The Modern Explorer

Join us for a riveting episode of the Modern Explorer podcast with guest Ross Bernards. We delve into the magnetic allure Colorado exerts on adventurers, igniting their passion for the great outdoors. Ross shares his transformative journey from a life-changing trip to Eastern Utah, where his fascination with canyoneering was sparked. He recounts a harrowing tale from a climb near Arches National P...

Join us on The Modern Explorer Podcast as we dive into captivating tales with special guest Chris Balladarez. Hear about the transformative journey through the Southwest that ignited his passion for travel and photography. Discover the profound impact of a meaningful trip to Patagonia, where Chris, alongside his wife and a talented group of creatives, embarked on a Canon shoot. Be enthralled by hi...

In this episode of the Modern Explorer Podcast, join me as I sit down with Mike Anthony, a seasoned traveler, to delve into his captivating journey across the globe. From his bold decision to leave his job and embark on a 4-6 month exploration of Southeast Asia to his immersive experiences in Portugal and the breathtaking landscapes of Southwest Colorado during fall, Mike's stories are bound to in...

In this episode, join me as I delve into the highlights of my exhilarating 8-day road trip across the breathtaking landscapes of Zion, the Eastern Sierras, and Hanksville. From the vibrant carpets of blooming lupine to the exhilarating rush of whipping my bike through stunning canyons, every moment of this adventure was infused with wonder and discovery. I'll take you along as I recount the sights...

Join us on an enthralling adventure as we laugh over several stories shared by our guest, Ramon Arroyo Jr., from his unforgettable trips to Utah and Iceland. In this captivating episode of The Modern Explorer, Ramon takes us on a vivid exploration of his inaugural creator meetup in Utah, where he found himself among esteemed guests from our previous episodes. Discover how this experience became a...

Join us on The Modern Explorer Podcast as we chat with guest JP Ramirez, a passionate photographer whose exploration of both landscapes and creativity has been deeply influenced by the unique challenges and opportunities of the COVID-19 era. In this episode, JP shares his personal odyssey of discovery ignited by the pandemic, which pushed him to expand his photographic horizons. Through his lens,...

Join us on this exhilarating episode of The Modern Explorer as we sit down with the captivating Forest Funk, a seasoned drone pilot whose journey from the vibrant lights of Alabama casinos to the breathtaking landscapes of California and beyond is nothing short of inspiring. In this episode, Forest takes us back to his early days as a drone pilot in Alabama, recounting how a serendipitous job at a...

Last week marked 1 year of my full-time freelance career. It's been a roller coast ride and has taught me more than I could have ever imagined.    In this episode, I reflect on the adventures from starting off in Utah, to spending two weeks chasing wildflowers, time in the Tetons, a month back east for the foliage, time in Texas, and more recently a trip to Sedona.   The latter half goes into 10 t...

Join us in this captivating episode of The Modern Explorer Podcast as we delve into the thrilling adventures of Clyde Plasencia, a true aficionado of the great outdoors. Clyde takes us on a nostalgic journey, recounting his formative years growing up in Colorado, where his passion for exploration was ignited at a tender age. From attending a transformative camp that introduced him to the wonders o...

Join us for an enchanting episode of the Modern Explorer Podcast as we sit down with Dasha Afanaseva, a passionate outdoor enthusiast and avid photographer. Dasha takes us on a captivating journey through her life's adventures, from idyllic summers in the Ukrainian countryside to transformative experiences in the majestic mountains of Switzerland and Colorado. Discover how Dasha's childhood summer...

In this thrilling episode of the Modern Explorer Podcast, we're joined by the intrepid James Williams, a seasoned road warrior with a passion for adventure and environmental conservation. Get ready for a wild ride as James shares jaw-dropping tales from his epic journeys, including daring exploits behind the wheel of a Geo Metro and a 3-plus week trip in a trusty Prius. Buckle up as James recounts...

Join us on the Modern Explorer Podcast for an exhilarating episode featuring Tristan Sadler, a seasoned adventurer, and passionate storyteller. Tristan takes us on a journey through his lifelong love affair with the great outdoors, shaped by the profound influence of his parents from an early age. Discover how Tristan's adventurous spirit was sparked by childhood escapades in nature, laying the gr...

Join us for an inspiring episode as we sit down with Forest Barkdoll-Weil, a passionate outdoor enthusiast and professional photographer. Forest shares with us his journey of discovery, ignited by his parents who instilled a love for the great outdoors in him from a young age. We delve into how Forest's childhood adventures in nature laid the foundation for his appreciation of the world's beauty,...

Strap in for this riveting conversation with Samer, the intrepid cyclist who's pedaled across continents. From Boston to Ushuaia, he conquered the Americas. Now, fueled by wanderlust, he's on a quest from Norway to South Africa. Join us as we delve into the exhilarating challenges and breathtaking landscapes Samer encounters, revealing the transformative power of long-distance cycling and the boun...

In this episode, I talk about the past month of February and the takeaways from a month of nonstop travel. I share my thoughts on burnout and the seeming competition that travel has become for a lot of us creators. Towards the end of the month, it was starting to feel less exciting and that was devastating for me while spending time skiing in Jackson Hole, a big bucket list item I had been looking...

Beyond excited to have Keegan on the show after a while of trying to coordinate schedules, but it was well worth the wait. The man has been crushing it recently with some inspiring videos on Instagram and plenty of 4Runner adventures on Youtube. We talk about his passion for video that started with a camcorder way back and has never left him since, a recent trip to Iceland and Switzerland, and the...

Get yourself ready for a good one, because Adina brings so much energy and wisdom to this episode that you're going to be ready to run through a wall by the end of it. She is go-getter tackling some very challenging treks and peaks and making them look like nothing. Adina talks about her experiences with summiting Mt. Rainier, trekking through Peru, and her constant push to get herself out challen...

Excited to be sharing this long overdue episode with Julio Diez, an active resident of the Roaring Fork Valley, who is always taking his rigs to the most gnarly terrain in Colorado, Utah, and beyond. He shares how his spark for exploration was closely aligned to when he received his license. He took a trip from New Jersey up to Niagara Falls closely after and then once exposed to the mountains of...

Excited to be sharing this episode with Rebe Dunn, who talks about the impact of spending 7 weeks in the wilderness at the age of 14 and how it formed her love and appreciation for the outdoors. In her young 20's she decided to move to Vail from Dallas for a summer, packing up in 2 days, and then proceeded to spend the next 4 years living in one of Colorado's premiere mountain towns. Rebe also tal...

Stoked to have a CB legend on this episode in Eric Phillips. He shares how his love for the outdoors came at an early age and was amplified when moving from Wisconsin out to Colorado in the middle of college. He has learned to make the most of his beautiful backyard in the West Elks while finding ways to explore it year-round. When he is not found outdoors, he shares how he has found himself invol...

Excited to be sharing this conversation with Pat Abraham, a well-traveled photographer, who shares some stories from some of the more remote areas of the world in Iceland, Socotra, and Namibia. He has seemingly explored every part of Iceland on three trips already with one in the works as he describes the rugged terrain and the natural beauty throughout the country. Listen in for stories from ther...

Brooks has undoubtedly had some of the most culturally enriching travels of anyone I've had on the show. He shares about a trip to Ghana and South Africa that changed his perspective on the world we live in and the possessions many of us take for granted. Experiencing the poverty in these areas opened his eyes to the power of storytelling through his lens. You also might be surprised to hear what...

Excited to be sharing this episode with my cousin, Logan Jones-Wilkins, and somewhat of a new perspective from the stories past guests have been sharing so far. Logan has been able to travel to some beautiful places over the years, with a big thanks to his bike. Recently he got back from a trip to Mexico where he rode his bike with my other cousin, Tully, and some friends through 500 miles of the...

Listen in to this episode with Jesse Leak as he shares how the spark to travel and explore started on a trip to Costa Rica in his early 20's and not until his early 30's when he went on his first backpacking trip where he discovered his love for exploring more remote areas. A few stories we dive into are a trip to Thailand where he had to deal with bike accident to discover a different experience...

Zoe shares how a ski trip with some coworkers to Breck led her to taking a job in Colorado 3 months later and diving into all that Colorado has to offer. She also shares some fun stories from backpacking in Sand Dunes National Park, to her first solo backpack on her 3rd ever backpack trip, and a spontaneous last minute trip change to San Diego. With these stories she emphasizes a few lessons inclu...