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 adventure fix, here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
A Little-Known Mountain Region in East Antarctica: New Swabia in East Antarctica is one of the most remote corners of the world. In January 2023, polar veteran Dr. Christoph Hobenreich became one of the few ever to visit there. He called it “the most exciting and bizarre landscape on this planet.”
From Chernobyl Victim to International Athlete: Oksana Masters was born in 1989, three years after her mother had been exposed to the radiation from Chernobyl. Masters was born with multiple disabilities. Her parents put her in an orphanage, where she was raped and beaten repeatedly.
Eventually, at age seven, she was adopted and came to live in the U.S. Two decades later, after many operations, including a double leg amputation, she is competing in four sports at an international level and has won 17 medals.
Oksana Masters and her American mother. Photo: Oksana Masters
The universe clock
Adventure Books for Women: Most adventurers have a favorite book. Alisa Ross has put together a reading list specifically about the “mountain-climbing, jungle-running women adventurers I’d never heard of.”
Daughter Finds Unexpected Discoveries on Father’s Favorite Trail: Tarn Udall’s father had a favorite hiking trail that featured a rock, so he said, that he called The Universe Clock. He said that once a year, it had to be wound to keep the world in harmony.
For years he enlisted the help of friends or strangers, gave them details on how to find the clock, and tasked them with “winding” it for the year. After his death, Udall went on the pilgrimage herself.
Science Adventurers: Each episode of the BBC series Science Adventurers features different scientists talking about their explorations. From volcanoes to deep-sea life to the Brazilian rainforest to Antarctica, the researchers give personal accounts of their work. All episodes are available to listen to.
Dora Keen. Photo: Adventure Journal
A little-known Inca trail
Historical Badass — Dora Keen: One of the world’s early female climbers, Dora Keen spent months climbing in the Alps and Alaska in the early 20th century.
Beyond Machu Picchu: Around 25,000 hikers tackle the iconic 42km Inca Trail every year. But the Inca also built another set of pathways known as the Qhapaq Ñan that connected Peru to Colombia. Much of this 30,000km-long route still exists, but it is overlooked and unprotected.
Athol Whimp in 1996. Photo: Andrew Lindblade/UK Climbing
The First Ascent of Thalay Sagar’s North Face: In 1996, Andy Linblade and Athol Whimp traveled to the Indian Himalaya and made the first ascent of Thalay Sagar’s north face. They wanted to climb the line that went directly through the face’s center to the summit. Weather thwarted their first attempt. Less than a year later, they came back and succeeded. Almost three decades later, Linblade reflects on the momentous climb.
