Ryan Wichelns is the founding editor of Trails Magazine.  It is the only independent, quality-over-quantity, and print-only magazine for backpackers and those who love to sleep in the dirt. He is also an outdoor-adventure and environmental freelance writer and journalist. His work has appeared in Backpacker Magazine, Outside Online, Gear Junkie, and more.  Ryan first appeared in episode 12 and again in episode 100.  You can learn more about Trails Magazine at trailsmag.net.  Ryan Wichelns, welcome back to the show.

At the age of 22 she had a spinal injury that ended her dreams of becoming an athlete.  Through a lot of pain, disappointment and treatment she slowly got better.  Two years later she wanted to prove to herself that she could still achieve big goals so she set out to cycle the Iron Curtain Trail also known as Eurovelo 13.  The route took her from Norway on the Barents Sea through 19 countries ending on the Black Sea at the Turkish-Bulgarian border.  It was 5 months and 5,600 miles of cycling a diverse range of landscapes, cultures, and climates.  You can read more about her adventure at cyclingtheironcurtain.wordpress.com.  Laura Scott, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Her adventure began in Ushuaia Argentina in late January 2013. Nearly 7 months later she cycled into Santiago Chile after 4,600 km accomplishing her goal of unicycling through Patagonia. But the goal was more than just a cycling challenge. It was a way to meet people from different cultures and a way to discover herself at the same time. In 2016, she received the Kris Holm Evolution of Balance award that supports riders seeking creative and self-supported mountain unicycle adventures in remote places. She was granted this along with Kelli Carley for their adventure in the Alps on the Haute Route. You can learn more about Anne-Sophie at her website annesophierodet.com. Anne-Sophie Rodet, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Saddle Sand Sea is a multi-year, multi-event challenge dreamed up by Seamus Crawford and Paddy Montgomery. They completed the first challenge, The Race Across Europe, in 2015; cycling 2,933 miles in 12 days crossing the Pyrenees once and the Alps twice. Next, in 2016, they completed the Marathon des Sables billed as the toughest footrace […]

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In 2015 Adam Sultan ran 15 marathons. It was part of a project he created called #LifeYears aimed at making every single year of his life memorable and unique. In 2016, Adam is setting out on a new challenge and multi-year cycling adventure called #RideTheWorld. After years of working in a job that wasn’t satisfying, […]

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Starting at the Bright Angel trailhead in the Grand Canyon National Park, Ted Olson and his daughter hiked rim to rim and back again without camping. It took them 32 hours to hike the 47 miles gaining and losing over 21,000 ft of elevation. This is not an adventure for the unprepared because if you […]

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John Marshall set off on a 6 month volunteering adventure with his wife and teenage son and daughter in 2010. Their travels brought them to a wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica, WWOOFing in New Zealand, teaching English in rural Thailand, and working at an orphanage in India. His book about their journey is titled Wide-Open […]

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For 2 months in the summer of 2015, Oli Broadhead and Angus Walker trekked over 600 miles east to west across southern India from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. They walked 20 miles a day across the diverse landscapes of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Oli and Angus are currently students so […]

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Krushnaa Patil is a mountaineer and motivational speaker who became the youngest Indian to summit Mount Everest in 2009 at age 19. Between attempts to complete the Seven Summits, she joined the Access Water Expedition – a 55-day, 1500 mile journey along the Ganges River also known as the Ganga. From Gomukh in the Indian Himalayas […]

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Evan Johnson has been climbing for over a decade. During the winter of 2015, he rode a motorcycle from Minnesota to the winter climbing destination of El Potrero Chico Mexico. It’s a 3 hour drive southwest from Laredo Texas and it’s easy to find climbing partners, the prices are low, and there’s plenty to do […]

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It was on a solo South American backpacking journey in 2013 when Sarah Williams decided she’d had enough of office work and was energized to start Tough Girl Challenges – a website and podcast aimed at inspiring listeners through inspirational stories from adventurous women. Sarah also inspires by completing her own challenges like climbing Mount […]

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In 2011, James Adair and Ben Stenning embarked on a 3,500-mile rowing race across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius. Hardly extreme athletes and with no rowing experience, they bought a used boat and set out to prove their critics wrong. They struggled westward for 4 months as their boat began to break down and their food supply dwindled until the final day when a huge wave capsized their boat and forced them to swim for shore. You can learn more in James’ book – Rowing After the White Whale – A Crossing of the Indian Ocean by Hand and by watching the award-winning documentary – And Then We Swam. James Adair, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Andy Welch and two friends set off from England on a planned around-the-world cycle tour in the summer of 2007. Their journey to Armenia is chronicled in Andy’s book Weave of the Ride. After Armenia, Andy went solo and continued his cycling into Georgia, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. His second book, Between Worlds, tells […]

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In February 2016, 25-year-old Ash Dykes became the first person to traverse the length of Madagascar through its interior. It was an adventure spanning 155 days and 1,600 miles during which Ash summited eight of the highest mountains on the island. Madagascar’s land area is roughly 2.5 times larger than the UK and provides plenty […]

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Carl-David Granbäck is an experienced expedition cyclist. During his first year-long adventure, he cycled through South America from Tierra del Fuego in Argentina to the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. That trip left him with a strong desire to get back in the saddle and once more head into the unknown so a few years later […]

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James Newton is a freelance director and independent filmmaker. He got his start in adventure storytelling in 2003 when he borrowed a camera and traveled to the Amazon to tell the story of Dorothy Stang, an American nun who put her life at great risk to campaign for the rights of peasant farmers. Several years […]

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Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, better known as Ants, is a travel writer, TV producer and world traveler. In her latest book, A Short Ride in the Jungle – The Ho Chi Minh Trail by Motorcycle, she tells the story of her 6 week, 2,000 mile journey from Hanoi to Saigon on a 25-year-old Honda Cub motorbike named […]

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Kristin Gates was the youngest woman to hike the US Triple Crown, the first person to hike the completed 800 mile Arizona Trail, and the first woman to solo traverse Alaska’s Brooks Range. After 700 miles of bushwhacking and 300 miles of packrafting for 51 days on the Brooks Range, Kristin spent the next summer […]

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Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish adventurer and cameraman specializing in long distance, human-powered expeditions. With fellow British adventurer Tom Allen, the two set out to follow Iran’s longest River, the Karun, by whatever means necessary. Their goal was to experience the culture and geography of a misunderstood nation and to make an adventure film. […]

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In the book Eat Sleep Cycle – A Bike Ride Around the Coast of Britain, Anna Hughes tells the story of the 10-week long 4,000 mile cycling adventure she completed in 2011. Completing the book took almost another 4 years. On her blog she writes, “Eat/sleep/cycle. Eat/sleep/write. Both things were the most simple thing I’ve […]

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Two years ago, Dakota and Chelsea rented their home and hit the road in a Mercedes Sprinter van they converted into an adventure camper. Their road trip through the Southwest US turned into an open-ended adventure as they eventually cycled 4,000 miles across the US and most recently cycled 2,400 miles from London to Prague. […]

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In 2011 at age 31, Ursula Martin took time off work to travel in mainland Europe. She kayaked down the Danube river and planned to winter over in Bulgaria, but after a doctor visit for abdominal pain, she learned she had stage 1 ovarian cancer which changed the course of her adventure. To stay close […]

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Ryan Wichelns and Gabe Messercola first appeared in episode 12 of The Pursuit Zone to talk about their Adirondack Traverse. Since then they’ve gone on to create the website primitivecondition.com to serve as a media platform for their outdoor pursuits. In their latest climbing adventure, known as the Brooks Glacier Expedition, they completed the Silverthrone […]

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At 19, Tom Davies may be the youngest person to ever cycle around the world. Starting in London in January 2015, he cycled 18,000 miles in 174 days, most days going over 100 miles. He rode to challenge himself and to raise money for three charities; Prostate Cancer UK, The Sohana Research Fund and Carney’s […]

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On September 23, 2015 Dave and Amy Freeman will launch their canoe in the Kawishiwi River and paddle into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. They will remain there for a full year, camping at over 100 different sites and traveling over 3,000 miles by canoe, ski, snowshoe and dog team. This 365-day adventure is in support […]

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Te Araroa is one of the world’s newest long distance trails. Opened in 2010, it’s a 1,900 mile trail in New Zealand connecting Cape Reinga in the North to Bluff in the South. Anna McNuff spent 5 and 1/2 months running the trail from south to north, unsupported and carrying a 30-pound backpack. She partnered […]

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The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 105 mile long-distance path around Mt. Blanc that cuts through France, Switzerland, and Italy. For 6 days in September, Mike Hogan and a few friends trekked clockwise around the mountain. In this episode, Mike shares his story and provides information on how to make the trip successful. Mike […]

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Angelo Wilkie-Page is on an 8-year adventure to circumnavigate the planet, east to west and pole to pole using only human power. It’s a first of its kind journey, called Expedition 720, that will send him across all lines of latitude and longitude. In the first leg he cycled from Los Angeles, CA to Anchorage, […]

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In 1914, President Theodore Roosevelt co-led an expedition to descend an unknown river in Brazil known as the River of Doubt. 100 years later, Dave Freeman and Paul Schurke retraced Roosevelt’s journey along this renamed Rio Roosevelt. They did it to see how the river has changed and to celebrate the legacy of President Roosevelt […]

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Justine Curgenven is an expedition sea kayaker and adventure filmmaker. In her most recent expedition with teammate Sarah Outen, the two became the first to kayak the Aleutian Island chain from Adak to Homer Alaska. It was 4 months and 1500 miles of kayaking in a remote landscape with strong winds, fast currents, and rugged […]

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For 3 months in 2014, Jake Hoffmann and his girlfriend Becca traveled light and fast by bike. Starting in Key West Florida they cycled north, connecting to the Southern Tier route which took them west to the Pacific coast. Next they cycled their way to Cape Flattery Washington where they had to carry their bikes […]

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As a teenager, Ellen McDonah dreamed of paddling the Mississippi River, but her mother said no. Over four decades later, she made the dream a reality, becoming the first woman to paddle solo 2,350 miles from the source to the Gulf of Mexico. She called the expedition One Woman’s River which began in May 2014 […]

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Four years ago Sarah Outen began her London 2 London via the World expedition, traveling eastward by bike, kayak, and rowboat. During the past two legs of her expedition she kayaked for 101 days and 2500 km along the Aleutian Islands until landing in Homer Alaska. Next she cycled from Alaska halfway through Canada and […]

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For five weeks, Erin Bastian and two teammates paddled sea kayaks 800 km through a beautiful and remote wilderness in the Chilean Patagonia. Starting in Puerto Eden, they traveled south through the fjords and rivers and among tidal glaciers and icebergs until their finish point in Puerto Natales. The expedition was called Wilderness 72 for the 72 degree line of longitude they would straddle and you can learn more about it and about Erin at erinbastian.com. Erin Bastian, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In the book, Walking Home from Mongolia, Rob Lilwall tells the story of his 6-month trek from the frozen Gobi Desert in Mongolia back to his home in Hong Kong. Along with teammate Leon McCarron, the two alternated pulling a 2-wheeled cart containing their supplies. At the China border, they ditched their conspicuous cart in favor of heavy rucksacks and continued south as they struggled with the landscape, the language, the police, and each other all the while filming the adventure which became a 4-part National Geographic television series. You can learn more abut the book and the film at roblilwall.com. Rob Lilwall, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In November of 2014, Charlie Walker completed a 43,000 mile cycling adventure through 61 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was a 4.5 year expedition that began in England on a secondhand bike he called Old Geoff. As part of the journey, Charlie also trekked 1,000 miles across the Gobi Desert from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar, rode a horse 600 miles across the Mongolian steppe, and paddled a dugout canoe down 350 miles of the Lulua River in the Congo. You can learn more about his adventure and the charities he is supporting at charliewalkerexplore.co.uk. Charlie Walker, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

For one week in February, Danielle Ramsey took part in the Husky Dog Challenge. It’s an event in northern Sweden, near the town of Kiruna, 145 km inside the Arctic Circle. As part of the challenge, Danielle mushed a team of sled dogs a distance of 200 km over several days in the wilderness, sleeping in a basic cabin without running water or electricity. She did this to raise funds in memory of her older sister Abby who had Down’s Syndrome. You can learn more at arctic4abby.wordpress.com. Danielle Ramsey, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In 2008, Phil Harwood completed a descent of the Congo River, starting at the Chambesi River in Zambia then traveling mostly through the Democratic Republic of Congo. For five months he navigated through the water and the corruption in his 15-foot canoe to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way he encountered people that wanted to kill him and steal his money, but also local fisherman that offered their help when he needed it most. Phil tells this amazing adventure story in his book, Canoeing the Congo – The First Source to Sea Descent of the Congo River and you can learn more at canoingthecongo.com. Phil Harwood, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Into the Empty Quarter is an adventure film that follows Leon McCarron’s journey through a vast region of the Arabian Desert. Beginning in Salalah Oman with teammate Alastair Humphreys, the two pulled a heavy cart containing their supplies for 1,000 miles to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Their adventure was inspired by the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger who wrote about his crossing of the desert in the book Arabian Sands. You can learn more about the movie and Leon at intotheemptyquarter.com and leonmccarron.com. Leon McCarron, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In 2009, Tyler Fish and John Huston became the first Americans to ski unsupported to the North Pole. It took 55 days to travel more than 500 miles starting from Ward Hunt Island. They pulled and pushed their heavy sleds over sand-like snow, giant ice-rubble fields, and through stretches of open water. To avoid deadly mistakes in the sub-zero temperatures, their motto was slow and steady until the last few days when they had to ski nearly nonstop to make headway against the constantly shifting ice. The expedition is documented in their book Forward and you can learn more at forwardexpeditions.com. Tyler Fish, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Will Frazer cycled around the world from London to Miami. Along with his friend Johan du Plessis, the two spent 234 days on the road, cycling 23,500 km through 24 countries. Their adventure is called Riding for Rhinos and their mission is to raise money and awareness for an animal dangerously close to extinction from poaching. You can learn more at their website ridingforrhinos.org. Will Frazer, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

At age 24, Tom Bruce quit his job and set off from his home in the UK on a 10-month round-the-world cycling adventure crossing Europe, Asia, and America. It was 14,000 miles and one of the greatest experiences of his life. In the process he raised thousands of dollars for SOS Children’s Villages, an organization devoted to protecting the world’s vulnerable children. To learn more you can read his book titled Every Inch of the Way – My Bike Ride Around the World and visit his website tombrucecycling.com. Tom Bruce, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Emma Timmis ran across Africa, coast to coast, from Namibia to Mozambique. It was 89 days and nearly 4,000 km. Supported by a small crew, they called their expedition Head over Heels 2014 with the aim of raising money for several charities. Emma says it was the toughest thing she has done in her life, even tougher than becoming the first woman to run the 2400 km Freedom Trail in South Africa. You can learn more about the adventure and their fundraising efforts at headoverheels2014.com. Emma Timmis, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Karma is from Sweden and Scott from New Zealand.  They have a passion for long-distance hiking and exploring the world.  Not wanting to be owned by their stuff, they sold everything but the packs on their backs and in 2019 began a multi-year trek from North Cape at the top of Norway toward Bluff at the bottom of New Zealand.  So far, their journey has taken them through 8 countries.  They traveled through the UK during winter then into France and Spain where the adventure was paused in March 2020.  You can learn more about them and their adventures at rebootlife.me.  Karma and Scott, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

After two years of planning, Lucy Engleheart and Anne-Laure Carruth set off on an amazing 174-day road trip circumnavigating the Mediterranean Sea. They focused their journey on North Africa and the Middle East, hoping to break down cultural misperceptions and gather stories of everyday life. Their constant companion was Landy – a 1971 long wheelbase Series IIa Land Rover which continuously broke down, yet delivered them safely back home. You can learn more about this adventure at their website shifting-sands.com. Lucy and Anne-Laure, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Jennifer Steinman’s documentary film Desert Runners has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. It tells the story of four amateur athletes competing for the 4 Deserts Grand Slam which is accomplished by finishing four 250 km ultramarathons in a calendar year. The movie shows how challenging and dangerous it can be to race in the most inhospitable places on earth – the Atacama, the Gobi, the Sahara, and Antarctica. You can learn more about the film at desertrunnersmovie.com and more about Jennifer at jennifersteinman.com. Jennifer Steinman, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Having never owned a car, the bicycle plays an important role in Anik See’s life. In her book, A Fork in the Road – Tales of Food and Travel, she writes about her cycling and travel adventures through Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Long distance cycle touring has also taken her to Sri Lanka, India, and Scotland. She currently resides in bike-friendly Amsterdam and you can learn more at her website aniksee.com. Anik See welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

The US edition of Anik’s book is titled A Taste for Adventure: A Culinary Odyssey around the World