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Mark Jenkins (1) (1962–)

Author of Off the Map: Bicycling Across Siberia

For other authors named Mark Jenkins, see the disambiguation page.

7+ Works 446 Members 7 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Mark Jenkins lives in Laramie, Wyoming, with his wife and two daughters. The adventure columnist for Outside magazine, Jenkins journeys to the most difficult and dangerous places on the planet every month. Formerly the investigative editor for Men's Health, Jenkins has also written for GQ, Playboy, show more Conde Nast Traveler, Backpacker, Reader's Digest, and The Washington Post show less

Works by Mark Jenkins

Associated Works

The Best American Travel Writing 2005 (2005) — Contributor — 223 copies, 1 review
The Best American Travel Writing 2006 (2006) — Contributor — 222 copies, 1 review
The Best American Travel Writing 2004 (2004) — Contributor — 192 copies, 2 reviews
The Best American Travel Writing 2012 (2012) — Contributor — 122 copies, 2 reviews
National Geographic Magazine 2015 v228 #3 September (2015) — Contributor — 23 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Jenkins, Mark
Birthdate
1962
Gender
male
Education
University of Wyoming, B.A., philosophy
University of Wyoming, M.S., geography
Occupations
freelance journalist
adventurer
Awards and honors
American Alpiine Club Literary Award for excellence in alpine literature, 2003
McGaw/Hull Endowed Chair in Literature, University of Wyoming, 2002
W.A.C. Literature Fellowship, 1986, 1989
Polartec Explorers Award, 1990, 1998
Short biography
Mark Jenkins (1) is a critically acclaimed author, internationally recognized adventurer and the monthly columnist for Outside magazine .
For the past six years, Jenkins' column, The Hard Way , has explored the meaning and joy of the physical, outdoor life. From clandestine journeys across Tibet to mountaineering in Bolivia, sea kayaking around Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula to canyoneering in Australia, Jenkins covers the globe in search of adventure, history and human understanding. Jenkins' story about his secret journeys into Burma, “Ghost Road,” was selected by Pico Iyer for inclusion in The Best American Travel Writing of 2003. ( Outside magazine, circulation 700,000, readership 2.2 milllion, is the only magazine in history to win three consecutive National Magazine Awards for General Excellence.) A resident of Wyoming since the age of seven, Jenkins does expeditions into the world's last remote regions. Hallmarks include the 2nd American ascent of Mt. Xixabangma, Tibet (1984), the U.S. Everest North Face Expedition (1986), the 1st ascent of the highest peaks in the Arctic Circle (1988), the 1st coast-to-coast crossing of the former Soviet Union by bicycle (1989), the 1st descent of the Niger River headwaters, West Africa (1991), the 1st ascent of the Peak Rawu, Tibet (1993), first ascent of the South Face of Mt. Waddington, Canada (1995) and the first ascent of the West Face Direct of Margherita, the highest peak in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
Mark Jenkins lives in Laramie, Wyoming with his wife, Sue Ibarra, and two daughters, Addi and Teal.
Nationality
USA
Places of residence
Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Associated Place (for map)
Wyoming, USA

Members

Reviews

7 reviews
Have you ever read any travel/adventure and thought, "Wow this would be amazing if half of it were true!" I mean no disrespect to the author; this book is that good (and all true, I'm sure). It is macho, maudlin, sappy, gutsy, inspirational and exciting.

The stories start out slowly (the chapter on hitchhiking however, was particularly good) and seem to pick up in intensity. Then the last story involves the author taking children (some barely past toddler stage) rock climbing. Upon show more interview, they come up with some sage advice: Go fast. Don't whine. Do your best.

Great advice.
show less
I enjoyed some descriptions of homes and towns and people in West Africa. I was less interested in the story of 4 guys from Wyoming seeking adventure. The gratuitous sexualized descriptions of women are odd and dated.
Jenkins is one of the greatest "outdoor" writers I've come across. He used to write a column for Outside magazine called "The Hard Way," so now you know where he got the title.
I think "Ghost Road," which is about some of his experiences in Burma/Myanmar, is easily one of the top ten most affecting things I've ever read.
Everything post-Siberia (ie - the rest of Russia) is given a single chapter. The prose overshadows the events relayed.

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Ida Treat Contributor
Alan J. Villiers Contributor
Herbert Corey Contributor
Robert F Griggs Contributor
Edward Keith-Roach Contributor
Mary Irene Curzon Contributor
Carl Akeley Contributor
Robert W. Imbrie Contributor
Vladimir Zenzinov Contributor
Harold F. Weston Contributor
William J. Morden Contributor
Owen Tweedy Contributor
Eliza Skidmore Contributor
Melvin A. Hall Contributor
Albert W. Stevens Contributor
Ernest G. Holt Contributor
Samuel F. Harby Contributor
Ilia Tolstoy Contributor
Frank Kingdon-Ward Contributor
Ruth Robertson Contributor
Ross Smith Contributor
Thor Heyerdahl Contributor
Virginia Hamilton Contributor
Theodore Roosevelt Contributor
William Beebe Contributor
Owen Lattimore Contributor
William Mitchell Contributor
George Kennan Contributor
Leonard Clark Contributor
Richard E. Byrd Contributor
Mabel Cook Cole Contributor
Henri de Monfreid Contributor
Edmund Hillary Contributor
James C. Wilson Contributor
Felix Shay Contributor
Luis Marden Contributor
Simon Winchester Introduction

Statistics

Works
7
Also by
6
Members
446
Popularity
#54,978
Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
7
ISBNs
82
Languages
3
Favorited
1

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