Ok, so the title to this entry makes it sound like I'm going to a Star Trek convention. But what I'm really talkinga bout is this cool website called Trekkingvision which offers some some amazing suggestions for great treks all over the World.

The site already has some great treks listed on six continents and a handy Google map to show where they are located, so you shouldn't have any problems finding something in an area you would like to explore. They also have detailed information about the different hikes which include such classics as The Annapurna Circuit, The Inca Trail, and the Machame Route on Kilimanjaro which I recently trekked.

All in all, there is some great information on the site, which has plans to add an RSS feed and a blog soon as well. We'll definitely have to keep our eyes on this one. Looks great so far!

Thanks Best Hikes Blog!

Outdoor gear company Quechua had partnered with budget tech firm Archos to produce a ruggedized Android cell phone that is designed for adventurers who can be a little rough on their gear. The phone, which begins shipping this week in some markets, if resistant to water, snow, cold, dust and other elements, while also being designed to survive a significant drop.

The new phone will retail for €230 (roughly $310) and comes equipped with Android 4.1 (Jellybean). It is powered by a Qualcomm 1.2 GHz, quad-core processor, has 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded through the use of SD cards. It also has a large 5" display and 3500 mAh battery that is said to be capable of 22 hours of talk time between charges.

But what sets the phone apart from most others is that it meets IP 54 certification. That means it has been built to survive the demands of the outdoors, including submersion in water, being used in sandy or dusty environments and withstanding the shock from being dropped. It is also resistant to both hot and cold temperatures, which could make it a great travel phone for those who visit extreme environments.

The phone does have a few knocks against it before it ever hits the streets. For starters, it doesn't have 4G data capabilities. The built-in 4GB of storage is a bit anemic as well, even though you do have the ability to add to that with memory cards. Android 4.1 is no longer the latest version of that operating system either, although it is a solid, modern OS in terms of features and stability. Still, for the price, I would expect a bit more out of the phone. You might be better served with buying a more capable device at a lower price and investing in a good cast to protect it. Just my two cents.

Regular readers know that, from time to time, I'll review a recent book release that may be of interest to them. Most of the books I've reviewed in the past have been about climbing, such as Ed Viestur's No Shortcuts To The Top or Cliff Willis' The Boys of Everest. This book review is about a different type of adventure altogether.

Lois On The Loose by Lois Pryce is, simply put, a fun, funny, travel book that chronicles the author's 20,000 mile journey, by motorcycle, from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. In essence, the length of the Trans-America highway. Along the way, Lois encounters unusual people, unique stretches of road, and a wide variety of police officers stretching from Canada through Central America, and continuing to the very end of the World.

The book opens with Lois returning to her job at the BBC in London, fresh from a motorcycle holiday in Europe. As she returns to the daily grind, she finds she is missing the open road, and the thrill of adventure. Her mind begins to hatch a plan that would see her quitting her job, shipping her motorcycle to Alaska, and setting off on an epic journey throughout the length of the Americas.

The book is an enjoyable read, and certainly instills a desire to travel. More than once I wanted to purchase a motorcycle of my own, and follow Lois off down the highway. The author writes with a wonderful conversational style in which you almost feel like you're listening to her personally convey her stories to you. Combine this with a liberal dash of British humor, and you have a charming travel tale that reinforces the point of most travel tales - The Journey Is It's Own Reward!

You can find out more about Lois and her adventures at her official website where you can also learn that she recently completed a Trans-African journey by motorcycle as well. After completing Lois On The Loose I can only hope that there will be a follow-up to detail her adventures in Africa. I'm one reader who hasn't gotten his fill of Lois and her motorcycle odysseys, and if you enjoy a good travel story, that is both funny and thoughtful, I have a feeling you might just fall for Lois too.

Is there any State in the Union that elicits a sense of adventure like Alaska? Not only is it the largest state (Sorry Texas!), but it's easily the most remote, mountainous, and wild. In celebration of the 49th State, National Geographic Adventure is presenting Ten Trips into the Alaskan Frontier.

The unique element of this article is that it offers both a modern and classic adventure in a similar vein. For instance, in their section on the Alaskan Range they recommend a classic trek, hiking Denali's Empty Quarter, and a more modern one, Scouting the Iditarod trail.

Should you choose to hike Denali, you'll need a permit for the backcountry, which you can only get a day in advance and without reservations. The article also warns that sections of the trail may be closed due to bear sightings (!) or river floodings. If that sounds a little too rough, then perhaps the Iditarod trail is more your style. You'll hike through Rainy Pass, one of the more prominant sections of the Iditarod sled dog race. Going in the Summer means scenic views, blooming wild flowers, and running streams that are frozen solid when the mushers roll through.

The article has other suggested adventures as well, with both modern and classic options for The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Glacier Bay National Park, Tongass National Forest, and Yukon Charley River and Kondike Preserve A little something for everyone!

Oh, and I found this particular bit of advice quite useful: "Old-timer's guide to bear identification: If it climbs the tree to kill you, it's a black bear. If it knocks the tree over first, then kills you, it's a griz."

Many of you probably remember the book and TV series Long Way Round in which actors Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor rode their motorcycles around the World. They started off in London, proceeded across Europe, and some very desloate areas of Asia (Russia, Mongolia, etc.), hopped a ferry to Alasksa, and cruised across the states. Well, now they're off on their next adventure dubbed Long Way Down.

This time they'll be riding to the southern most tip of Africa, departing once more from London. The show is set to air on the BBC in September, and hopefully will be picked up again and shown in the States as well. The first series, which is available on DVD was a lot of fun to watch. The two movie stars are long time friends, and you could tell they had an amazing time on their journey together. If you haven't seen the show, it's well worth the 15 bucks they're asking for it.

Of course, they're not the first to do this, as Lois Pryce whose book I recently reviewed has also done this epic trip on her motorcycle, and chronicled her adventures on her website. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what Charlie and Ewan have in store for us.

Thanks Gadling!

As some of you know, I am a regular contributor to the Let's Roll blog over at FlightNetwork.com, an excellent online resource for finding cheap flights to just about anywhere. On the blog, we are aspiring to deliver some fun, interesting and compelling travel-focused content, and from time to time I'll be sharing links to some things that you might find interesting on the site. Here are a few that are worth a mention right now:

• 2013 Holiday Gift Guide For Travelers
• 5 Must-Have Items For Cold Climate Travel
• TripAdvisor Reveals Top 10 Destinations For 2014
• Why Your Smartphone Can't Replace A Dedicated Camera For Travel
• Singapore Airlines Ends Longest Nonstop Commercial Flight

Hopefully a couple of those will spur your interest to click on over and see what we're up to. The Gift Guide in particular has some great suggestions for travelers, just in case you're looking to find something for the holidays. In case you haven't been looking at the calendar, Christmas is closer than you think! 

When I reach 75 years old, I hope I'm still on adventures like this one. Yahoo News is reporting a story on Barbara Hillary who, at the age of 75, recently completed a ski trek to the North Pole.

The retired nurse, who was diagnosed, then beat, lung cancer at the age of 67, becomes one of the oldest people to ever reach the Pole, and she is believed to be the first black woman to accomplish that feat as well. The fact that she did it as part of an adventure travel group doesn't detract from her success in any way.

A hearty Adventure Blog congratulations goes out to Barbara for her accomplishment and for showing a true sense of adventure, that can inspire us at any age.

Thanks for the tip Outdoor Weblog!

My friend Rick McCharles, who writes the Best Hike Blog, has been busy adding to his already impressive resume of trails that he has walked. Recently he's been in the Indian Himalaya, spending the better part of a week trekking the Kuari Pass and writing about his experience there. The trek takes travelers deep into the mountains of northern India where 7000 meter peaks abound, it also affords those who make the walk views of the famous Nanda Devi, a mountain that many believe is the most beautiful on the planet.

Rick starts his travelogue of the trek with a Day 0 post that outlines what to expect on the hike, including the price. The 8 day trek costs $600 apiece for two hikers and includes a guided walk covering 82 km (50 miles) with the highest point reaching 5135 meters (16,847 ft) at Larkya La.

The trek offers some fantastic cultural encounters and amazing views, but of course one of the highlights is Nanda Devi, a 7816 meter (25,643 ft) peak that is the second tallest in India. It features a steep, sharp summit that cuts across the horizon in dramatic fashion. It also happens to fall inside the Nanda Devi preserve, that is off limits to all but a few lucky visitors. On occasion, permits are issued to climb the peak and some of the best climbers in history have attempted to reach its summit. The mountain is so striking that American climbing legend Willi Unsoeld named his daughter after the mountain. Sadly, she would later die trying to climb it.

Rick wrote six posts on the Kuari Pass trek, each of which can be accessed from the Day 0 post linked to above. Each of those posts shares his experience from each day and plenty of photos from the trail, giving us readers a sense of what it is like to make this hike.

After finishing up the Kuari hike in India, Rick has now jumped over to Nepal where he is busy walking the Manaslu Circuit. I'm sure we'll get some great info on that trek soon as well.

Want to take a little virtual getaway? Then check out this great video that was shot entirely in Australia. It does a wonderful job of capturing some of the more brilliant highlights of the country that is a fantastic playground for outdoor enthusiasts. There is some great camera work done here and the shots are wonderful. If you haven't been "Down Under" just yet, this will probably make you want to go.

Check out this amazing video of Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. An amazing area of Patagonia that may be the site of my next adventure. Enjoy!




Thanks to The Piton for this one!

This past summer, three friends quit their job and hit the road with one another on a two-month long adventure across the U.S. during which they visited some amazing outdoor places, taught photography workshops and caught up with friends old and new. Along the way they also managed to take some amazing photos and stitched together a fantastic timelapse video of their journey. You'll find that breathtaking piece of work below. Perhaps it'll inspire you to heed the call of adventure too.

Adventure Is Calling from Shane Black on Vimeo.

Nepal's Mustang Valley is a sacred, hidden place that remains restricted to travelers even today. There is some limited access, with the right permits and guides, but it is far from the well-tread paths of the Khumbu Valley or the Annapurna Circuit. The video below takes us into Mustang, giving us a spectacular glimpse of what it is like there. The valley is a spiritual and cultural place with the dramatic backdrop of the Himalayan Mountains along the horizon. It looks like an amazing destination and I'd love to see it for myself one day.

MUSTANG TREK from Yannick Calonge on Vimeo.

Can't wait to follow Charlie and Ewan's next big adventure? The book is probably months away and the TV series won't air at least until this Fall, so what are we to do in the mean time? How about follow their adventures online! The BBC has set up a nice page with video, trip dispatches, and more information on the Boys' latest motorcycle cruise.

I first posted on this last week, but for those that don't know, actors Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor have set off to ride their motorcycles from Scotland to South Africa. The project is entitled Long Way Down and will spawn a book of their adventures, as well as a BBC television show, which hopefully will be brought across the pond for fans in the United States to enjoy as well. The trip is a follow up to their hugely successful Long Way Round which was also made into a book and is available on DVD.

While I won't want everything to be given away by following them on the Internet, it will still be fun to keep up on their adventures while they are in the midst of the journey. Good luck guys!

Conde Naste Traveler has put together a rather interesting list of places that are vanishing before our eyes, and may be completely gone, for a variety of reasons, in the not too distant future.

Places that made the "most threatened" list include Bagan, Myanmar where ancient temples are being threatned by newer, more modern, and cheap, knock offs. The Pantanal, in Brazil, which is amongst my places I'd love to visit, but the once vast rainforests there are being destroyed to make way for more farmland, and the Galápagos Islands, which is being overrun by tourists.

The article does a great job of describing these remote locations, why they are endangered, and why we would want to visit them. It also has tips on the best time to go, and other travel advice to consider. This is an amazingly well done article that I highly recommend to anyone who loves to travel and get off the beaten path some.

Thanks Gadling!

Looking for a little escape at the start of the week? Then look no further than this great travelogue style video that follows three traveler as they ride from Jaipur, India to Khardung La, the highest road in the world at 5369 meters (17,582 ft). It is a colorful, chaotic journey that looks like it would be quite an adventure.

Just a quick programming note for what could be a very cool TV show. The Discovery Channel will air a special called Adventure Bhutan that promises to be quite interesting for anyone who is the Himalaya and that part of the World. The show will air this Sunday starting at 9 PM Eastern/ 8 PM Central time.

The tiny Kingdom of Bhutan has been diffucult for Westerners to gain access to in general, and some areas are completely shut off to Westerners altogether. But for the first time, cameras were allowed into the Mangde Chu River valley as Discovery Channel expeditions kayaks this remote and largely unexplored area.

The two hour program will be reaired later in the evening as well, and will likely feature some amazing scenery and wiil probably chronicle an incredible adventure for the paddlers. I'm guessing that they'll encounter Class V+ rapids and crazy conditions. The only downfall is that I don't see it listed on the Discovery HD channel, so I guess we'll have to settle for our first glimpse of this amazing place in standard definition. Bummer. So set your Tivo's and enjoy the show.

I've added another outlet to the sites that I am contributing for and for the past few weeks, I've been posting to the Let's Roll Blog over at FlightNetwork.com. My postings to the site are more travel related with a slant towards adventure travel and a mix of a few gear reviews as well. The site is still relatively new but it is ramping up quickly and the editors have big plans for where they would like to go.

Here is a sampling of some of the posts that I, and others, have written to the blog recently:

• Kilimanjaro Guide Prepares for 50th Summit
• 7 Reasons Iceland is Quirky and Awesome
• Antarctic Travel Season Begins
• Polar Bear Attacks In Popular Canadian Tourist Town
• Airlines Being Allowing Passengers To Use Electronics Gate To Gate

Just a few articles to give readers an idea of what the blog is all about. If you're a traveler, you'll probably find a lot to like over there. Add it to your list of favorites and give it a go every once in awhile. 

I came across this article from the New York Times while browsing The Goat Blog over at BackCountry.com.

It's the first review I've seen on that fance new Skywalk that the Hualapai Indians built over the Grand Canyon. The $30 million structure projects 70 feet out over the canyon, and is transparent, allowing visitors to seemingly walk out into space. Customers have been lining up to pay $75 a pop to stroll out onto the Skywalk, and to experience an intense form of vertigo.

The reviewer isn't all that impressed however, as he felt that there were just as stunning of views not that far away that would cost you nothing, and wouldn't have the natural setting destroyed by a man made mounument to consumerism. He went on to say that the Tribe's near by resort does nothing for the setting either, and that you're better served spending your time, and money, on the North or South Rims.

Personally, I thought paying $25 for the experience was a bit much when it was reported that that would be the cost to walk out on to the Skywalk. However, I figured at that price, you could still cough up the dough and not feel completely ripped off. But $75? Forget it! I'm sure the experience is one that has to be seen to be enjoyed completely, but I'll take my 75 clams and go elsewhere. Like, you know, down into the Canyon itself.

The Outdoor Weblog has posted the second of their new weekly feature entitled "The Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door", and it just happens to be an interview with yours truly.

New Blog Queen Terah Shelton read about my recent trip to Africa and asked if I'd mind answering a few questions on the trip. What you see published on her blog is ther result, along with a few pictures from my safari gallery.

A big thanks to Terah for giving me the opportunity to write about my trip and sharing it with her readers. She did a great job of making me look good and selecting some of my favorite pics to accompany the article. I fully intend to continue my summary of the Kili climb here as well, once I get a little time to catch up, and more detailed thoughts on the safari as well.

Update: Part 2 of the interview has been posted on the website if you're interested in more.

I posted a programming not a few days ago for a televisions how airing on The Discovery Channel called Adventure Bhutan. The two hour program aired last night, but in case you missed it, remember, it was on the Discovery Channel, I'm sure it will get played over. And over. And over...again.

Judging from the traffic logs for my blog, there seems to be a lot of interest in the show, so I thought that I'd share my thoughts on it while it's still fairly fresh in my mind. First off, I'll lament the fact that the show wasn't in HD, nor was it aired on the Discovery HD Channel. It would have looked amazing seeing Bhutan and it's stunning scenery in full HD. The show was letterboxed and seemed to be in the 16:9 aspect ratio, which leads me to believe that it was filmed in HD, just not aired in that format. But that's neither here nor there.

The show followed a team of adventurers and explorers as they traveled down the Mangde Chu River by whitewater raft and kayak. This area of the World has never been seen by Westerners before, and it's safe to say that it's likely not been visited by many (if any) humans before. There were points on the river where the rapids were rated as Class VI, which one of the members of the team explained meant that there was about a fifty percent chance of survival. Not only would you have to be a world class kayaker to survive this river, you would need excellent gear and boats to navigate the area, which probably points to the fact this was indeed the first group of people to explore the region.

The team certainly met with their hardships along the way. The river was more challenging than they expected in spots, and the narrow canyons made it difficult for them to run the rapids. They had to portage around some rather nasty areas, and those portages, over rocks and through jungle were not easy at all. When team leader Gerry Moffatt fell and gashed open his leg, there was a serious threat to his health and quite possibly his life. (I couldnt' have been the only one who winced in pain when they showed that gash!)

But of course, in the end, they were able to make the first descent on the Mangde Chu, and reach their destination at the border of Bhutan and India. I have to admit, it looked like quite the adventure, and there was some amazing white water to run. However, the show turned into more of an kayaking adventure and less of an exploration of the territory to me. As someone who enjoys kayaking very much, I was thrilled to watch them tackle some crazy rapids, but I really wanted to see more of this "Unexplored World" they kept telling us about. Yes, we did get some shots of the canyons and this new area that man was seeing for the first time, but often times we would get a shot of one of the team members telling us how amazing it was there, when what I really wanted to see was the things that made it amazing. The camera work wasn't exceptional while in the canyon, and there was little to distinguish the area from any other canyon on Earth. I was hoping for more of a mix of the white water kayaking and exploration elements at times. It also didn't help that it took the first hour of the show for the team to just arrive at the unexplored area.

That said, I was entertained by the program. It was great to see, and learn more, about Bhutan and the people there. It's a part of the World that many people don't even know exists, and few Westerners will ever travel to. The team setting off into an unknown region, by kayak no less, was fun to watch, and I did get into their struggle to reach their goal. All in all, I would say it was well worth the two hour investment, even if I would have liked to have seen more of a focus on what they found in the region they were exploring. The overall quality was what you would expect out of the Discovery Channel, which is to say very good, it just left me wanting a little more. I guess that just means I'll have to plan my own Bhutan Adventure. :)