When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
Alex Honnold Goes ‘Mission Impossible’ on Coyote Tower: Alex Honnold recently made a solo ascent of Arizona’s Coyote Tower and then jumped to the neighboring rock formation. From here, he continued climbing up to the main summit, Courthouse Butte. He likened his leap to a “full-on Mission Impossible adventure.” He said none of the 5.10c route was overly challenging but describes it as fun, scenic, and adventurous.
Why Japan Is Best Experienced By Foot: Master travel writer Pico Iyer explores Japan’s deep-rooted cultural and spiritual ties to walking. He traces this from 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho — known for his months-long journeys on foot along ancient pilgrimage routes — to modern temple circuits. Walking is a way to slow down, bring community, and return to the elements. Iyer invites readers to see Japan not from a bullet train, but through meditative foot travel.
Mirage the cat. Photo: Best Friends Animal Society
One feline’s remarkable survival
Cat Survives 115-Meter Fall: In a tragic incident at Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, fell approximately 115m to their deaths from Inspiration Point. Remarkably, their 12-year-old tabby cat, Mirage, survived the fall. Rescuers found her in a torn soft-sided carrier near the couple’s bodies, with only suffered minor injuries.
2025 Is the Year of Glacier Preservation: The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Glacier Preservation to highlight the critical importance of glaciers and the urgent need to protect them. Climate change’s effect on glaciers goes beyond melting; sections break off and avalanches are more common. Many want to see these formations before they deteriorate or disappear. Here is a guide to visiting some of the world’s most beautiful glaciers.
Ross Edgley. Photo: Outdoor Swimmer
100 Channel swims in a row
Ross Edgley to Swim Around Iceland: Ultra-marathon sea swimmer Ross Edgley has announced his latest challenge: a 1,610km swim around Iceland. Starting in May, Edgley will swim over 30km a day in waters as cold as 1°C. He may also have to contend with high waves and winds. Edgley compares it to swimming the English Channel every day for 100 consecutive days.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail to Survey Its Recovery: Grayson Haver Currin first thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019. Since Hurricane Helene in 2024, Currin had read several articles about the devastation it had caused to the iconic trail. With his wife and friend, he decided to walk a 225km section of the AT to survey the ongoing damage.
Here, he details six days of the walk, describing the state of the trail as “a horrific multi-car pileup on the interstate that happened hours ago, just long enough that the wreckage has been moved to the side of the road to allow for cars to pass. The way is mostly clear, but the work is far from done.”
Delayed Rescue Proves Fatal: In May 2023 on Denali’s West Buttress route, a 24-year-old climber from Colorado succumbed to severe high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) and high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) after a rapid ascent from 7,200 to 14,200 feet in just 36 hours. Despite 18 hours of intensive care — including oxygen therapy, medications, and treatment in a portable hyperbaric chamber — poor weather delayed the initial rescue, and the climber ultimately died in the hospital.
Crossalps Reaches Halfway Point: The Crossalps expedition has reached its halfway point on the Swiss-Italian border. As the groups traverse the Alps by cycling, skiing, and mountaineering, a different team tackles each stage. This story details how three groups tackled the tricky conditions near the halfway point.
