First off, if you haven’t read through RANGE Magazine Issue Two yet, you can find the full issue on our site, and we won’t blame you if you flip directly to the final story to begin. The latest edition of the mag ends with a beautifully composed trail tale titled “Half My Heart Condor,” written by Jeff Thrope, the knowledgeable founder of Cold Splinters, and illustrated by Obi Kaufmann, Juniper Ridge intrinsic storyteller and California painter.
Together, Jeff and Obi created a powerful narrative that speaks to our natural emotional connection to the outdoors. We decided to go a little deeper and chat with Jeff about his experience working on this story for RANGE Magazine.
Q. Could you tell us more about the trip that inspired the “Half My Heart Condor” story?
A. The part of the trip that I wrote about took place in Big Sur, en route back to Oakland. I was there with my friends from Juniper Ridge on the first of countless trips we’ve taken together. We were collecting some wild plants for a cologne they were making.
Q. How would you describe the story?
A. I have this really big painting that my friend in the story, Obi, sent me after that trip that says “Half My Heart Condor.” When Jeanine asked me to write something, I looked at that painting, pulled out my notebook from three years ago, and decided it would be fun to write a morose camping story. I don’t get that opportunity too often.
Q. What components of nature are you most drawn to?
A. Putting on my backpack and turning off my brain while I hike is the ultimate relaxation. I’m not sure if there’s a certain component of nature that I can pinpoint, but when your body hurts from a long day of walking and you sit down to eat some lukewarm Indian food in a pouch, you know you’ve done something right. At least, that’s what I think.
Q. How did Obi influence this piece?
A. As mentioned before, Obi was my friend in the story. He was there on the ridge with me, so if he wasn’t going to illustrate it, no one was. He’s one of my closest friends in the entire world, family even. He’s my cousin. He gets “it.”
xx Sydney