Listen up outdoor adventurers! Are you planning an epic expedition in the near future? Need some extra cash to help get your journey off the ground? Outside magazine is here to help!
Outside is seeking submissions for its 2013 Adventure Grant and is looking for one bold adventurer to give $10,000 to. To enter, all you have to do is click here and fill out the online form. It includes the usual information such as your name, address, and so on. You'll also be asked to write a brief (500 words or less) essay about what kind of adventure you have planned and share a photo of yourself or your team. Finally, you'll need to create a brief video, no longer than two minutes, that expresses your passion for whatever your adventure may be. Upload that video to YouTube or Vimeo, and you're all set to go.
Deadline for submissions is June 1, which means you don't have a lot of time to get everything you need together. Once the deadline passes, Outside editors will pick their finalists and those videos will be posted online where readers can vote for their favorites. Last year, readers selected Daniel Alvarez as their winner. The 31-year old from Tallahassee, Florida went on an amazing kayaking journey that began in Minnesota, followed the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and then continued along the coast until he reached the tip of the Florida Keys.
This is a great opportunity for anyone to find some funding for their big adventure. Be creative, pitch your idea well and who knows, we may just be reading about you in the pages of Outside next year.
Fat bike, meet La Ruta de Los Conquistadores.
Si, the famous Costa Rican race that climbs over 20,000 feet in three
days. That bisects Central America from west to east. That transverses
jungles, crawls up a volcano to 10,000 feet, is more pocked than a WWI
minefield, and that begs for a full suspension 29er, or 27.5. What is
doesn’t beg for is going fully rigid on a fat bike, four-inch-wide
rubber sucking the mojo out of ever freewheel cruise on the flats.
Unless you’re Will Muecke and his buddies at Team CoreCo.
Muecke is an equity investor based in Costa Rica, with his company
closely devoted to Costa Rican causes, from community health concerns to
funding the only bottle-to-bottle PET (plastic) recycling plant in
Central America. And how does that add up to riding a fatty so far from
snow and sand?
The short answer is that it doesn’t.
The long answer is that Muecke, an American, got the desire to race
the Iditadrod Trail Invitational, or ITI. Muecke is fit enough; he’s a
La Ruta veteran and a masters-level rower, but you have to qualify for
the ITI, which meant being in Alaska this past January. No sweat, he did
that, qualified for ITI, and in the process got hooked on fat bikes and
especially training on them so he’s ready to race the 2014 ITI.
And since nothing is better for training to race than racing, Muecke,
who apparently has some influence in the Costa Rican race scene,
managed to convince La Ruta organizer Roman Urbina to open a fat bike
category for this coming October’s event.
You’d guess going fat would be grueling, but Muecke claims otherwise.
“Getting back from Alaska, I rode my typical mountain bike routes on
the fattie as just good training, but as the routes got more technical
and the terrain steeper I discovered a couple of things.”
Muecke says his Alaskan-made Fatback tips the scales at 30 pounds,
nine pounds heavier than his Niner Jet 9. “But the wide footprint
provides tractor-like traction in loose and super-steep climbs. On
pitches where I would normally walk, I had better climbing power and
could spin my way up and through the crux sections of the climb without
ever breaking rhythm.”
La Ruta is well known for its soul-crushing climbs; most racers, even
the pros, find themselves walking, but Muecke says with a 22-tooth
granny in front, he has enough torque for nearly every ascent; the only
adaptation was to switch from a double to triple up front so he has more
power on the molasses-slow flats.
Whether the category will grow is another story. Muecke is
noncommittal, but running a fat bike in La Ruta is drawing a lot of
publicity, both to the idea and to CoreCo’s causes, and that’s
motivation for Muecke and his growing team of six fat-bike riders to
keep at it.
Last week, Sally Jewell—former CEO of REI—took the helm as the new
Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. This is great news for
everyone who likes to hike, bike, run, ski, fish, paddle, climb, or
explore the outdoors in any way. Why you should care? I’ll tell you.
The Department of the Interior, or DOI, oversees 500 million
acres—approximately 20 percent of America, including our national parks,
national wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, and more.
How many times have you enjoyed an adventure on these lands? I bet many!
Secretary Jewell is now in charge of managing these, as well as the
department’s 70,000+ employees. Suffice to say, it’s a pretty big job.
As with any political office, the Secretary of the Interior faces a
delicate balancing act, juggling many interests. This is why we’re so
pleased to have one of our own in this important position. Under
Jewell’s watch, the DOI is poised to recognize outdoor recreation as a
leading use of public lands—one that creates tremendous economic value.
The DOI website summarizes their mission this way: “The U.S.
Department of the Interior protects America’s natural resources and
heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities, and supplies the
energy to power our future.”
Notice that last part, about supplying energy to power our future.
It’s been a pretty big focus of the DOI over the years, which is all
fine and good. Of course we should harvest our nation’s energy
resources. After all, DOI lands are rich with oil and gas resources that
generate significant revenue for the government while also providing
domestic energy for our growing population.
The trouble is, until recently, no one has given much more than a
passing glance to how important outdoor recreation is to our economy.
But by paying heed to the first part of the mission—protecting America’s
natural resources and heritage—we can support a heck of a lot of jobs,
and good-paying sustainable jobs at that—in technology, product design,
manufacturing, sustainability, retail, global commerce, public land
management, and more.
With Jewell in charge of the DOI, we are better positioned to spread
the message that our nation’s public lands and waters are foundational
to outdoor recreation and the economy.
Jewell brings a plethora of great experience to the table. As CEO of
REI, she managed a $2 billion company that is as committed to protecting
outdoor recreation experiences as it is to making and selling great
products. Before that, she worked as an oil and gas engineer and
financier. Wow. What a combo! It’s not often that we get a DOI official
with such a broad and unique perspective. She has the chops to
understand the opportunities and challenges facing the DOI, particularly
as recreation lands are disproportionately targeted for budget cuts.
Jewell’s appointment is a big deal because it shows that leaders in
Washington are starting to get it. Like Senator Wyden said during
Jewell’s confirmation hearing: “The economics of public lands have
changed. Recreation has become a big business, and it will be good for
the economy if it grows bigger. To do that, the department will need to
give more attention to the opportunities that recreation on public lands
provides for businesses than it has in the past.”
Outdoor recreation resources are renewable and can continue to
sustain economic dividends for years to come. Just what sort of
dividends? I’m talking about the $646 billion in consumer spending
that outdoor recreation generates each year. And 6.1 million
sustainable American jobs (more than twice as many as the oil and gas
industry). And nearly $80 billion in annual tax revenue. These are big
numbers. And they deserve significant consideration when choosing how to
manage our public lands and waters.
When people play outside, their spending goes right back into the economy.
Explorer Julian Monroe Fisher has completed Phase Two of his ambitious RailRiders 2012-2016 Great African Expedition,
traveling overland through remote regions of that continent.
Fisher
began the journey in Juba, the capital of South Sudan back in January
and followed the same expeditionary route taken by Sir Samuel White
Baker and his wife Lady Florence Baker back in the 1860's. The route
eventually took him across the border into northern Uganda, following in
Baker's footsteps to the shores of Lake Albert.
This phase of the expedition follows a successful launch of the project
last spring during which Fisher traveled overland from Cairo, Egypt to
Khartoum, Sudan. Traveling solo, the anthropologist began his study of
the Ethnographical make-up of parts of Africa. The plan is to compare
the modern day dispersal of local tribes with historical records from
the 19th century with similar data.
During Phase Two, Fisher was joined by British photographer and
documentarian Jon Maguire as he traveled north out of Juba into the
realm of the Mundari tribes. From there, the two men turned southeast,
traveling into the Eastern Equatoria region of South Sudan. Next, their
route carried them across the border into northern Uganda, where they
were joined by David Baker and his daughter Melanie. David is the
great-great grandson of Sir Samuel Baker, and together the group trekked
to the location where the famed explorers became the first European to
set eyes on Lake Albert. Marking the exact GPS coordinates of that
point, Fisher was later able to provide the Ugandan government with the
precise location, something they intend to use to promote the spot to
travelers.
Fisher and Maguire now intend to make a documentary of their travels
through South Sudan, which remains the planet's newest nation. Few know
much about the country and its troubled history, and it is possible the
film will give many of us our first glimpse into life in that country.
Phase Three of the expedition will follow the Kagera River through
Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania before making a circumnavigation around
Lake Victoria. The start of that phase of the expedition has yet to be
announced.
One of the top adventure travel experiences for anyone who wants to
experience the Himalaya is a trek to Everest Base Camp. The trip takes
about two-weeks round trip and really immerses you in the landscapes and
culture of Nepal along the way. Take it from me, I did this trek a few
years back and absolutely loved it. Later this year, you can make that
trek too and raise funds for a local orphanage in the process.
Non-profit organization Kids of Kathmandu has joined forces with adventure travel company Discover Outdoors to create a unique fund raising experience. Those looking to participate in the trek
have two options. They can simply pay $2995 ($2895 if you register
before April 30) to join the group or commit to raising $9000 for the
Kids of Kathmandu. If that goal is reached, the cost of the trip is
covered and the cash raised will go to support a very important project.
And what exactly is that project? KoK is looking to improve the quality
of life in an orphanage in Bhaktapur by installing solar panels that
will help provide power there. Anyone who has ever been to Nepal has
probably experienced the rolling blackouts that are common there but by
installing solar panels they hope to alleviate the downtime and provide
the children living in this orphanage with electricity . The travelers
who join this trek will also pay a visit to the orphanage so they can
meet some of the children they're helping personally.
The trek is scheduled to take place September 26 - October 13 of this year. To find out more and to sign up, click here.
The Himalaya, Everest Base Camp and a good cause? Sounds like a perfect adventure.
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, aka The Man Who Fell To Earth, has been named the winner of the National Geographic 2013 People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. The award is given as a result of an online poll conducted of visitors to the National Geographic website over a two-month period running from November to January. Baumgartner edged out nine other very worthy candidates to earn this distinction after making a historic skydive last fall.
Felix gained worldwide attention last October when he rode a specially designed high altitude balloon up to the edge of space. When his capsule was approximately 39 km (24 miles) above the Earth, he stepped out and proceeded to free fall through the atmosphere. On the way down, he managed to become the first person to break the sound barrier with out an aircraft, reaching speeds in excess of 1357 km/h (843 mph) in the process. He also set a record for the highest ever skydive with his jump starting at an impressive 38,969 meters (127,853 ft).
As impressive as this feat was, Baumgartner did have some good competition for the title of People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. Some of the other candidates included kayaker Steve Fisher, who completed the first descent of the world's largest rapids on the Congo River and climber David Lama, who free climbed Cerro Torre along the 1097 meter (3600 ft) Southeast Ridge. Ultrarunner Lizzy Hawker was also amongst the finalist for her fifth win at the famed Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and explorer Mike Libecki received the nod for this efforts to continually fill in blank spots on the map.
I have to say that I'm not surprised that it was Felix that went home with the title. After all, he probably received the most press of any of the candidates. His skydive, which was broadcast live over the Internet, held us all spellbound and it was amazing to watch him fall from such great heights. Congratulations to him and his entire support team for earning this honor. Definitely well deserved.
March 1st passed with President Obama and Congress failing to come up with a new budget plan before midnight. The Sequestration process has now kicked in, making automatic cuts to the government's budget across the board. These deep cuts are going to have an impact on a number of services and programs that we'll likely be dealing with for weeks and months to come.
One of the most visible places where you'll notice sequestration having an immediate and direct impact is in America's national parks, which will now be forced to cut hours of operation, close visitor centers and cut jobs in an effort to meet the new budget demands.
Amongst the cuts that have already been made public are delayed openings for Yellowstone, Yosemite and parts of the Grand Canyon this spring. In the Grand Tetons, the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, and the Flagg Ranch Visitor Contact Station will all be closed for the summer. On Mt. Rainier the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center will also be shuttered, while in Denali the Eielson Visitor Center will see a delayed opening this spring. The National Park Service has even announced that five campsites inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park will be closed for the year as well. Considering that is the most visited park in the entire system, it is sure to have an impact on visitors.
This is just the tip of the iceberg however and there are sure to be many similar reductions in service across nearly all the national parks. The dedicated staff at those locations will work hard to minimize the impact on travelers, but it many of the cuts will simply be too large to ignore. If you're planning on visiting a national park in the near future, I'd recommend checking ahead to see what impact the sequestration process is going to have on that particular park. I'd hate to have someone arrive at their destination, only to find that the park isn't open yet or some key services were not being offered.
It's a shame that it has come down to this, but this is economic climate we live in right now. Lets hope it all gets sorted out soon.
