff. I've got a few fossils displayed on my desk to provide inspiration whenever it's needed!

Favorite place you've visited? Hands down, my favorite place in the world is Yellowstone National Park. That entire place is absolutely wild. The landscapes are otherworldly and the wildlife is abundant. My wife and I joke that we have so many other places we want to see, but find ourselves going back to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons whenever we get the chance.

Place you most desperately want to visit? Alaska and Africa are tied. I gravitate to places with a lot of wildlife. We are planning on going to Alaska this summer, and hopefully Africa will follow soon after. That being said, we have an ever growing list of places we want to experience and photograph.

What is the single greatest moment of human humanity you've experienced while traveling? Truthfully, I can't think of any one major event that was life-changing during my travels. It's the little conversations I have with strangers along the way that has an effect on me. I think it's an amazing thing to find common ground with someone you don't know, while on the road. I feel like our daily lives can be so fast-paced, and we often give our attention to our technology. But I've found while traveling, people tend to disconnect and are genuinely interested in who you are and where you've been. It's a pretty beautiful thing.

Who is the most dynamic and thought provoking person you've ever met? My brother. He's only 18 months older than me, but we can be very different. He challenges me, without judgement, to be a better person and to be intentional in my relationships.

If you could travel with one person in history or in present who would it be and why? Easy. Teddy Roosevelt. Although John Muir and Ansel Adams are close behind. But the legacy Teddy Roosevelt left, in terms of conservation, has played a big role in modern day public land and wildlife protection. Plus, he was just a legendary person in general, and one of the most interesting people in US history.

Any travel tips? My biggest tip isn't a hack of any sort. It's merely a reminder to enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. I don't like to overcomplicate things when my wife and I are on the road. Our agenda is loosely constructed and allows for a lot of backroad detours. As a photographer, it's easy to get caught up in making sure you nail your shot list, but it can cause you to lose out on actually experiencing those memorable moments.

Give us a story any kind of story from one of your trips that will the impactful to the reader. As a photographer, I often find myself getting too fixated on getting "the shot." It's easy to make sure you don't waste any good light for sunrise or sunset. During our last trip to the Tetons, I found myself so concerned with finding a good spot for sunset that I was actually getting frustrated, forgetting that I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the US. I ended up finding a good spot, grabbed a quick photo, and then just set my gear down. I sat down at the edge of a river, staring out at the mountain range and just watched. There was no talking, no Instagram story updates, and no more concern for getting that "banger". Social media culture plays a huge role in our need to get as many photos as we can, but we often forget to enjoy it for ourselves. I'll never forget that moment, and it's something I now include in my process during every shoot.

Based on your travels what is the single most needed improvement for humanity to be stronger? There needs to be a greater respect for nature, especially wildlife. People send me videos all the time of tourists invading the space of/ taunting animals. These often lead to attacks, but even if they don't, it's extremely important to respect the rules. Social media can be a great thing, but at the same time, it has created a culture where people ignore rules, deface landmarks, and abuse animals just for attention on Instagram. I believe we need to hold each other accountable, and use our voices on social media to encourage ourselves and others to be better.

What would you say to someone who has never traveled before? I talk with a lot of people who have never traveled, and some of them have no desire to do so. To each their own, but for the ones that say, "I want to travel, but haven't gotten around to it", I just encourage them to set a date to go on even a nearby day trip and stick with it. I guarantee only a couple hours in Yosemite will be enough to light that spark and get them back out there.

What is the single greatest lesson you've learned from someone that is different than you? It's hard to pick a single lesson that I've learned from someone different from me. I find that I learn the most from others that have different upbringings, faiths, cultures, etc. I always appreciate when I can have an authentic and respectful conversation with a person that sees the world from a different perspective. 

When did you feel you were most out of your comfort zone. What did you learn from that lesson? I competed in track (pole vault and high jump) from elementary school and in college. My identity was essentially tethered to that and I had a lot of plans to have track remain a part of my life. After a pretty extreme back injury along with multiple knee injuries and surgeries, I was forced to throw in the towel. When that part of my life was over, I felt my life as a whole was outside my comfort zone. I had no clue what to do or what to pursue. I didn't realize it until later, but this set in motion the best things that have ever happened to me. I met my wife through the process and I rediscovered my love for photography. I learned many things during this time of my life, but the biggest lesson was to not let my identity be determined by something I do. My career and interests do not define the person I am.

What gives you hope? A lot of things give me hope. My faith and my wife constantly give me hope during those bleak times in life. Photography is a big one too. It gives me hope that the more fiercely I pursue this career path, the more experiences I can make with my wife during our travels.

Is flannel always in season? In California, you'll definitely pass out if you wear flannel in the summer, BUT I intentionally go to colder places in the summer so I can wear them. So yeah, it's most definitely always in season.

What are your hobbies and interests? Photography is at the forefront obviously, but I've always loved building things and working with my hands. I've built some pieces of furniture for our house and also do some knife making and vintage hatchet/axe restorations. Lastly, I love playing piano and guitar. Nothing like playing some Bon Iver and The Head and the Heart!

How do you get inspired when working at home? I've built my home office to look like a cabin and get really inspired by the feeling I get when I'm in there. The aroma of tobacco, wood, and leather gets the creativity firing on all cylinders.

You can shop Jeff’s prints or learn more at his website and follow his work on Instagram.

Estival Survey + Alaska

About two seconds.

That’s what you have between being asked and your response; before you let on.

It’s important first, to acknowledge we’ve reached the era of total geographical and technological accessibility. Our generation has become comfortable, in such a way that we can begin to treat a trip to say— Vik with as much insouciance as some may have once— and do, their honeymoon to The Bahamas. So with this accessibility, it’s become less uncommon to cross paths with those whom venture frequently. I believe it’s the sheer magnitude of some variables that revolve around certain destinations; kilometers driven, meters climbed, batteries exhausted, that continue to garner an audience eager to follow along, and possibly take part in the journey through your response. Your response, however, is what you control. Following the great distances and scenes catalogued, you have a brief opportunity to contort history to serve the limelight into which you’re asked to share it.

About two seconds: to say the trip was perfect, or to tell the truth.

We’d gone in, a band of misfit storytellers, documentarians, broken hearts and transcontinental navigators. We’d agreed to drive our friends’ [@floatballoontours] hot air balloon from Phoenix, some four thousand long miles, to Anchorage. Upon our arrival, the Cloth & Flame (@clothandflame) and Royal & Design (@royalanddesign) teams would rendezvous and fly the balloon over the great Alaskan frontier. We’d camp, cook and share in campfire tomfoolery along the way. We’d collect our cast as the journey unfolded, and exchange it as the screenplay called. We’d gather the endorsement of our favorite like-minded brands, and set course into the true unknown, unruly and untamed wilderness of the far, far north. We’d no idea what we were getting into, but as the self-proclaimed crew of the first Survey; Estival Survey, we had done the best we damn could to prepare.

Our initial trajectory took us across Joshua Tree National Park, Los Angeles, the mighty Redwood Forest, San Francisco, the dunes of Oregon, and up to Seattle, Washington, over the course of roughly seven days. It was seldom a matter of beauty, where our attention strayed, as it was a matter of cognitive survival. This was meant to be the mild stretch— the familiar territory where we’d have ample time and resource to recuperate and charge our souls before moving onward.

The reality, and the response we wish to share is that behind the glamor, there lies a greater truth. Fevers, flies, poisonous vines, damp earth and sleeplessness all laid the groundwork to a remarkably taxing expedition. The nauseatingly vast stretch across Canada had begin to set in several hours after crossing the border. The decision had been made to trek through until our final destination. We made several day camps— of course given the extensive amount of daylight the further north we ventured, allowed for some flexibility with this. Kathleen Lake, Yukon was arguably one of the most beautiful places we could have ever hoped to lay our heads, hammocks, and sip a beer in freshwater at. We knew, however, our time was limited, as we wished to make schedule to Alaska. We drove, and drove, and drove into some great towering blackness; bear dotted gravel ways and tree lines set to stun. We drove, and drove.

Our time in Alaska felt short. It felt longer than the days we occupied it, and somehow still brief. I think it’s the madness of going that causes this. The brands we had partnered with allowed for several remarkable campsites and experiences; unparalleled landscapes of blue, and soft etchings of green. Not to say we weren’t in some ways sick, smoke tainted and tattered. Several of us had developed sever reactions and wounds. It was rough. Tempers were fickle. We pressed on, to admire and notice the Earth we escaped to find, and connect with one another in ways we left home to conquer...

When the brazen adventure seemed to be nearing its end, I received an unexpected opportunity to plunge myself one more time into the throws of the unknown. On my last day in Alaska, one of our hot air balloon pilots, Jeff, a slow-talking, wispy outdoorsman with a salt and pepper mustache and a sweat-stained baseball cap, offered to fly one member of the Estival Survey crew over the Knik Glacier in his plane to snap photos since weather would not permit us to charter a helicopter and fulfill our ultimate dream of flying the hot air balloon over the glacier. Knowing it was my last day, my beloved crew of cohorts voted unanimously that I should be the one with the privilege of taking this flight. We went to the local airport and walked up to a 1958 super-cub single-prop plane. At first I was a little nervous about getting in that rickety old thing, but true to the spirit of our journey, I went for it.

Photo by S. Cole Kiburz (@coleplay)

We flew over Anchorage and roughly another fifty miles over gorgeous Alaskan frontier to the edge of Inner Lake Gorge which connects to the mouth of Knik Glacier. That’s when old Jeff announced to me over the intercom headsets that we were going to be landing there. We hiked to the edge of the lake to take in the view of the massive icebergs floating in the water. After a little while, old Jeff, inadvertently stumbled upon an old, overturned canoe that was hiding in the brush. We flipped it over to reveal two sun-bleached life preservers and two oars. The canoe frame was bent crooked in several places and there was a large crack in the green frame which is almost certainly why it had been left behind. There are no roads to take you to this lake so the canoe must've been flown in  by helicopter at some point. Jeff duct-taped the crack in the canoe and we tested it's ability to float in the shallow water. Once we were confident that the boat wasn't going to sink, we decided to get in and take it through the maze of icebergs; the majesty and grandness of which I will never be able to fully describe. The crackling, squeaking, breathing noise of the ancient ice and how each jagged tower was as beautiful as any sculpture. The blues were comically over-saturated and the whites were blinding. We grabbed a couple chunks of ice that had broken off and fallen into the lake. I don't know fully how to describe it, but this ice was somehow colder than normal ice. We wrapped a couple chunks in a jacket and flew it back to Anchorage with us.

Later that night, when my time on the adventure came to an end, the remaining crew ofEstival Survey poured a glass of whiskey over top of the ice and cheers’d to what had genuinely been, the trip of a lifetime.

Photo by S. Cole Kiburz (@coleplay)

This isn’t about running away from your problems or grandstanding or crusade. It’s about connecting with the natural world that is so easy to overlook in the times we live in. It’s about rectifying the blisters on your feet with the sunset from the mountaintop. It’s cleaning your hands and face in the cool waters of the river. I believe that the answers we seek reside within us, always. We are born of truth, but the unbridled beauty of this planet can help bring that truth out of us. Sometimes it’s simple; like how rain on the canvas tent can enhance the reading of a book. Sometimes it’s profound; like the twilight nights around the fire when the sun never fully set; when you question god and yourself. It’s when you realize once and for all that you ain’t no wilting twig damned to a cracked pot. You are a wildflower, born of the sun and the dirt. It’s when you agree to give it hell and see where you end up. It’s when you get up and get going. It’s when you let the compass point you forward and the stars compel you onward. It’s my sincerest hope that we may all meet with vigor the challenges of our destinies.

I aligned with an idea that life could be compared to attempting to lift the stool you're sitting on. I'm now more inclined to think it best described as adrift in a hot air balloon. Silence until noise. Still until caught. It all seems simple, and then you look around beyond the comfort of your woven chariot. You are at the mercy of variables beyond control, with your only powers to react or not. You notice places slip by below, and wonder whether they too had stories; whether they too have chosen a response, or one day will. Regardless, they pass. Regardless, the horizon will never repeat itself, for by the time you circle the sphere, the landscape has changed again.

We’d gone in, a band of misfit storytellers, photographers and makeshift transcontinental navigators. We’d agreed to drive our friends’ [Float Balloon Tours] hot air balloon from Phoenix, some four thousand miles, to Anchorage. Upon our arrival, the Cloth & Flame and Royal & Design teams would rendezvous and fly the balloon over the great Alaskan frontier. We’d camp, cook and share in campfire tomfoolery along the way. We’d collect our cast as the journey unfolded, and exchange it as the screenplay called fitting. We’d gather the endorsement from our favorite like-minded brands, and set course into the true unknown, unruly and untamed wilderness of the far north. We’d no idea what we were getting into, but as the self-proclaimed crew of the first Survey; Estival Survey, we had done the best we damn could to prepare. Created by Ryan Neal Cordwell & Royal & Design, 2016 Feat. Song For a Girl, "Orem Dugas," Jared & The Mill, 2016

Estival Survey, 2016 (#EstivalSurvey)

Words by Ryan Neal Cordwell (@ryannealcordwell) & S. Cole Kiburz (@coleplay)

Film by Ryan Neal Cordwell (@ryannealcordwell, @royalanddesign)

Photos by Constance Higley (@constancehigley)

Team:

Ryan Neal Cordwell (@ryannealcordwell)

S. Cole Kiburz (@coleplay)

Dylan Brabec (@dylanbrabec)

Constance Higley (@constancehigley)

Michelle Johnson (@meeshalrj)

Brendan McCaskey (@jarofbuttons)

Cheyanne Paredes (cheyp)

Royal & Design (@royalanddesign)

Cloth & Flame (@clothandflame)