I feel like it’s been a while since I posted a photography by the wonderfully-talented Buck Forester here for our POTD. For a while there I felt I couldn’t stop, his photos are simply too luscious and mind-blowingly well-composed. Never mind he has as his canvas the High Sierras and the breath-taking loveliness of California. that does help make it easier to take great pictures. But still, if you’ve ever seen his work before, you know how unusually great these pics are. OK, so enough gushing. take a look at this photo from Mono Lake in California. The kayak nose in the picture adds a dose of adventure to the shot, which, like all of Buck’s photos is amazingly colorful. Really nice.
The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh
Some folks here might remember the trip I took to a while back and the series of dispatches I filed from that lovely, wonderful country. Armenia is one of those lesser-known gems in the world, a place you can go to not only see centuries-old historical sites, but also to get s glimpse of modern history as well, since the country was for several decades under communist rule, and there is still a marked, somewhat brutal feel to much of the architecture there. Of course, what may be brutal in some ways is today’s kitsch, and so many of the places in , and in particular,
All this is to bring up a wonderful new guide book that is out that I recommend you consider if you are thinking about a trip to . Soon to be released by Matthew Karanian, Robert Kurkjian and their Stone Gardens Productions, the book: Armenia & Karabagh is one of the best guides you will find on the region (the guide includes not just Armenia, but the disputed territory of Karabagh. I used the earlier version of Stone Garden Guide during my trip and found it immensely useful. The book provides ample history and context for its recommended sites and is both lively and informative about what you should see and do. As I mentioned in some of my dispatches, Armenia is not just a great place to experience history, it is also lovely and very appealing to the adventuresome. There are rivers and mountains and lakes all perfect for hikers, climbers, bikers and paddlers.
Anyway, I recommend you take a look at the guide if this fascinating little country happens to be on your life list of places to visit.
Beginner’s Guide to Adventure Travel
I have to say I’m unsure what to say about this site because it’s kind of all over the place, but it does seem to have promise. The Beginner’s Guide to Adventure Travel is one of numerous Beginner’s Guide sites, that are kind of like the “How Do Things Work” series and “Dummies” guides.
But the site offers a entries on topics from trips to the Antarctic to ballooning and of course there are the requisite ads plastered all over the place. If you’re interested they are looking for contributors, so you might lend a hand to make it something even more useful.
Lynn Hill Climbing Camps
In climbing circles, Lynn Hill is a legend. Big time. She was the first climber ever to make a free single day ascent of The Nose, a particularly gnarly route on Yosemite’s El Cap. She’s generally considered the best known female climber in the world, and Into Thin Air writer Jon Krakauer once said that “Lynn Hill isn’t just one of the best female climbers in the world, she is among the greatest rock climbers of all time.”
But Hill, who has been climbing rock faces now for more than 30 years and wrote the book Climbing Free, is also a mother and wants to help bring climbing to a wider audience. Her Lynn Hill rock climbing camps off the opportunity to learn how to scale boulders and sheer faces, not to mention tighten up those flabby arms. This fall she is offering a ten-day trip to the island of Sardinia to do some scrambling around one of the most lovely climbing spots around. You can learn more about Lynn and her climbing efforts here, or read her blog.
Iceberg Climbing
There’s nothing like the stark white of an iceberg, the bright blue of really cold water, and the iridescent red of an extreme athlete’s jump suit as he scales an iceberg.
Check out this cool video of Will Gadd making monkey with some oversized ice cubes floating in the Labrador Sea. Rather surreal!