Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.

Times of London in December 1901 (legend has it) posted by Ernest Shackleton for a journey to Antarctica.

Now that was adventure. Once, having his ship frozen in the ice, he was forced to sledge across the Weddell Sea pack, then boat to Elephant Island. Then sail to South Georgia Island. The greatest survival story of all time?

The Endurance - Shackleton\'s Legendary Antarctic Expedition

cohabiting with bears

A highlight of my recent stop at Whistler Ski Resort was being entertained by a local bear, right beside the Creekside lift.

Click play on the video below or watch it on YouTube.

Nobody called the police. No one got excited. This bear appears under the luxury hotel balconies almost every morning in the Spring.

I am impressed that official policy is to cohabit peacefully with bears. Well done Whistler!

Contrast that enlightened and brave approach with that of the Lake Louise village in the Canadian Rockies. Parks Canada put up an electric fence around the campground to protect the tourists from bears. Sad.

Of course there are Grizzlies at Lake Louise, not at Whistler.

Danny Way jumps the Great Wall of China

By now you have probably seen photos of Pro Skateboarder Danny Way jumping the Great Wall of China.

Simply amazing.

great-wall.jpg

But recently I saw video of the crash where he hurt his ankle on YouTube.

The quality is poor as it often is from YouTube.

Way has posted good video of 5 separate jumps on DannyWay.com

It’s well worth watching the whole story from Way’s point of view. Fast computer and high speed internet needed.

TV – Globe Trekker, Pilot Guides

LP logoGlobe Trekker (also called Pilot Guides outside the United States and originally broadcast as Lonely Planet) is adventure tourism TV. This British series was inspired by Australian Lonely Planet travelbooks and has been in production for over 10-years. It is broadcast in over 40 countries across 6 continents.

Globe Trekker – wikipedia

Commercial TV generally depresses me. If I had a gun I’d shoot the TV, or myself.

A great exception to the rule is this program which I love. A huge success, it is phenomenally accurate at showing what it is like to travel the backpacker circuit. No need to go yourself, actually.

Now when will we have decent hiking television?

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