Mark Jenkins - 1982

Author and magazine columnist

Mark Jenkins wrote a monthly adventure travel column for Outside magazine called "The Hard Way" for seven years,  publishing his last column in October 2006. He is also the author of three non-fiction books about his outdoor adventures all over the world, The Hard Way, To Timbuktu, and Off the Map. Jenkins is now the global correspondent for Rodale Press and his fourth book, A Man's Life, is due to be released in fall 2007.

Jenkins has done expeditions into the world's last remote   regions, including the U.S. Everest North Face Expedition (1986), the first ascent of the highest peaks in the Arctic Circle (1988), the first coast-to-coast crossing of the former Soviet Union by bicycle (1989), and the first descent of the Niger River headwaters in West Africa.

Jenkins' positions before writing for Outside magazine include working as a freelance journalist in Africa for Time and as adventure/investigative editor for Men's Health. 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. His writing and photography have appeared in several publications.

Jenkins completed his M.S. in geography at the University of Wyoming. He lives in Laramie with his wife and two daughters.

Photo courtesy of UWyo magazine