Kayaking solo is something that is quite exciting and heady as you need to have all your wits about you and also the endurance to counter the winds and the waves. This is what we have been reporting that Hayley Shepard had wanted to do, kayaking solo around the South Georgia Island. Now that three weeks have passed, it seems that Hayley is being forced to abandon her kayaking solo expedition, and that is because of the elements more than anything else. The conditions have been much less than charitable towards here as she had to face a lot of strong and gale like winds, and also less than favorable logistics which seem to have all ganged up on poor Hayley.

This is why Hayley has had to leave her current kayaking solo expedition and head towards home, in the hope of keeping body and soul together. But knowing Hayley, she would not be taking this as a failure or something to be ashamed about. She has tried her best to come up to all the challenges and situations thrown in her face by the elements. This is why her effort should be lauded as kayaking solo is no mean task given the kind of elements and challenges that need to be faced.

We had been writing about the Siberian Express which is a test of endurance as well as an adventure par excellence. Kevin Vallely and Ray Zahab wanted to set a new record in crossing the Lake Baikal, along its whole length at unmatched speeds and the lowest time ever. It is heartening to note that the Siberian Express expedition has come to a close and the duo of Kevin and Ray have done it, as they have achieved their record winning attempt. They had attempted the record without the help of any gear lugging teams behind them. Conditions were so tough as rising contrary winds as well as the biting cold made progress very tough. But the team did not lose hope; rather they just kept plodding on relentlessly.

Kevin and Ray also wanted to raise awareness through the Siberian Express about the crisis in global clean water availability and also about Giving Water Organizations. Their bodies had grown weary pulling the heavy loads, but their indomitable spirits would not give way. The two not only broke the record for the over 400 mile journey, they also mashed the record quite convincingly and conclusively. Their efforts have paid off and now they have the satisfaction of pure success.

There are so many folks who are out there on the adventure trip on North Pole 2010. These folks would love to hit new milestones on this trip, even as it is one of the most daunting and challenging trips on the ice. Dog drawn sleds are being used to draw the teams. One of the first is Amelia Russell and Dan Darley who have hit the 84 degree line ad who have set a target of 45 days to cross the North Pole. This is quite a challenge and yet, what’s the North Pole 2010 without a heady challenge to keep goading you on? The duo made had to struggle to get ahead by 7,4 nautical miles in all of 9.5 hours, which is quite a strain. But if you look at the kind of progress they will make later, you will know as to how their efforts will pay off.

The weather has also been quite daunting for most teams as they get ahead on the ice and the sleet. There are blizzards along the way and lots of rubble, which is making progress so very tough. There is no wonder then, that you will hear a lot more about North Pole 2010 in the days to come.

There has been a lot of talk about the movie North Face which is a climbing movie of note. Lots of people had seen the previews and wanted to see the movie in its full length splendor. But many adventure sport move buffs like me have been sorely disappointed by the fact that this movie was never actually released in the theaters and we had to just keep looking at the promos and be satisfied, even though the story was a bit of a wonder to us. But even when you have a film festival right in your town, and the movie is not featured in it, you realize that something is amiss.

But now the gear store REI has had it possible for me to finally see North Face. The story is that of two German climbers who set back on 1936 to climb the mountain Eiger, in the name of the Fuhrer. The story talks of the challenges and the travails that the two climbers had to face in the wake of their quest to be the very first climbers from Germany to be able to climb this select European problem of a summit. The scenes and locations are quite authentic and very realistic, not to mention that they are quite breathtaking too.

There are so many folks who would like to go on an ultimate adventure, the kind of which challenges their being and pushes their body to the limit of endurance. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many folks who like to scale the Seven Summits. These are a range of the 7 highest peaks across the continents and while there are 7 officially, there are some who scale 8 as there is some confusion about Oceania and Australia. All of this is fine, but scaling the Seven Summits is no child’s play. It is so very tough and also quite amazing in the level and the kind of endurance that it demands.

When you get to scaling the Seven Summits, you will know that you have to get used to various conditions and the heights of the peaks. In some continents like in Asia, where the peaks are all so high, you would be stretched to your limit. In any case, the kind of challenges that you face will vary greatly with the continent that you are encountering which is why you need to brace yourself for the challenge of your life and you try to scale the peaks of the Seven Summits.

There are some trails that are special indeed and one of these is Siberian Express which is so very exciting that you could get thrilled to the very bone because of it. this is what Ray Zahab and Kevin Valley are currently going through as they keep going forward on a speed record trail that will see them try to cross Baikal in a very short period of time. there have been some challenges along the way, even as the boys have seen such a great deal of opposition from very strong winds. There are so many other factors that are slowing them down, due to which they would now have to start hurrying up, if they want to keep up with the trail and also make their way faster. They are covering more than 40 kms per day and if they keep up the pace, they will be able to make the record with more than 5 days to spare.

All of this on the Siberian Express is something that pumps up the adrenalin and keeps these boys going relentlessly. They have to be in fine fettle as they want to break a tough record, and this is certainly not so easy.

Climbing up Mount Everest is one of the most challenging and also thrilling experiences that you can ever hope to have. There are a lot of people who aspire to climb up this mountain at least once in their life. It is here that Everest 2010 presents before us the options of climbing up this mountain. T is possible to take up this challenge only if you are well prepared and have the ability to endure the many tough situations that can come face to face during this daunting trip. There are so many ways in which you can try to reach the summit of the mountain which is indeed one of the key decisions that one needs to take. Most people liked to take the South or the North route based on their individual choice and preference.

The south side of Everest 2010 will be via Nepal. There are many villages along the way and you can meet quite a lot of people as you go up to the base camp by foot. The North side is via Tibet and it is much less crowed than the South side. You can also drive down to the base camp of Everest 2010 from the North side in Tibet.

Mountain enthusiasts always love to have a go at the Himalayas, the highest mountain ranges on the planet.  This is why there were so many people who wanted to make a beeline for Kathmandu in Nepal, which is close to the Everest base camp. There are also quite a few folks who would like to get to Tibet, but it seems the Chinese government has closed Tibet even as winter gives way to spring. Tibet gets closed to outside visitors due to government imposed restrictions that are quite a pain. When the spring comes, the authorities in Beijing get so jumpy and nervous due to the fact that there was an uprising all of 51 years ago, which stokes up angry reactions among locals, each year.

With the uprising anniversary around the corner, the Red government has already swung into action to stop any chances of violent protests and uprisings. Outsiders are forbidden from visiting Tibet, and there have been more than 400 preventive arrests that have taken place. All of this does not sound well for those who wanted to get to Tibet, which is why people have to make do with just visiting Nepal or India, in a bid to get to Himalaya 2010.

Egypt is one of the most thrilling places, mainly because of its Pyramids. Egypt is also one of the vacationing spots for the people living in the west and also people living in other parts of the world. This is the perfect trip for a family who wants to add an educational value to their vacation. Unlike most vacation spots, parents drop their children of at an amusement Read the rest of this entry