Came across this and thought it was nice. It’s not the beset produced thing in the world, but if you’re a fan of Ed
Viesturs, I’m sure you’ll like it. The Great Outdoors
interview in video
has him talking with Great Outdoors editor, Peter Potterfield (of greatest hikes fame) about what it took to climb
Annapurna, the last of his fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, as well as the life of a celebrity climber.
Hanging in the Sinai
Years ago when I did my honeymoon in Israel and Egypt, I was down in the Sinai doing some killer diving in Dahab,
one of the coolest places by far I’ve ever dived. And at that time, you could see Mt. Sinai off in the distance,
looming there like something, well, right out of the bible. I really wanted to hike the sucker, and asked around how
that might be done. But it took several days to get a group together and there were all sorts of other lame issues
about getting there, so I bailed on the idea.
So it was cool to read this article
about the Sinai and climbing the mountain that at least let me live vicariously through the author. Hiking along with a
“cavalcade of camels” the makes the summit and finds it teeming with tourists, not the most pleasant thing to find when
you make such a trek, but still seeing the sunrise from such a place has got to be a once in a lifetime deal. The
article provides some nice history of the area as well, and makes a nice little travelogue of a cool adventure.
Breaking Trail
Arlene Blum, mountaineering pioneer, is
best known for leading the first American—and all-women’s—ascent of Annapurna. She also led the first women’s team up
Mt. McKinley and was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest. She’s also a scientist, and holds a doctorate in
biophysical chemistry. But wait, there’s more: read Arlene’s full bio
here.
Twenty-five years ago she wrote Annapurna: A Woman’s Place,
about her historic Himalayan expedition. Now she has written a new book,
Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, a memoir of her life among
the mountains. The book includes short vignettes about her upbringing, stories of her mountain treks, and tales from
her scientific endeavors. I’m betting Arlene is a fascinating
speaker and I’m sure her books are quite captivating.
Here’s her upcoming event schedule. Oh, and ladies, be sure to
check out the classic tees they still sell — a most creative and
effective fundraising tool! Sales of these tees helped raise the $80K needed to finance the Annapurna climb.
Extreme Sports in the UK
You know those activities we
mentioned that some travelers insurance policies don’t
cover? Well, in today’s Telegraph, Sophie Butler’s essential checklist
tells us the best
spots in the UK for high- adrenaline sports.
There’s paragliding in the shadows of the Black Mountains. Or
pick from a huge selection of outdoor activities (mountaineering, alpine skiing or rock climbing, just to name a few)
at the breathtaking Plas y Brenin, the National Mountain
Center in Cpel Curig, in the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Or
white water rafting at Canolfan Tryweryn in Bala. The places I’ve
mentioned are all in Wales, but the article lists additional locations that are great for adventure sports in Scotland
and other parts of Great Britian.
I should note that many of these activities, like skiing and rafting, are covered by travelers insurance plans. And
if you have regular health insurance through your job, you are good to go.
Top Ten US Adventure Destinations
Good old Richard Bangs. He’s been doing some good stuff for MSNBC lately. A whle back, you might remember, he filed
dispatches and did a very sweet multimedia package called
Great Escapes in which he traveled to New Guinea. Now, on
a far tamer note, he’s listed the top ten great adventure trips in
the US.
The list includes several tripps I’d never even heard of, like Llama Trekking the Hoover Wilderness Area, and
Dogsledding the Gates of the Arctic. But then there are a few tried and true adventures like Kayaking the San Juan
Islands and Canoeing the Boundary Waters. This is a nice list to print out and file away for future reference.