British man visits every country without flying!

A British man has earned the distinction of becoming the first person to visit every nation on the planet without flying. 33-year old Graham Hughes says that he has spent the better part of the past four years traveling the globe to accomplish this feat, ending his quest by crossing into the Earth's newest country, South Sudan, a few days ago.

Hughes says that his journey began on January 1, 2009 in Uruguay. Since then he has spent 1426 days traveling almost non-stop, visiting 201 countries in the process. In addition to visiting all 193 members of the United Nations, he has also dropped by the Vatican, Kosovo, Taiwan, Palestine and the Western Sahara.



Graham had four rules for how he would travel. In addition to not flying anywhere, he also vowed to not drive his own vehicle either. He could only take scheduled ground transportation and his definition of visiting a country meant that he had to step foot on dry land.

The world traveler says that visiting places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, while dangerous, were actually quite easy. Because those countries lack proper border controls, it was easy to sneak into them. Thats in contrast to Russia for instance, where he was arrested while crossing the border. He was also tossed into a jail in the Congo for a week as well. The hardest places to visit? Those would be the tiny island nations of the South Pacific, which are difficult to reach by anything other than an aircraft.
Hughes undertook this journey to raise funds for WaterAid, an organization dedicated to finding clean drinking water for developing parts of the world. He also apparently has stockpiled quite a few photos from his journey.

As someone who absolutely loves to visit the remote corners of the globe, I have to say I'm a bit jealous of Graham's travels. But then again, he was also knocking off countries at a surprising pace (133 in 2009 alone!) which doesn't really allow for someone to get a true taste of the culture. While he has had the opportunity to visit some amazing places, I have to imagine that he doesn't remember much about many of them nor did he really get the opportunity to enjoy many of them either. I do love that he traveled over land however, as that experience is unlike any other.

Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania challenge

 

The 2012 adventure racing season isn't finished quite yet. On Wednesday of this week, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania challenge will get underway, pitting some of the best endurance athletes in the world against one another on five-day stage race that will cover more than 350 km (217 miles) of Australian wilderness.

Like most other adventure races, the Tasmania Challenge pits teams of two or three against one another on a wilderness course that they will need to run, mountain bike and paddle through. Other challenges will crop up on a daily basis as well, pushing racers to their limit by testing their skills at navigation, climbing and a variety of other activities. And since this is a stage race, each of the five days will have a clearly defined start and finish line, which makes it easier for fans to follow along at home. Look for live tracking and regular updates from each stage to begin appearing on the race website on Wednesday.

The race is put on by F1 driver Mark Webber, who also happens to be a big fan of adventure racing. It is designed to be used as a fund raiser for charities in Australia and 100% of the proceeds generated from the race are given to those causes. This year the money will go to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal, a group dedicated to helping find a cure to a rare strain of transferrable cancer that afflicts that species.

All the action gets underway on Wednesday morning local time and runs through Sunday when a champion is crowned.

Streets of Afghanistan

 

 

On her most recent trip to Afghanistan in late October, human rights advocate Shannon Galpin returned a bit of the nation’s own culture. In a series of life-size photographs, the Colorado resident delivered artistic expressions of the Afghan people so often shrouded behind the vail of 40 years of conflict. Working to improve the health and safety of women and girls, Galpin, director of the nonprofit Mountain2Mountain, aims to provide a positive vision of beauty to contradict the violent images that typically come to mind whenever we think of Central Asia.

 

Photograph by Tony Di Zinno

With a small team of photographers and filmmakers, Galpin set up in the city of Kabul an exhibition called the “Streets of Afghanistan.” Shots taken by photographers that include Tony Di Zinno, Beth Wald, Paula Bronstein, Najibullah Musafer, and others make up a traveling display that can now be seen by the very people it depicts.

Honored as one of our ten2013 Adventurers of the Year 2013, Galpin led a unique expedition into a region still plagued by terrorists’ bombs. Shortly after completing the first installation at the Darlumon Palace Galpin shared her thoughts on the project.

Photograph courtesy Tony Di Zinno

According to Galpin, The goal was, first, to bring the images that capture the beauty and spirit of this country back to Afghanistan to show among the Afghans themselves in a series of exhibitions that are outside in the streets and public places. It’s a chance for the Afghans to appreciate art and perhaps instill some pride in the beauty and soul of their country.

Second, I wanted to show the world that you can do things like this in a country like Afghanistan. That art, and street art in particular, isn’t off limits because of ongoing conflict—in fact its perhaps even more important to inspire, ignite conversation, and instill pride and a sense of community.
Just because its a war zone where daily violence occurs doesn’t mean its not also a country of real people going about their daily lives. The view we get in the media of Afghanistan—of war and conflict and poverty isn’t the story of this place—its simply the backdrop on which all the stories occur.

Photograph courtesy Tony Di Zinno

The biggest challenge is funding—the broken record of raising funds to pay for the enormous costs of production for life-size photographs is huge. But these images begged to be big—a gallery-size print wasn’t going to engage the viewer in the same way. I wanted a street-art public installation, not a gallery exhibit. It was also logistically and financially challenging to get the exhibition to Afghanistan. Twenty-nine bags to be driven to Denver airport in three trucks, enormous baggage fees to be paid, and the hope that all 29 bags would arrive through three airports and two flight cancellations on the other side at Kabul. Our duct tape was confiscated in Dubai, and the Kabul customs agents tried to get me to pay a “tax.” But hey, I knew it wouldn’t be a cakewalk.

Photograph courtesy Tony Di Zinno

The founding ethos of Mountain2Mountain five years ago was based on the idea connecting communities and cultures—and photography is a powerful way to do that. I hope that people back home realize that change is possible in a country that many have written off.

That Afghanistan is more than what we see in the media, that it is beautiful, and its citizens have hope and the same wishes for their lives and families that we do. We cannot turn our attention away from a country if we can connect to its people and their spirit. We are more similar than we are different.
 

 

Blind Adventurer Trains for His Scariest Challenge

Erik Weihenmayer stood on a concrete berm above a gushing crest of white water and cocked his head slightly. “Sounds gnar,” he said. He was referring to the ear-bone-rattling roar surrounding him, the sound of 536,000 gallons of water spewing each second through six industrial pumps at the US National Whitewater Centre.

Weihenmayer, considered among the most accomplished blind athletes in the world, is perhaps best known for being the first person without sight to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. But his accomplishments extend to other extreme sports, including ice climbing, solo sky-diving and paragliding. Now he wants to add kayaking, and he is gravely aware of the challenges. 
      

“I think blind kayaking is a different sport than a sighted person kayaking because you rely on your eyes so much,” he said. “I’m trying to feel what’s under my boat and what’s under my paddle, and to use my ears, and everything is happening so quickly. Without eyes it’s like sensory overload.”

       

Weihenmayer, 44, has come to the white-water center to train with Robert Raker, a friend and a paddling coach, and to master the necessary techniques to navigate a small plastic boat over a moving mountain of white water. If the training goes well, Weihenmayer said he will attempt to descend the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, one of the nation’s most challenging stretches of river. It is a feat no blind person has attempted. 

 

Along with Raker, Weihenmayer is being instructed by two Olympic paddlers, Casey Eichfeld, a member of the United States team who competed in men’s slalom canoe at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and Pablo McCandless, a member of the Chilean Olympic kayaking team who competed in Beijing in 2008.

       

“It’s amazing to watch him progress,” said McCandless, who has been helping Weihenmayer hone his combat roll, perhaps a kayaker’s most critical skill, and one regularly employed by the best kayakers. The combat roll is a move kayakers use to right themselves if their kayak capsizes. McCandless is also teaching him how to perform a draw stroke, a technique that helps a paddler navigate using the water’s momentum.

 

“Just for a sighted person, there are so many variables that go into what he’s doing. This takes it all to a completely new level,” McCandless said. 

      

Unlike many of the nation’s rivers, where dangers lurk below the surface of the water, like rocks and logs that can snag a foot and hold a person underwater, the white-water center provides kayakers a safe environment to paddle the rapids of an artificial recirculating river. The United States Olympic canoe and kayak team trains here.

“The rapids are very consistent, and so you can go through them one after the next and you can keep doing it all day long until you’re exhausted,” Weihenmayer said. “It makes white water accessible in a way that, knock on wood, it’s not going to kill you.” 

      

The Grand Canyon will offer no such luxuries. Considered one of the world’s premier white water spots, the run has boulders the size of small cars that can create waves up to 15 feet high. While Weihenmayer and his team will be accompanied by a raft, ample supplies and a satellite phone to reach the National Park Service rangers, the team will be essentially cut off from civilization for almost three weeks as they make the descent. 

      

“There are some places where you can’t even use a satellite phone,” Weihenmayer said. “Communication throughout the trip is going to be very spotty.” He added, “This is 10 times scarier than the scariest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some pretty scary things.” 

      

Although he is probably best known for his ascent of Mount Everest in 2001, and subsequent successful efforts of scaling the tallest peaks on all the continents, known as the Seven Summits, many of his other accomplishments, while less publicized, are perhaps more impressive.

       

“I think some of the ice climbs he’s done are the most impressive because technically and athletically, they are far more challenging than doing Everest,” Raker said. Indeed, in 2008 Weihenmayer scaled a 3,000-foot ice waterfall in the Himalayas called Losar. 

      

“Everest is a huge, respectable accomplishment,” said Conrad Anker, a mountaineer who has also scaled Losar. “For most people that would be their lifetime achievement.”

Record breaker Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has already broken dozens of records, from the lowest air pressure reading ever recorded in the Northeast to the highest storm surge on record in Lower Manhattan. After reviewing wave height data, the National Weather Service office in Philadelphia has determined that the wave heights recorded at two buoys — including one monster 32.5-foot wave at a buoy near the entrance to New York Harbor — set records for the largest waves seen in this region since such records began in 1975.



 One of the buoys is located near the entrance to New York Harbor, about 15 nautical miles southeast of Breezy Point, N.Y., which sustained heavy damage from a merciless combination of coastal flooding and a fire that spread out of control. The harbor entrance buoy recorded a 32.5 foot tall wave at 8:50 p.m. on October 29, beating the previous record set during Hurricane Irene by 6.5 feet. Records at that buoy extend only to 2008, which minimizes the historical significance of the record somewhat.

The other buoy that set a wave height record is located 30 nautical miles south of Islip, Long Island, and during the evening of October 29, the wave heights at that location built to a maximum height of 31 feet. That was the highest seen at that location since that buoy began operation in 1975 and exceeded the previous record of 30 feet, which was set during a fierce nor’easter on Dec. 11, 1992.

Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall as a post-tropical storm near Atlantic City on October 30, had an extraordinarily expansive tropical storm-force wind field that extended nearly 1,000 miles from the center of the storm. That enabled it to churn the sea into a frenzy, building massive waves that battered the coastlines of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

According to Jeff Masters of Weather Underground, since 1988 only one tropical storm and no hurricane has had a larger area of tropical storm-force winds. “Most incredibly, 10 hours before landfall, the total energy of Sandy’s winds of tropical storm-force and higher peaked at 329 terajoules — the highest value for any Atlantic hurricane since at least 1969. This is 2.7 times higher than Katrina’s peak energy, and is equivalent to five Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs,”

At The Battery in Lower Manhattan, the water level, driven by these strong winds, reached a record 13.88 feet above the average low tide level, which included a surge component of 9.23 feet. That set an all-time record for the location.

Sandy Hook, N.J., which is a spit of land that juts into the Atlantic pointing toward New York City from the extreme northeastern part of the state, also saw record coastal flooding during Sandy. The water level there rose to 13.31 feet above the average low tide level. Or to put it another way, the water level at Sandy Hook rose to 8.1 feet above the average high-tide line.

Celebrating World Responsible Tourism Day 2012

Let’s get serious for a moment. Okay? Are you with me?

We tell you a lot about Africa’s luxury lodges, wild adventures and tasty food. But today is World Responsible Tourism Day (which it is every day for us…) and we’ll be switching to matters of the earth. About protecting it. And we don’t mean just hugging a tree.

This year, the World Travel Market, sponsored by BBC World News, is in London and includes three days (6-8 November) of debates and events dedicated to creating a new way of thinking about tourism and developing it further in a greener, more responsible direction. It aims to be the most comprehensive, thought-provoking agenda on responsible tourism on the planet. With pressures mounting from a growth in environmental disasters, a lack of fresh water and increasing poverty… it’s a much needed agenda.

Africa’s most precious tourism resources are our wildlife and landscapes. We need to protect these resources, not only for future generations but for the future of the tourism industry in Africa. While tourism can impact negatively on the environment, through the construction of safari lodges and activities such as game drives and helicopter flips, our goal is to find ways to minimise that impact and ensure that the benefits of tourism for communities and for conservation outweigh any negative effects.



From the wild waters of the Okavango to the dunes of the Namibian desert, from eco-friendly city hotels to private wildlife reserves in the bush, tourism done responsibly can create positive change.

Move Over, Mexico: The Maya in Central America

When most people think of the Maya, their minds jump immediately to Mexico, but this ancient civilization exerted profound influence throughout Central America.

As a native of El Salvador, I’m here to take you on the ultimate cultural journey through the Maya of Central America — from places that were inhabited more than 10,000 years ago, to Maya cities built at the time of Christ, to modern towns that celebrate their ancient heritage in unexpected ways.

El Salvador

Los Izalcos: Los Izalcos is a mountainous region and major cacao producer in pre-Columbian times. Today, coffee that moves the local economy. The towns of Izalco, Nahuizalco, Apaneca and Juayua all have ancient roots — and the combination of native and Christian beliefs is celebrated by the largely indigenous communities with dances and festivals honoring local history. Apaneca is also well known for great culinary traditions. I recommend ordering up a round of tamales and some atol de elote (sweet-corn milk drink) or chocolate caliente (Spanish-style hot chocolate) for an afternoon treat.

Cerro Verde and Lake Coatepeque: A short distance from the Izalcos is a great volcanic region. I recommend heading to Cerro Verde National Park, where you’ll find a lookout that provides a fantastic panoramic view of Izalco Volcano – a now-dormant stratovolcano that was formed in the 1770s and continually erupted for two hundred years — and an impressive orchid garden. From Cerro Verde, head to Lake Coatepeque (Snake Mountain in Nahuatl). The road that connects the sites circumnavigates the volcano’s magnificent crater.

San Andres: Jump on the Pan-American Highway east of Coatepeque to reach the Zapotitan Valley. This fertile basin, spanning between the Santa Ana and San Salvador volcanoes, contains two must-see archaeological sites. The first is the Archaeological Park of San Andrés, where you will find stepped pyramids, an acropolis, and a large ceremonial plaza. The local museum provides insight into archaeological investigations at the site, while an indigo-processing plant that operates within the park’s limits provides a glimpse into Conquest-period Maya. Did you know indigo used to be worth more than gold?

Joya de Ceren: Not far from San Andres is one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in all of the Americas, Joya de Cerén. Discovered by a tractor driver while clearing land, this site presents impressive adobe structures — including an almost intact Temazcalli (sweat-bath), community house, and several other domestic structures — that help paint a picture of what life was like in a Maya community at around 500 A.D. Visit the site museum to experience the fantastic story of the investigation and see some of the pottery that has been found in the area.



Guatemala

Esquipulas: This eastern Guatemalan city has always been important to Maya communities that venerated Ek Chuah, the god of traveling merchants, who is commonly depicted as black or surrounded by that color. But by the late 16th century, when the Spaniards had defeated local armies and Esquipulas began to emerge as a center of Catholic spirituality, Quirio Cataño was commissioned to design a sculpture of Christ on the cross for the local basilica. The wood used in the statue mysteriously darkened over the years, eventually taking on supernatural significance. Four hundred years later, the Black Christ of Esquipulas continues to play an important part in Central American spirituality, itself a unique blend of indigenous and Catholic rituals. On January 15 each year, the site becomes a major pilgrimage site for thousands of worshipers who come to pay tribute to the Black Christ by entering the basilica barefoot, lighting candles, and bringing baskets of corn for the miraculous one.



Antigua: Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, and remains a lively city with restaurants, shops, and some of the best preserved examples of colonial architecture in Central America (at least those that have survived in this earthquake-prone region). While Antigua does have its colonial charm, it is the colorful people (and the amazing climate of the sleepy town) that make this place special. Be sure to visit the old church at the center of town and the local market which is frequented by many Maya who still live nearby. The colorful attire of the Maya has changed little in millennia, and the color arrangements are particular to the many communities.

Tikal: Tikal was a capital of the Maya world in ancient times, and it’s easy to believe when you’re confronted with the thousands of massive pyramids, plazas, temples, and dwellings that remain today. One of the largest archaeological sites of pre-Columbian Maya civilization, Tikal was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. The city is so impressive it could take weeks to explore, but before you leave, climb to the top of a steep facade and witness the Petén rainforest jungle in its awesome beauty all around you.

California’s Despised Adventure Pass

Public land activists continue to try and chip away at various Forest Service fees, most recently with a lawsuit challenging the agency’s Southern California adventure pass.

In September, a similar lawsuit was filed challenging the agency’s practice of letting private companies that operate Forest Service campgrounds charge fees for adjacent day-use areas.
Four hikers have gone to court claiming the pass program is not authorized under federal laws that set strict limits on where and when fees can be charged for use of public lands. The Adventure Pass program requires forest visitors to display a permit on their vehicle when they park on the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests, even when they do not use any developed facilities.

In the civil suit filed October 24, Alasdair Coyne and Richard Fragosa, both of Ojai, John Karevoll of Running Springs, and Peter Wiechers of Kernville are asking the Los Angeles District Court for relief from having to pay a fee just to go for a hike in many popular parts of the four forests.

A similar fee on the Coronado National Forest in Arizona was struck down in February by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, Judge Robert Gettleman said, “Everyone is entitled to enter national forests without paying a cent.” That decision is binding in nine western states, including California, but the Forest Service has not yet made any changes to its Adventure Pass fee program, which is one of the largest in the nation.
“It should now be possible to go for a hike in your local forest without having to risk a ticket if you don’t pay an access fee,” says plaintiff Alasdair Coyne, Conservation Director of Keep Sespe Wild, a Los Padres watershed organization based in Ojai. “Eight months after the Arizona court ruling is quite enough time for the Forest Service to bring their other local fee programs into compliance. The Forest Service is not above the law.”

Recreation fees on federal land are governed by the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, or REA. Fees are authorized under the REA for use of campgrounds and day use sites that meet certain minimum requirements, but fees are prohibited for some activities, even where those requirements are met.

The activities for which fees are prohibited include parking, passing through without use of facilities and services, camping in dispersed undeveloped areas, and general access.
Under the fee program, most of the revenues stay at the site where they are collected. The Forest Service uses the money to maintain and manage the areas. Agency officials say the fee program helps bolster recreation budgets, which in some cases have suffered as money is diverted to firefighting and forest health programs.

The hikers challenging the Adventure Pass are represented by public interest attorneys Matt Kenna of Durango, Colorado, and René Voss of San Anselmo, California, with support from the Colorado-based Western Slope No-Fee Coalition.

“The 9th Circuit ruling is quite clear that forest visitors who don’t use developed facilities can’t be charged a fee,” said Western Slope No-Fee Coalition president Kitty Benzar. “Yet fee signage across southern California’s four National Forests, as well as information on the Adventure Pass website, says you must pay just to park your car to access trails, rivers, lakes, and undeveloped backcountry. People are being intimidated into paying illegal fees under threat of federal prosecution. We are confident this lawsuit will put a stop to that.”

The Forest Service has 60 days in which to respond to the lawsuit.

Outdoor Tips: Building a Cooking Fire

 

Cooking fresh caught fish or a hearty stew over an open fire is one of those iconic, idealized images about the outdoors. It’s envisioned right along with other traditional, cowboy movie-esque things like sleeping under the stars and riding on horseback. But when it comes to actually cooking food efficiently and effectively, open fire cooking usually just isn’t the way to go. Cooking by coals is actually a much better, more easily controlled way to heat your food on a camping trip. Use these basic tips to learn how to build a fire that cooks faster and with less effort than an open flame.

Start with a regular old fire

Any outdoor adventurer worth his or her salt knows the basics of fire building. Start with thin, quick burning tinder, stack some wood in a way that allows for plenty of oxygen, and light it up. Remember, this fire won’t actually be used for cooking. Once it’s lit, its job is to supply you with the fuel for a good cooking fire: hot coals. A good coal-supplying fire should consist of small sticks as opposed to large logs. They take considerably less time to break down into usable coals.

Dig a separate pit while you wait

Though it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make a coal-based fire for cooking, it is certainly a time consuming process. Use the time you spend waiting for hot coals to form making a separate pit where the coals can go. Start by digging a small, shallow hole. Then, surround the hole with medium to large sized rocks, which will serve to contain your cooking fire. If you have loads of time on your hands, another option is to simply let the fire burn down until only coals are left. With this method, you’ll be able to use the original fire pit.

When the coals are ready, it’s time to get cooking

Whether you’re moving coals from the fire pit to a separate coal pit or just rearranging them, a long metal grilling utensil is required. The coals are much hotter than any other part of the fire, and will immediately ignite any stick or branch you try to arrange them with. When the coals are placed so that there’s an even and concentrated layer, put a small grate over them. With that, you’re ready to start making the meal.

For great tasting food in the outdoors, nothing beats a good cooking fire. While it won’t do much to keep you warm on chilly nights – it will definitely make cooking high quality camping grub a lot easier. Once you get that cooking fire burning, all that’s left is to put on the food, gather your camping buddies, and get to munching!

Antartica 2012

The official start of the 2012 Antarctic season remains on stand-by this week as ALE waits for a clear weather window to begin shuttling visitors to the frozen continent. Their first scheduled flight was set to take place this past Saturday, but as is often the case, the weather dictates when those flights can truly begin. Elsewhere in the region, other teams are making progress on their expeditions however as they travel on foot through some of the most remote places on the planet.

Aaron Lnsdau is the only explorer waiting to launch a ski expedition to the South Pole at moment and considering his objectives, it is easy to understand why he is eager to get started. Aaron plans to make a round-trip journey from Hercules Inlet to the Pole and back again, covering approximately 1430 miles (2300 km) in the process. That journey is expected to take roughly 90 days to complete, so any lengthy delays to his start may cost him at the end.

According to his Twitter, high winds at the Union Glacier camp are preventing his departure at the moment, so he'll wait in Punta Arenas for word on when it is safe to go. The flight from Chile to Union Glacier is a long one and conditions have to be right on both ends before ALE's big Ilyushin aircraft will take off. The runway at Union Glacier has been completed however, making it possible for the planes to safely get in and out for the season ahead. All of Aaron's gear is packed, weighed and stowed, so all the pieces are in place and it is now simply a waiting game.
Also in Punta Arenas are the Lake Ellsworth research team who are busy organizing their gear and planning for their own expedition. They'll head to Antarctica on a later flight for a project that involves drilling through 3km (1.8 miles) of ice to reach a subglacial lake. They hope to collect samples from the water their to determine what life forms exist in the water, which has been buried for thousands of years. They also hope that their research will provide insights into what climate was like on the continent prior to it drifting to the far southern end of the planet.

Over on South Georgia Island, the Baffin babes are steaming right along, despite experiencing their hardest day yet yesterday. It's was near white-out conditions for much of the time that they were skiing, which made it a challenge to navigate through a dangerous crevasse field. The ladies, who we followed as they crossed Baffin Island on skis a few years back, are now attempting to accomplish the same feat on South Georgia. They've been underway for a week and a half now and have experienced quite a few encounters with penguins, reindeer and other wildlife on the remote island.

Also preparing to get underway soon will be Mike O'Shea and Clare O'Leary, who are attempting to ski across the remote North Patagonian Icecap. They're currently in Chile and making their way to the starting point, which requires taking a bus and traveling on boats, riding on horses for a few days and even ice climbing on the glacier. And that is just to get to the point where they can officially begin! Updates should begin soon.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more updates once the planes start flying to Union Glacier. Also expect more teams to be added to the list of explorers going to the South Pole. This is a fairly skimpy number thus far, but there are others who are planning on making that journey but just haven't departed for Chile just yet. More soon!