What fills the pages in your adventure book? Are some far fetched? Are some easy to check off?
How does it make you feel? Adventures:
Make me come alive
Challenge me to my core
Give me purpose and direction
Has taught me more more than textbooks
Feel grateful for a the simple joys in life
Allow me to find and fulfill my potential
My idea of adventure is summiting Kili or EBC, while yours might be something completely different. No matter your definition, make time to chase a few crazy adventures in your life and you will be eternally grateful (and hopefully be fueled by even more to come).
Besides a couple cruises to popular Mediterranean port destinations, this trek was my first true European experience. I was a little out of my element not knowing any French, as up until this time I had strictly stayed in the Caribbean or South America due to quick & cheap flights plus being able to get by conversing in Spanish.
Chamonix was a quaint and beautiful town to launch this week long trek through 3 countries. The ascents were epic and exhausting, but doable and downright breathtaking around every bend. Our travel group was fantastic and ready for the challenge.
I remember arriving with 2 bags and had to pair down to one day bag, as unlike previous trips, there were no porters or sherpas to lug our extras up the mountain ahead of us to our next lodging site. What?! This was before vacuum bags or cubes so we rolled everything, hung extras off of the bag’s outer straps with carabeeners and strapped the rest on our waists. It was rugged and wonderful.
We crossed over country lines high up in the mountain ranges, trekking through rain and sleet for a few hours, and it was so empowering. It was so very Sound of Music-esqe. I will admit to twirling and singing at the top of my lungs to mimic my hero Julie Andrews.
Each lodge was local owned and the family always had a spectacular 3 course meal waiting on us hungry trekkers upon arrival. We typically would have the afternoon to recover and spend outside enjoying the lush, 360 degree, green landscapes. We would play cards or read books or both. The rooms had bunk beds and we crashed early, as we were up at 6am daily to tackle the next leg.
I even remember one day I was so inspired that I joined 2 others in the group for an extra afternoon run. What was I thinking? These 2 young-ins took off and of course a portion was uphill, but I held my own and was proud of myself for making the most of this once in a lifetime experience.
And I found “my spot” – laying down in the green pasture overlooking the last valley down on our trip back to civilization, I had found complete happiness and relaxation.
I stayed a few days after the group to honestly just do nothing. After a few short treks to the outskirts of town and indulging in pistachio gelato multiple times, I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book next to the ancient church under a beautiful tree. It can be that simple.
I guess the powers at be knew I wasn’t ready to go home yet, and my flight was actually cancelled because they couldn’t get the commode to flush. Yep you read that right. At first I started freaking out that I needed to return to work after my 10 day hiatus in the middle of the summer rush, but let’s put this into perspective….. I got free lodging in the exquisite Swiss countryside, got to run along beautiful farmlands, comped all the pizza and wine we could handle, plus a stipend.
Yeah I lived it up and showed up to work 2 days late, and guess what, the building hadn’t burned down.
Now looking back this trek was extra special. Not only did I get to experience this mystical city in the clouds with my little brother just prior to his first deployment, but this introduced me to my passion of extreme adventure travel.
We booked last minute in November, so it truly was a whirlwind. Flights from Orlando to Miami to Lima and finally the remote Cuzco, which is the launch point for all Machu Picchu treks. Upon arrival, we indulged in authentic cuisine (I think it was ceviche) and I got addicted to the fruity beer Quara (they don’t import but if you ever come across it, please think of me!).
Our travel group was a hoot and we started out exploring the ruins in the quaint town of Ollaytumbo. Then we were off into the wild Peruvian jungle for 5 days of climbing to see the sacred city.
If you’ve ever done a mountain trek, you know the sherpas or porters are your lifeline and they make the trip possible. They load up with 20kg of your gear x 2, rig it up on their backs and attack the mountain. In addition, they carry their own attire (usually minimal as to not add any unnecessary weight) plus meals and camping supplies. And I should mention, they are literally running in sandals past the group of weary travelers because we are so slow and they are on a mission to set up the next nights’ camp prior to our arrival. They are the real heroes on the trail.
Along the route, your mind wanders and you get into the groove in line with your fellow thrill seekers. You snack occasionally and put on headphones during the grueling uphills to stay motivated. You take solace in conquering small peaks just to see the never ending trail weave in and out of even more summits in the distance. The weather changes frequently, so we get the true experience of how rugged and self sufficient the natives had to become in this unforgiving wilderness.
Upon sight of camp nightly, we collectively let out a sigh of relief and escaped from our hiking boots ASAP. Our tents gave some relief to the relentless winds and we all huddled into the eating tent to reminisce about our day and chow down. Meals typically consisted of rice, bread, eggs, meat, noodles – lots of protein and carbs to nourish our tired bodies after our average of 6-8 hours of trekking. The grand finale was hot chocolate and popcorn while playing cards.
Sleeping was hit or miss on the cold ground, while wearing most of the clothes in your bag for extra padding and warmth. It was always tricky after a downpour to dry out clothes for the following day.
One of the funniest moments still to this day in all of my travels was courtesy of a hilarious mate from Wales. She was using the outhouse (which is literally a hole in the ground) and happened to lose her camera in this raunchy pit. We heard her scream from a football field away and all came running. She had then concocted a huge retrieval stick and miraculously retrieved her prized possession. Most people would have probably let it go, but this was at the start of the digital camera phase in the early 2010s, prior to cell phone cameras being of any decent quality. So her storage cartridge was everything. The guides even gave her bags of rice to try to dry it out and salvage it. I don’t remember if it ever worked again, but I’ll never forget this running joke of the trip & all of us wanting to see her put that camera back up to her face!
On the night prior to reaching this elusive city in the clouds, we had to be ready to leave camp at 3:30am with our head lamps guiding the way so that we could reach the “Sun Gate” at sunrise. This spot affords travelers with the first far off glimpse of MP if you get lucky with weather (which is only favorable 30% of the time). We were not so fortunate, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention we had to conquer the “Gringo Killer”, which is a set of extremely steep steps built into the rock face, immediately prior to our stop. Whoa!
We arrive first to the ruins of all groups and see wild goats grazing all over and get set free to go explore all the crevices and walkways we can find. Half the day we get lost scaling walls and peering out from surreal archways. Fascinating is an understatement and without question it is in the top 10 places I have experienced in my lifetime.
Reluctantly, we hop on the short bus ride down the steep embankment to the small town of Aquas Calientes for an overnight stay. We eat local, grab massages and soak in the natural hot springs prior to boarding our express train back to Cuzco. What a ride!
Most US folk have never heard of this far off beachy town on the southeastern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. But if your an avid traveler, it is an awesome trip add-on when visiting the Middle East.
Prior to my 15th GAdventures group adventure setting off from Cairo, I had planned 5 full days relaxing at a dive resort on a tranquil bay of the Red Sea.
I had actually screwed up in scheduling the wrong Covid test and had to retake it at the Orlando Airport, missing my flights and having to rearrange my entire transatlantic vaca 24 hours later. I’m in debt to Tessa & Dave for tag teaming a rescue mission to save me from sleeping on the airport floor overnight. Rerouting to Newark then Frankfurt and finally Cairo worked out swimmingly. Only speed bump was begging EgyptianAir to reissue my final leg ticket to Sharm el Sheikh and was rewarded a new voucher since the agent I had called 24 hours earlier flagged my account. Yippee!! Upon arrival at 9pm, after now traveling for 33 hours (and a deranged 4 year old kicking and screaming the entire last 40 min flight), my pre-arranged driver was prompt BUT didn’t speak a lick of English and had no idea where my resort was. WTF?! I had the address and after 2 calls it was literally 2 miles away (and I knew that).
After sleeping for 10 hours, I spent day 1 lounging on the beach, exploring the 3 resorts lined up together and wading in the crystal blue waters. May temps are similar to the FL summer bake fest without a cloud in the sky all day, so I fit right in. I enjoyed a massive stone oven pizza for 65 Egyptian pounds or $4 at the Bedouin tent. If you’ve never seen or been to one, it is very cozy and boasts padded cushions on the floor with extra pillows. I then read a book beachside, under the stars, listening to the gentle waves, which became my nightly routine. Simplicity at its best.
Day 2 was a two tank dive in the Red Sea and truly spectacular! Since travel in the Middle East is still slow post Covid lockdown, I was solo with the hunky guide and we took off by simply wading off shore and went until we were low on air. The water was crystal clear, coral abundant, fish plentiful, weather perfect in the 90s = ideal conditions! I even got to keep the mask the rest of the day and headed out for more snorkeling from the jetty.
Day 3 I can’t say I did too much (even missed the complimentary breakfast) but lounge on the beach and I wouldn’t change a thing. I even squeezed in a beachside massage and more snorkeling the reef. Rough life, huh?
My final day I arranged a local quad bike tour through the Egyptian desert. It was a blast taking the reigns of my own roadster and we flew off into the dusty unknown in a single file line. From lounging camels to rocky overlooks to yelling across Echo mountain to hear the reverb, we purposely got lost in this vast expanse of nothingness.
And finally while taking in one last sunset along my dive resort jetty, I closed out a seamless first week halfway across the world. Wheels up to Cairo for the next leg of my world tour!
From high above the sapphire blue waters, the ritzy town of Oia (pronounced ea) on the island of Santorini is larger than life. Boutique cave hotels all painted white monopolize the towering cliff tops with a never ending labyrinth of alleyways to purposefully get lost in.
We meander around the maze prior to 9am & have the place to ourselves. I couldn’t tell you which turn took us to this lovely viewpoint, but it was simply magical. A place of serenity & complete peace. And a pleasant reminder that through all the highs & lows in life…. always cling on to hope & that everything will turn out ok!
I beckon you to climb to this vantage point for the next sunset, sit in quiet awe & witness nature’s miracle of another day! 🇬🇷☀️🌅🤩
I will be eternally grateful for an enduring group of college friends who are my ride or die. No matter the time or distance between us, we show up for each other.
It is so refreshing to have a supportive group of individuals that isn’t tearing you down or judging your every last move. They know your best qualities and also those stories that you would much rather forget. You can fall back into yesteryear without skipping a beat and tell all those silly tales of when we were so naive and innocent.
From the mountains of NC, to the streets of Atlanta, to LRU football games, to 5k races, to beach getaways, to cabins in the VA countryside, to hikes up Stone Mountain, to basketball games, to meals at obscure diners, to tubing the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge GA, we always find an excuse to catch up.
These days even a quick text can make your day, as we try to survive the ups and downs of life. A group prayer or positive vibes go a long way. My tribe is beautiful in every way and I can’t wait for our next jaunt which is a big milestone….. our 25th college reunion!
Our girls trip to Music City was the perfect long weekend escape. With a direct 2 hour flight, we left after work and arrived ready to explore the downtown nightlife with dinner/drinks.
Our Airbnb was small but central, so we did all the touristy things.
The scooters were addictive and the best way to see the city at your own pace. We whizzed in and out of monuments, waterfalls, farmers markets, food stands and had an absolute BLAST. And only had a few Oops moments that didn’t produce any permanent scars.
No trip to Nashville would be complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry and ours was a doozy. Our Uber ride got us as close as possible but we got caught in a torrential downpour. So we walk into the bone chilling arena, dripping wet and have to try to dry out under the hand dryers in the restrooms. Our tickets are disintegrating in our hands but we finally make it to our seats, which are dead center half way up. Tessa’s ticket slips under the seats and we get to go on a scavenger hunt that had us in stitches. After the show, we take our obligatory selfies and grab another Uber. She was a riot and ended up loading us up with mini liquor bottles before dropping us at the local scrumptious BBQ joint.
We try the famous hot chicken and biscuits, tour the Country Music Hall of Fame, go out for a night on Music Row to check out all the local talent, visit the elusive Bluebird Cafe only to miss getting tickets by 2 spots ahead of us (fortunately we got to step inside for a 5 min glimpse).
We even crashed a free, CMT pop up concert across the bridge featuring a few up and coming artists. It was a glorious day made even better with free Dairy Queen blizzards…. any excuse to ride scooters again and eat ice cream!
Our final day we arranged a tour at the local winery and drank the day away!
Full of fun and exploration, Nashville is an awesome getaway that will keep me coming back for more!
I didn’t think I could keep dwindling down my travel packing list, but my recent 2 week northeastern roadtrip was my most simplified yet. There is a big difference when you are moving around every night vs. hanging out at a resort for an extended stay.
Below is my paired down, “go to” list of only must haves. In my opinion, vacuum bags are the best way to maximize your limited space in a bookbag.
2 vacuum bags – 1 large & 1 small
Hiking boots
Sneakers
Bookbag
Rugged water bottle
kindle
Headphones
Camera tripod
cinch bag
Light gloves
Beanie hat
Ball cap
Lightweight puffer coat
2 phone charger cords
Spare rechargeable battery bank
National park pass
Phone + belt holster + car holder
Sunglasses
4 pants
4 shorts
5 short sleeve shirts
4 long sleeve shirts
1 lightweight fleece
Basic toiletries only – deodorant. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Glasses/contacts. Razor. Mousse/hairspray.
Living out of a car, I have finally found my own system of transitioning quickly. It can be very cumbersome to load all your gear down long hotel corridors or up flights of stairs, so I use my back seat to lay out stacks of clothes. My toiletries are in a small bag for easy transport. I get some crazy looks but I literally walk into the hotel with a small pile of clothes and my bag of washing supplies. Simple and no stress.
Try it out. It has transformed my experience, as I don’t dread dragging my whole load in and out every single night.
I couldn’t have written out this story any better.
For once, I took the scenic route and chose the slow Amtrak train from my previous adventure in Minneapolis to my next hub in Boston. It was rather uneventful, so when I jumped off the tracks at it’s last stop at 9:30pm after 2 full days, I was ready to hit the road to take me to the next bucketlist spot… Acadia National Park in the northeastern part of Maine!
With only 4 days to explore 3 new northeastern states, I knew I had to make the long drive overnight and pulled into the quaint town of Bar Harbor at 2am. Why get a hotel now when the weather dictated that this would be my only day to experience an epic sunrise from the summit of Cadillac Mountain?
So at 2:30am, I pulled into a desolate parking lot as the third car ready for the ultimate Acadia experience. Winds were whipping so I attempted to stargaze for a bit, but quickly chose the comfort and warmth of my car to try to catch a few zzzzzs prior to my 5am alarm.
By 5:10am, there were over 250 cars filling the parking lot and stretching down the road. The winds were easily now gusting over 50mph, so it was brutally cold on the summit cliffside for us 500+ spectators.
BUT at precisely 5:34am, it was so very worth it to see the beautiful fireball rise up from the horizon and project it’s radiant glow. This exact spot is the first place where the sun rises upon the North American continent for 5 months out of the year. It was mesmerizing.
And by 5:55am, the parking lot was again empty and quiet. My tiredness had faded away and I was ready to start my full day of exploration by hiking the hours away in my 41st of 63 National Parks.
I’m addicted to the next challenge and taking calculated risks. So it is with inherent risk that I venture out into the world. I get asked repeatedly “how did you do that” or “are you crazy”? My retort is always “why not? You only live once and if you do it right, once should be enough”.
The list of injuries is rather long but, fortunately, only one left me in complete shambles. The rest are just another story to share and learn from (at least I think).
How could I ever forget maneuvering my bike into a teeter totter and falling off halfway across while having the jagged edge of the metal, pedal cut into my Achilles? I was so pig headed, I made a deal with my friend that if she bought the new bike she had been obsessing about that I would go to the hospital to get stitches.
I vaguely remember visiting a roller skating rink as a teen and trying to go faster than everyone else. Then rounding a corner I was faced with a big group and nowhere to go safely. So instead of plowing into the group and possibly injuring others, I opted to slide (like a softball player) into the concrete outer ring barrier. Needless to say, I still can’t feel the inner part of my left knee.
What about tubing behind a boat on a FL west coast vacation and refusing to let go so that the rope burned my skin and my bracelet dug into my right hand?
On a quick mountain biking adventure to a new trail in north Orlando, I was scoping out the perfect spot to take a picture of my friend rounding a hairy corner. I got so excited I grabbed a razor sharp piece of a bush/plant and sliced right at the last knuckle of my left pinky. I pushed the two sides together the rest of the ride while completely soaking my shirt that I had wrapped around it and just hoped they would mend back into one piece. Then just two weeks later at a different park, I took a turn too sharp and flipped over the handle bars. I don’t remember much but I think I saw a few stars while I tried to regain any sense of self confidence to continue the journey.
Getting ready for a business trip to Cincinnati, I had wanted to take a soothing bath after a long week at work. I let the water run while scrambling to pack last minute and of course forgot. When I see water coming through the downstairs ceiling light, I bolted upstairs to shut off the water then fly down the stairs again to mop up the other mess. As I get to the second bathroom, I slip and fell head first into the door and catch my right hand sliding down the rough edge. I was in too much of a hurry to go to the hospital so I wrapped it up thick and went on my trip (and proceeded to lose my only bag & have to borrow clothes from a colleague – definitely looked like a hot mess).
Deep in the Ecuador jungle, I had a terrible problem with my hiking shoes slipping while scrambling along the boulders lining the many streams crossings on our journey. I would twist my ankles 25-30 times a day, which really messed with my head and pace. The slippery moss was insane and, needless to say, I recycled those shoes to a local who was glad to have them (it couldn’t have been me who was the issue, right??!!)
After summiting Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal after 6 days of trekking up high into the majestic Himalayas, we were all slowly making our way back down the mountain and I severely twisted my ankle on a complex root system. Being that we were still 1 full day of hiking away from any type of civilization, I wrapped it up tight, grabbed a walking stick for support and just had to “suck it up”. And of course, my pace significantly slowed down BUT we all made it down in one piece.
I may or may not have had a few drinks before jumping on my bicycle and crashing into a bollard that slashed my right ankle so deep we saw white tissue and literally had millimeters before slicing my tendon. Nothing a few friends (with incredible patience to put up with my ridiculous antics) and butterfly strips can’t fix.
On my 2 day trip to Death Valley National Park, I car camped to stay right in the heart of this rugged landscape. I added a short trek into a slot canyon and was just taking a photo, when I slipped off my pedestal and my ankle collapsed onto its side. Wow. All alone in the arid desert and I just had to sit there for about 15 minutes to collect myself. After a painful hobble back to my car, I spent the night with 2 cold sodas cradling my ankle and fortunately woke up the next day to just a severe bruise and a spectacular sunrise!
And the most recent and granddaddy of them all…… I’ll never live down my skateboard incident on my dream trip to Hawaii while trying to see my nightly sunset spectacle. Concussion was a very real possibility, as I face planted and my sunglasses dug into my forehead (and somehow they miraculously didn’t break). Stitches probably would have been the better call, but I got on my rented bike to go get medical supplies at the closest convenience store 3 miles away. Seven scars later, and all are healing nicely (even my forehead).
So I always make a promise to myself that next time I will play it safer, BUT deep down I know there will most likely be another one to fight through soon.
“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” – unknown
FearlessAdventures 