Tag Archives: adventure

Obligatory Equipment Lists, Top Tip #1 Adhesive bandage

The town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is welcoming ultra-runners from around the World, registered in one of the most demanding ultra-trail running events you can find – the UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc)  events include: UTMB (Chamonix-Courmayeur-Chamonix) 171km, 10,000 mt+ TDS (Courmayeur-Chamonix) 119km, 7,200 mt+ CCC (Courmayeur-Champez-Chamonix) 101km, 6,100 mt+ OCC (Orsieres-Chamonix) 56km, 3,500 mt+ PTL (Chamonix-Chamonix) 2901km, 26,500 mt+ Like the majority of endurance races, runners have to carry an obligatory list of equipment  and for some it could be the first time they’ve carried or Continue reading →

One Wild Day – Adventures in Alaska

‘We nearly got swallowed by a humpback whale!’ These words will be forever etched on my memory. We were paddling through the silky waters off the coast of Alaska in a sea kayak and an inflatable boat not much bigger than a lilo when suddenly herring began jumping clear of the water. They knew only too well whilst we were blissfully unaware. Moments later thirteen wide-mouthed humpback whales erupted vertically out of the water like ballistic missiles, scooping tonnes of water and as many fish that were unfortunate enough to Continue reading →

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep On Expedition

Scrabbling through loose coils of rope at the right end of our bivouac ledge we discovered a black scorpion, sinister looking, its tail curled round it’s needle point sting. At the left we found inch-long bullet ants – the world’s most venomous ant where a single sting is said to be like being shot. Given the ‘interesting’ variety of bedfellows the choice of a place to lay your head simply had to be driven by other things – space, flatness and the nightmare possibility of Continue reading →