Adventure racing can be dangerous. And fatal. Last fall, during
the Subaru Primal Quest adventure race in Washington State,
Australian Nigel Aylott was killed by a falling rock sent down a steep hill inadvertently by one of his teammates. The
Subaru Primal Quest competitors are co-ed teams of four people racing across a nearly 400-mile course that
required trekking, paddling, mountain biking, glacier skirting, skating, ropes work and navigation. At the time,
there was some press about the
death. Here
is race team member Rebecca Rusch’s first hand account of what happened. And if you’re interested, here is a
tribute video for Aylott.
Madagascar or Bust
Looming off the coast of Africa like a cast-off sibling, Madagascar is one of
those off the beaten
path destinations that doesn’t get a ton of press. But the island nation is riven with rivers and
wrinkled with mountains, and, for naturalist-types, teeming with odd species that will make any photographer’s
day. For example, it is the world’s only natural habitat for
lemurs and
tenrecs…the former being
those bug-eyed rodent-like demi-primates who always look very paranoid. The latter being…well, I had
to google this…furry,
mouse-like things.
And so, conveniently, Outside
Magazine has got a sweet piece on Madagascar that highlights some of the adventures available, including kayaking,
trekking and rock climbing.
Pacific Northwest: Land of Many Outdoor Adventures
If you live in Oregon or Washington, you probably already know you have a wealth of outdoor adventures to get the
old blood pumping. Just in case you lack ideas however, the Oregonian has a
nice list
of outside activities in 2005 to get you going. Suggestions range from snowmobiling at Diamond Lake
Resort in February to road biking the rim of Crater Lake in September and bird watching in the Baskett Slough National
Wildlife Refuge in November. As the author of the article puts it, “There’s no such thing as “down time” in the Pacific
Northwest.”
Photo of the Day: (1/02/05)
Dan Bailey is an adventure photographer in Fort Collins, Colorado whose
expertise runs the gamut from portraiture to kayaking to mountaineering. Great stuff.
This picture of a kayaker hitting white water
was especially cool, I thought. But his whole gallery is worth checking out.
Michigan Paddling Reveals State History
There is a noteworthy effort under way in Michigan to trace the state’s history through its waterways,
according to an AP
story carried in the Courier-Journal. The Michigan Heritage
Water Trails project marks places (some in ruins) which are set alongside rivers and that can be paddled to as well
as, in some cases, put in from. Water trails have so far been opened in St. Joesph County and there is an eventual goal
of establishing trails throughout the state.