I was seriously nervous that my best friend had signed us up for a cliff side via ferrata on day 1 of our last minute Kentucky adventure weekend. While I was super pumped, I knew this was going to be a huge stretch out of her comfort zone.
Nonetheless, we plowed through the safety briefing and clipped in to begin our climb up the rock face of a gorgeous ravine. It quickly got real as the exposed ledges gave way to only minimal crevices to traverse across. After only a brief panic attack, she conquered level 1&2 and I couldn’t have been more proud of her.
I continued onto the intermediate course and was in my element. With a big smile plastered on my face, I enjoyed a nice sweat and intense physical exertion scaling up the challenging route. After taking a quick lunch break and allowing my fingers to recover, I resumed my quest to achieve my goal of walking the elusive suspension bridge. Section 4 was a serious test that had my forearms severely bruised from hooking into the iron rungs for slight breaks from the grind and my legs wobbling with every push to the next shelf. But I persevered to enjoy the “break” of the wooden walkway and rounded the jagged corner to a brutal uphill stretch. I attempted most of section 5 and eventually ran out of steam and grip strength, so bailed out while I could still save myself instead of the embarrassment of having the instructor come to rappel me down to safety.
What a rush!! Highly recommend this relatively unknown hobby because it will push you to the brink of failure, but will empower you in the same breath to be your own hero!
As a frequent rental car user, it’s always a treat to be rewarded with a convertible upgrade. The cool aunt status jumps instantly!
After a whirlwind, last minute 72 hour trip to celebrate my nephew’s 5th birthday, I had to endure a brutal 3am wake up call to catch the first flight back home/work. He personally called to invite me, so naturally I had a flight booked within the hour without hesitation (yes, I’m totally wrapped around his little finger).
Well….. at Monday 3:15am sharp, I stumble outside to brace for the uncomfortable 39 degree wind in my face to a dead key fob. And of course this is one of the few times in my life where there isn’t a spare attached, so I frantically jiggle the manual key hole for another 10 mins with no luck while lying on the concrete using the flashlight from my cell. Not one of my best moments! I reluctantly wake my brother up & he was also unsuccessful. So I call the emergency roadside assistance hotline. They suggest that I grab an Uber (which normally wouldn’t be a challenge but I’m smack in the middle of an army base, so virtually impossible to get clearance) and go to the local car rental counter. Again, it is now 3:30am and no one opens until 7am. So back to square one…. I wake my sister in law up to see if they have any spare circular batteries, which is another hard no.
So inevitably, I miss my flight and immediately rebook for the following morning on my own dime as there are only 2 seats left. I try to fall back asleep on the couch for a few hours, which is nearly impossible. But can you imagine the surprised faces on the kids when I pop out from underneath a pile of blankets as they take their first bite of cereal? Priceless…. especially since it is his actual birthday!
So at 7:30am we drop the kids at school and find the closest Batteries Plus to hopefully be back in business. But another small wrinkle, as my purchase won’t ring up on the register. After multiple attempts, I finally get 2 batteries comped & we head back to the base. The battery swap out is an immediate success and fortunately the next morning I don’t have my own Groundhog Day & arrive back home in Orlando without more incident.
Now the task of getting reimbursed by the rental car company for the extra day I had to extend, second flight bought, home airport parking fee and the invaluable work time lost…..
Being out on the open trails is my therapy of choice. I wish I had explored more in my youth, but I’ve definitely made up for that 100-fold in the last 20 years. Whether I’m planning a group outing or winging it on a solo excursion, you won’t find me more giddy & light hearted than the days leading up to a getaway.
It is addictive. The more you find yourself peering off the summit of an elusive cliff top with the biggest grin imaginable & a much needed celebratory snack, the more you crave it.
But why do we do it? My thoughts:
Discipline – would I go for a walk in my neighborhood? Rarely. But send me out to a trailhead & I could walk for days. It is truly one foot in front of the other & the places it will take you can be so inspiring!
Resilience – just like the peaks & valleys of the actual route, the physical & mental battles are a test for even the fittest of adventurers & always a learning experience. Power thru!
Endurance – you hike so you must be in shape? Not exactly. It is humbling to stare up a steep incline & equally as satisfying to conquer the seemingly impossible. Slow & steady wins the day….. your pace, where there is no right or wrong!
Escape – there is nothing like the adrenaline rush of the first steps on a dirt trail & the promise of a new experience to get lost in. Knowing that you don’t have to answer to anyone or be rushed into any decision, to me, is such a wonderful relief.
Serenity – finding joy in simplicity & freedom. With each step, fears and doubts slowly start to disappear. The deeper you trek, the more liberated you feel & more connected to all your surroundings. It’s a beautiful wave that washes over your soul.
Creativity – the opportunity to disconnect completely & let your thoughts wander is such a welcome treat. I truly get some of my best ideas in the middle of nowhere where I can just let loose without distractions & be my true self.
Did any resonate? Everyone has their own spin on how this outdoor hobby has impacted their own lives and I just can’t get enough.
My travel routine starts weeks prior to departure with commencing packing, as I have to be very strategic with typically only wanting to lug around two carryons. Add in a polar region, and trimming the packing list is exponentially harder with numerous layers necessary. I accomplish my mission with my signature vacuum bags and even pack my car early to have one less stressor on “travel day”.
And this one to the elusive Antarctica was a long standing bucket list trip, with numerous variables to navigate.
First off, I planned to work all day and inevitably it is organized chaos trying to close out all projects successfully. I also had to squeeze in a workout to release all those jitters, shower and get to a friend’s house to drop my car prior to hitching a ride to the airport. But, for the first time ever, I wasn’t flying but testing out the new Brightline train that now connects Orlando with Miami.
Blow up Plan A!
I had a client lunch meeting and left my keys in his car. By the time I realized my misfortune, he had already driven 2 hrs to Sarasota and panic sinks in. He was ready to turn around when I remembered that my best friend had a spare and was actually my ride to the airport. So she Ubered to the stadium, I was able to grab my travel clothes to change and we took off with only an hour until my train departed (and the last of the evening).
In the meantime, my international flight also gets delayed the next morning by 3 hours. This is a major dilemma because the only reason I was making the 3 hr trek to Miami now was due to the fact that the first train of the am arrived 30 mins too late. Do I still go as planned or change tickets to depart the next am?
Reason being, there are surprisingly no sleeping pods in the major hub of Miami so I was willing to suck up semi-sleeping on the cold, hard airport floor for 4 hrs but not 7 hrs. Plus all the close by hotels were ridiculously overpriced and would end up costing me a fortune. But the other factor was waking up my friend to try drop off again at an ungodly 3:30am the next day, and I opted to plow forward and figure out my next plan of attack while on the train.
She assists in finding a reasonable La Quinta within 2 miles of the airport, which also ensured I would start with a complimentary big breakfast. Score!
The next challenge is that I didn’t realize the final station didn’t terminate at the actual airport, but down near the shores of South Beach. Rookie mistake…. but an easy Uber ride on the fly had me pulling up to the hotel at 12:50am to crash.
Ooh but the saga continues…..
I try my door electronic key twice to no success, so have to return to the lobby multiple times to finally close my eyes.
Then I have to set multiple alarms and debate which hotel shuttle to board, as they only run on the hour. Of course, I settle on the tight connection and drift off to sleep.
With a semi-restful few hours, I’m showered, fed and checked my flight times one last time. And what do you know, another hour delay was tacked on and I’m overwhelmingly thankful for all the decisions thus far. And now my extra long 8 hour layover in the always brutally warm Buenos Aires international airport was cut to a reasonable amount to grab a good Outback dinner and transfer to the domestic wing.
Now the real adventure to the end of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina really begins!
The heartbeat of the Antarctica experience lies in the ship’s mud room. Located on deck two, our daily routine to get ashore started with a cattle call by group after the initial zodiac safety boats were deployed to scope out the ever-changing landscapes of the white continent.
Our heavy weather gear is already stashed in our own numbered bench spot #73. We were issued waterproof bog boots, along with a rugged keepsake parka. It was required to bring waterproof gloves and pants, plus warm headgear. I packed my flat, never used frog toggs as they were big and easy to slip over any gear for protection.
After fully layering up with 4 layers on the top and 3 on the bottom, you get funneled through the prep station to swipe your card, walk through a vat of pink disinfectant water, get checked by a staff person and then step off the gangway into the waiting zodiac boats that are your extension to the harsh landscapes in this polar region.
And a hilarious moment ensued just after taking my first steps on my 7th and final continent. The snow pack was thick and I mistakenly sunk in between premade footprints. While pulling out my foot, the entire crotch of my thin frogg togg pants ripped out. Seriously?!?!
We didn’t know how fortunate we were in the moment, but we achieved all 8 of 8 planned excursions to see a wide diversity of landings during our spectacular journey.
Upon return to the ship, we rigorously brush our boots while spraying warm water over any gear that happened to touch land. This process is critically important to eradicate any contamination or spreading of diseases between numerous colonies of species. We swipe back in and also step back through the pink pool. Then it’s on to undressing, hanging all your wet gear and prying off your boots with a specially made board.
Typically after that excitement, we head to the lounge to indulge in rich hot chocolate and biscuits with honey. And if you’re lucky, you don’t get called out to participate in the “walk of shame”, which means you didn’t clean your boots to the staff’s liking and had to try again (yes I had to comply only once, but it makes it worse that it is was our final excursion where I still had sand pebbles imbedded in my soles).
I was actually very sad to leave after our last outing, as this area was truly the launching pad bringing all those preconceived thoughts and dreams to life. Now my 475+ pictures and videos stand as living proof of this amazing journey!
Have you ever gone to the airport with just a bookbag and a dream? Why not?
Nothing is more exhilarating than the anticipation of travel day to start a vacation. And then throw in the unknown of a spur of the moment location….. that’s a recipe for adventure in my book!
I remember my 3 week epic trip to the Big Island in Hawaii and honestly not being ready to go home yet. So while in the air back to the mainland via San Francisco (and no return flight booked to FL), I made the decision to tack on an additional week road trip to Northern Cali and untravelled territory thus far in my quest to explore every corner of our beautiful homeland.
The only wrinkle was my lack of winter clothing, which was easily solved by a quick trip to Walmart for some cheap sweats. Best decision ever! I enjoyed a stress free 9 days weaving along the harrowing pacific coastline amongst the plentiful wine groves, beach towns, hidden waterfalls and historic monuments. I even had a few unexpected detours when butting up to a freak snowstorm while trying to catch a glimpse of the stunning blue waters at Crater Lake National Park.
And I purposely scheduled my route to extend a loop towards Lake Tahoe (my first time) and an unexpected highlight trekking in Pinnacles National Park (my 37th of 63).
My trip was end-capped with a meetup in the craziness of San Fran with my good friend Diana’s beautiful family. It’s crazy that our paths just happened to cross on the complete opposite side of the country, as it was truly meant to be.
So the morale of my story: don’t be afraid to change directions and get swept up in a new, unplanned adventure. For a control freak, it is amazingly freeing to be open to the unknown and just wake up with no plan. Some of my craziest adventures have resulted from embracing this mentality.
Finding a $1,000 better flight out of the international hub in Miami to my once-in-a-lifetime voyage to the elusive 7th continent, I opted to catch the latest train from Orlando on a chilly February evening (leap year actually!). And as my long flight overseas leaves at an uncomfortable 7:30am the next day, the earliest train wouldn’t get me to my boarding gate in time for departure.
Pro: cheapest fair arriving at 12:45am
Con: no cheap airport sleeping pods in the Miami airport with only a 5 hour layover
Nonetheless, I get dropped off at the new Terminal C after a busy day at work with literally only 10 mins to spare before boarding. With only my 2 carryons, I settle in for a 3 hour journey (facing forward of course, no need to chance motion sickness already, as I’m sure the Drake Passage will kick my ass soon enough).
It’s an uneventful trip, as I catch up on emails, snack, last phone calls, changing my out of office notices & reading up once again on arrival details. And in typical form, I had no idea the final train stop wasn’t actually at the airport so I quickly pivoted to get an Uber driver. GDC!
And then I fully intended to scope out a clean and quiet(er) corner in the behemoth of MIA to call mine, and plop down. But the uncertainty of flight delays had other plans for me. My plane was updated to include a 3 hour delay, so in theory, I could have taken the first train of the day but now had to wrestle with braving no sleep or finding a cheap hotel near the airport. I chose the later, thankfully, as another 1 hour delay was tacked on too so I grabbed about 6 hours of sleep & a full La Quinta breakfast.
After a 36 hour travel day to reach “El Fin del Mundo”, we touch down at 7:15am between snow capped peaks and the port town of Ushuaia, Argentina. Despite being groggy, I dropped off my bags at my cute hostel & knew exactly where I was heading to explore.
Luckily my daily Spanish lessons over the last 3 years paid off, as I was able to exchange for the local currency in pesos & buy a quick 7km bus ticket to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. I chose the furthest drop point at Bahia Lapataia to enjoy 3 easy hikes along the extreme border of the Chilean mountains & the icy waterways pointing toward the vast, nothingness of Antarctica.
One of my favorite pastimes is to pick an epic lunch spot where I can enjoy a quiet snack & just soak it all in. I found just that in a multi-colored volcanic rock ledge overlooking the expansive bay.
It’s amazing what you can notice in your surroundings, if you purposefully take the time to just be:
Soft ripples in the quiet lagoon
Ducks flapping away chasing each other
The mesmerizing crunch of the sand between the tourists’ hiking boots
Splash of the birds diving down to catch dinner
Wild horses grazing in the tall grass just offshore
I let my mind wander about the journey that lies ahead & slowly release my everyday worries (at least for a couple of weeks).
Bon voyage to the frozen tundra & to joining the 7th continent club!!! 🚢🇦🇶🧊🥶
What’s the odds that our college girls group had decided three months earlier to reconvene in Durham, NC the last weekend in September to watch the Duke vs. Notre Dame football game AND it just happens the infamous ESPN College Game Day Show picked the Duke campus to broadcast from for the 1st time in history?!?
With all the added hype and buzz all-around, it wasn’t even a second thought that we had to partake in the festivities. Even though I wasn’t too happy after only 3 hours of sleep that our alarms were blaring at 5am, I was determined to keep my promise.
We pulled into a baron parking lot and made the half mile walk to the campus hub to find hundreds of blue devil crazies already piled into a mosh pit in front of the main stage. So we post up just to the left of the main stage.
Alanda gets interviewed multiple times by local newspapers and radio stations, as she is proudly sporting her #3 BJ player jersey. We also have a plethora of homemade signs that we desperately try to catch the lenses of all the hovering TV cameras. And we are in direct eyesight of the famous commentators and numerous crowd giveaways.
A local DJ keeps the tunes pumping all morning and we thoroughly enjoy all the festivities. There is even a field goal kicking challenge, where one of the new commentators puts up his own money for any college student that can kick a regulation snap. The chosen one hilariously wiffed his first attempt and then the redemption kick went about 5 feet hitting a cameraman. Everyone was absolutely rolling in laughter on live TV!
The show always ends with a celebrity guest picker, who is charged with revealing who they think we come out victorious. As a Duke alum, comedian and actor Ken Jeong makes a grand entrance and literally starts twerking on stage! Meanwhile, icon Lee Corso leaves the stage suddenly during the middle of the final segment only to return in a full on green elf outfit signaling his allegiance to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The crowd boos resonated loudly as the cameras faded away and we joined in on the all day tailgate nearby.
Awesome, priceless experience in Durham, NC to kick start the second half of the 2023 football season! (Update: the blue devils did end up losing the game in a nail biter that came down to the last minute of play).
FearlessAdventures 