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.
Fear on Cape Cod as Sharks Hunt Again: It seems that in the last decade the apex predator is back along New England’s beaches. What will it take to keep people safe? From surfboard designs that may deter sharks, to tagging and tracking. I’d just stay the hell away if it were up to me.
How An Author and Adventurer Traveled Across the Globe — And Fought The Nazis: On what would have been her 132nd birthday, here’s a look back on the extraordinary life of Alma Karlin, a Slovenian adventurer who shunned a travel writing career to join the Yugoslav resistance.
Eight Best (And Worst) Seal Launch Videos: At first, I thought the headline referred to our furry, water-based friends. But for kayakers, a seal launch involves sliding or dropping your boat off the shore into the river. This non-exhaustive list of fail videos leads to one conclusion: Most paddlers don’t know how to seal launch.
Here’s How Many Calories That Backpacking Trip Will Burn: I’ve taken a passing interest in the energy expenditure of hiking, polar travel, and other such expeditions. It’s hard to measure accurately in the field, so prediction equations are often used. And these are often imperfect because they don’t always account for things like gradient, or the load you’re carrying. This piece provides a neat overview of how you can estimate the calorie requirement on your latest hike.
A winter gem
Lake Baikal. Photo: Ash Routen
The Pearl of Siberia: This is stunning footage of Lake Baikal, that big ole frozen lake in the southern reaches of Siberia. The hypnotic ice shapes along the shore have made Baikal increasingly popular with travel photographers and drone pilots.
A Family of Three Died Mysteriously on a Hike. Here’s What Happened: In the Sierra National Forest, a couple and their one-year-old child were found dead less than three kilometres from their car. Oddly, there were no obvious signs of trauma. Authorities have recently uncovered what happened in this tragic tale.
Into The Crystal Current: The story of an icy paddle and a ski tour through British Columbia’s Coast Mountains. Moist river air, frigid arctic wind, frozen sand, windswept alpine, and cold hands. Sounds delightful. At least their beers were nicely chilled.
Just How Fat Are the Fat Bears? I spent the early part of my scientific career measuring body fat in children and adults, but never fat bears. I’m not quite convinced about the accuracy of the bear fat measuring method proposed in this piece, but I’d love to give it a try.
