Ethiopia’s Omo Valley

by Adrienne Wilson on

Omo Valley located in Ethiopia is rich with palaeo-anthropological remains, several daunting blue-grey ridges of volcanic basalt and granite tower the Omo River which sees white-water rafters between September to October. This picture of the valley grabbed my attention as I never quite imagined any of Ethiopia’s landscape to look anything like this. I always envision dry and tough terrain, but the Omo shows quite the opposite with much history to go along. It is said that hominid remains found in the Omo Valley probably date as far back as four million years. The area is pretty much free of human habitation today, but home to colobus monkey, blue-breasted kingfishers, white-cheeked turacos in the surrounding forest of tamarinds and figs.

For those interested in visiting the Omo, Tourism Ethiopia has a suggested 11 day photo safari itinerary found here. There are several other ways to plan your adventure into the area, but I thought this one looked like a good starter.

Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Races

by Erik Olsen on

Paddlers looking for a little island living might be interested to know that the
Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Races, the world’s largest outrigger
canoe race, are coming up soon on September 3 and 4. Canoeing and surfing are the state’s two big sports, though you
probably already knew that.

Surfing is what people do for fun, canoeing is kinda how they used to get around. This
event, though, is supposed to be pretty special, as it is really
about celebrating the long history and culture of the islands. The
races open with a ceremony of chants and blessings and Saturday eve features a torchlight parade where, presumably, if
you did poorly, you’ll be voted off the island. Of course no island event would be complete without a luau, which takes
place on Sunday. Aloha and enjoy.

Out ‘n’ About Treesort in Oregon

by Adrienne Wilson on

LA Times runs a piece on rare retreats in today’s issue. One of which caught my attention was this
cozy, rustic
little tree retreat in the Siskiyou Mountains in Oregon. Located 265 miles from Portland and only 20 miles from the
California border the tree resort would make for an enchanting wilderness stay on a road trip going in either
direction. I’m a huge fan of treehouses though I’ve never stayed in one for a hotel visit, but something about
them comes off so natural and unpretentious. At Out ‘n’ About Treesort all 11
treesorts are said to be decorated different with rugged flavor and a funky anti-establishment vibe without locks.
Can’t say that I’ve seen the anti-establishment part in too many other hotel brochures and better hope a bear
doesn’t come a creeping into the room without the locks on doors to protect you. Though I doubt one really would.

 

Rooms fill up fast so if staying in magical little wooden outposts have been on your mind, book far in advance
to make sure you get a piece of the action at Out ‘n’ About.  As much as you’ll enjoy the inside make sure you go
outside as they have several activities available like horseback riding, tie-dye T-shirt making classes,
basic ropes courses and a couple of zip lines. Activities outside of the lodgings include cave tours, river rafting,
kayaking, and the Redwood National and State Parks about 50 miles up the road.

 

Rafting Iceland

by Erik Olsen on


The New York

Times runs a piece by one of my favorite writers, Mark Sundeen, about rafting in Iceland. Sundeen is the author of
The Making of Toro, which made my summer reading list
earlier this year and which is a damn funny piece of work.

In the article, Sundeen exercises his trademark snarky wit (though not too much…it’s a pretty straight up piece) to
talk about the thrills and chills of riding rivers in a place well enough known or its ice that, well, it was named for
it. Like Sundeen, I too, was unaware Iceland was a rafting destination. Any country that lies so close to the Arctic
Circle, where the ground is frozen solid more than half the year, seems an unlikely place for folks to put in a boat
for fun. But as Sundeen points out, the weather is warm enough during the mid summer months that the glaciers melt and
create some pretty ideal (albeit ball shrinkingly cold) rafting opportunities.

Rafting Cataract Canyon

by Erik Olsen on

One of our own here at WIN – Wily Volk -  is heading off soon to raft the Grand Canyon and I have to say I am
jealous. The idea of heading West and enjoying seven days of floating bliss on the mighty Colorado gets me very
nostalgic for the old days. You see, I used to live in Boulder, CO, and one summer I worked as a junior guide with one
of the local rafting companies. I did a lot of grunt work, but on a few occasions got to guide folks down the river.
There was something really satisfying about screaming “BACKSTROKE!” to city slicker customers.

Well, all this is to get you to check out
a cool story by Tom Winter over at
online outdoor magazine Stellar. Tom recounts his trip rafting down the
Colorado River with a solid eye toward detail. We learn about some off the other customers and are treated to a brief
history of the river. But most compelling is his discussion of the river “Rats” who guide these trips (ALWAYS odd ball
characters…and some of them are legendary). And finally we are treated to a riveting climax as the rafts run some heavy
white water and one boat is sucked into the “frothing mouth of a hole”. Good piece from a good magazine. Check it
out.