The Spirit of Adventure

Today marks the second anniversary of me launching this blog back in 2006. At the time, it was meant to be an experiment in which I would give this "blogging thing" a try. I had always enjoyed writing, but it had been awhile since I had done any on a regular basis, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get back to writing again as well. When I thought about what I wanted to blog about, it didn't take long to decide. It had to be something that I would be interested in, and something that I was passionate about. I decided on the very broad topic of "Adventure".

For me, adventure comes in a lot of different packages. Adventure was mountaineering and climbing. It was kayaking and mountain biking in remote areas. Backpacking, camping, and trekking all over the world. It was adventure racing, a sport that has the term right in it's description, but also other endurance events like ultramarathons in extreme conditions. It was travel to far off lands that included getting off the beaten path and doing things that most tourists never dream of. It was all of these things and more.

I recently had a discussion about this with a friend, and I confided in him that one of the reasons I started this blog was because there was a general perception amongst the general populace that there was no more adventure in the World. That everything that could be done has already been done. That the age of explorers and great expeditions was over. I hope that through this blog, I've shown people that that just isn't so.

Everyday I read, and often post, about people doing extraordinary things, often times just because they are following their own sense of adventure. Over the past two years I've written at length about these extraordinary people and their adventures. People like Jason Lewis who set out to circumnavigate the globe completely under his own power and finally completed his journey 12 years later. I followed Hannah McKeand who went solo, and unsupported, to the South Pole, and managed to set a speed record in the process. As an encore, she'll do the same thing this Spring at the North Pole. And I watched Andrew Skurka as he went fast and light on the Great Western Loop, covering over 6,875 miles of some of th emust remote backcountry in the United States.

Of course there have been countless other men and women as well. Those who have climbed Everest and K2 and a dozen other 8000 meter peaks. There have been both first ascents and first descents, amazing feats of endurance, wondrous journeys and thrilling stories of adventure from every corner of the globe. I've even managed to share some of my adventures with you, just as some of you have shared yours with me.

So, two years into this little "experiment" I want to thank everyone for stopping by. I appreciate every reader and greatly value your continued input on the blog. I've come to know some of you quite well, through comments and e-mails, and I have made some great friends in the process as well. I'll say one last thing in closing. Stay tuned. I'm not done yet. There is still plenty of adventures to be had, and now more then ever, I'm eager to share them with you.

Thanks for two great years so far, with hopefully more to come!