Watching others do adventure

Every Sunday rowdy boisterous football fans park themselves in front of their TV sets to watch and cheer on their favorite and sometimes not so favorite teams.  Some even so go far as to become students of the game, knowing and understanding how the game is played the personalities and the egos and all the statistical minutia. They all lack one thing being in the game.

The Same might be said about adventures.  How many people spend their time reading about other people doing adventure but never get out and have any of their own?  I like to read about other people going about adventuring so that I can come up with ideas and develop a plan for my next adventure.  Maybe even dream a little bit about some grand adventure I can start putting the money aside for now.

That is why I write this blog both to come up with place to go and new adventures to have but also to encourage others to get out and do both little "Micro-Adventures" and grand expeditions.

Learning Cross Country Skiing

Here is a good video about some basics for Cross Country Skiing.  Learning these new skills gives me a chance to get outdoors and just enjoy a little fresh air.  In my case snow covered wheat fields of Eastern Washington.

Skiing Japan's backcountry

Here is a video just to encourage people to get out in the snow and enjoy a little fresh air.



Backcountry skiing in Japan from Mitch Potter on Vimeo.

The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival

If you need a little inspiration to get out and find some adventure here a trailer for the 2012 Sheffield Adventure Film Festival held in the UK.  It looks like they even have a snippet of Flight of the Frenchies.  The clip just make me want to get out and do something exciting.

Canoeing Coast to Coast

Here is an adventure that apparently will be a first, at least in modern history.  Four men will be canoeing from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic by way of the northern provinces of Canada.  

Pete Marshall, Winchell Delano, Steve Keaveny, and Matt Harren are preparing for the 2600 mile paddle across a vast wilderness, one of the largest in the world.  According the their website: 2012 Trans-Territorial Canoe Expedition they will be braving mountains and valley, dangerous lake crossings, and white water.  All very exciting. 

Can you imagine a trans-continental camping trip ending in the historic Hudson Bay? If I could this would be it.

Around the World Sailing Record Broken

A new world record for the circumnavigation of the globe has been set by a French team of 13 sailors aboard the Banque Populaire V.  They did it in 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes and 53 seconds.  No longer does it take 80 days as in Jules Verne's book after that title.  

The breaking of the record was so significant for the French that their president Nicolas Sarkozy called the captain Loick Peyron to give congratulations.  

Sailing is always an adventure and crossing the great seas of the Earth brings out all the romantic notions of the wind in your hair, if you have any left, and see exotic places and peoples.  It brings back the age of Wooden Ships and Iron Men.  

A Time for Education

The start of a new year is also the time to begin taking classes for this summers outing.  Many of the mountaineering clubs are now offering mountaineering courses.  The standard Mountaineering course covers the basics of rock climbing, mountaineering, and even ice climbing.  

It is always a good idea, when going outdoors, to have some knowledge of how to stay safe.  When staying safe the experience is much more enjoyable and comfortable.  Being on the mountain has enough discomfort without adding the danger of ignorance.  

Usually the courses require membership in the club and a bit of commitment in time and finances.  Outdoor equipment for snow and ice does not always come cheap.  For the beginner, however, there are discount stores which carry most of what you need.  Army surplus stores are a good example.  

Education is one of the keys to making your experience outdoors enjoyable and also to enriching your life.

Tips for Snowshoeing

Every once in a while a lesson or a  refresher in your outdoor skills is helpful, especially if you are looking for a new way of experiencing adventure and exploration.  Below is a video about getting out with a pair of snowshoes.  

Snowshoeing is an excellent way of fighting the winter blues.  Once your have had your day of snowshoeing a nice quiet evening with a book and cup of hot cocoa next to a warm fire place.  That is a complete day made for lowering your stress level and blood pressure.

New Years Goals

At the beginning of every year I sit down and think about what I would like to either pursue of accomplish for the next year.  Last year I set about five goals which you can read about in my blog, "Some Thoughts of this Years Adventures."  Two of my goals were either attempted of begun; Climbing a mountain and hiking the Columbia Plateau Trail from Cheney to the Tri-Cities.

The truth is I am satisfied with the results of last years adventures.  Instead of climbing a mountain, we were prevented from it due to an excess of snow, we took a group of teenage boys to Leavenworth and hiked up a couple of very scenic trails.  An experience they will not soon forget and one they grew from.  I took the new road bike out more often to explore nearby towns instead of driving to far away locations to kayak.

I did begin to hike/bike the Columbia Plateau Trail and am about 10 miles beyond the city of Lamont.  This will be a continuing saga and as I complete more sections I will post my record of them here.

The point of goals really isn't to make sure I complete them it is just a place to begin thinking about place to go and things to do and I encourage everyone to set some of there own as a motivational tool.