The sacred place where life begins

Sponsored by Care2

The 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the last intact landscapes in America. It's a national and global treasure that's home to polar and brown bears, wolves, muskoxen, and many species of fish and migratory birds.

In the language of the Gwich'in people of Alaska and Northern Canada, the Arctic Refuge is “the sacred place where life begins.”

As an explorer journeying to uncover the sacred places of this Earth, this land speaks directly to my heart. But because the 1.2 million acre coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is not protected as wilderness, Big Oil has targeted it and will be driving away the Porcupine caribou herd that has been so vital to the livelihood of the Gwich'in.

Please watch Patagonia's new 15-minute documentary "The Refuge”—a story of two extraordinary Gwich’in women who are fighting for their people’s survival—and the survival of the wild animals that so faithfully bring them life...

If you then feel compelled, please sign the Care2 petition to protect the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling.

#WeAreTheArctic #sponsored

A 700,000 year old volcano and me

Sponsored by Zappos & Blundstone

Needing a sturdy pair of boots to take with me to Iceland last week, I put in an order online for these lace-up beauties and received them directly at my door not even two days later at no extra cost. Hopping between countries all the time and never staying put for more than a few days, I get this special jolt of happiness when I can make things easy for myself and quickly: like buying adventure gear. Zappos is a no-brainer with their year-long return policy and happy staff. I'd just rather minimize the energy I spend inside and instead direct my energy towards the wild outdoors.

And so I did. From jumping into Icelandic puddles to climbing inside singing caves to frolicking around a 700,000 stratovolcano capped by a glorious glacier to walking around the flooded streets of Reykjavik, the boots never flinched. Though I know how well-crafted all my previous Blundstone boots are, these are holding up more than I ever expected - the comfort level is high as always, but the water-friendliness ? That was a wildly pleasant surprise. What's not surprising are the endless compliments I get from friends and strangers. This Zappos x Blundstone boot style in Redwood is a show-stopper.

Let's see where else in the world I can take these babies next. I hear Nepal is amazing in November...