Sidetracked Magazine & Sidetracked Studios

SILENCE OF THE VALLEY Author & photographer: Himanshu Vats Winter in Zanskar Strong winds gushing through the valley broke the silence of my surroundings, and a bitter gust brought the smell of bird faeces to my nostrils. Soon enough I saw the source of the stench: a raven, velvety black and stabbing its distinctive yellow beak in my direction. The smell seemed an insult to its beauty, but the two sides of this creature were indivisible. Then I saw more of the ravens take to the wing – hundreds of them, filling the sky around me. Featured in Voyages - Sidetracked Beyond, published with gestalten https://lnkd.in/g3jE-R2p

EBB & FLOW Quenching an insatiable need for adventure and exploration Words & Photos: Jody MacDonald Location: South Pacific Ocean In 2015, photographer Jody MacDonald was sailing on an 18-meter (60-foot) catamaran, Discovery. Her mission: wandering the world since 2006 on a series of blue-water kitesurfing and surfing journeys, seeking remote wind and waves. She had circled the planet twice. Expedition Cabrinha Quest was their answer to quenching an insatiable need for adventure and exploration. Now Jody was on her way to a remote area of the Society Islands to meet up with renowned surfer and explorer @captainlizclark and her boat Swell. Featured in our book Voyages - Sidetracked Beyond with gestalten https://lnkd.in/g3jE-R2p

No one but a true Aussie will warn you about the flies in the Outback. “You must get yourself a head net for your trip” they’d all say. “It’s three bucks and it will save your life.” they’d say. They would be chuckling as they said this. “Flies are... flying into my buttcrack!” I sing as I squat to relieve myself on a four-inch patch of sandy, crimson dirt nestled between the glossy pebbles of South Australia’s gibber plain. From a Moment article in Sidetracked Volume 17. Story by Katie Visco Location: Australia

CIRCLE OF THE SUN Surf and Snow in the Arctic Story by: Lena Stoffel Written by: Jenny Tough & Alex Roddie Photography: Iñigo Grasset Location: Lofoten Islands The Arctic can make you believe in magic. Perfect white mountains, with pillows of snow and sharp-edged peaks, plunge straight into the deep waters of the Arctic Ocean. When professional skier Lena Stoffel decided to pack up a camper van full of adventure equipment and drive to the Lofoten Islands from Germany with like-minded friends, those were the dreams she had in her mind. Over the coming days, skiing and surfing and exploring, she found peace in the mountains and ocean. In our book Voyages - Sidetracked Beyond, published with gestalten https://lnkd.in/g3jE-R2p

THE ALPINE CARAVAN Words and photography by Bertrand Carlier I’ve come across yaks in caravans in the Himalayas, loaded down with the goods that move through the region. They liven up the bare landscapes of these high plateaus. Their harnesses are often covered in bright colours that make pretty spots in the ochre world of the rocky outcrops. The shepherds who drive them fill the air with their whistles and hoarse cries, encouraging them along steep paths. The yaks move quickly through clouds of dust. They are powerful, they carry substantial loads, and they are indispensable links for trade in these remote areas. I love meeting them, imagining their journeys, getting close to them. In Sidetracked Volume 31. Linked in the Comments 👇

ALASKA IS FOR DREAMERS Thirty steps in a row. Take breather. Start again. Repeat. Tears are running down my face and freeze straight away. This little white hill right in front of me named Kahiltna Horn marks the end of the Cassin Ridge. The end of our climb. A climb paired with overwhelming feelings that I still struggle to put into words. Words & photography Vreni vom Berg In Sidetracked Volume 16. https://lnkd.in/e_xK8DbD

THE LONGEST TRAIN Story & Photography: Jody MacDonald Written By: Andrew Mazibrada Location: Mauritania Flying low over the Sahara, kissing the desert haze rising in shimmering waves, photographer Jody MacDonald wondered how this trip was going to play out. It was 2016. She planned to spend two months exploring Mauritania by camera and surfboard, hopping aboard an ore train through the Sahara Desert on her way to the Atlantic to experience the country as deeply as she could. But two months was never enough. To know a place, to understand its nuances and experience it truly, one must invest time and curiosity, enmeshed and committed. Yet at the same time one must be invisible, emulate the local people, become trusted and transparent. A version of this story was first published in Sidetracked Volume 7, and it now features in Voyages - Sidetracked Beyond, published with gestalten https://lnkd.in/g3jE-R2p

THE LONG RIDE HOME: ACT TWO The Mountains Tamed “And then we just have to ride home through the Carpathians and the Alps,” she said…’ Quentin is mocking me and rightly so. I’m currently stuck on the edge of a forested hill, trying to coax my newly acquired Carpathian pack horse over a pile of dead branches’. Author: Ashley Parsons Photographers: Quentin Boëhm, Ashley Parsons, and Julie Manoukian Location: The Carpathians and Alps This is the second of three stories chronicling the long ride home. Read Act One in Volume 30, and look out for Act Three in Volume 32. https://lnkd.in/eQkhVP24

ANIAKCHAK A Wild Love Story In Sidetracked Volume 17. Story: Shannon McDowell and Graham Zimmerman Written by: Tom Hill Photography by: Forest Woodward Location: Alaska https://lnkd.in/e_xK8DbD

VOLUME 31 - FOREWORD Foreword [excerpt] by Libby Peter Within these handsome pages, which need no gloss to make them shine, are stories of and from the heart. Heroines and heroes all, who see far beyond the obvious. Who recognise their privilege, are humbled by the unfolding of unique situations, however great or small, and resurface ‘sea drunk and lighter’. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of doing justice to these fine authors and photographers, I lay down my pen. I need air. A soft drizzle has settled in, delicate enough to jewel the cobwebs and grasses at my feet. The slightest of breezes ripples through; nothing more than a quiver, but enough to set a trillion quicksilver droplets in motion. I crouch to admire this tiny treasure trove. My heart quickens. Suddenly I see it – a path, made obvious only by the absence of jewels. A fur-clad thief has recently passed this way, I’m sure of it. Who would it be? Cat? Fox? Maybe a bear cub! I smile. The throb in my temples subsides. Already I am calmer. And lighter. Spending time amidst the luminous folds of Volume 31 has been the tonic I didn’t realise I needed. Perhaps you need it too? Sidetracked is devoted to #adventure #expeditions #exploration