Our friend Dave Cornthwaite has released a fun little video which is the culmination of a project that started more than 1000 days ago. Starting on January 1, 2011, Dave, who we followed down the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard and on a1000 mile swim down the Missouri River (amongst other adventures), began taking a photo of himself everyday for 1000 days. He has then strung them together in the video below, which is equal parts inspiring and entertaining. That time span overlaps several of his big expeditions, so you'll see Dave in a variety of situations. The message here, as the title implies, is that we should make ever day – every moment – count.

Back in May, Xpedition.tv launched a new short adventure film competition which was focused on looking for emerging talent in the outdoor adventure world. The competition was broken down into three categories with winners being honored for being the "Most Inspiring," "Most Innovative" and "Most Surprising." Earlier this week the winners were announced and there are a couple of familiar videos earning some of the top honors.

In the category of "Most Inspiring" our friend Dave Cornthwaite, along with Miguel Endara, took home the top honors for their Swim 1000 film (see below). The eight minute short chronicles Dave's grueling thousand mile swim down the Missouri River last summer which pushed him to his physical and mental limits.

The prize for "Most Innovative" when to a film called Further Up Yonder, which features stunning images from the International Space Station. I featured that film on my blog last December when it was released and it remains breathtaking months later. Finally, in the category of "Most Surprising" is the video Shunpo, which is a beautifully shot movie that encourages us all to break out of the mundane and routine. You can read more about the winners and view the runner-ups (some of which I've shared on here before as well!) by clicking here.

All in all, really great field of winners which were selected from a group of 60 entrants. The folks behind the competition and Xpedition.tv say this is only the beginning for what they have planned however. Stay tuned for more inspiration and adventure from this site in the future.


Swim 1000 from Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

I want to take this opportunity to send a note out to my friend Dave Cornthwaite who had to make the tough – but correct – decision to step away from the current stage of his Expedition 1000 project. Over the past few years we've watched Dave accomplish some amazing things, including stand-up paddleboarding the length of the Mississippi River and swimming for a 1000 miles (1600 km) down the Missouri River. Yesterday we may have seen him do the bravest thing yet – step away from an expedition when you know that you're at your physical and mental limits.

For nearly two months Dave, and his companion Squash Falconer, have been zipping around Europe on ElliptiGO bikes, traveling through the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and other countries. They've covered nearly 2000 miles (3218 km) in the process and have enjoyed their time on the road. But awhile back, Dave was carrying his ElliptiGO bike down a flight of stairs in Zurich when he slipped and injured his back. Like a true adventurer, he shrugged it off and vowed to soldier on, but as the days passed the injury didn't get any better and in fact it got worse. Mile after mile he continued to ride his bike, even though his body was telling him it needed a rest. Finally, a few days ago, Dave reached his physical limit and simply didn't have any more gas left in the chamber. In order to look after his health, he knew he had to leave the expedition, but that would mean admitting failure, something that he had never had to face on his previous journeys.

Squash will continue on with the final two weeks of the trip. She'll go from Nice to Paris, their intended finishing spot, on her own. But Dave will now head home for a much needed and much deserved rest. The Expedition 1000 project has been his main focus for several years now and I'm sure a little time off to recuperate and recharge the batteries will do him some good.

Get well soon mate and rest well knowing that you made the right choice. You know there are many more adventures to come, more opportunities to say yes more and of course more boobs to be saved. You're an inspiration to many and we'll all be pulling for a speedy recovery.

Over the past several years we've been following adventurer Dave Corthnwaite as he's ridden a tandem bike from Vancouver to Las Vegas, taken a stand-up paddleboard the length of the Mississippi River and swam more than 1000 miles along the Missouri River. All of those adventures were part of Dave's Expedition 1000 project, during which he is attempting to complete 25 individual excursions of at least 1000 miles (1609 km) in length without the use of motorized transportation. Today, Dave sets out on the next leg of his project on what he calls the Go Trek.

While on the Go Trek, Dave will cover more than 3000 miles (4828 km) as he buzzes around Western Europe on an Elliptigo – a strange mash-up of an elliptical machine and a bicycle. Riders propel the bike forward by using the same motion as when they are on an elliptical machine, which sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of work at the same time. Dave will be joined on this journey by adventurer Squash Falconer, who has a name like a Bond villain but looks more like a Bond girl. Her resume includes successful summits of Everest, Cho Oyu and Aconcagua, amongst others.

Over the next nine weeks, the Go Trek will pass through the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France. Along the way, Dave and Squash are encouraging the general public to come join them and to that end they've published their schedule and route so that we can all plan accordingly. The plan is to share the fun of adventure with any who are willing to join them. And of course, as always with an Expedition 1000 journey, the Go Trek will also be used to raise funds for the CoppaFeel organization, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting breast cancer through early detection.

While we're on the subject of Dave and his many adventures, I'd also like to point out that his latest book, Life in the Slow Lane (Kindle UK link) is now available on the Amazon Kindle or on the Kindle App for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The e-version of the book costs just $3.49 or £3.08 and won't be available in paperback until June. It tells the tale of how Dave changed his life from someone who went about the daily office grind into a person who embraced adventure and travel. Obviously this is what he does now, and his life is more enriched for it. I haven't had the chance to read the book yet myself, but it is on my summer reading list.

You'll be able to follow Dave and Squash's progress on Go Trek's official website. And if you live in one of the five European countries that they'll be visiting along the way, be sure to check when they'll be passing through your area.

Our friends over at the CheapTents blog continue to do what they do best, namely crank out interesting interviews with personalities from the outdoor adventure community. This time up they put a pair of interesting fellows under the microscope turning their probing questions on adventurer Dave Cornthwaite and outdoor cameraman Matt Sharman.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you've most certainly read some of my posts on Dave. He is the the mastermind behind the Expedition 1000 project, during which he is attempting to complete 25 individual adventures of 1000 miles or more in length without the use of motorized transportation. In the CheapTents interview Dave discusses his favorite memories from the seven journeys he has completed thus far, which of his expeditions was the most demanding (Hint: swimming 1001 miles down the Missouri River is tough!) and offers tips to aspiring adventure writers. He also shares some info on the next leg of Expedition 1000, a 3000-mile (4828 km) journey around Europe on an ElliptiGO bike.

Matt Sherman is an outdoor photographer/cameraman who also happens to write for the Jack Wolfskin Blog gear blog. He is an accomplished climber and mountaineer, and in his interview he talks about how he got started in those sports, what he enjoys most about his job and how to get those difficult shots in extreme environments. He also offers up advice for those who want to get into the profession and discusses some of his potential dream projects.

As is usual with interviews with CheapTents, both Dave and Matt share their favorite pieces of gear for their adventures. As I've mentioned in the past, this is always one of favorite parts as I'm always eager to hear what others enjoy taking with them when they head into the field. In Dave's case that happens to be his Sky Tent, while in typical photographer fashion, all he needs are trousers with plenty of pockets to stuff excess items.

Both interviews are excellent and make for some good inspiration as we head into the weekend.

Our friends over at the CheapTents blog continue to do what they do best, namely crank out interesting interviews with personalities from the outdoor adventure community. This time up they put a pair of interesting fellows under the microscope turning their probing questions on adventurer Dave Cornthwaite and outdoor cameraman Matt Sharman.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you've most certainly read some of my posts on Dave. He is the the mastermind behind the Expedition 1000 project, during which he is attempting to complete 25 individual adventures of 1000 miles or more in length without the use of motorized transportation. In the CheapTents interview Dave discusses his favorite memories from the seven journeys he has completed thus far, which of his expeditions was the most demanding (Hint: swimming 1001 miles down the Missouri River is tough!) and offers tips to aspiring adventure writers. He also shares some info on the next leg of Expedition 1000, a 3000-mile (4828 km) journey around Europe on an ElliptiGO bike.

Matt Sherman is an outdoor photographer/cameraman who also happens to write for the Jack Wolfskin Blog gear blog. He is an accomplished climber and mountaineer, and in his interview he talks about how he got started in those sports, what he enjoys most about his job and how to get those difficult shots in extreme environments. He also offers up advice for those who want to get into the profession and discusses some of his potential dream projects.

As is usual with interviews with CheapTents, both Dave and Matt share their favorite pieces of gear for their adventures. As I've mentioned in the past, this is always one of favorite parts as I'm always eager to hear what others enjoy taking with them when they head into the field. In Dave's case that happens to be his Sky Tent, while in typical photographer fashion, all he needs are trousers with plenty of pockets to stuff excess items.

Both interviews are excellent and make for some good inspiration as we head into the weekend.

One of the most inspiring expeditions we followed last year was Dave Cornthwaite's 1000-mile swim down the Missouri River. It was the latest phase of his Expedition 1000 project, during which Dave is undertaking 25 separate journeys, each of 1000 miles or more in length, without the use of motorized transportation. In the past, he's done such things as skateboarding 3618 miles (5822 km) across Australia and stand-up paddleboarding along the length of the Mississippi River.

While each of those expeditions were challenging in their own right, nothing prepared Dave for the challenges he would face on the Missouri River. Day-in and day-out, for 58 days, he dove into the murky waters of the Missouri to swim 12+ hours per day in order to cover the 1001 miles between Chamberlain, South Dakota and St. Louis, Missouri, where he eventually pulled himself out of the river for good at the famous Gateway Arch.

Much of Dave's journey was captured by filmmaker Miguel Endara, who has now put together an amazing 8-minute short film of the Swim1000 expedition. That film gives us a very personal look at the journey down the Missouri, which took a physical and mental toll on our intrepid adventurer, who was shadowed by a support team that paddled along the entire way. To watch the video click here.

And when you're done enjoying Miguel's wonderful short film, read about Dave's fund raising efforts for CoppaFeel, an organization dedicated to the prevention of breast cancer through early detection. A cause that we can all agree is a worthy one.

Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite has faced his share of challenges while pursuing his Expedition 1000 project, in which he is attempting to complete 25 non-motorized journeys of a thousand miles or more. For instance, he once spent 156 days skateboarding across Australia and another 82 days stand-up paddle boarding the length of the Mississippi River. But last summer he undertook his most challenging expedition to date, 1001-mile swim along the Missouri River. During that time, we followed Dave's progress closely, getting regular updates from his support team and cheering him along. But over the course of that 58-day excursion we rarely heard from the man himself, so we never really got a sense of just how difficult the swim was. That is, until now.

Dave has posted a debrief of his Missouri swim and it puts the reality of his undertaking into grim perspective. In the article, he talks about the physical toll that this journey took on his body, getting to the point in the final days where he couldn't keep food down, despite the fact that he was burning 6000 calories per day. Swimming from sunrise to sunset, day in and day out, sapped his strength and spirit, pushing him to the very edge of his limits. It is a very personal account of a person who is completely at the end of their rope, but refuses to give up on his dream.

Reading Dave's account of those final few miles to the finish line are not easy. He clearly had pushed himself further than even he thought possible and yet as he neared the end at last, it still wasn't nearly enough. Of course, we know that he did manage to complete the swim, but Dave describes the days that followed as "darker than any other post-expedition experience I care to remember." No doubt, that was the result of complete physical and mental exhaustion he felt at its completion.

Now that some time has passed, Dave's attention has turned to the next phase of Expedition 1000 – a 3000-mile (4828 km) journey around Europe on ElliptiGO bicycles. While this is a completely different kind of mode of travel, I'm sure he'll take with him some lessons from the Missouri River.

If you want to know just what an ordeal that swim was for him, then his blog post is a must read. It will definitely give you even more respect for what Dave, and other adventurers like him, have accomplished.