1st Edition Printed Mag Available

We successfully started printing magazines in addition to publishing online. Our first shot at it looks great! I can't wait to get my hands on later editions. We figured it would be cool to offer this first edition to the public on a limited basis to make owning this 1st issue more special to those that hop on the Uncharted bandwagon early. Not only will you be able to immerse yourself in the Uncharted while you're on the computer, but now you can have stories and visuals in the palm of your hand! Here's what the Feb 08 edition cover looks like:




This is a real basic, short, barebones start, but the longer we keep hacking at it the better it will get.

If you'd like to purchase a special 1st edition Uncharted magazine, send a blank e-mail to firstprint@uncharted.net and we'll respond with ordering instructions.

Update on the bigger picture: We have some great interns helping us design the core functionality of the future site. We had a great meeting last week to discuss how we want to make it easier for the users to navigate our site's future content. Our designer, Andrew, created an awesome site map for us. Everything is chugging along.

Uncharted Unleashed!

We did it!


We set out to get Uncharted public in 2007. In mid December, we met that goal by showing our families and friends and getting search engines to crawl the site. We also executed limited testing during the summer (thank you to everyone who helped with that), but now the whole world can visit http://www.uncharted.net/ to jouney with us. Here's a snapshot of what the site looks like:







Take some time to check it out and let us know what you think. There are features on Alligators in Idaho, hiking the Jewel Basin in Montana, Geocacheing, and more.


We've kept our momentum since the public release in December. We released as http://www.uncharted.us/ but have since acquired the .net URL. Now we're focusing on the next phase, which will make it easier for you to upload content. Slowly but surely the word is getting out and we're making more contacts that are interested in this project. Its been really exciting and I hope I can update you more often.


The biggest thing we need right now is to get the word out about the site and to get everyone's feedback. Some of you have given us some great inputs and we wouldn't be where we are without it. The nice thing about the web is that you can always change and adapt.

I must admit though, that turning an idea into reality on the web is not always the easiest cup of tea to drink! Still, when you look back to my earlier post that shows where we've come from, it truly is exciting.

Logo competition - win $100 to spend at REI

We need a logo with an "exploration" feel to it. Better yet, something that screams explore, live life, and being immersed, using all the senses. Something that goes with the name Uncharted nicely. It needs emotion. It needs to reflect the feeling you have hiking around Colorado, biking in New Mexico, hang gliding off a cliff in Idaho, etc.. and not just seeing, but also hearing, feeling, smelling, all the senses.

We've had a lot of trouble coming up with something that wraps up the emotion we want to communicate. No, its been a nightmare. Easily the toughest time I've ever had when helping develop an effective logo. Maybe you have our solution. Call it begging, fine. We need a frigg'n logo!

Just reply to this message and post an image or link for your proposal, or shoot us an e-mail. The winner of the proposal will get a $100 gift certificate to REI.


I'm excited to see what you might propose. Good luck!

Uncharted programming underway

Now the tough part... programming! We've been discovering how cool it is to come up with great ideas, but also how painfully challenging it is to translate those ideas into reality. Especially with some of the challenges Joomla presents to the non-techies on the team (ahem.. that would be me). The learning curve is steep but everyday we're making progress bit by bit. Sweet persistence.

Our programmer is the bread and our designer is the butter of this creation. (Note - our designer would really dig that analogy since he is a food maniac and we're all expecting he'll be our lead contributor to the food section.) Our fate rests in their hands! I'm sure they'll introduce themselves here eventually, but for right now they are pretty busy plugging away and its no easy task.

Here's their first concept for the framework of the new design. Nostalgic! We've already improved upon this, but we're mostly sticking with what you see as the foundation.


Now just imagine all the spaces filled with picturesque scenes of mountains, trails, ski slopes and off the beaten path surprises, and bam! You have a better idea what it will look like. I know, I know. Pretty lame to ask you to imagine. All I can say is its coming and I'm just as anxious as you, and hey, I didn't have to post any of this to start with.

Sneak Peak Teaser - pics and audio

Here's something that we threw together to give a sneak peak at some of the photos and type of content we'll be posting later this year in the new release. It takes a little while to load. We have figured out how to make sure content like this loads much faster, so no worries for our future content.


My favorite part of the teaser is the photo and audio from the Wind Caves located in Logan Canyon, Utah. Other photos were taken at the Snake River & Shoshone Falls, Idaho, and Great Salt Lake and Bear Lake, Utah. I wish I could take as good of pics as some of these guys on our team. I'm just the communications guy... anything I take that is good happens purely by luck!

Enjoy the teaser!

And by all means let me know what you think so far.

Let the Adventure Begin!

...or, let it begin again. Over a year ago someone talked me into helping build a website for people that like the outdoors, active lifestyle, and the likes. That person was my friend who is a Pulitzer finalist. This same friend talks me into doing a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't do, like going on trips to Nicaragua. Yes. I was hesitant despite his professional background. Interestingly, the idea actually started up as a printed publication, and here we are one year later paying a programmer to build an innovative website.

So now its time to start a new adventure... to share the Uncharted adventure with everyone. Everything about the site was designed to help people like us explore new places and experiences, share those experiences with others, and highlight the magnificence of some of the greatest places in the world. We first published Uncharted back in 2006, and have since then been working on more improvements. Uncharted's 2007 revision will be awesome and I'm amazed how incredible this team is.

I'll keep you posted on this adventure every step of the way. As a brief intro, I'm the Communications Director and a founding member of Great Divide Media, LLC, and I work full time in an International Affairs career. I graduated from Utah State University in Logan UT with a BA in Communications and minors in International Studies and Chinese... and yes, I do speak Chinese. I've traveled to over 30 nations on 4 continents. I worked as a Media Relations Rep for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. I am a licensed pilot, and way too many hobbies to list. Name one and I bet I do it or at least am willing to try! That's me.

Going back to Nicaragua... in the end it turned out to be a blast. We took the risk of going to a crazy place, discovered places that hardly anyone knows about, and now the experiences are priceless. That's exactly why I'm spending countless hours helping to build Uncharted. I hope I can help other people find great friends and info like I've been able to which make life an adventure. Stay plugged in here and I'll keep you posted on our happenings. Come back and visit this blog and share it with any of your friends who might be interested. I look forward to meeting all of you!