Summit For Our Sisters: Climbing And Skiing Mt. Kenya To Empower Women In Africa

At 5199 meters (17,057 ft) in height, Mt. Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa behind Kilimanjaro and a challenging climb in its own right. Like Kili, the mountain has the rare distinction of having snow on its slopes on a continent that rarely sees ice or snow occurring in the wild. And also like Kili, those snows are rapidly disappearing and could be completely gone within the next few decades. In November, Mt. Kenya will be the location of an expedition that is designed to draw attention to the changing climate that is forcing its glaciers into retreat. That expedition has a second objective however, which could have even longer lasting effects on the nation of Kenya and the people that live there.

In just a few weeks time, Jennifer Gurecki and Meghan Kelly will set out to scale the mountain and ski across its largest snowfield, the Lewis Glacier which is located at 5000 meters (16,400 ft). Jennifer and Meghan, who are sponsored by a new ski and snowboard company for women called Coalition Snow, hope to use their adventure to draw attention to global climate change ant its effects on Mt. Kenya. But they'll also be raising money to support Zawadisha, a non-profit organization that is helping women in Africa to receive micro-loans that will enable them pursue their own business dreams. The organization also teaches self-defense classes, provides education on how the women can manage their money and introduces them to preventative healthcare that could help lead to longer lives.

The expedition is set to get underway in the first two weeks of November. Other than receiving a press release on its objectives however, I don't know much beyond that. The Coalition Snow Facebook page should have more information in the days ahead, but at this point there isn't much there and I'm not even sure how anyone would contribute to the cause. Presumably once the ladies launch their climb and ski expedition, they'll post some updates on their adventure to that page.

While this isn't some massive, extreme expedition like some that we've seen lately, it should still prove to be quite the adventure for Jennifer and Meghan. I happen to like both causes that they are championing as well, as obviously we should all be aware of the changes that are taking place in the environment around us and raising money to help women in Africa is a great cause as well.

Good luck to the ladies. I hope they have a grand time.

10 Remote National Parks For Those Who REALLY Want To Get Away From It All

Are you a traveler who truly likes to get away from it all? Then you'll definitely want to check out the list of 10 of the World's Most Remote National Parks from our friends over at the Adventure Journal. These parks, located in a variety of countries across the globe, are seldom visited, very wild and about as unique as any destination you could ever hope for. Just getting to them is an adventure.

One of the destinations that earned a place on the list was Kobuk Valley National Park here in the U.S. Located in a remote corner of Alaska, the park is just 1.7 miles of very rugged terrain and was visited by just 11,000 people in 2011. Surprisingly, that would probably make it one of the busier places on the Adventure Journal list, as most of the others are expensive places to get to or severely restrict those that can enter.

Some of the other parks mentioned include Quttinirpaaq National Park in extreme northern Canada, Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island and Darien National Park in Panama. Each has their own unique qualities that would draw adventurous travelers in, not the least of which is their very remote locations that make it a challenge to just get in.

As for the park that is most intriguing to me, that would certainly be Central Island in Kenya. This park is a volcanic island within Lake Turkana and is said to be the home of the largest population of Nile crocodiles on the planet. It also has abundant zebra, giraffe, gazelles and numerous other wildlife. The island is so remote that it takes three-days just to get their by land and boat. AJ warns that it might get a bit hot their too, as temperatures routinely hit 120ºF/48.8ºC.

If you're looking for some interesting places to add to your bucket list, I'm sure this article will spark a few new additions. Just make sure you have plenty of cash to spend, because visiting some of these locations will put a strain on the wallet for sure.