Letting Go

What are you holding on to? Will travel strengthen your grip? Or reveal the need to release?

In the spring 2019 issue of Hidden Compass, we bring you stories about letting go.

For our written feature and Human and Nature story, Brandon McWilliams ventures on a month-long mountaineering excursion in Washington’s Northern Cascades. Along the way, he confronts the mental health crisis of his generation and finds out whether it’s possible to escape A Constant Push for Perfection.

The cowboys of Eastern Oregon are the subjects of our beautiful Portrait Photo Feature. Letting go is not always a choice, a fact that strikes Kim F. Stone as she rides among The Great Basin Buckaroos who herd cattle in a challenging landscape. Her images give us a glimpse of their fading livelihood.

In Beloved Objects, Jeff Greenwald sets out on a Quest to break his attachment to the physical world by giving up his most treasured possessions collected from decades of travel. Accompanying his two object vignettes are a pair of painted illustrations by Mary-Ellen Thomas.

Under fire, Victoria Sanderson lets go of her comfortable distance from the violent legacy of one of Colombia’s cocaine kingpins. Her Chasing Demons story, Indefensible Escobar, is a captivating showcase of adrenaline, giddiness, and wickedness.

Finally, on a Dark Train to Cusco, Chase Nelson takes us on a Time Travel journey from the heights of Machu Picchu’s civilization to the depths of a modern-day rescue mission. Along the ride, he confronts questions of life and death.

As always, we extend our deepest gratitude to our readers, who share our dream of powerful storytelling, and to our contributors, who send us stories worth sharing.

Yours in wanderlust,
Sabine Bergmann and Sivani Babu, Hidden Compass Co-Founders
Liz Shemaria, Hidden Compass Editor-at-Large