I recently heard about the Tour d`Afrique from a traveler who dreamed to someday participate in the organized tour across Africa. I remember thinking, WOW, impressive to think that there are people willing to organize a 12,000 kilometer ride over four months. Then I saw on The Adventure Blog (solid adventure coverage) that the company runs other tours/races and a cool new travel concept they call Dream Tours.

Tour d`Afrique offers their classic race/tour acrossAfrica, but also a route across South America, another from China to Turkey, and one that follows the Silk Route.

The South American route is advertised as a multi-part stage race, and riders can sign up for just one stage or the entire 12,000 kilometer tour. At over 11,000 dollars for the entry fee, I can´t imagine too many people wanting to actually speed their way through such a beautiful section of the world, but if there are riders that compete seriously in this race, it will be one of the more challenging races in the world. Check out the blog updates for the race.

One of the cooler ideas of the company is their new Dream Tours concept, where you come up with your dream bicycle route and present it to other riders in the cycling community. Once there are enough people interested in sharing your dream route, the company will put all the logistics together and actually make the trip happen. Whoever dreamed up the trip from the start will get to join for free.

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“Catchin´ Out” or freight-hopping has been said by some to be the last red-blooded American adventure. A cultural phenomenon that tailed the Civil War as America pushed westward and saw it´s hey-day during the Great Depression when migrant workers hopped trains seeking work, adventure, and better times to come. Nowadays, few rail riders are seeking work, but plenty are seeking adventure and a free ride.

As the economy changed and seasonal agricultural work fell into the hands of immigrants, riding the rails briefly became province to thrill-seekers. Though, after some well publicized violent crimes were attributed to a freight gang in the early 80´s known as the FTRA (Freight Train Riders of America); the rails were deserted until the anarchist-punk scene revitalized the rail riding community with people brazen enough to defy the dangers and the laws of the state.

It is highly illegal, extremely dangerous, and not recommended to anybody who doesn´t know what they´re doing.

Freighthopping is a timeless urban adventure that can take you from the sludge covered industrial sectors of Chicago to the snow capped Rocky Mountains; through the same tunnels and along the same tracks that built the industrial revolution and America. And when you find yourself looking out the boxcar doors at the expansive countryside, you just might find yourself singing the tune, “Hallelujah! I’m a bum, Hallelujah bum again..”

Here are a few videos about modern day freight-hopping.

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The Riding the Spine crew has stashed their bikes in Huanúco and are currently in Arequipa organizing a rafting trip down the Cotahuasi River with John Yost and his son JJ Yost who has been riding with them since Panama. Russell Kramer, who had previously pedaled with the group through Central America is flying down to be the safety kayaker for this epic adventure.

The Cotahuasi was first run by a group of American and Peruvian Paddlers, including Gian Marco Vellutino and has since been run commercially by only one or two outfitters when they can find the clients. Unlike the Colca Canyon, the Cotahuasi´s remoteness and difficulty makes it exceedingly difficult to organize logistics and so very few trips have made it down the canyon. In 2000, a private European group attempted to run the river, but ended in tragedy when a 19 year old woman was tossed out of the boat in a class V rapid and her body was never found.

At over twice the depth of Arizona’s Grand Canyon, the Cotahuasi is the deepest canyon in the world! Measuring 11,587 feet from river to rim, this scarcely-explored Peruvian wilderness remains one of the most pristine environments on Earth. The Cotahuasi River Canyon features a rare glimpse into the Incan world; a geologic, floral, and faunal paradise; and a river-runner’s dream! Draining the western slope of the Andes Mountains, the waterway courses 100 miles over a continuous series of Class IV and V drops, making it one of the most gripping stretches of commercially run whitewater anywhere. Visitors to the Cotahuasi encounter some the rarest and the most extraordinary Incan archeological sites… quaint Peruvian village replete with natural hot springs, spot enormous Andean Condors, and experience one of the most fantastic wilderness river expeditions on Earth!
                   -Global Descents

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Have dreams of an epic adventure but find yourself a little short on cash? Jeff Blumenfield is one of the foremost authorities in Adventure Marketing and is the founder and publisher/editor of Expedition News, started in 1994 to provide coverage of the world´s most intrepid expeditions.

His new book, titled, “You Want To go Where: How to Get Someone to Pay for the Trip of Your Dreams,” explains how you can outfit your expedition with outdoor gear/apparel and even raise thousands of dollars with the right idea and proper advance preparation. The book will be released June 1st, and is currently available on Amazon.com for pre-order.

At his blog he offers a sneek peak at some of the grants that his book features:

• Mountain Fellowship Grants—Since 1966, The American Alpine Club has encouraged young American climbers age twenty-five and younger to seek remote climbs more difficult than they might ordinarily be able to attempt.

Any unexplored mountain ranges, unclimbed peaks, and difficult new routes are looked upon with favor, as is any project in keeping with the charter and purpose of the Club. In 2008, five climbers with an average age of twenty-two received a total of $3,900 in funding for trips around the world. (www.americanalpineclub.org)

Banff Centre for Mountain Culture Grant

The Banff Mountain Grants Program supports projects that communicate the stories of mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value, and that celebrate the spirit of adventure. Grant officials say the communications portion has to be central to the project—not “well maybe when I get home I’ll go on the road with some slides.”

Individuals or organizations may apply for grants of up to $5,000 (Canadian) to fund projects that creatively interpret the environment, natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy, lifestyle, and adventure, in and of the mountains. Projects must include a communications component (such as film, literature, photography) that brings the project before a public audience. (www.banffcentre.ca)

Just got done chatting with Paul Romero via FaceBook in Kathmandu, Nepal. They just got back and are at the hotel refueling after an epic adventure. They are meeting with Sherpas later today to discuss their return trip in 2010 for an attempt at the summit of Everest. This expedition served as a scouting trip to the region in preparation for his son’s, Jordan Romero, quest to climb the world’s highest peak on every continent. Jordan has already climbed 5 of the 8 and conquering Everest would leave only 2 remaining (Antarctica and Oceania). Can’t wait to post more info about their trip in the coming days!

Check out the video!

America’s Rivers Expedition

On Sunday April 4th 2009, Alexander Martin departed on his expedition to travel by canoe and foot 5,500 miles from Portland, OR to Portland, ME and the Atlantic Ocean in one seasonal year. The planned route lies entirely within the contiguous United States and traverses many of the country’s great and storied rivers as well as many hidden and wild places accessible only by water. All travel will be human powered, either by paddle or portage.

The 6,000 mile route will be attempted over a period of six months and will include over 2,000 miles paddled against the current, 3,500 miles with it, and over 600 miles of portaging. The route began on the incoming tide of the Pacific Ocean and follows the Columbia, Snake, Yellowstone, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers for much – and in most cases all – of their length, before joining Lake Erie, the Erie Canal, the Hudson River and a variety of smaller rivers and lakes to meet the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Presumpscot River. “I will withstand the snow and wind of the Cascades in April, battle the power of the Rocky Mountain freshet, cross the continental divide by portaging 100 miles through the Teton Range, and, depending on water levels and the most appropriate route, paddle through downtown Portland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Albany as well as Yellowstone National Park, Teton National Park, fifty National Wildlife Refuges, four Wild and Scenic Rivers, and several National Recreational Areas, just to name a few,” says Martin.

If successful, this crossing will be the first of its kind. It will be the first west to east crossing of North America by canoe in a single year and the first crossing of the United States, at its widest point, by non-bicycle human power in a single year. “The achievement of these arbitrary distinctions is not the goal of this project,” explains Martin. “My goal is to explore my country and interact with my countrymen and women, raising awareness of river conservation and education efforts of organizations. I will invite the people I meet and those that have only heard or read about the project to pledge a penny or a dime or any amount they choose for each mile I paddle, and direct that money to the organizations whose life work is the protection of these rivers and the education of their importance to the next generation.”

Martins’ choice to travel across the United States by canoe is a deliberate one. “The connection people feel with their backyard, their local river or town is immense, and the canoe is a ubiquitous object in our country. Therefore the chance of connecting and inspiring people is much higher; they can envision themselves exploring the same places that I will be and in the same way,” said Martin. “I hope to inspire young Americans to get outside and explore their local wild places, and as a whole live a more active and healthy lifestyle.”

For updates and more information, please visit: http://www.americasriversexpedition.com/

A truly intrepid route, spanning 2,490 miles – the length of the Americas from Roosville, MT down to Antelope Wells, NM on the border with Mexico. And an extra 215 mile stretch reaching down from Banff, in Alberta, Canada to Roosville, MT. What makes it so amazing is that something like 90% of this route is off paved-road, making it the longest “off-pavement bike route in the entire world.”

Anybody who has ever been on a bike tour, or even commuted, knows the depths of vehicle´s ability to be a nuisance. It can really take away from your experience when you are consistently contained by a white line on the side of the road and speeding automobiles. We all owe a huge debt of grattitude to the people who helped create this route.

Put on by the Adventure Cyclist Association, who first made a name for themselves with the Bikecentennial Tour in 1976, rallying over 2,000 cyclists to traverse the country on bikes. They have since created almost two dozen bike routes creating a network of over 38,158 miles of scenic routes and built up a membership of cycle tourists 44,500 strong (and growing). They also put out a great print magazine titled, “Adventure Cyclist” keeping you up to date on the latest happenings in the bike touring world.

In Uruapan, Mexico, at a bookstore, I came across an old National Geographic documenting the adventure of two couples called “Hemistour”, riding from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego on bikes. One of the riders got hepatitis in Southern Mexico and had to bail, but the other couple managed to complete the journey, arriving in Tierra del Fuego in February, 1975. During their trip, they got the idea of celebrating the nation´s bicentennial by organizing a bike tour across the country. Quite the grassroots movement, they got together flyers and sent them around to bike shops across the country and plotted out the most scenic route, and amazingly enough – made it happen. Read their FULL STORY. Continue Reading

Certainly a tough job, but somebody is going to have to do it.    On the news a few months back, Island Reef Job, the Queensland advertisement wherein you get paid $100,000 to live on the picturesqe Whitsunday Islands for 6 months.   Job responsibilities?: get a tan, snorkel, and drink coconut milk from coconuts freshly fallen from a tree.

The competition must have been something fierce, as they had to sort through 30,000 video applications.   Applications closed a week and a bit ago, and now the videos of the 50 short list candidates are up and some are pretty entertaining. Currently, they are taking votes to help them choose the best candidate.

Rafting in Tena, dragging their bikes across cow pastures through high valley, connecting roads that don´t exist on any maps, climbing 20,000 foot peaks, and competing in HuairaSinchi, Riding the Spine has been at it in high gear as they pedal their way through South America. Check out the Riding the Spine Website for more information about their bike journey that began in Alaska.