Matson Adventure Media

MATSON ADVENTURE MEDIA ....... writing and photography inspired by the wild places of the world

Friends of Matson Adventure Media

One of our favorite places in the world is the little mountain town of Stanley, Idaho. Located in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in central Idaho, Stanley is surrounded by stunning mountains and natural beauty in every direction. The Sawtooth Mountains rise west of town in a series of pink and gray granite spires, ramparts, and ridges. The mountains draw hikers, rock climbers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and boaters to play in the shadow of their splendor. East of Stanley are the White Cloud Mountains, a range with a less dramatic skyline, but equal opportunity for quality recreation. World class mountain biking can be had in the White Clouds on trails like the Fisher Creek Trail, which loops 18 miles through the ghostly moonscape of a recently charred lodgepole pine forest on handsomely buffed singletrack. The headwaters of the Salmon River pour out of these two mountain ranges, flow through Stanley and head north towards their eventual confluence with the Snake and Columbia Rivers. Along the way they offer exciting whitewater as they drop through a narrow canyon dotted with easily accessible hot springs and historic mining ghost towns. In summer of 2006 we both worked for Jared and Roni Hopkinson, owners of the Sawtooth Adventure Company, who offer guided whitewater day trips rafting on the headwaters of the Salmon and multi-day rafting on the Main Salmon further downstream. Book trips at www.sawtoothadventure.com.

Washington Trails Association

The Washington Trails Association is a non-profit organization in Seattle that works to keep trails open to hikers in the state of Washington. Their efforts in both maintaining trails and spreading the word about hiking are a big part of what makes Washington’s backcountry trail system so good. Their monthly magazine was where Mike’s photos were first published in their annual Northwest Exposure Photo Contest. Since then Mike has contributed photos and stories to the Washington Trails magazine. Check out the Washington Trails Association website at www.wta.org.

Brien Wood, Couples and Family Psychotherapy

Brien Wood has been a trusted friend and adventure partner of mine since the early days of high school. We explored the Olympics and North Cascades together on a litany of early backpacking trips. As adults we maintained our sanity through the soggy Northwest winters by skiing deep powder at Stevens Pass in the Washington Cascades. The walls of Brien’s office also double as a Matson Adventure Media gallery space. Visit Brien’s site at www.brienwood.com.

Elena Gvozdeykova

Elena Gvozdeykova and Sonja met while Sonja was working as a Peace Corps volunteer in the town of Sliven, Bulgaria. The two became fast friends and adventure companions rock climbing on the Bulgaria’s crags and caving in the country's subterrianean caverns. When we returned in the fall of 2006 to visit and travel in Bulgaria we teamed up with Elena and climbed on the gray limestone of cliffs of Vrasta, the Blue Cliffs above Sliven, and the unique “practice” wall on the side of a rock tower on the Chateau Alpia Hotel. Elena’s enthusiasm for climbing was undeniable even though she had to constantly recruit new climbing partners because the climbing scene in Sliven is so small. Check out Elena’s blog at http://tourroundtheworld.blogspot.com.