Video: GoPro Captures The Life Of An Elephant

Ever wondered what it is like to see the world through the eyes of an elephant? Well, you can wonder no more thanks to this video, which was shot on GoPro cameras in the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage, located in Kenya. The footage not only gives us a glimpse into the life of an elephant, it shows us their more playful side as well. These creatures are amazing, and seeing them up close in the wild has been one of the greatest joys of my many travel experiences.

I, Elephant from Cristian Dimitrius on Vimeo.

Everest 2014: First Kenyan To Attempt Everest To Promote Sanitation

As the spring climbing season on Everest draws nearer, climbers from across the globe are busy putting the final touches on their preparation for the climb ahead. Many will be organizing their gear and packing before leaving for Nepal sometime over the next week or so. One of those climbers is Steve Obbayi, a 39-year old man from Kenya who is looking to become the first person from his country to summit the tallest mountain on the planet. But he isn't going just to achieve that feat, as he also hopes to raise awareness of the importance of sanitation to overall health in an effort to improve conditions back home.

Steve will depart Kenya on March 24 and plans to arrive in Base Camp on the South Side of Everest in the first week of April. He is part of the Chase Bank Kenya Everest Expedition, and will be joined by founder Toby Storie-Pugh on this climb. The two men have tuned up with one another on the 17,057 foot (5198 meter) Mt. Kenya – the tallest peak in that country – and Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet (5894 meters).

But climbing Everest will be a much bigger challenge than either of those mountains. For starters, you don't need oxygen on Mt. Kenya or Kilimanjaro. Those climbs are also just a few days in length, while a Himalayan expedition will require 6-8 weeks to complete. Acclimatization will be much slower, the altitudes will be greater, and the technical challenges will be more intense. They'll be climbing the South Col route on the Nepali side of the mountain, where Base Camp is actually located at a higher altitude than Mt. Kenya's summit.

As I mentioned above, Steve and Toby won't be climbing simply for the challenge. They have larger goals in mind. They will use their expedition to support a nonprofit called Toilet Hackers, an organization that has dedicated itself to providing clean, sanitary toilets to the 2.5 billion people in the world who don't currently have one. They hope to accomplish this goal by 2025, thereby improving sanitation and health across the globe.

You'll be able to follow the progress of the Kenya Everest Expedition on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. They'll begin their journey next week when they depart for Kathmandu, and after a brief stay in the capital of Nepal, they'll start the trek to Base Camp. If all goes according to plan, they'll be there in early April with an eye on summating in mid- to late-May.

Good luck to Steve and Toby on this grand adventure.

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.

Video: A Four Year Olds Bucket List

Water is Life is a nonprofit that focuses on improving water quality in communities around the world, something that we all know is incredibly important in improving the lives of many people in developing countries. According to their statistics, there is a 1 in 5 chance that a child living in an environment without clean drinking water will die before they reach the age of 5. With that in mind, they set out to help 4-year old Nkaitole, a boy living in Kenya, to check a few things off his bucket list before his fifth birthday. The results are in this very touching video below. Warning: Before you start watching this you may want to have a few tissues close at hand.

Video: Baisikeli - The Story Of An African Cycling Team

We all know that the athletes from Kenya are well known as some of the best long distance runners on the planet. But what if those same athletes turned their attention to cycling – a sport that demands plenty of endurance and skill as well? That's the question that the creative team behind a new film entitled Baisikeli will ask as they follow a Kenyan cycling team as they deal with the trials and tribulations of learning the sport in hopes of some day becoming an international powerhouse.

The filmmakers have launched a Kickstarter campaign for the film and they're currently looking for some funding to help move forward with the project. The teaser for what they have in mind can be found below, and as a fan of cycling and all things Africa, I think it looks very interesting. The goal of the Kickstarter is to raise £33,000 ($51,000) to help fund the project and as of right now they're sitting at a fraction of that with 18 days to go. Hopefully it'll get proper funding as I'd like to hear more of this story.

BAISIKELI - The Story of an African Cycling Team - TEASER from Sinamatella Productions on Vimeo.