When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Sometimes we’re a little too plugged in and browsing adventure reads can turn from minutes to hours. To nourish your own adventure fix, here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week
A free spirit
The Calculated Madness of Marc-André Leclerc: I finally managed to watch The Alpinist film last night, and there were tears. Leclerc seemed to be one of those free and wild spirits from another era, and the type of understated adventurer that ExplorersWeb was founded to highlight. Here’s a little more on Leclerc’s audacious climbing exploits. (Also read The Last Days of Marc-André Leclerc).
The Mountain Path: A Death-Defying Lead and a First Ascent on Torre Central, Patagonia: In 1998, Paul Pritchard was struck on the head by a falling rock as he climbed a sea stack in Tasmania. Close to death, Pritchard kept himself going with a promise that given the chance, he would “at least attempt to live”. Left hemiplegic by his injury, Pritchard has spent the last two decades attempting to live, taking on adventures including a cycling traverse of Tibet, expanding his mind on grueling meditation courses, and returning to climb the Totem Pole, where his life had been nearly extinguished.
Who Decides What Goes on a Map? Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led not-for-profit organization, has created a digital map depicting Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages on a global scale. The map now serves as the de facto resource for understanding Indigenous relationships to land.
Shackleton as you’ve never seen him
South Review – Startling Filmed Record of Shackleton’s Grueling Antarctic Odyssey: Pioneering Australian photographer and filmmaker Frank Hurley was the official witness to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s attempt to cross the Antarctic landmass, which lasted three years from 1914 to 1917. Hurley’s 1919 silent footage turns Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grueling expedition into a travelogue with cute penguins.
Norman Dyhrenfurth Made First American Ascent of Everest a Smashing Success: In 1963, Norman Dyhrenfurth, a German-born climber raised in Austria, Switzerland, and later, the U.S., led the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest by an American team. He passed away in Salzburg, Austria, at the age of 99 in 2017.
Stupid questions about canoeing
12 Stupidest Questions Asked By Canoe Trippers: Outfitters have to be truly patient, knowledgeable, and sometimes even psychic to answer their clients’ questions. Contrary to the old saying, it turns out that there may be some stupid questions after all. Paddling Magazine compile the best of the worst, the stupidest questions outfitters have heard about canoe tripping.
Is This Drone Bear Chase Video Fake? Experts Weigh In: A drone video of a bear chasing a man went viral Friday morning. In the 19-second clip, a drone dives between snowy pines into a trail. There, a man appears to flee from an average-sized brown bear. The camera approaches the chase head-on and then doubles back once it passes the bear. The bear appears to notice the drone, turning to glance at it before resuming the chase. Is it real? Gear Junkie tapped a bear expert and video effects specialist to find out.
