Where are all the stories of Black adventurers? This outdoorsman's mission is to find them

LOS ANGELES — Have you heard about the Buffalo Soldiers, Black servicemen who served as some of our very first park rangers? Or the cyclist who attempted to bike to the South Pole? What about the French alpinist who could’ve been one of the best in the world, had he not died tragically on the highest peak in South America?

I didn’t know any of these stories until I spoke with James Edward Mills, 56, who started the Joy Trip Project in 2009 to cover the people and culture of the outdoor recreation industry, and to unearth buried stories, especially of adventurers of color.

A Los Angeles native who now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, Mills is a journalist and author with a long list of outdoor accomplishments. As a backpacking and rock climbing instructor for Cal Adventures at UC Berkeley, Mills has taught his students rope handling, anchor placement, rappelling, top roping and multi-pitch lead climbing