The experience of leafing through a magazine printed on high-quality stock and soaking in full-page, color photos paired with a richly told story is one of the sublime experiences in life. Alas, that experience has become less and less available. The reasons why are numerous: Paper costs skyrocketed and advertising revenue evaporated and after that what was left were margins so narrow that it would be easier to drive a Humvee down a bike path than to build a working business model for a print publication.
That’s a dark note to open on, but I mean to frame my respect for what Stephen Casimiro has accomplished with his skeleton crew at Adventure Journal. Back in the early 2000s, while Cas was Editor at Bike and Powder, I was publishing Asphalt Magazine, a super-premium independent, which is to say I have first-hand knowledge what a struggle it is to make a magazine in the 21st century. What he has done is remarkable, in part because he has cultivated an ethos that feels authentic in a way few publications do anymore.
The latest issue of Adventure Journal, #33, contains a feature I wrote, “A Trip From Bottom to Top.” It’s the tale of my pursuit of flow and how when my flow tap nearly ran dry, I spiraled into depression. In a strange twist of fate, it was my interest in the neuroscience of flow that ultimately led me to work with psychedelics in my pursuit of a lasting treatment. Cas took a chance with this; not many publishers want to tell stories like this. I’m grateful that he gave me this opportunity, and that he chose photographer Brian Vernor to capture the beauty of road riding in Malibu—where the story takes flight—stands as fine a compliment to my work as he might utter.
If you’re not already aware, you won’t find Adventure Journal at Barnes and Noble or any other newsstand. That’s because sending 40,000 copies to the shredder at the end of the month isn’t viable for business—or the planet. To see it, you need to visit a friend or subscribe.
So here’s my pitch: We depend on you for our existence, but I’m here to advocate for AJ. I mean, Cas went to bat for me as a writer; that matters. The writing in AJ is uniformly terrific. The photography is lush and it’s printed on stock that will last for 100 years. I can promise you that you’ll find more than my feature in #33 to love.
OK, big plug for AJ here. I’ve been an AJ fan for years before the mag, and subscribed to the mag when it came out in ’16. This is top notch stuff with excellent stories and fantastic photos. The passion in AJ is obvious.
We’re on a two-month road trip right now, in the Michigan UP now and headed to Door County WI. Luckily, I got the latest AJ right before we left and I have barely touched it, yet. Hey, it’s still light out at 10 PM here! Anyways, looking forwa5d to reading your story, Patrick.
Forgot to mention: AJ just got a nice write-up in the NYTimes.
In a Digital Age, High-End Outdoors Magazines Are Thriving in Print https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/business/media/outdoors-print-magazines.html?smid=nytcore-android-share