adventure

To celebrate this Travel Tuesday I am attaching a video I created on my mac for my group of friends (and me) that went on a fabulous trip to Panama in December. See the scenery, the locals and underwater dive shots.

Turn on your sound, enjoy and hopefully be taken away to Panama! Happy Travel Tuesday!

I try to live by the following motto: Break a sweat every day.
Lately that has been easy just by doing nothing in the high heat and humidity in the city, but I try to break a sweat each day via some sort of physical activity.

I am obsessed with tennis and play 4-5 times a week, and my favorite sweat breaking activity is kickboxing. Punching and kicking real 100lb heavy bags brings on the sweat fest more than anything else I do.

Aside from these sports, I’d always thought it’d be amazing to do a multi-sport event, like a triathlon.
The running I could maybe handle. I do run because I like the results I see and it justifies my addiction of athletic shoes. I have done 5K’s and I can get through trail runs (treadmills make me crazy–so boring) but I am far from a natural runner. Due to this fact and that swimming for me really just means me laying on a floatie–my dream of participating in a triathlon is not really plausible.

Knowing this about myself has only made me work harder to find a multi-sport activity I can proudly participate in.
I don’t want to walk or push a stroller (besides, I’d have to borrow a kid for that) and stair climbing for charity is a great idea, but I want to combine some sort of running/biking with it.

In the mid 90′s I was introduced to what in another life just might be what I’d dedicate my life to: Adventure Racing. The extreme athletic image, the physical shape of the participants, running and biking in nature, teamwork–getting sponsored and therefore obtaining lots of swag…I was instantly obsessed.

It is very simple in theory. Adventure Racing combines adventure sport disciplines, usually including navigation, trekking, mountain biking, white water paddling, climbing, sea kayaking and swimming in order to cover a variety of outdoor terrain. In nearly all organized Adventure Races, teams are made up of four people and must include both men and women.

Adventure Races typically take between five and eleven days with no designated rest periods so it is up to the participants to choose when, or if, they rest. Check points are set up along the route and when there is to be a change of events such as canoeing to climbing, teams will exchange their equipment at these points, taking what they need for the next leg.

The first Adventure Race that really sucked me into this multi-sport lifestyle was Eco-Challenge. A multi-day expedition race, this was a Mark Burnett (pre-Survivor) production and it aired on the USA channel for 9 seasons. It consisted of seasoned professional adventure racers as well as the average “joe” that raced non-stop, 24 hours a day, over a 300 mile course. The locations over the years varied, including Borneo, Utah, British Colombia, Australia and Fiji. As awesome as this race was, the last year it ran was 2002 and that is why I cannot participate in it… (um yeah, thats why…).

photo credit here

photo courtesy of adventure.mountainzone.com

Perhaps the most famous and challenging Adventure Race in the world is the Patagonian Expedition Race in Chile.
Like Eco-Challenge, teams of 4 compete in treacherous natural terrain that very few, if any, humans have ever witnessed in person. The route is kept secret to the participating teams until the night before the race is to start which is when all maps and route instructions are supplied to the teams.

taking a look at the map courtesy of sportrock.ning.com

As the website states, the Patagonia Expedition Race is a true expedition. Racers receive minimal assistance as they traverse through the pristine southern Patagonia by means of trekking, climbing and related rope work, kayaking, mountain biking, and backcountry navigation. They often cover hundreds of kilometers without seeing a soul.

trekking Patagonia photo courtesy of www.mountain.ru

paddling Patagonia
photo courtesy of funsporting.com

OK, so its doubtful that I will make it into this race. The cutoff for registration has just passed. … maybe next year.

Primal Quest is another adventure race that follows the same pattern as Eco and Patagonia. Their latest race, covering 600 miles, took place in the Badlands of South Dakota in 2009.

The cost of entry to most high profile adventure races such as these three can vary, but will at least run $10,000 USD a team. Prizes though, especially in the more major races such as Patagonian, can exceed $150,000 in cash.
While the races are unsupported (meaning no-one there to bring you water or help carry your gear), medical personnel and volunteers are present to assist in emergency cases.

Check out this link showing a preview of the Badlands Race on DVD.

Primal Quest Badlands DVD Now Available!.

A 2010 race date/location for Primal Quest hasn’t been named yet due to lack of funding. Dammit. Just as I was about to register…

OK, so these three races seem just out of my reach. What can I do? In my search for more attainable races that wouldn’t cost me thousands of dollars (and tons of laughs at my expense), I discovered the Warrior Dash. This race covers nearly 3.3 miles and includes 13 obstacles that must be dominated by the participant, such as mud crawling, fire leaping, beer drinking… wait? What? Wow.

As the website says–this will be the “craziest freakin’ day of your life”!

Now I am not sure about that, but what I am sure about is that Warrior Dash has race routes all over the US including eight in 2010 and so far two already scheduled for 2011. I am participating in the North East route in Windham, NY this fall with my kickboxing instructors and friends. We will be a team of 30 and willing and ready to do whatever we need to do to fulfill our Warrior ambitions! Although we are a team, we compete individually and although it is a race, its more of an event.

Unlike the high costs to race in other Adventure Races, the Warrior Dash costs just $65 to register and all finishers get a Warrior Helmet, a medal to wear proudly around your neck and a t-shirt!

Here are some pictures from the Warrior website to give you an idea of the type of day I will likely have. Check the website for even more pictures and information on the races and where you can register yourself, unless of course you are already registered for one of the other races I have mentioned above…

Happy Adventure Racing!

This third Zion post (read one & two) brings the trip to a close, at least the documentation of it on this website; the memories of course will live on.

I mean really, three high-school buddies meet up and road trip for a long weekend? How could that not be a great time! I am so thankful for Rachel and Jean, for the laughs and hot tamales, for the wacky pictures and wackier people in some of the establishments we frequented, for the bonding time we had in that amazing scenery, and for Melissa; another dear friend who decided to get married in this gorgeous spot!

Below are the remaining pictures I’d like to share.

The Emerald Pools Hike
There are three pools reachable on this Hike: Upper, Middle & Lower.–each reached by a different trail that included waterfalls both large and small, narrow paths and sheer drop-offs.

Jean & Diana across the canyon at the Upper Emerald Pool–about to be hit by the waterfall spray.

the view when looking up

Diana at the middle pool

one of the stealth waterfalls

gorgeous views at every turn

After the Emerald Pools, we hiked through an area that was more desert than anywhere we had seen so far. Hardly any trees and not as many high peaks. The riverbeds were mostly dry (we were warned about flash floods though) and we were convinced that episodes of Star Trek or Land of the Lost were filmed in the exact spots we were standing!
side note: after getting home and looking up some of the areas we were in, I found that this area of Utah as well as the Eastern part of the state was used for many episodes in various Star Trek seasons.

Rachel’s glamour shot

Diana getting a little running in on the side of the mountain

Made it!

catching some rays

A nearby elk farm

and, the beautiful bride

Last Thursday I caught the early flight to Salt Lake City to meet up with two of my old high school buddies, Jean & Rachel. We three had a reunion road trip planned to Zion National Park via Park City to attend our friend Melissa’s wedding in Zion.

When I got into Salt Lake (an hour early–thank you Delta) I had some time to kill before Rachel flew into town. I had been to Salt Lake about 10 years ago for a Husky football game and had a chance to see some of the city and surrounding area. Salt Lake is small, but it is surrounded by mountains pretty much entirely which makes it look even smaller when viewing it from above–which is exactly what I did!

After picking up my hybrid rental car and taking like hours to start it [word to the wise—hybrids make NO noise --not even at point of ignition--until they are going like 25 mph. Who knew?] I drove to the highest point I could, within reason, and found a hike up to Ensign Peak. This place, as many places in Salt Lake, has religious significance to the large Mormon population, but to me it offered a spectacular view of the mountains and city.

After the hike and the wheezing, breathless reminder that Utah is at a much higher elevation than I have been used to on the East Coast, I caught my breath at a Starbucks then toured the city –drive by style–and saw the highlights.

Below is the Capitol building that lies at the foothills of the mountain I had just climbed–near the University of Utah.

After picking up Rachel, we headed north to Park City — the ski mecca of Utah. Of course, skiing wasn’t really going on while we were there, although snow was in the forecast. We were much more interested in gabbing and cruising the town–and what a cute town it is! The “Main Street” had art galleries, restaurants, shops and outrageously expensive pet clothing stores; needless to say–we were in heaven!

Rachel & Di hanging out on the lift chair

Main Street

Absurdly long staircases which have got to be damn near impossible to climb in the snow

One of 3 enormous resident Park City dogs at the doggie boutique

Rachel scoping out some night spots for when Jean meets up with us.

We drove back to Salt Lake to pick up Jean (only 30 minutes away) and then back to Park City to have some dinner and start our reunion! We ate at what we heard is THE hangout during the ski season: The No Name Saloon. The food was awesome and while we were outnumbered by like 75 to 3 in a men to women ratio — we had plenty of time for ourselves to visit and laugh before stopping off at Lindzee O’Michaels Mixologists (see above pic) for $2 Ladies Night. Did I mention that driving is not necessary in Park City? Everything is within walking distance to the hotels!

At the No Name Saloon we got our first taste of Polygamy Porter: Why have just one?

Relaxing at Mixologists. The place had some interesting people… & I don’t mean just us!

Rachel dancing to, what else? The Beastie Boys! Its as if the Girls Trip Reunion Gods were smiling on us!

to be continued…

As many of us already know, the train is the way to go when traveling through Europe. Since not everyone has the luxury of time or even if you do, but want to get out of town quickly (i.e., fallout with your travel partner, a small misunderstanding with the French police) or feel your schedule is getting a bit cramped, a sleeper car on an overnight train can be a perfect solution. Aside from it being a budget friendly choice, sleeping while traveling at night kills two birds with one stone by saving money AND time.

I’ve traveled through all of Western Europe by train with my eurail pass. Various ticket choices are available for however many days and train rides you plan on taking. Of course you can buy your tickets at each stop as you go along, but for those on a budget this can get costly.

Aside from smelling the worst smell that I have ever smelled in my life (seriously, it woke me from a dead sleep) in my 4 bed sleeper car on an overnight train from Paris to Barcelona–most of my rides were non-eventful and I always felt great the next morning to have gained ground while sleeping.

In my pack, I carried a sleep sheet made of fleece (that my mom sewed for me). Fleece is nicer than the thin sheet most travel stores sell mainly because it is warm enough to be your sole bedding. I recommend to anyone who plans on overnight train travel or staying in a hostel (or if you are lucky enough to have an experience like I had and spend the night on a heart shaped bed with a zebra skin head board in the last available room you can find in all of Frankfurt that of course is in the red light district),to pack one of these… and to wash it often.

As I was saying, most of my overnight rides were uneventful–that is until I got to Austria.

On this particular leg of my trip through Europe I was actually on work assignment with my then-job so the train tickets from Vienna to Amsterdam were covered for my travel partner (my friend Sheryl) and me. We felt we were living the high life as we purchased two first-class overnight tickets in our very own sleeper cabin.

diana on the tracks

Fritz, the concierge for our particular car who had a severe case of jazz hands, was overly eager to assist us with our every imaginable need. He gave us a tour of our cabin–and while it was larger than the normal cabin, it was still small and his tour really could have been conducted from the hallway. He explained how our table folded down and how to push it back up against the wall. He showed us how each light switch turned on and off and probably the only useful thing, was how to adjust the air conditioning. As he headed to the door to leave us, he stopped suddenly–his face serious and his stance firm. He held one finger up and with his thick accent in a hoarse whisper said: “do not forget to lock the door”. Looking at each of us, he repeated the statement slowly then added, “You must be safe”. With a click of the lock as well as securing the chain at the top of the door we thanked Fritz, rolled our eyes at each and laughed!
Before we had time to open our complimentary first class sparkling water there was a rap at the door. Sheryl unlocked the bolt and opened the door with the upper chain still fastened. Peering out the gap we saw Fritz slowly shaking his finger at us for opening the door. He was a bit freaky, I mean, was he warning us of his psycho alter ego?

sheryl sitting at the table fritz folded down for us

The laughs from Fritz’s oddness boiled over as we tried to move about our bedroom. Seriously, this was first class??!! There were 2 thin bunk beds, a reading light at each bunk and a small window. Sheryl is about three inches taller than me so she took the top bunk. There was no way we could both fit into the room at the same time so while I sat on my bed unable to sit straight, Sheryl stood in the doorway while we recapped our day. Neither of us were very comfortable in our respective positions so we decided to get some sleep. Our car was last in the train and as I was dozing off to sleep the swaying seemed somewhat more pronounced but it still had that soothing effect I looked forward to on night trains.

diana “sitting” on her bed

sheryl taking up the entire doorway. note the old school camera!

The route we were traveling though seemed to have more curves than normal and the swaying started to resemble that game you play as a kid at the roller-rink–the Whip I think its called; do you know what I am talking about? The last person in the chain of people gets whipped around the rink trying their hardest to hang on and not get “whipped” off.
I remember sliding up and down my bed vertically and a couple times even holding onto the bars of the bunk above me to try & keep still. Sheryl of course had the same problem and for some reason we weren’t scared–just sort of along for the ride and our laughs started up again until we heard a loud whoosh sound and then heard nothing but the train whirring along the tracks.
The night light I had turned on went out, the air-conditioning vent shut off and we could hear commotion in the hallway. Fritz was knocking on each door letting people know that the electricity was out and he wasn’t sure if it would be back on. The train kept moving and the room was starting to get warm with the a/c off. Fritz was passing out sparkling water and advising everyone to open our doors to let air circulate–but he was quick to point out that we shouldn’t fall asleep so as we would all stay safe. Sheryl and I threw the idea around that maybe the lights out and the doors open were all part of Fritz’s master plan–or his alter ego’s master plan…and our laughs came on even stronger while we waited out the electricity while toasting each other with our water.

We did end up making it to Amsterdam safe and sound and we had a fabulous time all over the Netherlands… but thats info for future posts! By the way, the power in the train did come back on after about 3 hours.

So–enjoy your train rides and do try an overnight route if you haven’t before.
Just remember: Avoid the last car, even if it is first class; if your concierge is named Fritz, keep your door locked and most important–keep laughing!

amsterdam by day

amsterdam by night

With Spring officially here and the snow finally melted, I’m ready to get outside! Lets hike!

Growing up in the Pacific North West, it was hard NOT to hike. The outdoor co-op company REI has it’s headquarters in Seattle, the mountain ranges are populated with gorgeous waterfalls, canopied by enormous evergreen trees and thick with rain forests and mountain lakes–some not yet reached by humans. The year-round moderate temperatures in the area allow for enjoyable hiking in every season (just be prepared to spend some money on the Gortex gear as it does rain; a lot.).

Seattle with Rainier in the background flickr: jim914109

University of Washington with mountains at sunset.

In Seattle, where I lived, one can look in every direction (on a clear day of course), and see snow capped mountains encircling the entire city with the gem of the state, the highest elevation point in Washington towering above all the rest: Mt Rainier–nearly 15K feet at the summit. While impossible to hike to the top of Rainier causally as much planning is required due to the conditions and elevation gain– it is not uncommon to go on a day hike in and around Rainier or in other areas just outside of Seattle and reach an elevation gain of 4000 to 5000 ft. Aside from Rainier National Park there are dozens of other hiking spots that are easily climbed in just a few hours including the still active Volcano Mt. St. Helens and one of my favorite spots, Mt. Si which tops out at 4166 ft and is 8 miles round trip.

Mt Rainier flickr: pjink11

Oregon and Vancouver BC make up the rest of the NW and also have their share of hike destinations including Mt. Hood and Crater Lake just outside of Portland, Or and endless trails in Whistler BC –a couple hours drive from Vancouver. Both Ski resorts in the Winter, Whistler and Mt Hood boast nearly as many visitors in the summer for hiking and mountain biking as they do in the Winter due to their reputation for reliably sunny skies and accommodating village environment with lodging, restaurants and nightlife .

Crater Lake

Mt Hood

Whistler

In contrast–here in my new state of New York–the highest point is Mt. Marcy in the Adirondack Mountain Range at 5134 ft. The Adirondacks, in the NE part of New York, boast many lakes and hiking trails, was the nation’s first preserved wilderness and the closest distance for Manhattanites escape the concrete forest and experience the “real” outdoors.

Lake George is one of the highlights in the Adirondacks (popular not just for hiking but also fishing and swimming) and other spots I’ve had the time to discover in the area are Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics and Stowe, VT.

Stowe too is a ski mecca in the winter but caters to the spring and summer crowd with Gondola rides to the tops of the peaks and well kept trails with names like Hogback Mountain and Emily’s Bridge to bring you down.

Stowe, VT

While the elevation gain of these North East locations cannot be compared to the West Coast, one benefit out East is traveling far distances is not required to find hiking opportunities in many different states. The states in the NE are much smaller in size and are in closer proximity to each other than are the states out West, so East Coast hikers generally hike different spots more often.

For example, driving from New Jersey to Vermont takes about 4 hours, but the different routes and states traveled during that drive all have varying trails and scenery (not to mention historical and cultural landmarks). The same time span traveled in the West Coast may get you to the edge of a bordering state, but likely you will still be within the same state you started in.

So which area has better hiking? West or East? Of course it is based on personal preference. If elevation gain is your thing and you don’t mind a little soggy hiking, head West. If covering more area quicker without sacrificing beauty is more appealing–come out East. Either way– go, hike!

the author, hiking Whistler, BC

For more information on any of the trails or locations mentioned, please leave a comment and I will get back to you!

All pictures by diana ellefson except where mentioned.

Yes, that is a quote from yours truly when scuba diving in Panama last December– after I surfaced of course. Granted, it was a small fish–but wow–it was aggressive!

Thankfully, fish bites are rare when diving–even in the proximity of sharks believe it or not–and the beauty of what you see while underwater totally makes you forget about those tiny teeth marks in the soft flesh between your thumb and index finger.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I snapped from recent dives (including the one of the biting fish shortly before the “incident”). Enjoy!!

parrot fish

barracuda!

sand dollar deep under the surface

This is the fish that bit me!

eagle ray

the author and a very cool turtle in Belize.

If the “laying on the beach” vacations or touring museum after museum have begun to or always bore you, perhaps its time to get to know our inner-adventurer a little better and instead of the same ol’ thing— branch out on your next trip.

Here are three tremendous adventure trips for the daredevil in you!

1. Heli-biking
Most of you have heard of Heli-skiing. You’re dropped at the top of some insanely high snowy mountain and left on your own to get down with just your skis or snowboard strapped to your feet. Heli-biking is exactly the same, except the mountain has no (or limited) snow and instead of skis– pedals connected to a bike are strapped to your feet. While visions of crashing and burning run through your head, keep in mind that many heli-bike companies around the world offer experiences for all levels, including beginners. New Zealand in my opinion seems to have a corner on the market with this adventure so if interested, look down under for a trip up high.

image from haka tours in New Zealand

2. Swim with Moby Dick
Like to snorkel but tired of seeing just small fish? Like the Caribbean? Well then you will love this adventure trip idea. Although in the last month or so there has been some bad press around swimming with whales in captivity in front of hundreds of people, there are areas in the Caribbean, like the Dominican Republic, that offer guests an opportunity to “swim with whales” in their natural environment. Don’t worry if you are not at a competition swimming level or a free-diving master– you have minimal snorkel gear and really, there isn’t much swimming involved. Tours involve a dozen or so guests who all stay together and float calmly as a group. The whales, somewhat used to this type of encounter, generally feel comfortable and do approach the group. But as I mentioned, it is their environment and since its pretty much impossible to force a natural whale encounter peacefully– sadly there is no guarantee you’ll be up close to one.

picture from ocean eyes photography

3. Fly a Fighter Jet
To make your favorite movie from the 80′s a dream come true (come on, you know you loved Top Gun) get signed up with one of the many pilot programs offered all over the US to fly in mock-combat complete with an expert pilot to act as your co-pilot (Goose), bullets (fake) and all of the daredevil maneuvers like loops, rolls and spins (real). The speed these jets normally reach–even for the beginner–200 mph and 5 g’s.

Prices can vary from the mid hundreds to the mid thousands depending on the type of jet and the time in the air. Most include a dvd to take home of you fighting those “migs”– just like Maverick did. Many of the flight schools originate near Los Angeles so its not hard to find an inexpensive ticket to get there—via commercial airline of course.

picture from incredible adventures.