Adventure Travel

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Searching for life’s inspiration, I find myself crossing the border into Canada at Osoyoos (O’sue:ews). I’m heading for the northern confines of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia to challenge my skills in a Nordic Boot Camp at Silver Star Resort. Revered by enthusiasts, the mountain is known for its Interior BC feather-light powder, and a season that kicks off 3 weeks earlier than most in the region.  For 4-6 weeks starting in November Nordic Camps attract skiers of all of ages, some with skills that range up to National Team and Olympic caliber. At an elevation of 6,000, Silver Star makes for the perfect aerobic training ground, which was the launching point for many hopefuls during the 2010 Olympics at Whistler/Blackcomb. 

An easy flight from Seattle (1 hr) or Vancouver (38 min), I’ve chosen to drive in order to immerse myself in the visual impact of the country-side. A valley that in the summer months reflects the far northern reaches of the Sonoran Life Zone, it includes semi-desert landscape species found nowhere else in Canada. The Okanagan is considered by many the Napa Valley of Canada, and called by locals the Wine Country Center of the World. As I make my way past the towns of Oliver, Penticton (home of the Canadian Ironman), Summerland and Kelowna it’s obvious that wine flourishes here as every side road boasts a vineyard or Estate Winery, some which appear to end at someone’s home grown garage. A scene dominated by Lake Country, the tranquil up-valley passing of Osoyoos Lake, Vaseux Lake, Skaha Lake, and 70 mile Okanagan Lake keep me engaged with every twist of the shoreline.

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After making three separate attempts over five years to climb Nepal's 26,545-foot Annapurna, Ed Viesturs successfully reached the summit in 2005. The storied peak was more than just another 8,000-meter summit. For Viesturs, it was the fourteenth, and final, peak at that landmark altitude that he had climbed without supplemental oxygen.

His quest to climb all fourteen of the world's highest peaks--what he called Endeavor 8,000--was finally over. But more than five years later, Viesturs still marveled at the difficulty of climbing Annapurna, and the fine line between commitment and obsession required to reach the top. So he decided to write a book, The Will to Climb.

"I wasn't interested in rehashing what had happened," Viesturs told GreatOutdoors.com, "but I did want to delve deeply into the mental process required to overcome a challenge like that. And not just for me. The mountain has been the venue for landmark expeditions for more than fifty years. I wanted to tell those stories, too, some of which are virtually unknown, and to see what could be learned from the totality of those extreme efforts made on that very dangerous mountain. I found common themes."

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Online retailer Altrec.com opened its first GreatOutdoors retail store in Bend, Oregon, in mid-October. The venue highlights the unique arrangement between the Altrec.com warehouse and the store, resulting in what amounts to the largest selection of outdoor gear and clothing in Central Oregon. Customers will be able to try on and examine the latest gear, clothing and outerwear in the store. To ensure availability of just the right size and color, the entire inventory of Altrec's vast warehouse will be available to store customers for overnight delivery. Sports categories include snowboarding, skiing, running, camping, hiking and more.

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Wilderness excursions don't always go exactly according to plan. Weather and conditions can mean a quick shift to Plan B. When things do go wrong on a backcountry trip, it can be annoying, but in certain situations the change of plans is not always a bad thing. That's what I learned on a recent foray into the stunning Wind River Range earlier this season.

Having just done the Teton Crest Trail a few years ago, I was eager to sample Wyoming's other signature range, the Wind Rivers. Multiple locations there are worthy of exploration, but it was the legendary Cirque of the Towers, a remote mountain bowl harboring a cluster of 12,000 foot peaks-- including Pingora, the Watch Tower, and Wolf's Head--that had long beckoned me.  But 2011 was an epic snow year in the Winds, and no one was coming in over Big Sandy Pass, the usual route, in early season. That meant approaching from the east side, up the North Fork of the Popo Agie River, where no high passes block the route between the road's end and Cirque of the Towers.

And when I learned that a local rancher, whose family has been running pack trips in the vicinity for decades, offered hikers the opportunity to have the majority of their camp transported by stock animal, I was intrigued. When Jim at the Diamond 4 Ranch confirmed he could "spot" a camp for me and my party, we were convinced to give this slightly unconventional approach a try. At the very least we would learn something about horse packing. "The issue," Jim said, "is snowmelt. The rivers are running higher than I've ever seen them here, so I can't guarantee to get you in there in early July."

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Our route ascends slickrock slabs and crosses sandy washes as it winds between the fantastic red-rock formations of Arches National Park.  Nearing the end of a 20-mile day, one in which we've visited most of the highlights of the park, evening approaches. A final big loop from  the trail's end at  Double O Arch should bring us back to intersect the main trail near impressive Landscape Arch. I'm thinking we ought to arrive back on the main trail pretty soon, when I realize the Magellan eXplorist 310 GPS device in my hand can eliminate any guesswork.

The 310 gives me not just my precise position on the surface of the Earth, but pinpoints my location on a built in topo map. Looking at the colorful display I can zoom out to see the entire park (or even the entire state)  or zoom in to see where my present route will join up with the main trail--in this case, precisely 300 yards away. The device shows a "breadcrumb" trail of my entire route, overlaid on the full color map, with topo lines, roads, trails, and elevation included. As a backcountry traveler who has relied primarily on map and compass to navigate through wilderness, I'm seeing how the hand held GPS unit can add interest, useful information and precision to backcountry routefinding.

I'm lucky in that Eric Waters and Jeff Caulfield from Magellan, both experts in GPS systems and navigation, have come along on the hike to introduce the latest outdoor handheld device from the company, trade-marked named the eXplorist 310. An entry level GPS device, it's perfect for my purpose: to illustrate the basics of GPS navigation in the wilds. While lacking some of the fancy bells and whistles of other Magellan units, the 310  performs navigation tasks just as well but is less complicated to use, so it's a good device on which to demonstrate some of the fundamental parameters of GPS navigation.

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Just after dawn the waters of Lake Chelan are still enough to reflect the snow-capped peaks of the Cascades surrounding the lake, some rising to altitudes of more than 8,000 feet. As I paddle past the shore near town, heading uplake toward wilder reaches farther north, the perspective gives me new respect for the sheer scale of the landscape. This is the place ancient Salish peoples called Tsi-Laan, meaning deep water, an apt moniker. The bottom off the lake is some 1,500 feet below my kayak, making it the third deepest in North America. This, the biggest lake in Washington, stretches for 55-miles, from the town of Chelan up into the heart of the North Cascades at Stehekin. But it's only a mile wide, so the impression is one of a mighty fjord slicing into the mountains.

Chelan is unique in that it is both a destination, replete with multi-sport outdoor activities, and the jumping off place for hard core adventures. I've been here before over the past decade, but mostly as the starting point for mountaineering trips into the wild North Cascades. From the town of Chelan, regular boat service by the Lady of the Lake takes sightseerers and hikers up lake as far north as Stehekin, the gateway to North Cascades National Park. (Or, for the impatient, Chelan Airways can whisk you up in a matter of minutes in one of their classic DeHaviland Beavers, turning the journey into a sightseeing extravaganza). But this time, I'm making a point of staying put in Chelan, of enjoying the outdoor fun closer to town, and combining it with a search for extraordinary  food and wine.

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Two thousand seven hundred and eleven miles. Over two-hundred thousand feet of climbing. On a bike, on dirt. Now do it self-supported, as fast as you can, and you've got the Tour Divide, one of the new breed of Ultra Endurance Mountain Bike races.

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 The trail skirts the shore of sprawling Kingsmere Lake, winding serenely through the trees for mile after mile. The going is easy. No towering peaks or steep canyons mark the landscape here in the wilds of Northern Saskatchewan, but the backcountry traveler here will find a unique experience. The is Canada’s great Boreal Forest, the billion acre ribbon of trees stretching from one end of the continent to the other. The forest teems with wildlife. In just four days I’ve seen lynx, black bear and gray wolf. What I haven’t seen are other hikers. This pilgrimage I’m undertaking to the home of one of Canada’s iconic conservation figures is turning out to be a genuine adventure.

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A five-day backpacking excursion in the heart of Utah’s canyon country shows why backcountry lovers come from as far away as Europe to hike this part of Southeastern Utah.  While many backpackers choose to hike around Moab and its Arches National Park, or Canyonlands National Park a few hours farther south, far fewer hikers venture down here to Cedar Mesa. Cedar Mesa, just west of Blanding, Utah, is a unique plateau of pinion and juniper covered high country that soars to more than 7,000 feet. The entire Mesa is cut through by dozens of hidden canyons that slice deeply into the red-rock layer cake of the Colorado Plateau. 

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Winter is a cruel season for a cyclist living in a ski town like Steamboat Springs, Colorado. If it's not the record snowfalls, it's the biting cold and ice covered roads that make any form of cycling a masochistic death wish. I like pain as much as the next guy, but at some point sanity has to come in to play when your only options are riding in snow over your hubs, or ending up as the hood ornament on a Hummer.

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What is it that the Europeans know about the interior mountains of Canada's British Columbia that Americans don't? Masses of Swiss, Germans, Austrians, Italians, Brits, and Aussies flock to this secret region every year for their winter walk-abouts. Maybe it's because they have a historical connection through Swiss mountain guiding for the Canadian Pacific Railroad that began at the iconic Rogers Pass Glacier House in 1899, or possibly they are compelled to come after hearing for 45 years about the areas unique first-class powder that produces 90% of the world's heli-skiing. Whatever the inspiration, the Euros know that between the alpine bookends of Whistler/Blackcomb and Lake Louise/Banff lies the vast, underpopulated ranges of the Monashee, Selkirks, Bugaboo, and Purcel Mountains. Laced with plentiful access options, this Kootenay Region boasts of powder fields packed with Continental crystal-light and little competition for turns.  

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Whoosh. A gust of wind snatched my lucky hat from my head and sent it up and over the ridge. Our group, with guides, consisted of 4 split boarders and 6 skiers. It was windy and we  were boot packing the last 100 ft up to a corniced ridge in the Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon. The prize we were heading for was on the other side of the ridge: two steep  wind loaded couloirs.

As we made our way just below the ridge, Brian, one of our guides, instructed us to hunker down while he fixed a rope that would allow us to access one of the steep couloirs. I dug out a small nook in the snow and started putting on extra layers to keep warm. The wind continued to rush at our backs and it became evident that we needed to be extra careful transitioning our gear. My lucky hat (and exposed head) served as a reminder that a miscalculation, or slip of the hand, could easily send crucial gear flying up and over the ridge or down the steep slope behind us.  

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The anticipation in the air was palpable as the dogs began to jump around excitedly, howling and barking. When they heard their command, all of the dogs in the team leapt into action, jumping and pulling on their harnesses. The dog sled began to glide against the wet snow, gaining momentum as the pack became eager to dig their feet in the snow, kicking it up into the air behind them.

Everything suddenly became very peaceful as the dogs found their pace and all I could hear was the swooshing sound of the sled along the quiet trail. The flurries of snow came and went as our journey through the forest continued. At times, I could feel the cold flakes landing on my cheeks and I became thankful that I had worn my goggles. As I gazed at the snow-covered trees lining the trail, I became aware of the natural beauty that surrounded me. I felt a sense of serenity as I watched the white landscape seemingly fly past us at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour.                       

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As part of his ongoing collaboration with GreatOutdoors.com, photographer Art Wolfe previews another segment from his award-winning PBS series, Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe. This time, Art takes us to Antarctica and the nearby Falkland Islands for a close up look at the landscape and wildlife.

This is an event I have been anticipating for a long while. I mean not very often do you get to see a full lunar eclipse on the shortest night of the year. According to NASA, this is the first time since 1638 that a total lunar eclipse and the winter solstice have happened on the same evening. The next time we have both in the same evening will be in 2094.

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In this episode of Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe, Art  travels to the Ice Continent. It may be winter up here  in the northern hemisphere, but it is spring on the Antarctic Peninsula. And the frozen wilderness is a veritable nursery for penguins, shore birds and seal pups. In episode four Art Wolfe crosses the infamous Drake Passage—the treacherous body of water south of Cape Horn—to explore the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic coast in search of wildlife and landscapes emblematic of this pristine and unforgiving land. See Art's video introduction to this episode.

Sometimes, it's what doesn't happen that matters. On my recent trip to Antarctica with Joseph Van Os Photosafaris, our group crossed the Drake Passage twice, taking two days each way. A storm had passed by before we crossed to the Antarctic Peninsula, a 750 mile traversal of what can be the roughest water in the world. Just before we returned, the Clelia, a luxurious stabilized ship, was disabled when the rogue wave knocked out the window of the bridge, swamping the bridge, disabling their communications and tossing passengers out of their bunks. Our return was smooth sailing,  but two days later the largest storm in decades hit the Drake with waves exceeding 35 feet. Timing is everything.

Good luck followed us as we made our way down to the Lemaire Channel. We visited gentoo penguin colonies, small groups of chin straps, and a few adelies. For some reason seal sightings were rare, but we did have a close encounter with a yawning leopard seal on iceberg. These predators resemble seagoing Komodo dragons.

The mountainous peninsula is an extension of the Andes and cruising through them is like voyaging through a drowned world. Ice blankets the peaks, and sometimes a solid wall of glacier ice continues unbroken for miles.  

 The Antarctic Peninsula has suffered more rapid temperature increases than most places in the world. The penguin colonies are moving south to avoid muddy conditions that can kill the chicks before they hatch. The collapse of the ice shelves is reducing the food supply for wildlife. These changes are not readily apparent, but over time we will see clearly what is going on even at a human timescale.

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As part of his ongoing collaboration with GreatOutdoors.com, photographer Art Wolfe previews another segment from his award-winning PBS series, Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe. This time, Art takes us to Argentine Patagonia and a close up look at the Fitz Roy Massif.

In this episode of Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe, Art  travels to rugged Patagonia, where this surreal landscape offers Himalayan-quality drama in a small package. Just above El Chalten, South America’s unofficial trekking capital, rises the jagged silhouette of Mt. Fitz Roy – revered and iconic in the world of mountaineering and photographed thousands of times. Art sets off in search of a different view of the peak. En route, he treks through an ancient forest, fords an icy river, goes under a glacier and traverses one of the largest ice caps in the world. See Art's video introduction to this program.

At nearly 11,000 feet, Post Peak Pass is not extraordinarily high for this part of the Sierra. In fact, Forester Pass, to the south, reaches above 13,000. Still, here on day two of a week long backcountry trip, with all the food, fuel and gear that entails--and bear-proof food canisters to boot--working up the south side of Post Peak Pass makes for an honest day's work. We stop for lunch beside a pretty alpine tarn nestled in it's rocky bowl before finishing off the last thousand feet to the pass. And when the five of us finally scramble up to the top of the ridge, we are rewarded with the kind of payoff that reminds us all why we hike: The imposing broadside of Banner, Ritter and the Minarets is right there, creating an unforgettable Sierra scene that makes all the hard work more than worth the effort.

We take a moment to absorb the sheer scale of this stunning landscape before dropping down the ridge to hike beyond the boundary that takes us out of  the Ansel Adams Wilderness and into Yosemite National Park. Once in the park proper, we'll work down the switchbacks  another mile and then hike through open meadows to make camp near 10K Lake--and get to work putting the tents up before the afternoon thunderstorms pelt us with hail and rain, as they did yesterday. We've seen amazing scenery over the past couple of days, and there are still five more days of hiking to complete this epic traverse of the Sierra.

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Ever thought about touring the ex-Soviet union in an old army truck?

We had a chat with David Wills, one of our more ascerbic writers on life in Korea, how English teachers get screwed and why he decided to write a novel, the Dog Farm, about this experiences there.

It makes us feel old to say it but we were traveling before almost anyone knew what the internet was.

The early to mid 90’s were a very special time to be in Goa.

“It was one of those situations where you have no other choice but to succeed or face massive unacceptable consequences.”