I've Got to Start Using This Thing

I am getting harrassed about my lack of progress. Here are some new links that I have been asked to post. I will try hard to have something of interest soon.


Longest Kayak Race - 5/27/2008
As reported on newsminer.com:The home to the longest dogsled, snowmobile, and riverboat races will become the home of the finish for the world's longest canoe and kayak race next summer. Things are just bound to be bigger in Alaska. The 1,000-mile...more.

Cave Diving Convention - 5/26/2008
As reported on http://www.wmbb.com:The City of Marianna hosted divers from as far away as South Africa, New Zealand, and Brazil at a national cave diving convention this Memorial Day weekend. Official numbers haven't been tabulated yet, but divers...more.

Divers Avoid Sharks - 5/25/2008
As reported on Deeper Blue:Two scuba divers have been discovered alive after spending the night stranded off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. British diver Richard Neely, 38, and American Allison Dalton, 40, had gone missing on Friday after...more.

Everest X 18 - 5/22/2008
Appa Sherpa set a new record with his 18th accent of Mount Everest early yesterday morning. The 47 year old broke his own record for the most visits to Everest's summit, which he set last spring. Even if he doesn't re-break his own record next...more.

Rob Lee's Monster Ride - 5/21/2008
Rob Lee has set a new mark (20 hours 55 minutes 51 seconds) for the South Downs Way Double, a 202 mile ride from Winchester to Eastbourne and back. The ride is a totally self supported endurance challenge that only a handful of riders have...more.

Kayaking for Oysters - 5/19/2008
As reported on http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org:A retired navy pilot named Richard Mesce unofficially set a new world record for the largest oyster when he grabbed a 13-incher in Humboldt Bay, California. Mesce's oyster measured 13 inches long by...more.

Signup for Amazing Race 14 - 5/15/2008
CBS's The Amazing Race may not qualify as a conventional adventure race, but it certainly seems like a great adventure, and it is infact a race. If you are interested in participating in The Amazing Race 14, you must get your application submitted...more.

LIVESTRONG Day - 5/13/2008
Today is Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG Day. There are hundreds of events planned nationwide to celebrate cancer survivors and to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.One of my favorite LIVESTRONG events is an adventure...more.

Ussher Wins Routeburn - 5/12/2008
New Zealand's legendary adventure racer, Richard Ussher, won the Routeburn Classic Adventure Run on Saturday. The course is spread across 24 miles of beautiful trails near Lake MacKenzie, northwest of Queenstown. Most people would want to spend at...more.

American River Record - 5/8/2008
As reported on TradingMarkets.com:A team of whitewater guides from W.E.T. River Trips set a record by floating all three forks (36 miles) of the American River in less than 12 hours.The testosterone level jumps almost instantly when the all-male...more.

Torch Summits Everest - 5/7/2008
A 19-member team was successful in reaching the summit of Mount Everest with the Olympic flame. The team made the final ascent with a specially designed torch that they used to carry their own part of the Olympic flame (separate from the main flame...more.

Deadliest Catch Updates - 5/5/2008
I love Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel! It makes me want to head to Alaska and join a crew - until I am exhausted after a normal 8-hour work day. These guys routinely string together 30+ hours of real WORK.I was excited the other day when...more.

De Beers Finds Treasure - 4/30/2008
De Beers, the world's largest diamond company, has located a 16th century treasure ship off the coast of Namibia while searching the sea floor for diamonds.De Beers (also the world's largest undersea diamond miner) is one company who uses giant...more.

Kayaker's Recognition - 4/28/2008
James Castrission and Justin Jones are returning to New Plymouth to attend a ceremony celebrating the first kayak crossing of the Tasman Sea (and the longest ever ocean crossing in a two-person kayak). The pair captured the world's attention last...more.

Africa: Insider's Guide - 4/26/2008
Tracks4Africa has put together a community mapping project that allows tourists to document their African adventures. Adventurers document all sorts of information about parts of Africa that aren't available in guidebooks. Most of the information...more.

Survival School - 4/24/2008
If you are looking to be the next Bear Grylls but can barely start a fire with newspaper and a lighter, you might be interested in a new "bushcraft" school called Activ-8 Adventure (opening on April 27th). Mark Wilkinson, the mind behind Activ-8...more.

Adventure Race Needs Volunteers - 4/22/2008
The Ozark Greenways Adventure Race is coming up on May 31st, but the race can't happen without help from a team of volunteers. Volunteers are the key to putting on any event like this. People in the area who are interested in volunteering can...more.

Liquification 2008 - 4/21/2008
Performance Freediving's main competition, "Liguification", started today in Grand Cayman. The event will be based at Cobalt Coast on the northwest end of Grand Cayman, considered to be one of the best freediving locations in the world.Competitors...more.

2008 Caucasian Challenge - 4/16/2008
According to their website: The Caucasian Challenge, "the Last Great Adventure Race" is an epic 2 week motor rally through every type of terrain across 11 countries of the Caucasus."Adventure Racing" brings up images of kayaking, rappelling,...more.

Surfing Africa - 4/14/2008
It has taken a year for three South African surfers to make it from Cape Town to the Strait of Gibraltar. Along the way, they found some great surfing, great surfers, and great tourist destinations waiting for tourists. The fun is set to continue...more.

The Alps - 4/10/2008
IMAX's movie, "The Alps" chronicles John Harlin's work at establishing the first direct route up the face of the Eiger - an effort that eventually killed him. The movie also focuses on his son's return to the summit of the mountain. The story and...more.

North Shore Towsurf No Go - 4/7/2008
We try to avoid reporting bad news, but the waiting period for the North Shore Towsurf Champs has passed without any of the monster swells that are required for the event. The holding period is over. There will be no competition this year. Time...more.

Across America - 4/7/2008
Elite endurance athletes Marshall Ulrich and Charlie Engle will attempt to set a new world record by running from San Francisco to New York in 45 days. The duo plans to set off on June 21st.Engle is best known for running across the Sahara in 2007;...more.

Bouldering with Teva - 4/3/2008
The Teva Mountain Games has officially announced the members of the US World Cup Bouldering Team that will compete in the first World Cup Climbing event to be held in the United States. The Teva Mountain Games take place June 5-8 in Vail,...more.

Diving with Belugas - 4/2/2008
As reported in the Daily Mail:Russian freediver, Julia Petrik, hacked through a foot of ice so she could swim in the 28°F water that lay below. She was able to freedive to 82ft in the below-freezing water; and go for a ride on a passing Beluga...more.

Dive with a Researcher - 3/27/2008
As reported on http://www.deeperblue.net:The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is renewing its "Dive with a Researcher" program for 2008. The program allows certified scuba divers to accompany a marine scientist on research dives in some of the...more.

Hawke's Bay Adventure Race - 3/26/2008
The Hawke's Bay Adventure Race will be held this Saturday, March 29th at Hawke's Bay in Newfoundland. The event is a great opportunity for those who want to race, but don't know how. Instructors and all special equipment are provided. Just bring...more.

West Papua Adventure - 3/25/2008
I love watching the adventures of Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds on "Living with the Mek." I enjoy learning about the unique culture of the Mek, and seeing a glimpse of what life was like in simpler times. I also enjoy the sheer adventure inherent...more.

Did Phoenicians Circumnavigate Africa? - 3/21/2008
As reported by The Independent:Philip Beale is building a replica of a Phoenician ship from 2000 BC. He plans to sail the ship around Africa to try to prove that the Phoenicians may have made the trip long before any Europeans did. The boat...more.

Freedive to a Rover - 3/20/2008
As reported on www.deeperblue.netThe Al Fazz'a Freediving Championship will be held on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of April at the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Hotel in Dubai. Winner of the competition get a new Range Rover.The competition will follow local...more.

Skiing on 480s - 3/18/2008
As reported by The Denver Post: March 16th marked the 15th annual running of the World Championships in the Plumas Ski Club Longboard Revival Series. The longboard racing series sees skiers race down the slopes on wooden skis that are between 12...more.

Mount Everest is Closed - 3/17/2008
If you are planning a trip to the top of the world, you'd better check the hours on the huge "Closed" sign that is now hanging over both the north and south sides of Mount Everest. Nepal has followed China's lead by closing the southern approach to...more.

Shark Shield Makes Tasty Snack - 3/7/2008
I am scared of sharks. I know experts say that they do not pose a realistic threat; but, I have seen Jaws. Those things look mean and capable of causing a horrific death. So, like many, I was very excited to hear that Sea Change Technology was...more.

Walking Around The Earth - 3/5/2008
In just two days, Daren Wendell will begin the journey of a lifetime - he plans to walk around the world. Yeah, walk.Perhaps his website sums it up best, "Mix 11 languages, 18,000 miles, 7 years, 3 continents,17 times zones, 14 countries, 36...more.

Neahkahnie Treasure Hunt - 3/4/2008
Washington state archaeologist, Scott Williams, will be leading a team in the underwater search for a ship that sank in Nehalem Bay, Oregon around 1700. They believe that the ship is either the Spanish galleon San Francisco Xavier or the Santo...more.

Adventure Racer Can Swim - 3/2/2008
Adventure racer, and Coast to Coast winner, Rishard Ussher, was worried about the swim portion of his first ever triathalon - Ironman New Zealand. Ussher had predicted that he might lose as much as 10 minutes to the leaders in the 2.4 mile swim. ...more.

Retracing an Epic Kayaking Journey - 3/1/2008
As reported on http://www.stuff.co.nz:Coast to Coast champion Steve Gurney will accompany Steve Moffatt as they retrace the epic kayak adventure originally made by Moffatt's great-uncle, George Park. In 1889, George Park took a kayak "from Jacksons...more.

3rd annual 24 Hours of Sunlight - 2/28/2008
Eric Sullivan was the solo winner at the 3rd annual '24 Hours of Sunlight' race at Sunlight Mountain Resort in Glenwood Springs Colorado.Never heard of the 24 Hours of Sunlight race? I hadn't either until recently. It is cool though.The central...more.

Freediving Under Ice - 2/27/2008
I didn't realize that there were people who were purposefully holding their breath and swimming under ice. Their mothers must have been very different from mine.On February 24th, Leonardo D'imporzano set a new record for swimming 43 meters (141...more.

A couple new links

Kayaking Patagonia - 2/26/2008
Cristian Donoso is currently leading a sea kayaking expedition into the unexplored fjords of Western Patagonia. Over the past 5 months, the team has knocked off first ascents of mountains, first descents of rivers, and first traverses of a...more.

Still Kiting Across North Dakota - 2/25/2008
The 2XtM's kiteboarding expedition across North Dakota is faced with the same problem that stopped them short of their goal last year: warm weather. Warm weather leads to lack of snow. Snow is important for snowboarding - even if it is wind...more.

Living With the Mek - 2/23/2008
Journalist Olly Steeds and explorer Mark Anstice embarked on two remarkable adventures to visit secluded tribes in West Papua. Mark and Olly seek "total immersion" within the tribes they visit, living the way the tribes live and eating what the...more.

Challenging the Zambezi River - 2/21/2008
As reported in Medindia.net: German expedition leader Helge Bendl will be guiding a group of volunteers down the Zambezi River to help fight malaria in the region (malaria kills one African child every 30 seconds). The team will take small boats...more.

Getting Started

I am new to blogging and this is my first post. A friend asked me to include some links to his site on my blog from time to time, so let's just get that out of the way - here are some cool links:

Hitler's Lost Fleet - 2/19/2008
Turkish marine engineer, Selcuk Kolay, has located the remains of three German U-boats in the Black Sea. The three lost submarines: U-19, U-20, and U-23 became known as "Hitler's Lost Fleet" when they disappeared in 1944.U-19, U-20, and U-23 made...more.

Ironman Adventure - 2/16/2008
Adventure racing standout, Richard Ussher, is jumping straight from his win in the Speight's Coast to Coast adventure race to the Bonita Ironman New Zealand. The Bonita Ironman New Zealand will be held March 1st in Taupo, New Zealand.It will be...more.

Trek to Bering Sea - 2/16/2008
Two Seattleites, Erin McKittrick and Bretwood Higman have embarked on a 4,000-mile journey from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands (False Pass to be specific). Sounds fun. Oh yeah, the important part: the entire expedition is human-powered - they...more.

Big Wave Stand-Up Paddle Surfing - 2/14/2008
The QuiksilverEdition Ku Ikaika Challenge, the worlds first big wave stand-up paddle surfing competition, is scheduled for today. The contest was originally set to start on the first day when wave face heights exceeded 20 feet at Makaha Point...more.

Dakar Rally in South America - 2/12/2008
The 2009 running of the Dakar Rally has officially been moved to South America. The 2008 event was cancelled due to terrorist concerns; and, the same concerns prompted officials to move the race away from Africa for the first time.Although the 30th...more.

Winter Makes Makalu Rough - 2/11/2008
The climbers are evacuating Makalu after continued hurricane force winds have destroyed their base camp. Fierce winter weather has halted every attempt at the summit over the past month, reminding everyone that there is a good reason that Makalu...more.

Kiting Across North Dakota - 2/11/2008
Three snowkiters have set off on an expedition to traverse North Dakota using only wind power. Sam Salwei, Jason Magness, and Paul Cassedy are using large kites to pull their snowboards 400 miles in the next three weeks. The plan is to essentially...more.

Cane River - Huck Finn Style - 2/10/2008
Northwester University professor Matt DeFord just completed a 28-mile journey down the Cane River on a homemade raft that he propelled with a bamboo pole. The raft included storage for drinking water, some food, a tent, and a bucket/toilet.Fierce...more.

2008 Canadian Ski Marathon - 2/9/2008
Over 2000 cross country skiers are set to tackle up to 100 miles of beautiful terrain this weekend in the 2008 Canadian Ski Marathon - titled, "the worlds longest ski tour." The 100-mile course is divided up into 10 sections. Some participants...more.

Coast to Coast Race Underway - 2/7/2008
The Speight's Coast to Coast adventure race is now under way in New Zealand. The race requires participants to traverse New Zealand's South Island by running, biking, and kayaking from Kumara Beach to Sumner Beach. The competition is divided into...more.

Superfly Snow Kiting Competition - 2/6/2008
Utah's Powder Mountain Resort is hosting the 2008 Superfly Snow Kiting Competition this weekend - February 8th through the 10th. There will be a variety of competitions that people can come participate in or watch, as well as clinics for those that...more.

85,000 Steps for Children - 2/5/2008
Jalal bin Thaneya, a 21-year old college student in Dubai set out to raise money for the Rashid Paediatric Centre by climbing the stairs in 100 skyscrapers. The feat began on January 20th and took 13 days to complete. Thaneya slept in his car as...more.

Bangladesh Locals Diving for Treasure - 2/4/2008
As reported by BBS:Low-tech divers are using a pipe and a conventional air compressor to collect "treasure" from the bottom of Bangladesh's rivers. The divers retrieve a variety of objects from the river bottoms - from sacks of wheat to entire...more.

Adventures Still Exist - 2/1/2008
I often hear people claim that there aren't any more true adventures left - that is, there aren't any "firsts" left. The poles have been reached, the mountains have been climbed, and the rivers have been run. For starters, just because you aren't...more.

Skier's Story of 7 Summits - 2/1/2008
Davo Karnicar has written a summary of his adventures skiing the highest summit on each of the seven continents.He began with Everest in 2000. It was shortly after skiing down Mount Everest that Karnicar came up with the idea of skiing the seven...more.

Expedition to Unclimbed Mountain - 1/30/2008
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced yesterday that their "Big Expedition for Cancer Research - Unclimbed Mountains to Conquer" program is heading to an unclimbed, unnamed mountain near Mount Abbe in Alaska. The purpose for the...more.

Diving Into Marriage - 1/28/2008
As reported on Canberra:If you are a certified diver interested in a world record attempt, you might consider attending the wedding ceremony for Elena Mirabilio and Greg Smith on April 4th near Bass Point, Shellharbour (Australia). The current...more.

Noah's Ark Discovered? - 1/28/2008
As reported on infolive.tv: Ahmet Ertugrul, an expert mountaineer, has found a large wooden structure in a cave on Mount Ararat while working with an international team from Turkey and Hong Kong. The wooden structure is reported to be over 30 feet...more.

Six of 'Seven Summits' - 1/26/2008
As reported in Daily Yomiuri online:When Nobukazu Kuriki reached the top of Antarctica's Vinson Massif on December 29, 2007, it marked his sixth of the 'seven summits' - the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Only Everest is left.In...more.

What is Adventure? - 1/25/2008
Like other adults, I often waste time thinking about silly philosophical questions like, "What is Adventure?" On the surface it seems like a simple question but there comes a time when even simple questions can be made more complex by some...more.

Diving the Longest Cave - 1/24/2008
This is old news (from December 17th), but it is just too. As reported on by National Geographic:Scuba divers, Jarrod Jablonski and Casey McKinlay, set a new record for the longest underwater cave passage by swimming 7 miles from Turner Sink to...more.

Herbert Nitsch Going Down 800ft - 1/23/2008
According to Herbert Nitsch's website, the world record holding freediver is preparing for a no-limits dive to at least 800 feet (250 meters). Nitsch's training and record breaking dive attempt will be covered by a documentary crew. One thousand...more.

Indiana Adventure - 1/22/2008
As reported in The Exponent:The Purdue Outing Club created an adventure race called the Purdue Outing Club Adventure Race (or POCAR) in 2000. Originally created for Purdue students, the annual 48-hour orienteering race is now attended by a variety...more.

Let's Hike The Amazon - 1/21/2008
Nobody has ever hiked the entire length of the Amazon river. Maybe that's because most people are adverse to the idea of walking thousands of miles through thick jungles inhabited by assorted killer insects, huge man-eating snakes, and...more.

Africa Revolutions Tour - 1/20/2008
From a Playak blog:A group of kayakers has met up in Durban, South Africa to experience some of the amazing whitewater that the country has to offer. They have found some great runs with some impressive falls in the Drakensberg Mountains (checkout...more.

Jeep's Terrain Park Challenge - 1/19/2008
Freestyle riding is one of the fastest growing segments of both skiing and snowboarding. Resorts cater to freestyle riders with "terrain parks" - runs with custom made ramps, rails, and other "obstacles" to perform tricks on while sliding down the...more.

Island Kayaking - 1/17/2008
Ken Campbell is embarking on a solo kayak trip around Vancouver Island - a 750 mile trip that should take about two months. If successful, he will be the first to make the circumnavigation in the winter. I hope he has some hot cocoa somewhere in his...more.

Exploring an Underwater City - 1/16/2008
As reported on BBC: Two marine archeologists, Stuart Bacon and Professor David Sear, from the University of Southampton are going to explore the underwater city of Dunwich (Britain's version of Atlantis) which began slipping into the sea in 1286....more.

Winter Attempt on Makalu - 1/15/2008
Three Italians and four climbers from Kazakhstan have combined to form a very strong team of seven for an attempt at climbing Makalu in the winter - a feat that has never been accomplished. The Himalayan mountain of Makalu is the fifth highest in...more.

Chainless Bike Race - 1/14/2008
Taking the chain off your bike and then racing down a hill sounds a lot like something we would have done as kids. Loosen your handlebars and you've really got something. Of course, back then, removing your chain also meant removing your...more.

Poland Creek - First Descent - 1/14/2008
Many people complain that there aren't any "firsts" left for adventurers anymore. While it is hard not to dream about what it would have been like to have been born in an earlier era when there was adventure and exploration everywhere, there are...more.

Kayaking the Tasman - 1/12/2008
James Castrission and Justin Jones have finally reached New Plymouth, New Zealand after battling the Tasman Sea in their kayak for two months, making them the first ever to kayak from Australia to New Zealand. Fierce conditions slowed their 2000...more.

Big Wave Weekend - 1/10/2008
Both the Mavericks Surf Contest® in California and the Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic have announced that this is the weekend. The weekend for surfing monster waves that is. The Mavericks Surf Contest was featured in an earlier surfing article:...more.

Irish Reach South Pole - 1/9/2008
At 19:30 GMT on the 8th (which is 4:30 AM on the 9th here on the west coast), the first Irish team reached the South Pole. The four-person team is comprised of three men and one woman. The feat comes almost exactly 100 years after the first failed...more.

Surfing Huge Waves Off Baja - 1/8/2008
As reported on MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22547539/), a group of surfers used GPS units and jet skis to guide them through the early morning darkness to 40 foot storm-fed waves 12 miles off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico. The team was able to...more.

Ski all of California in 4 Days - 1/6/2008
Despite fierce winter storms and road closures, a group of skiers set a record by skiing all 28 of California's ski resorts in 4 days, 10 hours, and 7 minutes. The Across the Atlas team was initially approached about the record attempt by the...more.

It's Snow-biking Time - 1/4/2008
We've all seen those races where people ride their mountain bikes down ski hills. Some of us have tried it. Some of us wish we hadn't. Now, Ktrak Cycle Corp has finally released a retail version of their kit that allows you to modify your mountain...more.

Rickshaw Run - 1/3/2008
What better way to kick off the new year than to jump into a 150cc rickshaw to drive from the southern tip of India to Kathmandu, Nepal? There are so many cool parts to the Rickshaw Run that it is hard to know what to describe first.Well, first off,...more.

The Other Manatee Awareness Month - 1/2/2008
Governor Bush of Florida may have declared November "Manatee Awareness Month", but Florida's Manatee Springs State Park is sticking by their declaration of January as the month to be most aware of manatees. Personally, I think Manatees deserve the...more.

Everest and the Poles - 12/31/2007
Motivational speaker and adventurer, Adrian Hayes, completed his unassisted trek to the South Pole - the final goal in his hat trick: Everest, North Pole, South Pole. Hayes climbed Everest (the highest point on Earth) in May 2006. He followed that...more.

Rowing to Queensland - 12/30/2007
It took a month, but two Australian men and two Australian women have become the first to row across the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia. The four started out north of Auckland at Hokianga Harbour; and, arrived in Neutral Bay (Sydney) on...more.

Mavericks: I am Dangerous - 12/28/2007
Mavericks. Some people think of Top Gun. Some think of basketball. Come winter storm season on the Pacific, I think of a surfing contest with some of the toughest conditions imaginable. For those who are unfamiliar with big wave surfing along...more.

Antarctic Ice Ultramarathon - 12/26/2007
Sure, the Boston Marathon is one of the most recognized marathons in the world. Sure, it gets cold in Boston. And sure, the field for the Boston Marathon is kept small due to qualifying requirements.We're not in Boston anymore. On December 20th,...more.

Primal Quest Montana - 12/24/2007
Primal Quest www.ecoprimalquest.com has announced that the 2008 version of their 400 mile adventure race will be held in Montana. The race's founder, Don Mann, writes on the race's website, "In Primal Quest Montana, you can expect to climb over...more.

New Website for Winran - 12/20/2007
William Winran has launched his new website: http://www.williamwinran.com. Winran has been been a mainstay in competitive freediving over the years. He has set numerous records in a variety of freediving disciplines. But the feat that I think of...more.

Burton Sponsors Snowboard "Poaching" - 12/19/2007
Snowboard manufacturer Burton (http://www.burton.com) is offering a $5000 reward for the best video of you and your boarding budies as you "poach" on any of the no-boarders-allowed resorts that are still out there. That's $5000 for each resort....more.

Dam that Sullivan Creek - 12/18/2007
Sullivan Creek in Northeast Washington is probably not on the creekboating radar of most kayakers. But it should be. Especially since time may be running out - you see the flows on Sullivan Creek are controlled by a dam that was built in 1909 to...more.