I'm a big believer that adventure is where you find it. That you don't need to climb big Himalayan peaks nor venture deep into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest to have a big adventure. It can be right out your front door and last a few hours or a few days. Case in point, this great little video that was sent my way by some readers who undertook their own micro-adventure during which they traversed Scotland, traveling west to east, on foot and with pack rafts. Along the way they crossed some spectacular looking terrain and had themselves a fantastic time. That's what an adventure is all about after all and while this one may not have been as epic as some, it still looks like an amazing escape to me. Well done gentleman!

SCOTLAND, WEST TO EAST (TRAILER) from EduMB on Vimeo.

Before he became the face of adventure travel on the television show Adventures with Purpose, Richard Bangs was a world-class paddler and river guide who made first descents on numerous rivers across the planet including the Indus, Zambezi, Yangtze, Euphrates and many more. One of his early expeditions took him to the Baro River in Ethiopia, which hadn't been fully navigated at the time either.

In a recent post to his website, Richard shares some harrowing tales of his adventures along the Baro, which runs for approximately 306 km (190 miles) before it feeds into the Sobat River and eventually the White Nile. His stories include encounters with man-eating crocodiles, incredible white water and unexpected tumbles over waterfalls. The title of the article is "What's Worse? Death by Drowning or Crocodile" which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this expedition. The article is a reminder of just how wild and untamed parts of our planet remain and how dangerous these expeditions can be. Definitely an excellent read for a variety of reason, as it touches on why we pursue dangerous adventures in the first place.

The video below serves as a bit of teaser for the story, but be warned, the footage is not for the faint of heart. There are some graphic images shown that some could find disturbing. If you'd rather avoid those images as best you can, I'd suggesting simply reading the article instead, although it also has a photo or two that aren't for the squeamish.

In October 2011, paddler Will Stauffer-Norris, along with some friends, set off to make a source-to-sea journey down the Colorado River. They launched their adventure on the Green River in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and then followed the waterway south, ending in the Sea of Cortez three months later. Their entire journey has now been condensed down to a three-and-a-half minute video, which you can watch below. You can also find out more about this amazing expedition at DownTheColorado.org.

While the timelapse images used in this video get a little herkey-jerkey at times, it still conveys a great sense of what it must have been like to paddle this impressive waterway. A fantastic adventure to say the least. Well done Will and Company!


Mirror River // source to sea in 3 minutes from Will Stauffer-Norris on Vimeo.

There has been a lot of chatter lately about the overuse of the word "epic." If you want to know the true definition of that word, then look no further than this story about two Irish adventurers who made an incredible journey from Istanbul, Turkey to Shanghai, China – finishing up yesterday.

Maghnus Collins and David Burns set out on their long distance odyssey last March with a plan to cover the 14,000 km (8700 miles) on bike, foot and water. Their journey took them along the old Silk Road trade route between Europe and Asia, crossing over the Himalaya and rafting down one of the most iconic rivers in the world – the Yangtze. Along the way they helped raise nearly €25,000 ($33,450) for Self Help Africa, an organization dedicated to helping rural Africa gain economic strength.

Collins and Burns' called their expedition Sand2Snow Adventures. The duo rode their bikes across the first stage, covering 8000 km (4970 miles) from Istanbul to Kathmandu before transitioning to foot. They then proceeded to run an additional 1000 km (621 miles), at one point running 25 marathons in 27 days across the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau. Finally, they finished up their journey by rafting more than 6300 km (3914 miles) down the Yangtze, ending on the Bund in Shanghai. That was quite a contrast to earlier sections of the journey when they encountered no other living souls for days on end. At one point, while on the river, they actually traveled for 17 straight days without seeing another person. 

On this excursion the two men faced a host of challenges in addition to the physical, mental and geographical ones that you would expect. For instance, at one point they lost their raft that included much of their gear, including Collins' passport. While running through the Himalaya they also wore "appalling blisters" on their feet and after one particular run Collins was even pissing blood. In the end, they were even racing the clock, as their Chinese visas were set to expire in just a few days and it was important that they reach the finish line before they did.

Sounds like it was an amazing experience and I'm sorry I wasn't following it more closely when it was going on. Better late than never I suppose. Congratulations to Maghnus and David on a job well done.