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.
Hidden dive spots
The World’s Best ‘Hidden’ Dive Spots: Marine biologist and ocean cinematographer, Richard Fitzpatrick, speaks to the BBC about his ocean adventures.
Fitzpatrick details the best diving spots he has found, some of his scariest moments, and advice for travelers who want to see the world’s oceans. A specialist in shark research, Fitzpatrick has filmed with David Attenborough and survived bites from both sharks and sea snakes.
Cycling the 7,500km European Divide: Jacob Martin writes about his 7,600km journey across the European Divide Trail. The route starts in the Norwegian fjords and takes you through seven countries, ending in Portugal.
On his first day, Martin met a fellow cyclist also starting the trail. The two Brits had 90 days to finish because of the new Brexit-driven visa restrictions in Europe.
Andrea Lanfri. Photo: Andrea Lanfri
From zero to zero
From the Atlantic Ocean to Spain’s Highest Mountain and Back: Andrea Lanfri completes another “From 0 to 0” project. Starting at the Atlantic Ocean in Tenerife he walked, cycled, and ran to the summit of Mount Teide in Spain, and back again.
In 2015, Lanfri lost both legs and seven fingers. Over the last few years, the Paralympic athlete has completed several sea-to-summit challenges.
A Historic Grand Canyon Adventure: Botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter were part of the first non-indigenous crew to raft the Colorado River.
Before they set off, journalists wrote that they would never survive and that women were not sturdy enough for the journey. Not only did the women run the river, they also identified 50 species of plant, four of which were new to science.
Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter sit in the middle of the group. Photo: Lake Mead National Recreation Archives/ Atlas Obscura
The Strange Survival of Guinness World Records: Many will remember looking at the annual Guinness World Records book as children, but the organization has its share of critics.
One man looks into its history and how GWR has evolved. He concludes that you can split the records into four categories: Unintentional records, sporting records, records that exist purely to be records, and marketing stunts. It is this last category that so many take issue with.
Hong Kong’s ultra-running pioneers
Hong Kong’s First Ultra-Marathon Runners: Hong Kong is well known amongst ultra-runners. Every year, tens of thousands compete in races on the island. But the first Hong Kong ultra-marathon was run by a soloist in 1956.
Two decades later the first group run took place. Only one of the five runners finished the race, but the group went on to be the pioneers of the ultra-running scene in Hong Kong.
Camille Herron Breaks Texas Trail Marathon Record: U.S. ultra runner Camille Herron has broken the overall course record on the Texas Trail Marathon.
Herron completed the 42.2km race in three hours, 49 minutes, and 47 seconds. She was one minute 41 seconds quicker than the male record and a massive 29 minutes faster than the previous women’s record. She finished 40 minutes quicker than this year’s second-place finisher.
Camille Herron. Photo: Lululemon/Trail Running
Unexpected Dangers of a Search and Rescue Mission: On May 22, 2019, Jeff Jackson got a phone call. He was needed for the search and rescue mission. Amanda Ellen had gone missing in Hawaii 14 days previously.
Rescuers needed Jackson’s climbing skills, the search involved rig rappels on two waterfalls. Jackson details the days surrounding the rescue mission.
