August 29th, 2009 by admin

We’ll stick with the nautical theme for the day, and check back in with Roz Savage, who I haven’t written about for a few weeks time. Roz is still out on the water, and is still working away on the second stage of her attempt to row solo across Pacific, but it has not been easy for her in recent days, and circumstances have conspired against her, forcing her to change her course away from Tuvalu, her intended destination.

Conditions out on the water have been extremely challenging for Roz of late. Westward drift has pushed her further than she had expected, and even using the sea anchor has not been all that useful at halting her slide. Now normally, you’d be thinking “Isn’t westward drift a good thing when crossing the Pacific?” and you would be right, unless you’re trying to hit a very specific target, like the island nation of Tuvalu. Roz has now drifted so far west that it’ll be almost impossible for her to continue moving south and reach that nation. So, in her latest dispatch, she has announced that she is no longer attempting to reach Tuvalu at all, and will instead head towards Tarawa, another tiny island in the Pacific.

This announcement is a bit disappointing for Roz, who had hoped to arrive in Tuvalu as a way of bringing awareness of global climate change to a nation that is already being directly effected by that change. But, Tarawa is now well within her sights, and is just 300 nautical miles away, meaning she should arrive in the next week or two. According to the RozTracker, she has now been at sea for more than 95 days and has traveled 2747 miles, using approximately 1,161,981 oar strokes to cover that distance.

So, it seems that Stage 2 of Roz’s journey will come to an end soon. And with this change in location, her journey next year, on Stage 3, will be altered as well. But, such is the life of an ocean rower, who must adapt on the fly and be prepared for anything. Knowing Roz, I’m sure she’ll have an optimistic spin on things and will take it all in stride. For now though, I’m sure she’s just glad to be on her way to dry land again.

August 29th, 2009 by admin

While we’re on the subject of solo-circumnavigation attempts, we’ve got an update today on Laura Dekker, the 13-year old girl who Dutch authorities took into protective custody a few days back to prevent her from setting out on her on solo adventure.

A panel of three Dutch judges has ruled that Laura’s plan is “undeniably daring and risky” and has mandated that the teen under go psychological evaluation to determine her readiness for such a voyage. The state will maintain guardianship for two months, while she undergoes the evaluation to determine if she will be allowed to go after her dream of sailing solo around the world.

In some respects, this is good news for Laura. The two month delay will mean nothing in the greater scheme of things, and if she can convince them that she is both physically and mentally prepared for the challenges she’ll face at sea, it seems she’ll be allowed to make the voyage on her 26 foot yacht dubbed the Guppy.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this case plays out. I personally still feel she is too young, even if the Dutch officials rule that she can go. She wouldn’t be allowed to drive a car in most countries, and yet they’re talking about turning her loose on the open seas, facing storms, high winds, mechanical failures, and worse. I guess we’ll have to wait until October to find out if she can make the attempt.

August 29th, 2009 by admin

The race to be the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world continues, but the bar has now been set even higher, or in this case lower I suppose. British sailor Mike Perham reached the end of his circumnavigation attempt yesterday, successfully completing the 28,000 mile journey in just nine months time. He now lays claim to the title of youngest person to sail around the world, besting Zac Sunderland, who finished his circumnavigation in July, by just a few months.

Perham made his voyage aboard a 50-foot yacht designed for racing named the TotallyMoney.com after his major sponsor. This is a bit of a contrast from Sunderland, who purchased and restored his own 36-foot boat, and mostly funded his journey himself. Still, Perham did face plenty of challenges along the way, including a broken auto-pilot and incredibly difficult weather conditions.

Interestingly enough, Perham and Sunderland crossed paths on their journey, bumping into one another in South Africa. I’d guess that was quite an interesting conversation, sharing notes and thoughts with one another. They’re both in an exclusive club of young circumnavigators, and Perham even stopped off to visit Jessica Watson in Australia on his way past. At 16 years of age, she hopes to set off later this year for her own attempt to solo sail around the world.

Of course, if 13 year old Laura Dekker has her way, she’ll be the one going after the record soon. I still contend that 13 years old is too young to go on a solo voyage around the world, but we’ll see how that plays out down the line I suppose.

August 29th, 2009 by admin

Still catching up on all kinds of things after being away for two weeks, and one of the things that I’m working on is getting caught up on two episodes of The Rest of Everest that were released while I was away. When I last left off, Ben and Josh were high on Annapurna IV, the 24,688 foot mountain that they’ve been attempting to climb and then ski back down for the past number of episodes.

Episode 111 is entitled Onward and Downward, and it mainly focuses on the team returning to base camp and packing up their gear in preparation to leave. At the end of the expedition, there is a bit of a subdued feeling, as it is now time to go home, but without a successful summit under their belt. With the gear packed up and ready to go, Ben, Josh, and Tim return to the Annapurna Circuit for the long hike out.

Episode 112 is the last of the Annapurna IV episodes, aptly titled The End of the Annapurna IV Expedition, shows the guys returning to Pokara, where they decide to have some fun before they have to head home. So, they rent some motorcycles and scooters and hit the road.

Both of these episodes show the second half of the Annapurna circuit and have lots of great footage from that beautiful area. The High Himalaya are on full display and the scenery is, as you’d expected from the Rest of Everest, spectacular. Both of these episodes are fitting ends to the Annapurna IV series, with so much great stuff packed in each. And up next, we can expect episodes focusing on the Ski The Himalayas Expedition, which was just completed this past spring. Coming soon!

August 29th, 2009 by admin

Great news for anyone following the Around The Americas expedition. The crew of the Ocean Watch has successfully navigated the Northwest Passage and have now moved out into the relatively warmer waters of the Prince Regent Inlet. This is a major milestone for the ship and her crew, who are making the first circumnavigation of North and South America.

The last time we checked in on the Ocean Watch, it was just setting out into the Passage. But now, a month later, it is through that legendary passage and will soon turn south, towards Cape Horn, and the next perilous milestone on the 24,000 mile journey.

The expedition is attempting to become the first to sail completely around both North and South America, a journey which has only recently been made possible thanks to global climate change and the opening of the Northwest Passage. Along the way, the ship will pass through diverse waters, and take scientific measurements in order to record the impact of climate change on those waters. You can follow along with the crew thanks to their always interesting and well written blog reports, and track the progress of the Ocean Watch itself.

It is great to see that the team has cleared the Passage and is making excellent, steady progress. They obviously still have a very long way to go, but this is arguably the most dangerous leg of the journey, at least until they reach the Cape. Until then, they’ll probably enjoy the warmer waters and take their time through the Caribbean. Or maybe that’s just what I would do.

August 27th, 2009 by admin

I drove the legend that started it all…  more on that in a minute, but first…
Picture yourself in the middle of nowhere, cell coverage is non-existent, the stars are beginning to poke through the night sky and your group is settling in for an evening around the camp fire when across the way you hear [...]

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The CPR Run To Blue Lake

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August 27th, 2009 by admin

While I was away, with my head firmly buried in the world of adventure racing, Jon Miller and Chris Marquardt announced their Everest Trek 2010, which is being billed as “A once-in-a-lifetime experience…again!” The expedition will once again be a mix of adventure travel and photography/videography workshop for the lucky few who get to go along on the trip.

For those that don’t know, Chris Marquardt produces the Tips From the Top Floor podcast, which is one of the best photography podcasts around. Chris is a professional photographer who conducts workshops all over Europe and the United States. Regular readers of this blog, will probably recognize Jon Miller, who is the producer of The Rest of Everest video podcast, which is the most comprehensive look at climbing Mt. Everest and other big Himalayan peaks that I’m aware of.

Last year, the trekking group made the standard hike up the Khumbu Valley to Everest Base Camp. This year, the trek will be a bit different, and longer, venturing into Tibet and along Everest’s lesser known East Side, where fewer climbers and trekkers ever go. The area is described as more of a wilderness trek, and much different than the usual trekking circuits in the region. And of course, you’ll also get lots of great instruction on how to use those fancy digital still and video cameras that you’ve purchased, but still haven’t completely figured out.

To sign up to receive more information via e-mail head on over to the trek’s official website at EverestTheTrek.com.

August 27th, 2009 by admin

The Outside Online Blog has an interesting story about a 13-year old girl named Laura Dekker who was hoping to sail solo around the world, but has now been taken into temporary custody by the Council of Child Protection in Holland to prevent her from hitting the open seas.

According to the story, Laura’s parents fully support her goals and have a good understanding of the issues with long distance sailing. In fact, the girl was born aboard a boat while they were circumnavigating the globe, and she lived aboard a ship for the first four years of her life. But the Dutch Government feels like she doesn’t have the proper experience and skill set to survive alone on the ocean for months at a time, and have taken custody of her for her own safety.

Lately there has been plenty of young men and women who have been vying for the title of the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world. Recently, Zac Sunderland set the new mark, at the age of 17, but several others are gearing up to make their runs soon as well, including Zac’s own sister. The question is, when is it too young to go on such a dangerous journey?

Personally, I think 13-years old is too young. While I’m sure Laura is comfortable aboard a ship, and probably quote competent than I’ll ever be at sailing a ship, there are just certain things that a person that young is not quite equipped to handle just yet, not the least of which is the months alone at sea. The thoughts of pirates and other dangers are too scary to even think about really.

Hopefully her parents will think twice before sending her out, and I support the Dutch in making this move. She can still sail around the world in a few years time, so I say let her grow up first and she can have the adventures she wants down the line. After all, why send her out at 13 unless it really is about the “youngest” record?

August 27th, 2009 by admin

A press release from JPFreek Adventure Magazine this morning has announced that the online magazine has joined forces with the Extrem Events Transcontinental Jeep Expedition that is currently underway from Paris to New York. According to the release, JPFreek has become the exclusive media partner of the expedition, which is led by German adventurer Mattias Jeschke, who is making the journey to promote CO2 neutrality and alternative energy sources.

The expedition team set out a few months back on what is expected to be a year long expedition around the planet aboard a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. The journey has already taken the drivers from Paris, into Russia, and Mongolia, and beyond. But they are gearing up for what may be the toughest, and most challenging part of the entire expedition, crossing the Bering Strait. To accomplish that difficult and dangerous traverse, the Rubicon will be fitted with special pontoon attachments, which will allow it to cross open water when necessary.

Upon arriving in Alaska, Mattias will be met by JPFreek editor Frank Ledwell, who will accompany him on the rest of the journey from the start of the Trans-America highway south to the Continental U.S. before turning east to New York, the expeditions eventual finish line. For more information on the transcontinental expedition, check out the most recent issues of JPFreek. The magazine has been chronicling the progress of the drivers since before they set out, and I expect even more great coverage now.

There is something very cool about an around the world expedition in what ever shape it takes. Driving from Paris to New York sounds like quite an adventure, but I had always assumed they’d cross the Bering Sea on a ship of some kind. This sounds far more interesting and dangerous however, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Follow along and find out more at the expedition’s official website.

August 27th, 2009 by admin

I’ve mentioned Ed Stafford a couple of times before. He’s the former British military officer who is in the middle of walking the length of the Amazon, and is sharing his adventure with us through his very interesting Twitter feed.

Now, online adventure magazine WideWorld has a great profile of the Amazon Walker as part of their “heroes” feature. In the story, they takes a look at Ed’s journey, which began back in April of 2008 (the article says 2007), and some of the challenges he’s had to overcome so far, including hostile Amazon natives, dangerous animals, and a variety of other dangerous situations in the never ending “Green Hell” that is the Amazon.

Since I first reported on Ed a few months back, I’ve been completely fascinated by his expedition, in no small part because of my own recent trip to the Amazon. I did some hiking in the jungle while I was there, and it was incredibly hot, humid, and difficult to make steady progress. Walking the entire 4000+ miles of the river itself seems like an impossible journey, but each day that he is out there, Ed proves me wrong. If he stays on pace, remains healthy, and focused, he’ll reach the mouth of the river sometime in the spring of 2010. In the meantime, we all get to follow along and enjoy his updates both through Twitter and his blog posts on the expedition’s official website.