Ancient rituals and first ascents: Travels in the Himalaya with Luke Smithwick.

Send us a textIn this episode of Whiskey and a Map, award winning journalist and author Jacques Leslie recounts his years as a war correspondent covering the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia and the Indira Gandhi crises in India. At the age of 24, Jacques Leslie became a Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent, and covered the war in Vietnam and Cambodia for two years. For that work he won the Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for foreign correspondence and an Overseas Press Club citation. He began writing about environmental issues two decades ago, and won numerous awards including the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for the “elegant, beautiful prose” of his 2005 book on dams, Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment. Now a Los Angeles Times contributing opinion writer, he is working on a book about the Klamath River basin on the California-Oregon border. Support Michael's work by visiting MichaelReinhartPhotography.comFollow Jacques at  jacquesleslie.com Hosted by Michael J. ReinhartMichaelJReinhart.comWhiskey and a Map:  Stories of Adventure and Exploration. #Vietnamwar #vietnam #warcorrespondent #Cambodia #JacquesLeslie

Send us a textIn this episode, we are joined by Danish adventurer, documentarian and speaker Rasmus Krath.  Rasmus ventures solo into some of the most dangerous places on the planet armed only with camera and the ability to connect with and gain the trust of the people who live there.   His adventures have taken him into active war zones of Afghanistan to meet local warlords and across lawless Somalia to interview pirates. His latest expedition takes him across the most dangerous jungle in the world- The Darien Gap of Central America- where he traveled with human smugglers and migrants to document their journey as they suffered the dangers of the jungle and the criminal gangs praying upon them. Support Michael's work at MichaelReinhartPhotography.comFollow Rasmus at https://www.rasmuskrath.dk/https://www.instagram.com/rasmus_krath/https://www.facebook.com/rasmus.krath.3/Hosted by Michael J. ReinhartMichaelJReinhart.comWhiskey and a Map:  Stories of Adventure and Exploration.#Afghanwarlords #Afghanistan  #somaliapirates #Adventure #AdventureStories #migrants #wildlife #wildlifephotography #DarienGap #trueadventurestories #immigration 

Send us a textFacing down grizzly bears, charging mountain gorillas and a solo cross country ski crossing of Yellowstone in winter, are just some of the adventures award winning wildlife photographer Tom Murphy shares with us in this episode of Whiskey and a Map.Tom uses his photography to illustrate his passion for the remaining wild places on our earth. Yellowstone National Park’s wildlife and landscapes are the special focus of Tom’s work. A talented naturalist and gifted lecturer, Tom has traveled the United States presenting the wonders of nature captured in his photographic slide shows.Tom Murphy is featured in a PBS Nature film, “Christmas in Yellowstone” which is shown every Christmas worldwide. His photography is in private, public, and museum collections around the world. He has produced seven books including the Seasons of Yellowstone, a four volume set.Tom serves on the board of the Yellowstone Park Foundation and the Park County Environmental Council.Tom donates his work to conservation organizations to help in preserving wildlife and wild land. Much of the photography in the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center in Yellowstone Park was donated by Tom for educational use by the National Park Service.Please support this podcast and Michael's work at MichaelReinhartPhotography.com Follow Tom Murphy at his website tmurphywild.comHosted by Michael J. ReinhartMichaelJReinhart.comWhiskey and a Map:  Stories of Adventure and Exploration.#Yellowstone #Adventure #AdventureStories #grizzlybears #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Send us a textIn this episode, Katie Aune takes on a adventure far off the typical tourist track, from riding the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia and taking a cargo ferry from Ukraine to Georgia, to volunteering in Tajikistan and camping in the desert of Turkmenistan.  Katie is a recovering tax attorney who has worked in nonprofit and higher ed fundraising for more than a decade while also dabbling in travel blogging and writing. Born and raised in Minnesota, Katie is currently based in Washington, D.C. Despite not traveling overseas for the first time until she was 25, she has been to 70 countries and all seven continents. She is the author of Finding Katya: How I Quit Everything to Backpack the Former Soviet States, a travel memoir that chronicles her 13-month adventure through the former Soviet Union. Please support this podcast and Michael's work at Michaelreinhartphotography.com Follow Katie at her website katieaune.comHosted by Michael J. ReinhartMichaelJReinhart.comWhiskey and a Map:  Stories of Adventure and Exploration.#Russia #Adventure #AdventureStories

Send us a textDescribed by some as a never ending green hell and by others as the most beautiful bio diverse place on the planet, the jungles of Panama attract the best and the worst of mankind.  In this episode, conservation photographer Joshua Asel recounts his adventure into the jungles of Panama’s Darian gap to embed with the indigenous tribal rangers and support their efforts to counter large scale poaching of wildlife and timber on their lands.  Joshua is an award-winning wildlife conservation photographer and certified Marine Ecology Naturalist, with a photographic emphasis on coastal and marine habitats, birds of prey, and threatened/endangered species and national parks. He is an Emerging Member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a Board Member of the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County, the Global Editor and Manager of the Global Parks Network at Global Conservation, a member of the Ethics Committee for the North American Nature Photography Association, and is sponsored by Think Tank Photo.  While in Panama, Joshua became an Honorary Tribe Member of the Naso Indigenous People for his work helping them document their culture and patrolling with their rangers. His current main project revolves around critically endangered California condor conservation, with focused efforts to establish a new home base in Sonoma County for the Condor Recovery Program. He's also appeared on multiple judging panels, advised on mountain lion safety for land trusts, and acted as a consultant and principal photographer to help establish a new redwood forest preserve in Healdsburg, California.  Joshua’s stories and images have appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Defenders of Wildlife, Whalebone Magazine, The New York Times, Hakai Magazine, Alaska Airlines Magazine, The Press Democrat, NANPA Expressions, and several scholarly articles, among others. Please support this podcast and Michael's work at Michaelreinhartphotography.com Host:  Adventure Journalist Michael J. Reinharthttps://michaeljreinhart.comFollow Joshua at  https://www.joshasel.com/Whiskey and a Map PodcastStories of Adventure and Exploration as told by those who lived them.#counter-poaching #anti-poaching #rangers #conservationphotography #trueadventurestories #dariangap #panama #worldsmostdangerousjungle

Send us a textThe most dangerous exploration is cave diving.  Dive deep into the earth’s underwater caves, see creatures no one has seen before, stories of Mayan sacrifices and explore the oracle that set Alexander the Great on his world conquests with our guest Jill Heinerth.Jill Heinerth is a cave diver, photographer, writer and filmmaker. Jill has explored unmapped, underwater caves deep in the earth, as well as the submerged crevices of the world’s largest iceberg. She has seen hidden creatures and life forms that have never been before.  More people have been on the moon than to places where Jill has explored. Jill has made TV programs for the CBC, BBC, National Geographic, consulted on movies for directors including James Cameron and produced independent films. Over 2.5 million people have learned about climate change, water advocacy, and exploration by viewing Jill’s TED Talks. Jill was awarded Fellowships from numerous institutions including the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, Women Diver’s Hall of Fame, National Speleological Society, WINGS WorldQuest, and Explorers Club, which honored her with the William Beebe Award. The Wall Street Journal, Oprah, and New York Times lauded Jill’s best-selling books Into the Planet and The Aquanaut. In 2024, Running Cloud Productions of Australia is releasing a feature documentary, Diving Into The Darkness, about Jill's remarkable adventures. Jill serves as a tireless advocate for conservation, climate change, and water resource protection. She works toward creating awareness and inspiring action through her writing, photography, films, social media, podcasts, and speaking engagements. Please support this podcast and Michael's work at Michaelreinhartphotography.com Follow Jill at  IntoThePlanet.com Hosted by Michael J. ReinhartMichaelJReinhart.com #cavediving #diving #underwaterexploration #womenexplorers #adventure #travel #stories

Send us a textLuke Smithwick shares stories of his travels and adventures in the Himalayan mountains.  The dangers of climbing remote and unclimbed peaks, witness to ancient mask dances and blood sacrifice, and an encounter with the rare snow leopard.Luke Smithwick is an American professional skier, alpinist and mountain guide in the Himalaya with 98 Himalayan expeditions in the past 13 years. He is focused on the unclimbed and unskied in the Himalaya and hasn't repeated an expedition since he started climbing and skiing full time there in 2010. Formerly he worked as an environmental biologist and archaeologist in Alaska so his approach on expeditions isn't just about climbing summits and first ski descents, focusing on the cultures and natural history in each specific expedition. He lives at home in Teton valley, Idaho with his dog Wolfie when he isn't on expedition. Having done eight to nine Himalayan expeditions every year since 2010, that is not very often. Please support this podcast and Michael's work at Michaelreinhartphotography.com Follow Luke at his website lukesmithwick.com and at his Facebook page.facebook.com/himalayaslukesmithwick Hosted by Michael J. ReinhartAdventure Journalist MichaelJReinhart.com An adventure and exploration podcast #travel #travelstories #outdooradventure #mountaineering #skimountaineering #adventuretravel

Send us a text Walking the length of Africa's Zambezi river, explorer Chaz Powell entered a small village and saw something that he will never forget. Witchcraft, the exorcism of a demonic spirit and the heavy presence of evil. A strange but true story as told by one who lived it. Chaz Powell is an Explorer, Expedition Leader and Survival Guide. Recognized as Explorer of the Year 2021 by the Scientific Exploration Society His ongoing project ‘The Wildest Journey’ is all about his explorations by foot along Africa's wildest rivers with an aim to raise awareness for wildlife conservation and anti poaching. In his full episode on the podcast Whiskey and a Map, Chaz shares his experiences exploring wild Africa. Charged by elephants, imprisoned by villagers, suffering extreme dehydration and encounters with witchcraft, Chaz has ventured to places where few outsiders have ever been. Follow Chaz on his website TheWildestJourney.com The podcast Whiskey and a Map is hosted by Michael J. Reinhart True stories of adventure and exploration as told by those who lived them. MichaelJReinhart.com An adventure and Exploration Podcast 

Send us a text George Kourounis is an explorer, storm chaser & TV presenter who has spent 25 years documenting extreme forces of nature and natural phenomena worldwide including tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, floods, and the effects of climate change. He holds the title of National Geographic Explorer, Explorer In Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and served the maximum term as the Canadian Chapter Chair of the Explorers Club. Best known for having hosted the TV series “Angry Planet” he also co-hosted “Storm Hunters” for The Weather Network and is a regular on-camera contributor for “Strange Evidence” & “What On Earth?” on Science Channel. He’s appeared in programs for National Geographic, Discovery, Smithsonian Channel, Netflix, most of the major TV networks, and is frequently invited to comment about global weather & natural disasters by CNN, BBC, CBC, and other news outlets. George earned a Guinness World Record for being the first person to ever set foot at the bottom of the Darvaza “Doorway To Hell” flaming gas crater in remote Turkmenistan, the project was funded by a National Geographic science grant and was also filmed for Nat Geo television. He has documented changes to melting permafrost in Siberia, sea level rise in Tuvalu, shifting tornado & hurricane patterns in North America, wildfires in Australia, and melting polar ice. In 2014 he was awarded the Stefansson Medal from the Explorers Club Canadian Chapter "For outstanding contribution to science and to public education by documenting extreme environments through filmmaking.” In 2020 was awarded the Leif Erikson Exploration Award from the Exploration Museum in Iceland. Please support this podcast and Michael's work at Michaelreinhartphotography.com Follow George atwww.furiousearth.com [email protected] Hosted by Michael J. Reinhart MichaelJReinhart.com An Adventure and Exploration Podcast 

Send us a textBrandon Wilson is  Award winning travel writer, long distance trekker and peace pilgrim.   “Travel is like a mirror held up against the world. It gives us a different perspective on life. And if we hold it just right, we might catch a glimmer of our own soul.” Brandon Wilson Brandon Wilson is an award-winning author, explorer and peace pilgrim. Brandon was awarded the prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold Award for best travel book and is an International Fellow of the Explorers Club. He has trekked more than 12,000 kilometers in his search for meaning and enlightenment.Get Brandon's books here:  https://brandonwilsonauthor.com/pt-wp/all-my-books/. Follow Brandon at brandonwilsonauthor.com Hosted by Michael J. Reinhart Adventure PhotoJournalistmichaeljreinhart.com An Adventure and Exploration Podcast