Going Primal!!

I'm off to Primal Quest. The race gets underway first thing Monday morning and I'll be posting updates of the race at the PQ website. You'll also find excellent coverage oft he event at Checkpoint Zero and SleepMonsters.

Regular postings should resume on or around July 4th with some post race thoughts, and the usual array of adventures from around the globe. Back soon!

Seven Years On The High Seas!

Here's a story I first saw over at The Adventurist, about a man here in Austin, TX who recently completed a 7 year journey around the world by sailboat. Maybe I should read the local rag from time to time to keep up on this stuff.

Back in December of 2000, Ben Edelstein, set out in his 42 foot sailboat, the Gypsy Soul, to circumnavigate the globe. More then seven years later, he's finally returned home. Along the way he's visited far flung ports of call, backpacked through remote regions, and lived the adventure of his dreams.

Before leaving Texas, Ben was real estate salesman, and a successful one at that. He managed to build himself a little nest egg to fund his adventure, giving him a budget of roughly $10,000 per year while he was away. From there, he set out on the Gypsy Soul from Galveston, TX, sailed across the Gulf of Mexico and through the Caribbean, down the coast of Mexico to Panama, through the Canal, and into the great wide Pacific beyond.

What followed was seven years of adventure on the high seas, with Ben surviving wicked storms, close calls with larger vessels, shark bites, and being chased by a machete wielding thug. Much of the journey was spent by himself, but from time to time he would meet other travelers to share his adventures with, or a friend or member of his family would come join him for a time.

Now, Ben is re-entering the "real world" and getting back to daily life, something that can't be easy. He says that he's tapped his savings, and the Gypsy Soul needs a refit after seven years at sea. He's looking for a job in the real estate market (Good luck with that Ben, Austin has changed a lot since you left! ;) ) but is also in talks with some major networks to do a realty show about his journey.

Welcome home Ben. I hope re-entry isn't too rough, and while I'm sure you're glad to be back, I have no doubt that you'll soon here the siren call of the ocean once again.

Motorcycling The Andes - Part 3

Today we get the final installment of The Guardian's piece on motorcycling through the Andes from Chile to Argentina. Intrepid traveler Mike Carter continues his journey through the high peaks of South America, and follows in the footsteps of Che Guevara, perhaps the most famous South American motorcycle tourist ever.

In part 1 Mike rode his bike through the Atacama Desert, experiencing true solitude along the way. Part 2 took him to the salt flats of that region and continued on into the High Andes, drinking in the stunning views along the way. Part 3 has him topping out on those mountains and crossing into Argentina at last, where he not only enjoys a proper cup of coffee, but has the opportunity to take in the gaucho lifestyle the country is famous for.

A ride through the Valley of the Butterflies is briefly described, giving you the impression that it must be a lot like riding a motorcycle through a Disney animated film. Mike describes it like this: "We rode along the Valley of the Butterflies, millions of them forming fluttering clouds that we passed through, like riding in a kaleidoscope." Those few words can evoke a lot imagery in your imagination.

As with all good things, this journey must come to an end, and for Mike it ends in at Che's childhood home. From there he relinquishes his motorcycle and prepares to head home, but not before he realizes what a great trip it has been and just how good travel is for the soul.

The three part series will definitely have you wanting to buy a bike of your own and head to South America. It sounds like a perfect way to travel and to see region.

Long Rider Bernice Ende Back On The Trail!

Remember Bernice Ende? She's the long rider I posted about a few times last fall when she was in the middle of an epic 5000 mile long journey through most of the Western United States on horseback. Well, it seems Bernice is back in the saddle and already off on a new adventure, with a slick new website to track her progress no less.

Bernice's website is aptly named The Ende of the Trail and it's designed to help fans follow her as she, and her trusty steed Honor, along with sidekick Claire the dog, and pack-horse Essie Pearl, make their way down the long trail once again.

This year's adventure looks to be a ride from from Nevada to Montana, passing through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota along the way. She set out back in February on the 3000 mile course that has already seen her pass through Death Valley, and wander her way to Albuquerque, NM. In fact, the latest information on her whereabouts indicate she reached New Mexico at the end of May and has been relaxing there for the past few weeks.

On her site, you'll find some nice biographical information on Bernice and her four legged companions. There are also archives of her past rides, a link to the Long Riders Guild, and more.

I guess this girl just can't stay in one place for too long, huh?

Appalachian Assault: Western States Warm-up!

The latest updates at WheresKarl.com indicate that Karl Meltzer continues to train for the Appalachian Assault, still scheduled to begin in early August, but his sights are firmly set on the Western States Ultra, which is now just nine days away.

The Western States is one of the toughest ultramarathons around, with runners covering 100 miles along the Western States Trail running from Squaw Valley to Auburn California, gaining more than 2550 feet in just the first few miles. From there, runners will gain nearly 23,000 feet, and drop 15,500 over the length of the rest of the course. It's considered one of the crown jewels for ultra-runners in North America, if not the entire world, and winners commemorate the event with an oh so stylish belt buckle. You can see a 3D fly over of the course by clicking here. (Google Earth required)

As part of his training routine, Karl did 50 miles of running last week, including a jaunt up to 9500 feet in altitude where he was greeted with 3'-5' of snow still on the ground near Salt Lake City. As if running at altitude wasn't already hard enough. This report sounds a lot like the ones I've been hearing from the PQ course in Montana. I guess spring has been slow in coming in the west this year, and we're just a few days from summer now.

The Appalachian Assault will be Karl's speed attempt on the Appalachian Trail, where he'll attempt to complete the entire 2,174 mile length in just 47 days. An average of 46 miles per day if you're keeping track at home.

For now, the training runs and ultra-events are his tune-up, but as August looms nearer, the AT will call. Karl's team is preparing to support him on the trail and online with frequent updates on his progress and news from the course. Should be really interesting to follow! The RV is certainly ready!

The Rest of Everest: Episode 86

Another great episode of The Rest of Everest this week with the release of Episode 86 which continues our exploration of Everest Base Camp on the North Side of the mountain.

This week, Jon and Scott are joined by Brian Oestrike of the LUNGevity team, whose recent summit of Lhotse I followed closely. Brian was on Everest last year when Jon and Scott were filming these episodes, and he brings a nice perspective this week that compliments our usual tour guides very well.

The episode begins with a charming horse carriage ride from the "barter town" to BC, that ends in Scott encountering a universal challenge for international travelers, the time honored tradition of natives suddenly not being able to understand English when you're trying to get change back from a business transaction. Happens on every continent it seems. ;)

The real highlight this week is the Puja ceremony that Jon and Scott were lucky enough to take part in. The traditional ceremony is performed in BC before climbers begin to climb the mountain. The Sherpas believe by taking part in the Puja you are showing respect for the mountain and asking for a safe climb. Until the ceremony is done, they will not step food on Everest, or any other mountain they intend to climb. This is the second Puja we've seen on the Rest of Everest, with the first coming during the 2003 expedition to climb the mountain.

Next week, more Everest porn with more scenes form BC and footage of the mountain. What we've all been coming back for! :)

The Garmin NuviFone In Action!

A few months back I blogged about Garmin announcing that they were getting into the smartphone market with a product called the "NuviFone" which was suppose to combine their excellent GPS products with a great cell phone. At the time I talked about how cool a product it could be, but that there were a lot of questions surrounding the device as well.

Well, fast forward a few months and we get our first shots of the NuviFone in action with it's OS running, and I have to say, it looks pretty darn nice. This video is courtesy of Laptop Magazine and it gives us about five minutes of footage of the Nuvi in action.

Judging strictly from the video, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. It looks like it's shaping up to be a really great product, with navigation at it's core, but also working as a nice cell phone, media player, and Internet device. The screen is clear and bright, with the obvious iPhone influence. Still no word on who the carriers will be, and the price is rumored to be about $500, which sounds on the pricey side with the 3G iPhone clocking in at $199. Still, this is a different device with a different focus and a good handheld GPS is going to cost you in the neighborhood of 500 bones anyway.

Check it out. What do you think?

Primal Quest Clarifies the Use of GPS

I posted this message on the Primal Quest page last night clarifying the use of GPS in this year's event:

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the decision by the PQ Management Team to allow the use of GPS devices in this year’s race. The decision was not one that was made lightly or without careful consideration. The PQ Staff understand that navigation is an integral part of what puts “adventure” into the race. But above all else, the safety and security of competitors remains paramount at all times.

When the 2008 course was designed, it was expected there would be much less snow in the area at the time of the race. These projections were based on historical data. However, record snowfall over the past two weeks has left 4 - 10 ten feet of snow covering many of the higher elevation areas on the course. The excessive snowfall has increased avalanche and snow slide hazards in the remote wilderness, causing serious concern for teams who may veer off-course or who may not recognize these dangerous areas. Considering that all but approximately 10 miles of this year’s course is in the deep back-country, there is a lot of potentially treacherous ground to cover.

While time trialing sections of the course, we found that most of the roads, trails, and many of the natural landmarks above 6000′ were covered by 4 - 10 feet of snow. PQ Director Don Mann, Course Director Chris Caul, and Course Designer George Rice were forced to use a GPS device to pinpoint their location on numerous occasions. This was the only way they were able to positively identify their location and not venture into potentially hazardous areas. It was for this reason, and with the safety of teams in mind, that the decision was made to allow racers to carry a GPS during the race. This decision has been accepted by some athletes, disputed by others, and misunderstood by some. However, nearly all respondents recognize the safety concerns expressed by race management.

As stated in our message dated 7/16: “Primal Quest Race Management has made the decision NOT to prohibit the use of GPS units in PQ Montana. This decision was made due to the fact that the course still has a great deal of snow covering trail and road markings, and we need to ensure that competitors do not wander into avalanche and cornice hazard areas.”

Since this decision was made, the snow melt has been dramatic and the immediate forecast calls for continued warm weather with a chance of rain. As conditions are rapidly improving, the following guidelines regarding the use of a GPS device have been established.

• All teams are highly encouraged to bring a GPS unit.

• All GPS units will be sealed in a specially designed, tamper-proof bag by race staff. Re-opening the bag leaves physical evidence that the device has been used. Once sealed inside this bag, it will be up to the team to decide when, or even if, they will use their GPS.

• Any team electing to use the device will be charged a time penalty at the end of the race. The decision to take this approach allows teams to still rely on their navigational skills, but have the safety of a GPS should they feel the need to use it.

• If conditions continue to improve throughout the remainder of the week as expected, the use of a GPS will be limited to only specified areas of the course, or maybe not at all. The PQ Management team believes it is better to err on the side of caution and allow GPS units as a back-up safety device for all teams. As already stated, safety is our utmost priority.

• For teams who do not have a GPS unit and are having difficulty in obtaining one, they are available in Bozeman, MT and we will be happy to assist you in locating a local retailer.

Motorcycling The Andes - Part 2

The Guardian has published Part 2 of their 3 part series on motorcycling across the Andes from Chile to Argentina.

Yesterday, in part 1, author Mike Carter rode with a group of travelers on an organized adventure from Globe Busters to the Atacama Desert. He talked about how serene and desolate the area was, and was overcome by the silence.

Today, Mike's ride continues into the High Andes themselves, but first he and his companions hit the great salt flats of the Valley of the Moon, which offered more expansive spaces to for the riders to fly along at high speeds, before taking a break to wash away the dust with cold South American beer, while downing tamales and llama steaks.

After that, it's back on the road with more sights to see. The entire adventure plays out like a group of modern day easy riders exploring the countryside from the back of the bikes. The story makes it feel like it's the perfect way to see South America, and may encourage you to run out and buy a bike of your own.

Excellent travel story so far. Can't wait for part 3 tomorrow. Now if I only knew how to ride a motorcycle...

16 Year-old American Attempts Solo Circumnavigation

Zac Sunderland, a 16 year-old American, set sail this past Saturday in an attempt become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo. According to this story at the BBC News, the young sailor got underway from Los Angeles and is now making his way across the Pacific Ocean.

The current record holder for youngest solo circumnavigation is Australian David Dicks who completed his journey at the age of 18 years and 41 days back in 1996. Zac is currently about 16 1/2 years old, so he has until January 2010 to complete his journey and break the record.

Zac's ship is dubbed the Intrepid and it is a 36-foot sail boat that he bought with his own money. The small cabin contains his bunk, communications and satellite navigations systems, and a small galley equipped with a microwave. The Intrepid will be home for the next year and a half, and he may be at sea for up to six week at a time completely alone, but his projected course will allow him to make stops along the way, especially once he gets across the long, lonely Pacific Ocean.

The first target destination is the Marshall Islands. From there he'll continue across the Pacific to Papua New Guinea and Australia before turning his sights on the Indian Ocean, heading towards Mauritius and Madagascar. Next, he'll risk the Cape of Good Hope at the southernmost tip of Africa before sailing across the South Atlantic, up the coast of South America, through the Panama Canal, with a quick jaunt to the Galapagos before turning toward home, back in Los Angeles.

You can read more bout Zac's adventure at his official website where you'll find more about the young man who doesn't even have his driver's license yet. You'll also find Zac's Blog as he writes about his journey. Good luck Zac! We'll be following!

Thanks to Niki for reminding me of this. :)

Motorcycling The Andes

The Guardian has posted the first of a three part series by Mike Carter who set off to explore the Andes by motorcycle. Along the way, he cruised through Argentina, drinking in the scenery and keeping his eyes peeled for wayward vicuña.

Mike's motorcycle adventure gets underway in a deserted, out of the way beach town, and wanders it's way to the beginnings of the Atacama Desert. As he rides, wild condors soar over head, and packs of llamas graze near the road. He's riding as part of the Globe Busters group who offer up motorcycle adventures all over the world. This one lasts five weeks and costs about £5,895 per person. That's roughly $12,000 USD.

Seems like a pretty amazing trip. At one point in this article, the author remarks about how he stopped to take in the emptiness of the vast desert around him, and was overcome by the silence. Not a sound to be heard. He called it "the silence of earplugs", which is a really interesting way of describing it.

The second part of the series will come tomorrow when the intrepid rider crosses the salt flats and heads towards the high Andes.

Olympic Skiers Give Kilimanjaro A Go

Backpacker Magazaine's Peak Fitness Blog has a cool story today about downhill skiers Julia Mancuso from the U.S. and Chemmy Alcott of the U.K. recently attempting to climb Kilimanjaro to raise money for a school in Tanzania.

Both women blogged about their experience and how incredibly challenging it was for them, despite the fact that they spend considerable amounts of time at altitude and are at home in the mountain. In fact, Chemmy wasn't able to top out saying that she began to have splitting headaches three-quarters of the way up the mountain. Typically, climbers would take a Diamox pill to help lessen the symptoms of altitude, but Alcott was so concerned about testing for a banned substance that she elected not to take the pill.

Mancuso did reach the summit, but called it "torture". She also notes in her blog about how she expected to have a fun little camping trip up the mountain, and completely underestimated the challenge of the climb. Something that came back to bite her a bit, but fortunately before she left for Africa, she enlisted the aid of a good friend who helped prepare her a bit more.

Speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that Kilimanjaro is not a mountain to trifle with. While I never suffered the blinding headaches that these girls did, and in fact never felt the traditional effects of altitude at all, the fact that I was unable to get a wink of sleep on the mountain shows you how altitude can have a different impact on all of us. And Julia is right. No one ever mentions how challenging the climb is. They tell you that if you are in "reasonable shape" you can get up Kilimanjaro. Well, I'm here to tell you that that isn't necessarily true. It's a tough climb, and it will test you. Some routes are more challenging than others, but either way you go up, it can be a tough trek.

That said, it's also one of the best adventures you could ever undertake. Tanzania is a wonderful country, the mountain is beautiful, and the views are quite breathtaking at times. Visiting Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, can really change your life for the better. Definitely a great time.

Adventurer To Sail To Antarctica Then Ski to Vinson

Now this is a really cool adventure story brought to us once again by ExWeb. It's the tail of Tommy Eriksson from Sweden who has spent the past five years turning a 32-foot sailboat into his own personal icebreaker with the intent of sailing to Antarctica where he will eventually don skis and make his way to Mt. Vinson, which he'll of course climb.

Eriksson set out from Sweden a few weeks back and is currently in Brest, France. His plan is to sail along the European coastline to the Cannery Islands at which point he'll take a right and zip across the Atlantic to Brazil. Continuing down the South American coast, to Cape Horn, he'll then take the Drake Passage to Antarctica itself.

Once on the continent, he'll then kite-ski to Vinson, the tallest peak in Antarctica, and begin his climb. If everything goes according to schedule, he hopes to summit in January of next year.

Eriksson bought the 32-foot vessel, named the named Bölja III (or Wave III) several years back and began his conversion process, which included reinforcing the hull, installing bullet proof windows, and a fresh coat of paint. The ship was then christened as the SY Icebreaker before his departure. At the time, he didn't even know how to sail, so part of the past five years has been spent learning that all important skill.

Now, Tommy has set out on quite an adventure, and it'll be an epic journey before he even arrives in the Antarctic. This should be another fun expedition to follow.

PQ Update: Another Thought On Using GPS

Mike Bitton has updated his Primal Quest Blog over at Checkpoint Zero with some thoughts on the announcement that GPS devices would be allowed at this year's Primal Quest race which gets underway next week.

The use of GPS is traditionally not allowed in the sport of adventure racing, as navigation is one of the key elements of the competition. Often times good navigation is what sets the teams apart, and learning how to use a map and compass are as essential to your skill set as paddling or mountain biking.

Yesterday, Primal Quest management made the decision to allow the GPS devices due to the unusual amount of snow at altitude and the fact that even now, in late June, the snow continues to fall. Mike spoke with PQ CEO Don Mann on the subject and Don gives some very compelling reasons as to why this decision was made. Bottom line, it's a safety issue first and foremost.

Primal Quest Updates: Bring the GPS!

In a bit of an unusual move today, a note was sent to all the Primal Quest Teams informing them of the following:

"Primal Quest Race Management has made the decision NOT to prohibit the use of GPS units in PQ Montana. This decision was made due to the fact that the course still has a great deal of snow covering trail and road markings, and we need to ensure that competitors do not wander into avalanche and cornice hazard areas."

Essentially, teams will not be allowed to use a GPS device to assist in navigation through the course due to the unusually high amounts of snow at altitude that still exist in Montana. Generally speaking, adventure races tend to not allow such devices, as navigation and orienteering have always been a big part of the event.

However, in this case, PQ Management feels that it is better to be safe than sorry. With the real danger of avalanches still in place, and many of the landmarks used for navigation still under several feet of snow, it was deemed that a GPS could be instrumental in keeping teams out of harms way.

This has met with mixed reactions thus far, and you can read Yak's comments on the subject over at Checkpoint Zero, where they promise to have comments from Don Mann about todays decision later in the day.

The Tour Divide Is Underway!

This is a repost from the Primal Quest website over the weekend, but still a great event to keep your eyes on.

One of the most demanding and challenging mountain bike races in the entire world has gotten under way in Banff, Alberta, Canada, where 17 riders have set out to ride the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico.

The event is known as the Tour Divide , a 2711 mile long, self supported mountain bike race, which is celebrating it's 10th year of competition. Riders set out from Banff yesterday and will continue until they reach the U.S.-Mexican border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. The tops racers are expected to arrive in roughly 20 days, after facing challenging climbs, crazy drops, and miles of single track.

The Tour Divide Leaderboard provides tracking from SPOT, the same team that will bring their sophisticated tracking to Primal Quest and is the race's presenting sponsor. Expect a more advanced version of this leardboard when PQ gets underway in a little over a week. And to follow the Tour Divide, watch for updates to the Race's Official Blog.

Photo by Will Ramos

Gear Junkie Reviews Jetboil Helios

Proving once again that he gets all the good toys, the Gear Junkie has posted a review of the Jetboil Helios as part of his Daily Dose.

The Helios is Jetboil's follow-up to their wildly successful and favorably reviewed Personal Cooking System. It's been several years since the PCS was introduced, and a number of Jetboil's competitors have since released serious challengers to it's crown, but it appears that they have answered back with an excellent cooking system.

The Gear Junkie notes that performance was better than expected, as he was able to bring water to a boil in just 2 1/2 minutes, well under the 3 minutes promised by the company. He also notes that it was quick to heat up stew and pasta as well, and adjusting the flame for efficiency vs, speed was as simple as turning a knob.

The unit is a bit on the expensive side, clocking in at $150, and it weighs in at just over 2 pounds when you include the fuel cartridge. But everything stores inside the cooking pot, and the unit packs down to a relatively small footprint. GJ points out that there are cheaper, more minimalist systems available, but they aren't nearly as efficient or fast, two important things depending on your needs.

It looks like Jetboil has another winner on their hands. Now if they'd just remember to put me on the gear testing list.

Karakorum 2008: Dodo Knocks Off Both Gasherbrums!

ExWeb posted an update from the Karakorum yesterday with the news of the first 8000m summits of the season and more teams arriving on K2 and Nanga Parbat.

The big news is that Dodo Kopold had topped out on both Gasherbrums, reaching the top of GI along with Italians Roby Piantoni and Marco Astori and Vlado Plulík. Dodo and Vlado then went on an alpine style assault on GII, with Dodo making a solo summit. These climbs on the Gasherbrums are part of the Baltoro Express Expedition that will also see the two Slovaks attempt Broad Peak and K2 as well. Dodo has put himself into position to pull off a Karakorum quadruple header. Impressive stuff.

Meanwhile, Japanese climber Hirotaka Takeuchi and Fin Veikka Gustafsson, long time climbing partner of Ed Viesturs, have joined the Amical team on GII. Both men are en route to BC, and Hirotaka is going back to the mountain where he was nearly killed a year ago when he was caught in an avalanche at C2. It is also noted that Veikka, who is hailed as a national hero back home, only has the two Gasherbrums and Broad Peak to go before he is finished with the 8000m peaks.

Over on K2, BC is beginning to get crowded. Two new teams have arrived on the mountain, one Korean, the other Serbian. There has already been a meeting with the teams already on K2 to plan the sharing of resources and working together to fix ropes at the higher altitudes where the Cesen Route and the Abruzzi Spur come together.

News from the other peaks include a Basque team which hopes to make a Broad Peak/K2 double header. On Nanga Parbat, the Italian team has shuttled it's supplies up to 6800m and are now preparing to make their summit bid, and finally, Don Bowie has arrived in Pakistan where he'll attempt to climb the Distaghil Sar, a 7883 m (25,863ft) mountain located in the remote Hispar Range region. Don will be joined by Bruce Normand whom he climbed K2 with last year.

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Post Climb Debrief Part 3

Alan Arnette released Part 3 of his on going 2008 Everest recap over the weekend, once again shedding more light on what exactly happened on the mountain this past spring.

This part of the story is entitled "Sniper At Camp 3" and goes into more detail about how the climbers were treated by the Nepalese army while preparing to make their climb. We all knew that cameras, both still and video, as well as sat phones, were prohibited until after the May 10th deadline, and Alan tells the story of one man having his gear searched for a video camera while having a gun pointed at him. But Alan also points out that while these scenes were disturbing for Everest veterans, after awhile everyone got use to living under the cloud of constant surveillance.

Eventually the climbers stopped worrying about the conditions in BC however, and started worrying about their summit chances. The climbing schedule was completely thrown off thanks to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese. While teams should have been able to climb as high as Camp 3 and spend the night, as part of the typical acclimatization process, the ropes weren't even fixed that high yet. At best, teams were able to go to C2, and soon a well worn path made it's way up the mountain. That is, until May 1st arrived, and no one was allowed to go beyond base camp.

The rest of the story includes Alan's thoughts upon finding out that the Chinese had finally reached the top (or did they?), and the climb beginning in earnest. The Nepalese army disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, with a simple "thank you for your cooperation" message, and in the blink of an eye, thinks returned to semi-normalcy.

The past few posts I've made on Alan's dispatches, I've remarked at how great his writing is, and how well he sets the scene. That is evident once again in this article, but I think I've been negligent in not mentioning Alan's wonderful photographs. Each part of his debrief has some wonderful shots of the mountain sprinkled throughout, and between the writing and the images, you really do get a nice snapshot of life on Everest during the spring 2008. A year unlike any other on the mountain I'm sure.

Next time, we'll get into Alan's summit bid and closing thoughts on the season.

Online Magazine For Jeep and Outdoor Enthusiasts

Yesterday I got the opportunity to checkout JPFreek.com, an excellent online magazine dedicated to Jeep enthusiasts, but also offers some really great content focused on outdoor adventures in general.

The first thing that stuck me when browsing the Spring 2008 edition of the magazine was how sophisticated the interface was. It's like having a virtual copy of a print mag right on your screen, and I soon found myself flipping through the pages almost as effortlessly as I would with an actual physical copy. The tool bar at the top of the page allows you to jump to any page, advance one page at a time, and more. You can zoom in for a higher res version of the images and text, and it's easy to print out or e-mail to a friend.

Inside I found a lot of great content to go along with the nice technical glitz. Obviously the focus is on enjoying the outdoors with your Jeep, with some cool articles in this issue on such things as taking a Jeep Rubicon to the Arctic Circle in Finland and an amazing article on the first overland trip by Jeep from Singapore to England that has recently been chronicled in a book. There is also a test drive of the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee as well, and a nice tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary too. A little bit of adventure for everyone, whether you own and drive a Jeep or not.

Aside from the magazine, JPFreek.com is building an online community with forums, JPFreeks gear, and Freek Web with even more news and content for readers. I'm also told that there are big things planned for the future as well, with the 2008 summer issue releasing soon, and some big things in the works for 2009. Definitely drop by and give it a look. It's a perfect example of how an online "magazine" should work, and there is content for just about anyone who has a love for adventure and the outdoors.

Gobi March 08: The Long March is Over!

"The Long March" stage of this year's Gobi March staged desert race put on by Racing The Planet is over, and the results are in.

After a long, and grueling 79 km (49 mile) stage, the top of the leaderboard remains unchanged. South African Ryan Sandes retains first place, with Siu Keung Tsang of Hong Kong in second, and Chilean Juan Encina in third. Tomorrow's stage is just 12km (7.5 miles) in length, so barring any strange, unforeseen circumstances, this is how the podium will be filled. American Lia Farley is the top female racer, claiming 7th overall, and Dean Karnazies still holds on to fourth place and will finish the second stage of his Desert Grand Slam.

Todays stage was by far the longest of the event, and it wound through some rather remote areas. It is also reported that it was extremely hot for todays stage as well, which took it's toll on the field. More than 25 competitors were forced to withdraw after spending hours in the hot Gobi sun.

On a different note, if you'd like to see what one of these Racing The Planet races is like, tune in tomorrow to the Jeep World of Adventure Sports on NBC to catch a glimpse of the Racing The Planet: Vietnam race that was held a few months back. It was the first event from this organization that wasn't held in one of the 4 Deserts as they expand to other regions of the globe. The show airs at 3 PM EDT/2 CDT. Set your DVR's accordingly.

National Geographic Launches Topo.com

National Geographic has added yet another excellent online resource to their stable of websites. This time it's in the form of Top.com which offers up a very impressive set of topographic maps of North America.

The site, whose tag line is: "Get map. Get connected. Get going." takes Geo's proprietary topographic map data and mashes it up with Google Maps, with the end result being a detailed map of what ever area you select to examine. Anyone familiar with Google Maps will quickly be able to navigate the interface, and you have the options of a "Topo" view, a "Satellite" view, and a "Hybrid" which is a combo of both. So, if you're heading out on a trail somewhere, you can checkout the terrain ahead of time.

The site looks to build a community of outdoor enthusiasts, and you have to register to get the most out of it. It's a quick and painless procedure however, and soon you'll have access to the online forums and have the ability to share your own maps. You can browse the online database and find trails in your area, but if you'd like to save the ma and print it out, you'll need to buy it first from the online store.

So far there isn't a lot of content from the community online just yet, but expect it to grow over time. Soon this will blossom into a really great resource, and if you have a GPS and the required software, you'll probably be able to make good use of it.

Scariest Bridge Ever?

Check out this crazy rope bridge. It's part of the Friday Matinee over at Outdoors Magic. Seems like when you get across it doesn't get any easier, as you have to scale that wall on the other side as well. It's debatable which one is scarier and more challenging, the bridge or the wall.

via ferrata N°3
by enzofanou

Ten Activities Your Insurance Adjuster Won't Approve Of!

Here's a fun article from ProTraveller, an excellent travel site that I've recently been made aware of. It's a list of Ten Completely Insane Activities Probably Not Covered by Insurance. Which of course, it probably means the ten most fun activities that we'll all want to run out and take part in.

Making the list, as you might imagine are such things as bungee jumping, in a couple of different varieties, BASE jumping, skydiving, caged shark diving, and more. My particular favorite, which you can see in the video below, is canyon swinging. Seriously, who is the nut case that comes up with some of these? You know that they are probably well into a case of beer at the time this bright idea hits, and more often then not, the originator of such activities is from New Zealand.

ProTraveller has some other cool articles as well, such as this one on the most luxurious pools in the world, which doesn't sound all that adventurous, but they all look really sweet to soak in after you return form that big adventure. I did especially like this article on 6 Up and Coming Countries To Visit listing places that have recently recovered from prolonged conflicts and are now safe to travel in once again. Good stuff!

Update On Rainier Hikers

I'm way late on posting this, even though regular reader Carl who sent it my way, passed it along yesterday. It's a good story with an update on those hikers that were caught in a blizzard on Mt. Rainier a few days back.

Yesterday KIRO TV in Seattle/Tacoma reported that the hiker who passed aways is now being hailed as a hero. It seems that in an effort to keep his wife and friend warm, he volunteered to lie on the ground so that they could lie on top of him and have a buffer from the cold. As a result, 31 year old Eduard Burceag died of exposure.

The three hikers set out on Monday up part of Mt. Rainier. It was a pleasant spring day when they set out, and they climbed as high as the Muir Camp at about 10,000 feet. But on their descent, a sudden storm blew in that turned into a nasty blizzard that left them stranded on the mountain for two nights before rescue teams could arrive to help out. During that time, Burceag passed away, and his wife Marianna and friend David Vlad suffered frostbite and hypothermia.

Eduard's actions allowed his wife and friend to stay just warm enough that they could survive on the mountain. He has been praised for being a good friend and an energetic personality that inspired others around him. He was also reportedly a good father, who leaves behind two children. His wife and Vlad have both been treated and released, and are said to be in good condition, and they have this man to thank for that.

It's nice to get a bit more of the story, and it's hard to think about someone dying like this. But, he sacrificed himself to save his wife and friend, and for that he probably wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I salute his bravery and send my thoughts and prayers on to his friends and family.

American Wildlands: Stewards of the Northern Rockies

I posted this story on the Primal Quest website earlier, but thought it might be of interest here as well.

America is home to some of the most amazing environments on the planet. The country is blessed with abundant and diverse natural resources from coast to coast, but the environments in the Northern Rockies, the location of this year's Primal Quest, stand out as some of the most unique and wonderful settings anywhere on the planet.

Those settings include places such as Glacier National Park, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Yellowstone, and more. Individually, these places are incredible examples of nearly untouched backcountry but together they make up a vast ecosystem that supports an array of wildlife and natural functions that depend on their interconnectivity to continue to thrive.

That's where American WIldlands comes into play. It's an organization dedicated to maintaining this ecosystem by insuring that these "wildlands" remain connected to on another, creating an environment that is large enough, and healthy enough, to support the creatures that live there, and keep the natural processes functioning so that species such as bear, elk, wolves, and others can continue to thrive.

Headquartered in Bozeman and Missoula, Montana, American Wildlands shares a common goal with Primal Quest to protect the environment and promote a positive environmental message. Through their Corridors of Life program the organization hopes to keep the core environments of the Northern Rockies connect through a series of wildlife movement corridors that allow the creatures indigenous to the area to roam an ecosystem that is bigger than the sum of it's parts.

American Wildlands works on a grassroots level within the region it has sworn to protect. It's members donate time and money to this very worth cause, and their efforts over the past 30 years have had a real, and lasting impact on environments in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and beyond.

Please take a moment to look over their website, where you'll find a natural history on the region, more information on the Corridors of LIfe and other programs, and ways that you can get involved and support this very important program.

Update on Roz Savage: 18 Days Out!

Roz Savage continues her Trans-Pacific row and is now 18 days into her second go at making an attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean under her own power and solo no less. You'll recall that she set out back on May 25th, departing from San Francisco with the intention of rowing to Hawaii.

Over the course of her first two and a half-weeks at sea, Roz has made some interesting posts in her blog. In her most recent post, she gets a bit philosophical about how her life has changed as she gave up her life in the corporate world to chase her dreams of adventure. I guess being alone on the water for a few weeks will inspire you to get philosophical! :) In other posts, she talks about getting lonely at sea (short answer: she doesn't!), answered the question of why she does what she does, and even celebrated World Oceans Day while at sea.

Of course, her posts also discuss a lot of her daily life aboard The Brocade named for her title sponsor as she talks about her gear, the rough seas, and generally how her day has gone as she works towards her goal. Roz will be solo rowing the Pacific in stages, with this being her first stage. Upon reaching Hawaii, she'll have completed 2324 miles and will then take a break before returning to the ocean in 2009 to row another 2620 miles from Hawaii to Tuvalu. Finally, in 2010, the final leg runs an additional 2324 miles from Tuvalu to Australia.

Roz is off to a good start so far. Hopefully she'll continue to have favorable weather and good conditions. Still a ways to go before she can rest though. I'll keep you updated.

The Walrus Interviews Lincoln Hall

The Walrus Blog, the official blog of The Walrus Magazine has conducted an interview with Lincoln Hall who suffered a severe case of altitude sickness on Everest back in 2006, and was left for dead, before he was found and rescued by several climbers, including Dan Mazur and Andrew Brash.

Hall recently released a book on his experiences entitled Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest which details the events that lead to him being left behind, then spending a night on the mountain without oxygen or shelter, before being found alive, half-dressed, and incoherent the following morning.

In the interview, Hall talks about gaining perspective on this near death experience, the deep impact of the hallucinations the experienced while hovering between life and death, and more. He touches on the commercialization of Everest, always a hot topic these days, as well as how "summit fever" grips climbers. He also notes, not surprisingly, that he has no interest in returning to Everest.

All in all, a very insightful interview. Definitely a good read. Thanks Outdoor Ed for this one.

Karakorum 2008: On The Move On K2!

ExWeb posted another good update from the Karakorum with the news that teams are moving quickly on K2 and the Gasherbrums.

First, on K2 the word is that the Norit Team has begun fixing ropes to C3 after spending the night in Camp 2 yesterday. They've been making good, steady progress thus far, but admit that the Cesen Route is very challenging and different from the Abruzzi Spur. Describing it as a "true climbing route", the team will be experiencing a mix of loose snow, rock climbing, and hard ice, with the ever present danger of avalanches, and some large crevasses to negotiate as well.

Moving to the Gasherbrums, Slovakian climbers Dodo Kopold and Vlado Plulík have arrived in base camp and are preparing to assault both the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, and finally K2. The expedition has been dubbed the Baltoro Express, and yes, you read that right, they hope to complete FOUR different 8000m peaks. I guess Dodo an Vlado live by the old adage of "Go big, or go home!" No one will accuse them of lacking ambition.

Finally, we receive word that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has canceled her attempt on K2 this season. The famed female mountaineer is still suffering from a nasty case of pneumonia that sprung from contracting bronchitis on Lhotse a few weeks back. At the time, Gerlinde was hoping to bag a Himalayan doubleheader, knocking off Lhotse with her husband Ralf Dujmovits, after she has already successfully topped out on Dhaulagiri earlier in the month.

Looks like it's going to get very interesting in the Karakorum now. I can't wait to see how the "Baltoro Express" turns out. Would that be a quadruple-header? Crazy stuff!

The Rest of Everest: Episode 85

Episode 85 of The Rest of Everest is now available from iTunes and the episode page on the website. This episode is entitled "Good Morning Everest" and takes us right back to North Side Base Camp where we left off last week.

The episode opens with Jon talking with Justing from the LUNGevity team, who successfully scaled the mountain last year. Jon mentions that the team reached the top without using Sherpa support above ABC. A pretty unique and unusual approach to climbing Everest.

The shots of the mountain from Base camp continue to be amazing, with the distinctive plume on the summit clearly on display. This is "Everest Porn", as Jon puts it, at it's finest, and fans of the mountain will love the dramatic and impressive footage. Even from the video you can tell how imposing Everest is over the surrounding landscape, which is quite different than the shots we see from South Side Base Camp.

The highlights for this episode are once again the really great video footage that we've all come to expect, and love, from the show, but also Scott and Jon talking about their experiences in BC. You can't help but chuckle when they talk about their guides enjoying one too many beers from the local brew, and Scott calling home to let his mom know he's fine reminds us all that we're never too old to check in with mom.

Next week we get to see a Puja ceremony. If you haven't seen one, it'll definitely be worth the wait. Can't wait!

Hikers Airlifted Off Rainier

According to the Seattle Times, Two hikers, a man and a woman, were rescued from Mt. Rainier this morning after spending two nights stranded on the mountain in a severe blizzard. A third hiker, the husband to the rescued woman, died of hypothermia.

The trio, described as experienced mountaineers, set out for a day hike on Rainier on Monday, and reached Camp Muir at 10,000 feet that day. A strong storm blew in while they were descending and as they reached the Muir Snowfield, just a half-mile below the camp. The storm brought 70 mile an hour winds, and large amounts of snow, which they were completely unprepared for, having dressed for a warm spring day. The blizzards prevented a rescue attempt until today, when a helicopter go finally approach the mountain.

The two climbers who were rescued are reportedly suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia, but are said to be in good condition overall. The names of the three involved have been withheld until the family of the deceased can be notified. While on the mountain, they had to dig a snow cave, and huddled inside, to escape the weather. They also tried calling for help on their cell phone, but were unable to get through due to the storm. Eventually they were able to alert the rangers, but the conditions made a rescue attempt impossible until things improved today.

Lets hope the survivors recover fully, and my condolences to the family and friends of the man lost on the mountain. It's sad and a bit scary, how dangerous these late spring storms can be.

Thanks Carl for sending this my way. As always, you have some great contributions.

Primal Quest 2008: Course Update!

Just a quick note on the conditions of the course for the upcoming Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race which gets underway in just 12 days now. I just published this report on the PQ site with news from the field on several issues that could impact the course.

First, as mentioned yesterday, the snow continues to fly in Montana, and teams are now required to bring snow shoes to the event. Course designer Chris Caul reported in yesterday that while surveying the course, the team was trekking through 10' of snow above 9000 feet, which makes for challenging conditions in the best of circumstances, let alone when you're in the middle of a 500 mile race and haven't slept in 3 days. To make matters worse, it's snowing again today, although the forecast looks to be warming up considerably near the end of the week.

Which leads to the other element to keep an eye on, and that's the whitewater. Right now, I'm told that the water is running fast and cold, and with temps warming up, there will likely be more runoff in the days ahead. But, at the moment things are falling in line with what has traditionally happened in the area during the spring, and we expect a quick increase, and then drop off of the water, making it safe for the paddling sections. Make no mistake, the water will be cold, and probably still quite fast, but not dangerously so. Teams should be well prepared to handle it.

The race is coming up quickly now, and I hopefully I can provide some good insights and commentary leading up to, during, and after the event.

Gobi March 08 Update!

The 2008 version of the Gobi March got underway on Sunday, with 190 runners from 26 countries taking part in the stage race ultramarathon event being held near Kashgar in western China. The course winds through a remote villages, and desolate sections of the Gobi Desert along part of what was once the Silk Road, and while it's not as hot in the Gobi as it is in other deserts, it is still very dry and challenging.

After four stages, the top racer is currently Ryan Sandes of South Africa, followed by Siu Keung Tsang of Hong Kong, approximately 30 minutes back, and Juan Encina of Chile is in third roughly 42 minutes behind the leader. The top female competitor is Lia A. Farley from the United States who is in 7th place overall. American Dean Karnazes, attempting his Desert Grandslam, is currently in 4th place and about two hours and 18 minutes behind Sandes.

Tomorrow the racers will face their most challenging day of the race. The stage is dubbed "The Long March" thanks to it's 80km (49 mile) length. The latest news updates suggest that this grueling stage will determine who the overall winner is, with the top three runners all within striking distance of one another depending on conditions and how strong their legs are. The final 12km stage is generally ceremonial with the leader taking a victory lap, and most of the runners happy to just reach the finish line.

Good luck to all the runners tomorrow. The Long March will be a test of their stamina for sure. Be safe!

Chris Sharma Makes Us All Look Bad

Chris Sharma has a bad habit of making the rest of us look like mere mortals. Th guy travels the globe to find the hardest routes and then he makes incredible move after incredible move until he scales the wall. In this video he's in Margalef, Spain putting up a new route that he calls "Gancho Perfecto". The route is rated as a 9a/5.14d making it extremely challenging. Enjoy and watch in awe.

Thanks to the All Climbing Blog for the heads up on this one.

Primal Quest Updates Mandatory Gear, Bring Your Snow Shoes!

I had an e-mail this morning from Don Mann, CEO of Primal Quest. After exchanging some thoughts on a variety of topics, Don mentioned, rather off handedly, that it was snowing again.

Later today a message was sent out to the all the teams informing them of the following:

IMPORTANT: Gear Change for PQ08

The Primal Quest crew has been working on the course this week and spent yesterday “trekking” in 10’ of snow at 9000’. Since then it has snowed another 6” over night. We have also seen temps in the low 30s F.

Snow shoes are now MANDATORY and we recommend they be the lightweight, racing type. While Yak-Traks are allowed, they may not be used in lieu of snow shoes.

At this time, crampons are not required, but we will recommend them if conditions warrant between now and the race. We will notify you as soon as possible if we make this change.

Safe travels and see you in Montana!

Chris Caul
Course Director

So, it looks like snow and more snow in Montana. Bring your snow shoes if you're coming to the event. You're going to need them. ;)

Five Divers Stranded on Remote Island!

Remember last week when I posted about the two divers left at sea? Well, here's a similar article courtesy of ABC News, but in this case the divers were swept away from their dive site due to strong currents, and ended up washing up on shore on a remote island, where they faced hungry Komodo Dragons of all things.

The five divers, three from the U.K., one from France, and one from Sweden, were exploring the waters off the coast of Indonesia when they were caught up in the incredibly strong current that washed them 20 miles away from their starting point through shark infested waters no less. Fortunately they washed up on a small island called Rinca, which was actually the last piece of land before the were completely washed out into the open sea. The group lashed their diving vests together to stay close, after they had struggled against the current for so long, but managed to work together to reach the shore.

Once they were on the beach however, they still weren't out of the water. (Pun fully intended!) While on Rinca, they encountered a large Komodo Dragon. Indigenous only to Indonesia, the Dragons are the largest lizards in the world. They are incredibly strong and tough, and like the taste of meat besides. Their jaws are powerful, with nasty teeth, and their bite, while not venomous, has been known to be so filled with bacteria that it might as well be a poison. The divers managed to fight off the Komodo by throwing rocks at it and hitting it with sticks.

Later, they were spotted on the beach waving for help by a passing boat and were rescued shortly there after. Crazy stuff! Thankfully they didn't go the way of Gilligan's Island, being stranded their for three seasons...er... years.

Two Chances To Win A SPOT Messenger!

The Satellite Messenger from SPOT hasn't been on the market for all that long, but already it's made it's mark, saving lives around the world, and garnering excellent reviews from the National Geographic Adventure Blog. In fact, reviewer Steve Casimiro called the Messenger "The most important outdoor product of the last couple years".

Well, now is your chance to get your hands on one with a pair of contests. First, up, SPOT is a presenting sponsor for the upcoming Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race taking place in Montana in just a few weeks time. To celebrate, SPOT is giving away a Messenger signed by the winning team. Simply go to this page to sign up to win. The lucky person selected will also gain six months of free tracking service as well.

Still want more chances? Then head over to GearCrave where they are giving away not just one SPOT Messenger, but four!! All you have to do is click here where you can sign up for theGearCrave newsletter, and then leave a comment on the story, and you'll be entered into the contest. As of this writing there are six entires, so your chances are pretty good. Entries will be taken until 11:59 PM on Sunday June 15th.

Good luck! I hope you win one of these great devices. They're definitely an amazing little gadget.

810 Miles of Running and Biking in Death Valley

Remember Lisa Smith-Batchen? I wrote about her last year when she was running in the Badwater Ultra and elected to go for the "Double Badwater", which in ultrarunning circles means completing the 135 miles of the course, then turning right back around and running back to the starting line.

Well, it seems Lisa is up to her old tricks this year and this time, she's running with a purpose. She's launched Lisas810.com where this incredibly gifted athlete has set her sights on raising funds and awareness for the plight of children in Africa who have become orphaned as a result of AIDS. To that end, Lisa will be running and biking 810 miles to support the AIDS Orphans Rising charity, which works hard to help the children whose lives are changed forever by this deadly disease.

On July 9th, Lisa will depart from Las Vegas, Nevada and run almost 160 miles through the desert to reach Death Valley. Along the way she’ll face scorching heat, cross mountains, risking dehydration and injury, just to get to the start of her race. Once she arrives at her destination, Lisa will take part in one of the most grueling endurance events on the planet by racing in the Badwater Ultramarathon, which is another 135 miles of running through Death Valley, one of the hottest locations on Earth, and the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. The race typically ends at the Mt. Whitney Portals, but Lisa will continue another 10 miles to the summit before she rests.

Then, in October, Lisa will return to Death Valley to take part in the Furnace Creek 508, a 500+ mile bike race, with more than 35,000 feet of elevation gain, that will once again test her dedication and endurance. The desert is just as unforgiving in the Fall, and with all that climbing, riders will deal with temperature extremes throughout the course.

For more information on Lisa and the cause she is working so hard for, be sure to check out her website where you’ll find more information about Lisa, her support crew, the Badwater and Furnace Creek races, and how you can help with the cause.

Good luck Lisa! We’re pulling for you!

Introducing Adventure Trip Magazine

There is a cool new adventure travel website that has just launched called Adventure Trip Magazine that I'm excited to be a part of. Wade Heflin of Outdoorzy fame put the site together and invited myself a few other bloggers to be contributing writers in what we hope will become a hub of information on travel and gear for adventurous travelers every where.

Besides Jason and myself, we're joined by Ben Burner from Burner Photography. Ben also writes a nice blog which obviously incorporates some of his amazing photos. Also part of the team is Peter Spiller who writes the Outside San Diego blog which covers some of our favorite topics like gear, adventure travel, and just about anything else taking place in the great outdoors.

We've all posted a few articles alread, such as Wade's story on Exploring Machu Picchu or Ben's story on Antelope Canyon. As for my first contribution, you can see my Top 10 Adventure Cities if you're thinking of planning an adventurous getaway some time soon.

In the weeks ahead we hope to expand the amount of content with new articles on a regular basis, including gear news and reviews, destination reports, and great travel deals. Stay tuned, we have some good things in store for everyone.

Karakorum 2008: Action in Pakistan

It looks like the action is starting to heat up in Pakistan as climbers depart the Himalaya and head to the Karakorum. We already knew that climbers were into base camp on K2, but other peaks in the region are beginning to see traffic as well.

K2Climb.net updated today with an overview of the region starting with K2 itself, where Wilco van Rooijen's team is already working away at the Cesen Route. The team has already climbed up to Camp 1 and have shuttled up some gear, including lots of rope, to begin the process of setting down the fixed lines. While there, a large avalanche occurred when a serac collapsed above them, covering their intended route, but causing no injuries. As of now, this is still the only team on the mountain, where they report sunny skies, but nasty winds over the past few nights.

Other climbers are making their plans for the coming weeks as well, with Marco Confortola announcing that he's home now from Everest, but will soon leave for K2. Similarly, Nicholas Rice is heading to the Karakorum to tackle both K2 and Broad Peak this summer as part of two French expeditions.

Last week we heard that the Himalayan Trptych climb finished off the first stage of their adventure by knocking off Ama Dablam and nearly reaching the summit on Annapurna. Now, the team has moved on to stages two and three that will see them making traverses of first all three Gasherbrum peaks and then moving on to make a traverse of Broad Peak as well. No rest for the weary I suppose. My legs hurt just thinking about it.

More to come I'm sure. Teams are just now hitting Islamabad, and the base camps on the Karakorum peaks will soon be filling up. Should be an active year in the region.

Adventure Gives Us The Top Trails

To celebrate National Trail Day, which took place over the weekend, National Geographic Adventure has updated their website with a list of their 16 Best Trails.

The trails a are broken down into categories and displayed in a slick fashion using Flash. For instance, under "Weekend All-Stars" you'll find The Art Loeb Trail in North Carolina as well as the Northern Loop Trail near Mt. Rainier. Other categories include "City Wilds" with top trails in or very near to an urban area, "Classics" which is just what it sounds like, and includes the John Muir Trail. Finally, you have the National Parks, which highlights the best trails in the park system, with the likes of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon taking these honors.

The page also has some other cool articles for hikers, such as an insider's guide to the great parks, the list of best national parks for 2007, and even a nice gear guide .

National Trail Day may be over, but that doesn't mean we still can't use these resources. After all, it's not even officially summer yet. So get out there and hit the trail.

Eco-X: CDT Speed Attempt Update - It's Over!

Last Friday I posted this article about David Horton, who was attempting to run the length of the Continental Divide Trail in just 69 days. That's an astonishing 2959 miles on foot, through some very challenging backcountry at altitude. David was going to be giving regular reports to friend Clark Zealand to post on his Eco-X website.

Well, sharp eyed reader DSD of Summit Stones and Adventure Musings fame noticed that the speed attempt is already over. This posting from yesterday gives the details, but in a nutshell, David ran for 45 miles on Saturday, but ended up completely dehydrated and exhausted. This has left him in an extremely weak condition and he's not bouncing back from it just yet.

For now, the attempt will have to put on hold. Perhaps once he recovers, he can think about what went wrong, and plan a new attempt. Anyone who has ever been severely dehydrated can surely feel for him though. It's one of the worst feelings ever and your strength is completely gone. Even re-hydrating still takes time for your energy to return. I only hope that Karl Meltzer is paying attention as he prepares for his Appalachian Assault set to begin in the first week of August.

Everest 2008: Alan Arnette Post Climb Debrief Part 2!

Alan Arnette continues his post-climb debrief on the 2008 Everest Season with the second part of the real story of what happened on the mountain this season.

Both part 1 and part 2 of this very well written report are contained in a single PDF document so you can get the entire story, thus far. In part 1 we learned about the fluid nature of the politics of Everest this year. Alan arrived in Nepal, amidst rumors of new rules, censorship, and the Chinese calling the shots. As we all know by now, those rumors turned out to be true, and of course the entire season was thrown into disarray.

Part 2 continues the story, with teams arriving in Base Camp and the rumors continuing to fly. Soon the Nepalese army shows up, and phones start getting confiscated. Communications start to get monitored, and the mood in BC is one of oppression, even if it's more on the subtle side. The Nepali soldiers come across as thugs just waiting for one of the climbers to step out of line, and when Alan makes a move to smuggle his own phone back to his tent, it reads a bit like a James Bond novel.

The writing in both parts is top notch and Alan does a great job of telling us the story of what really happened on the mountain. We knew from team reports that things were on edge in camp, but Alan confirms the situation. And when things actually started to improve and return to normal, William Brant Holland went and got himself tossed off the mountain.

By the time I finished reading this, I was already looking forward to the next part. The REAL story of Everest 2008 is still coming out, and thankfully Alan is willing to tell us the tale. Don't miss this one.

Eco-X: Running The CDT!

The Hardwear Sessions Blog keeps providing good material today, this time in the form of a report on Mountain Hardwear sponsored athlete David Horton who is his attempting to run the entire length of the Continental Divide Trail. Updates on his run will be posted to Clark Zealand's Eco-X website on a regular basis, including audio dispatches from the trail.

David will get underway tomorrow, hoping to cover 56 miles on his first day out on the trail. He is starting at he U.S.-Mexican border and will run the entire length of the trail north to the Canadian border. That's 2959 miles in total. Oh yeah, and he hopes to do it in 69 days, averaging nearly 43 miles per day.

The first audio dispatch is already posted on the site, with more to come in the future, and regular updates posted by Clark. Should be another fun adventure to watch over the course of the next few months. And as a point of reference, those 43 miles per day that he hopes to average, is further than most people drive in a single day.

Good luck Dave!

Gobi March 08 Begins Sunday!

The 2008 Gobi March is set to get underway this Sunday, starting from Kashgar, in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture of China. The race, which now enters it's 5th year, will once again follow the ancient Silk Road as competitors run through Dunhuang, Turpan, Hami and Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County.

The Gobi March is part of the 4 Deserts series of ultramarathons put on by Racing The Planet each year. This year's event will have approximately 170 competitors from 26 countries, making it the largest international sporting event in Western China. (There is a slightly bigger one taking place in Eastern China in August.)

The event, like all the races in the 4 Deserts series, are stage race ultramarathons that take place in extreme conditions. In the case of the Gobi March, the race will be six stages in length, with the longest stage, called "The Long March", being 79 kilometers or roughly 49 miles. At it's peak, the competitors will be as high as 3000 meters (9842 feet), and unlike the general perception of a desert, the Gobi can be quite cold at times, although it remains mostly dry, averaging just 7 inches of rain per year.

One of the top contenders to win this year's event is the Ultramarathon Man himself Dean Karnazes. Dean is hoping to complete the Desert Grandslam, in which he'll run in the Atacama Crossing, Gobi March, Sahara Race, The Last Desert, and the Badwater Ultra all in the same year. He has already completed, and won, the Atacama Crossing, and if successful in his quest, he'll be the first man to complete the 4 Deserts and Badwater in the same year.

Next week I'll post updates from the event. Should be another great race.

New Action Cameras Capture My Epic Failures

With YouTube being all the rage these days, people are constantly looking to find ways to capture video and share it with the their friends and family. And of course, the action sports crowd is no different. To that end, Oregon Scientific is looking to upgrade their line of action cameras with two new models coming in August.

These small, lightweight cameras capture video on SD cards, and are powered by AA batteries. They can be mounted easily on just about everything from the handlebars of your bike to your climbing helmet, and they're both shock resistant and water proof which helps to protect them in adverse conditions.

The two new models will still record in the same resolution, although upgraded CMOS chips should improve the quality, but both of them have wider fields of view. The ATC3K will set you back $150 while the ATC5K, which includes a 1.5-inch LCD screen, will go for $200.

Great, now I can capture the humiliation of going over my handle bars on my mountain bike, and share with the entire world.

Iñaki Ochoa: The Full Story

There were a couple of reports on the Hardwear Sessions Blog over the past few days giving us a glimpse into what Iñaki Ochoa's last hours were like. A few weeks after his death now, and his shadow still looms over the mountaineering community.

First, Ueli Steck wrote this story that gave a few more details, but is mostly Ueli being his modest self and not really wanting to talk to openly about the situation. He says that they did their best, which I'm sure we all already understand, but that Iñaki was already too far gone when he arrived on the scene. He takes some comfort in knowing that Iñaki was never alone through the whole ordeal.

Yesterday, a second, and longer article was posted after being translated by Patricia Bamert and Cynthia Houng. The original text was written in German by Edi Estermann, and appeared in the "Schweizer Illustrierte" a few days back.

This article gives us a step by step account of what happened, especially from Ueli's point of view, as he and Simon Anthamatten rushed up the mountain to try to help Iñaki. It's a story of bravery, self sacrifice, and amazing fortitude, that unfortunately didn't have a happy ending. But, it also shows that there are some selfless personalities in the climbing community who would risk everything to try to save someone. Ueli and Simon climbing Annapuran in their summer gear shows the lengths they were willing to go to try to get Iñaki down alive.

The second story in particular is a bit hard to read at points, but it tells the story in detail and fills in some of the gaps on what was happening while the rest of us waited, watched, and hoped for a miracle.