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.
The Last of the Fire Catchers: Desolation Peak is the only manned fire lookout in North Cascades National Park, and for seven seasons, Jim Henterly has been the resident fire lookout.
But last year, fires forced Henterly to leave early. To try and protect it from the flames, fire crews wrapped the lookout in foil. This year, Henterly returned to see the damage and start his eighth season.
A dangerous photo
How I Got the Shot: Travel photographer Dispel Thapa writes about the lengths he went to get an image of the Gurung honey hunters of Nepal.
After trekking into the wilderness, Thapa had to deal with a location on the very edge of a cliff. “To get a clear shot, I had to reach the harvest site without any proper protective gear, risking my life,” Thapa told National Geographic.
Swimming the Lakes: Matt Dawson has set himself a summer challenge. The ex-Channel swimmer wants to swim all 13 publicly accessible lakes in the English Lake District.
Dawson plans to complete them back to back and break the 41-hour record for doing so. In total, it’s over 70km of swimming and 100km of driving between the lakes.
Lake Windermere, the Lake District. Photo: Shutterstock
The steepest runnable whitewater
Catching Up With Dane Jackson: In March, Dane Jackson and Bren Orten headed to Santo Domingo Gorge in Mexico to take on what is often considered the steepest runnable section of whitewater in the world.
It had been a decade since a team had tackled the four waterfalls of Angel Wings, The Dome, Toboggan, and Raw Dog. “It was even more glorious than we could have imagined,” Jackson said.
First Ascent of Devil’s Castle: Devil’s Castle is a sea stack in County Kerry, on the west coast of Ireland. Earlier this month, Mick Fowler and Chris Harle made the first known ascent.
In 1990, Fowler climbed multiple Irish sea stacks and he has been meaning to come back and climb Devil’s Castle. He talks to UK Climbing about how the pair tackled the imposing stack.
The Devil’s Castle, Ireland. Photo: Jonathon Edwards
A new world surf reserve
The UK’s First World Surfing Reserve: In North Devon, a 30km stretch of coastline has been named the UK’s first World Surfing Reserve. Authorities are trying to protect the area from coastal development and pollution. The reserve is one of just 12 of this type in the world.
The reserves protect ecosystems that create perfect waves. “We need to celebrate surf spots. We need to recognize and protect them in the same way as beautiful national parks,” co-founder of the reserve Adam Hall explained.
Making a Scene: For decades, the media has influenced people’s perception of Inuit communities. Now, filmmakers are attempting to move away from films that focus on the perceived struggles against the extreme environment.
Inuit filmmakers want to show what life is actually like and tell their own stories.
Tales from the Cripps – Gareth Fryer: New Zealand kayaker, Gareth Fryer talks about the years he has spent kayaking in New Zealand, the gear he swears by, and the lessons he has learned along the way.
