Some others have already given their thoughts about the recent announcement of the end of National Geographic Adventure magazine, but I thought I might as well toss in my two cents.

I’ve been reading NGA for the past few years but it wasn’t until the announced demise that I began to realize what a “love/hate” relationship I had with the magazine. On the one hand, I truly looked forward to walking into my local newsstand and grabbing the latest copy. I loved their byline: “Dream It. Plan It. Do It.” On the other hand, after flipping through the pages, probably reading a single article, and putting it aside, I’d be left somewhat disappointed. Coming back to it a few days later, flipping through it again to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything, and sure enough, I’d confirm that there simply wasn’t anything that truly inspired me.  At least not enough to buy a plane ticket, book a trip somewhere, or hit the road to some new destination.

So the question remains–why did I continue to buy it and why was I disappointed to hear of its end. The best I can tell, it’s just the lack of material dedicated to the general outdoor enthusiast and active traveler.  The racks are full of magazines for the professional sports fan and specific activities (running, cycling, skiing, etc.) are well represented as well.  I looked to NGA, however, to fill the void for the outdoor enthusiast and adventurer (or at least adventurer-wannabe).  I wanted it to inspire me to get off the couch and follow in some author’s footsteps.  I suppose the problem was how to strike a balance between interesting and inspirational articles for the “average Joe” versus those that were so far “out there” that nobody could relate.

For the time-being, I’ll get my newsstand fix with my monthly copy of Outside but more and more I find myself flipping through the pages of the various magazines and, after a few minutes, putting them back on the shelf.  Most of my craving for outdoor information and entertainment, as is for most of you, coming from the Internet. I’m not sure that bodes well for the outdoor oriented publishing industry. With the recent announcement of Outside Magazine’s TV channel, I wish them the best of luck.  But I’m not holding my breath for them to be around very long either.  At least we’ve got Twitter.