Top 10 Things To Do In Australia's Northern Territory

My July escape to Australia may be a bit of a distant memory at the moment but I'm still sharing the experiences from that great trip wherever I can. Last week, the PacSafe blog posted my list of the Top 10 Things To Do In The Northern Territory which is my overview of the places and activities you absolutely can't miss while visiting that part of the country. The NT is the rough and tumble Outback for sure but it has some surprising options for travelers who like to escape into a beautiful, remote wilderness from time to time.

Some of the options that made my list include taking in an incredible sunset on the bay in Darwin, the Northern Territory's largest city. I had heard about the spectacular sunsets there long before I ever arrived, and they did not disappoint in the least. I also recommend spotting crocs on the Mary River, hiking the Larapinta Trail and visiting Kakadu National Park for both its cultural and natural wonders. My suggestions include options for both the very active and for those who would like to take things easy from time to time as well. The NT is a nice blend of laid back lifestyle and thrilling adventures, which when paired with the famous Aussie hospitality makes it a great destination for just about anyone.

I want to thank my friends over at PacSafe for allowing me to share more of my Outback adventures with readers. If you're not familiar with PacSafe they are a company that makes some excellent products designed to keep your valuables safe while traveling. They have everything from laptop bags to money belts and passport pouches, amongst a host of other gear that can come in handy when visiting places where thieves may be looking to separate you from you belongings. Most of their products have integrated some ingenious ideas that will be appreciated by travelers who want to avoid losing their most precious items while on the go.

Also, the PacSafe Blog, where my latest article was posted, offers up some fantastic stories, tips and suggestions for travelers of all types. If you love to travel it is a great addition to your Internet favorites and a site that you'll likely want to visit often.

Nolan's 14 Update: Unfinished Business

A few weeks back I wrote a post about mountaineer turned ultra-runner Ben Clark's attempt to complete Nolan's 14, a grueling 100-mile running challenge in the heart of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Nolan's 14 challenges runners to nab 14 individual peaks, all above 14,000-feet (4267 meters), in under 60 hours. Those who attempt it are free to take any path that they see fit, they simply need to get to the summit of each of the mountains that fall along the path in as short a time as possible. And if successful what is there reward? Their name added to a website giving them credit for accomplishing this astounding feat. To date, it has only been done eight times by seven individuals.

When I wrote that post Ben was in the final stages of preparing for his own attempt on Nolan's 14. He was heading out on the weekend of August 24 to give it a go with the hopes of adding his name to the list of runners who have conquered the trail. Ben has written a post-run updat1e for the Osprey Packs blog to share the results of his attempt with the rest of us. In short, the title of the blog post says it all - 100k is not 100 miles.

Despite nabbing five peaks in the first 24 hours of his run, Ben wasn't able to complete the entire course as he had hoped. It wasn't a lack of training, poor planning or bad navigation that prevented him from reaching his goal however. Instead it was that old nemesis of all who venture into the mountains – the wether. Not long into the run rain started to fall in the mountains making it difficult to move forward at a brisk pace while keeping visibility to a minimum. All of the other successful attempts on Nolan's 14 were accomplished in good weather conditions and unfortunately Ben wasn't blessed with the same good fortune.


But the experience taught him a lot about being an ultra-runner on a long distance challenge. It also helped him to think about and prepare for the trail more effectively for his next attempt. Weather permitting, Ben says he'd like to give Nolan's 14 another go later this month. He doesn't say exactly which days he'll attempt the run but you can bet he'll be watching the skies for better weather this time out.

Hopefully conditions will be right for this second attempt. Now that the calendar has turned to September it won't be long until the higher elevations of Colorado start to see the snow fall. That will eventually shut the door on this route for another year and I'm sure Ben would like to have his name added to the list of those who have challenged this tough run and managed to complete it as well.

Update: I've heard from Ben directly and he says that he managed to bag seven of the peaks that make up the Nolan's 14 in just 29 hours, 30 minutes. So, he was able to get through half the course in half the time. That bodes well for a second attempt in the near future.

Video: Everyday Adventure With The Perseid Meteor Shower In Joshua Tree National Park

I shared a great video a few weeks back that was shot in Joshua Tree National Park and featured timelapse images of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Today we have another video shot in the same place at the same time. This one actually shows off more of the stark beauty of Joshua Tree and intermixes some stunning shots of the night sky during the meteor shower as well. There is definitely plenty of eye candy to go around here.

Everyday Adventure Series : Episode 001 from Charles Bergquist on Vimeo.

French Team Pulls Plug On North Pole Sailing Expedition

A few weeks back I posted the story of two French sailors – Sébastien Roubinet and Vincent Berthet – who were attempting to sail from Barrow, Alaska to Spitsbergen, Svalbard via the North Pole aboard a specially designed catamaran that was built to cross both water and ice. At the time, the two men were still making their way north and were facing considerable challenges in the from of inclement weather and waterways that were more choked with ice than they had anticipated. On Saturday, the team elected to abandon their quest due to conditions that were deteriorating much more quickly than they had expected.

According to this story at ExWeb the team ran into problems after they crossed 82ºN. From there they started to see increased ice build up on the surface of the Arctic Ocean which was making it increasingly more difficult to make any kind of progress. On Saturday, August 31 they had only managed to cross .8 miles (1.3 km) by noon. Temperatures had fallen rapidly and the conditions were right for more ice to build up. Worse yet, the forecast said that those conditions would remain the same for the next eight days, which meant little or no progress in the future. It was than that Sébastien and Vincent made the tough choice to pull the plug on their adventure and head home.

Of course, even that won't exactly be easy to do. They are fairly far north and the bad weather conditions continue to hamper them. They also happen to be a long way from land. In fact, as of Saturday, they were just 100 miles from the Pole of Inaccessibility, which is the furthest point from land anywhere in the Arctic Ocean. That means they still have quite a journey ahead even if they aren't going to be able to complete their intended adventure.

I'm a bit sad to see these expedition come to an end. I was hoping to follow them all the way to Svalbard as I really liked the concept of their travels. It's too bad that they won't be able to continue, but it sounds like the conditions in the Arctic have been especially difficult this season, not just for this team but others who have been in the Northwest Passage. Lets hope these two men make back to land safely.

Video: Timelapse Of Climbing In Yosemite

There is little doubt that Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, but in case you weren't already convinced of that, check out this wonderful timelapse video that was shot there by adventure filmmaker/climber Cedar Wright. It features some spectacular shots of Yosemite's iconic places including El Capitan, Half Dome and some of the beautiful waterfalls that exist within the park. Consider this your virtual escape for the day. If we can't be in Yosemite, at least we can dream about it some.

Diana Nyad Completes Cuba To Florida Swim

It has been big news – especially here in the U.S. – since yesterday but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Diana Nyad's amazing swim here on the Adventure Blog. On Monday, the 64-year old Nyad became the first person to complete a swim from Cuba to Florida, covering the 110-miles of open ocean in about 53 hours. The epic endeavor began on Saturday at the seawall on Hemingway Harbor in Havana and ended yesterday on the beach in Key West, Florida, where she was greeted by a crowd of onlookers who had gathered to welcome her.

Obviously this is an amazing display of human endurance but in more ways than you might imagine. Swimming for 53 hours straight is incredibly demanding to say the least, as Nyad never left the water once she got underway. She did stop from time to time to get food and water, but for the most part she just kept on pushing forward. But if you know anything about her story, you know that is the way Diana operates. She has been pursuing the dream of swimming from Cuba to the U.S. for 35 years, first making the attempt back in 1978. That attempt was a failure but the idea of completing this challenge never strayed far from her thoughts. In 2011 she revived her plan for making the swim and over the past two years she tried three more times before finally finding success yesterday.

Diana can be an inspiration to us all on a number of levels. Obviously she is quite the endurance athlete and her focus on completing this swim tells us a lot about her determination and toughness. But her ability to grab onto a dream and pursue it until it is done is another aspect of her personality that I find amazing. The Cuba-to-Florida swim was her Everest and she didn't give up on reaching the summit. There is a lesson in that for all of us for sure.

Congratulations to Diana on finally reaching her goal. What an amazing achievement.

10 Things You Should Know About Everest

Online gear retailer The Clymb is giving away a trip for four, including airfare, to Nepal to trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp. The contest can be accessed from The Clymb's Facebook page and all you have to do to enter is click on the "Everest is Waiting" image and fill out the form. If you win, you'll face the unenviable task of trying to pick the three people that you will take with you on this great adventure.

To celebrate this amazing travel contest, the editorial team at The Clymb asked me to contribute a piece on Everest to post to their blog. The story I wrote is entitled "10 Things You Should Know About Mt. Everest" which you can read by clicking here. This was an article that I had a lot of fun writing as I had the opportunity to get a little creative and write about some of the more amazing aspects of the world's tallest peak that many readers may not be aware of.

I have to thank my friends over at The Clymb for making my story look so great. I simply turned in the text but they matched the words with some fantastic images and formatted everything incredibly well. I want to also thank them for allowing me to be a part of the "Everest is Waiting" promotion in some small way. I think it is an incredible contest and I'm happy to share the opportunity to visit Everest here as I know many of my readers would love to make that trek for themselves. Bring a few friends along for the journey is just icing on the cake.

So, if you're interested in winning the contest, be sure to head over to The Clymb Facebook page and get entered. If you'd like to possibly learn a thing or two about Everest, be sure to checkout my article while you're at it.