The Annual Race Across America Bike Ride Begins Tomorrow

For many cyclists the RAAM (aka the Race Across America) is one of the best annual events to take place in the sport. The ride begins in Oceanside, California and proceeds 3000 miles (4828 km) across the United States before ending in Annapolis, Maryland. Typically it takes about a week to ten days for the solo and team riders to complete the journey. Challenges along the way include climbing over the Rocky Mountains, battling unpredictable weather, and dealing with endless miles of open road on your own.

Tomorrow, the RAAM solo start will take place in the morning, and teams will get underway from the same starting point on Saturday, staggering the different categories to allow single riders to have a bit of a head start. Tomorrow will also mark the start of RAW (Race Across the West), which is a shorter race that covers 860 miles between Oceanside and Durango, Colorado. That event serves as a qualifier for the much longer RAAM.

This year there are approximately 45 teams taking part in the event, as well as 41 individuals. They'll all be competing in their various categories, while also helping the RAAM organizers raise funds for charity. 

Amongst the teams is a four-woman squad from Australia called Team Veloroo who are riding in support of the Amy Gillette Foundation, which is dedicated to ending cycling deaths on the road. The 'Roos will also be a part of a documentary about their RAAM experience, as they push themselves to ride all the way across the U.S. as quickly as possible. You'll be able to follow their progress on Facebook as they launch their journey, and get a taste of what the ride is actually like. The video below also gives you an idea of how the four ladies have trained in preparation for this epic challenge.

Good luck to Team Veloroo and the rest of the riders setting out on the RAAM and RAW over the next few days. It will be an amazing experience for sure. 

Veloroos Training-Day from NothinButShorts International on Vimeo.

Kayakers to Paddle 9000 KM From Canada to Mexico

A trio of adventurers from Canada has embarked on an epic journey that will take them from Montreal to the tip of the Yucatan in Mexico by sea kayak. Along the way, they expect to cover more than 9000 km (5592 miles) as they spend up to a year completing the expedition, which they call the Go Fetch Challenge.

Luc Labelle, Nika De Jocas-McCrae and Julien Granger are preparing to set out on their journey in the next few days as they have now reached the northernmost location of their route. From here, they'll be southward bound, as they paddle along the eastern coasts of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. They'll kayak along the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico, before ultimately reaching their goal at the Yucatan Peninsula. 

The boys say that they are undertaking this expedition at a crucial time in their lives, and it will help set them on a course both personally and professionally as they move forward. This is a journey that is as much about the adventure they find along the way as it is reaching a destination. The three friends have known each other for more than 10 years, and have been planning to undertake a challenge of this scope for some time. Now, they're ready to get underway at last, and it should be fun to see what they discover about themselves along the way.

You'll be able to keep up with their progress at the Go Fetch website, which features GPS positional tracking, a frequently updated blog, and more information about the team, and their goals. They have quite a journey ahead of them, and it will interesting to see it unfold. I wish them luck as they begin paddling south at long last. 

Video: Adventure is Calling (Part 2)

A year or so back I posted a video that was made by three friends who quit their jobs to go off and travel across the U.S. for two months. Along the way they captured some amazing images of their journey and turned it into an inspirational short film called Adventure is Calling. Now, one of those travelers is back with a second video that continues on the theme of delivering inspiration to travel. This three-minute clip offers some stunning timelapse images from across the U.S. and Canada that will quite simply take your breath away. These are some of the most compelling outdoor settings that you'll find anywhere, and if you don't feel inspired to go find an adventure of your own after watching this, you should probably check yourself for a pulse. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Adventure Is Calling II from Shane Black on Vimeo.

Veteran Polar Explorer Trekking and Paddling the Boundary Waters

Veteran polar explorer Will Steger has set out on a new adventure this week. The 70-year old who has visited the North and South Pole, traversed northern Greenland, and traveled from Russia to Ellesmere Island in Canada, all by dogsled. But this time out, he's making solo journey along the Boundary Waters between the U.S. and Canada, trekking and paddling the remote region of Minnesota's northern border as he goes.

Steger launched his latest expedition yesterday. He'll begin by pulling a canoe behind him as he skis through the northern wilderness. That canoe will serve much the same way a polar explorer's sled would in both the Arctic or Antarctic, carrying his supplies and equipment across the snow. As he travels, he'll reach sections of the Boundary Waters that have thawed for the spring, and he'll transition to using the canoe in the more traditional way, but in the early days of the trip he'll be pulling it behind him as he goes.

The 200-mile journey started on Lake Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Steger moved into the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario and continued out onto the border lakes of the Boundary Waters. Over the course of the next few weeks, he'll be traveling through a remote and rugged wilderness that sees few visitors at any time of the year, but will be especially empty so early in the spring. Along the way he'll find frozen waters just beginning to thaw with the arrival of warmer season ahead. As he makes his way further along the route, Steger will be forced to navigate through rising rapids, steep narrows, and a chain of interconnected rivers and lakes. He has brought enough fuel and supplies to last about four weeks, although rationing could stretch that time a bit further.

Due to an unprecedented spring thaw, Steger was forced to start his expedition a week earlier than he had anticipated. The rivers and lakes are already starting to swell with rising water, and it now appears that he could do more paddling than trekking along the way. But in the early stages of the trip he'll still be hauling the canoe-sled as he makes his way along the chosen route.

You can follow Will's progress on his official website. He is releasing daily audio dispatches from his expedition that will share the journey with listeners in a very personal way. Steger promises to give us insights into what crosses through his mind as travels, which considering his 50 years of exploration experience should prove very interesting. It should be fascinating to hear about the challenges of the journey from a man who has spent more time in remote, and very cold places, than just about anyone else on Earth.

Legislation Introduced to Officially Rename Mt. McKinley to Denali

Two U.S. Senators from the state of Alaska have introduced legislation that would permanently change the name of Mt. McKinley back to its native name of Denali. This marks the latest attempt to get the mountain, which is officially named after William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, renamed. Previous attempts to change the mountain's moniker have been denied, although the bill will likely receive more support in the newly elected Republican Congress.

The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, who argue that the mountain first received its name thousands of years ago by the Athabascan tribe, who called it "Denali," which means the "the Great One" or "the High One" in their language. It wasn't officially renamed to Mt. McKinley until 1917, although it has been referred to by that name for nearly 20 years prior to that by local prospectors and settlers.

At 20,237 feet (6168 meters) in height, McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America, and a significant climb amongst mountaineers. While the general public most commonly knows the peak it by its officially designated name, it has been referred to it as Denali for years in mountaineering circles. Regardless of the outcome of this legislation, that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

While there will be more Republican support for a name change this time out, it won't be without some opposition. Ohio Representative Bob Gibbs, who is a Republican as well, has introduced counter-legistiaiton aimed at blocking efforts to rename the mountain. President McKinley was from Ohio, and many people there still take pride in the fact that the mountain bears his name.

As you can imagine, in Alaska the sentiment is quite different. There, the indigenous people and others feel it is time to give the mountain its original name back. Denali is used commonly there to name streets, businesses, and even children. There has been a groundswell of support for the name change there for years, although most locals already refer to it by its Athabascan name anyway.

There is no word yet on when the vote on the bill will come to congress, and while it may seem like a rather trivial piece of legislation, it could get bogged down in committees to try to stall it out. Still, later this year, it is possible that Mt. McKinley will be no more, and everyone will refer to the mountain as Denali.