Hiking Everest, Sans Legs

by Erik Olsen on

All I can say is wow, double wow.

You’d think that climbing Everest is hard enough with all your limbs, but the guy in this story, a Mr. Mark Inglis climbed the mountain with no legs at all. The New Zealand-born double amputee lost both legs years ago in another climbing accident, one where he got frostbite and had to have the limbs removed. But rather than have that be some kind of deterrent, some kind of message that climbing is dangerous, very dangerous and perhaps you might find another vocation, this ballsy dude went ahead and reached the top of the tallest mountain in the world, no legs be damned. Amazing.

Mountaineering Journal

by Erik Olsen on

If you have a moment, check out the Northwest Mountaineering Journal. This online, annual record of mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest is a very fine publication. Sadly, they seem to have ceased operation as of last year, but you can still take a long, liesurely stroll through the old stories, many of which, like this one, are fine examples of climbing journalism.

The articles here cover routes, and also there are interviews with various characters and a dose of history.

Vegas Rock Climbing

by Neil Woodburn on

Only one thing comes to mind when most people hear the words, “Las Vegas.”  Well, okay, perhaps a few other things do so as well, such as buffets, shows, bachelor parties, strip joints, and rock climbing.

Rock climbing?!?!

You better believe it.  Just 17 miles from the glitz of the Vegas Strip looms the impressive Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  This 197,000-acre rock climber’s paradise is flush with more than 2,000 climbing routes amongst Aztec sandstone boulders, overhangs, and cliffs–some of which soar as high as 3,000 feet.

A recent article in The New York Times follows one of the more than 100,000 climbers who visit here annually as she scales the 5.9 rated, 6,843-foot Rainbow Mountain.  Just a few miles away card sharks are ironically betting away while our heroine is dangling from a thin rope, gambling with her life…  ho, ho, badda bing!  You’ve been a great audience folks, I’ll be here every night!

Ajeet Bajaj First Indian to Pole

by Erik Olsen on

Cool story from Stellar Magazine. An Indian named Ajeet Bajaj is now the first Indian (from India, not Native American) to reach
the North Pole by using skis. Bajaj is well-known inside his own country and is a big time adventurer. He managed the
trip with three other Americans. When he reached the pole, he planted an Indian flag before turning around and coming
back on cross country skis.

Intergenerational Travel

by Adrienne Wilson on

MSN went digging when they found this piece which originally appeared in Travel Leisure’s April 2003 issue and I can’t think of a better travel related topic to revive than traveling with grandparents. While we may have mentioned family travel directed towards parents and their children we never touch on intergenerational travel. The article points out 35 percent of grandparents traveled with a grandchild in 2001, up from 29 percent the previous year. Not sure what the stats look like for the more recent years, but if you’ve got a granny and a grandpa why not surprise them with a specially created vacation without your parents this summer? There are several outfitters that cater to grandparents looking to travel with grandkids and trips include bike rides through Holland from Elderhostel.org, river rafting in Alaska provided by Grandtravel, and summer retreats at Great Camp Sagamore to name only a few.

If my grandparents were still around I’d most certainly take to the streets or explore the off-the-beaten-track just hear stories of the golden yesteryears. Think – a little bit adventure, history, and family packaged together for one grand ole’ time. Talk about an experience!