ExWeb’s Adventure Links of the Week » Explorersweb

When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Sometimes we’re a little too plugged in and browsing adventure reads can turn from minutes to hours. To nourish your adventure fix, here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.

In Darwin’s Wake: On August 14, an antique sealing ship set off from Sutton Harbour in Plymouth, United Kingdom. It was the first day of a ten-year journey around the world. The crew aims to retrace Darwin’s round-the-world voyage aboard the Beagle. Along the way, 200 young naturalists between the ages of 18-25 will join the crew to carry out research projects as they sail.

Rescuers Find Four Australians and Two Indonesians Lost at Sea: On August 13, a major search and rescue mission began in Indonesia.

Four Australians and three Indonesian crew members had set off to the island of Pinang to go surfing. Suddenly a huge storm hit, their boat capsized and they were stranded. Luckily, most of them grabbed surfboards and gear from the boat to cling to in the waves.

After 37 hours, seven of the eight individuals were rescued. Rescue teams are still looking for the final Indonesian crew member.

A Controversial Paddle-In Camping Trip: In June, Ethan Harold and Ammar Alkassam paddled an inflatable raft from the coast of Newfoundland and set up camp on an iceberg. It was a stunt for their YouTube channel.

Since uploading their video, two reactions have dominated the online discourse. The first think the stunt was moronic and that the pair were ignorant of the risk to themselves and potential first responders. The second group thinks the pair should be left alone and that you cannot guardrail everything that individuals attempt.

Tips for Your First Alpine Climb: For many, the thought of alpine climbing is daunting. It is technical, hseveral of hazards, and requires serious commitment. You cannot tackle an alpine route without extensive planning. From understanding planning, the equipment you should bring, and the mindset you need, Gripped outlines their ten top tips for new alpinists.

Tough Choices: Ryan Sandes and Reno Griesel attempt to run 1,100km around the kingdom of Lesotho. Whilst they run, a local support team is always a few kilometers away, either in jeeps or on horses.

After delaying the start because of the weather, things go from bad to worse. Heavy rain leads to flooding and stream crossings are suddenly impossible.

The First Thru-Hiker of the Appalachian Trail: In 1948, Earl Shaffer set off from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia. Four months later he arrived at Mount Katahdin, Maine. He became the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

Previously, hikers had completed the trail in sections. Shaffer had also completed sections with a friend. They had planned to attempt it all in one go, but when his friend died in WWII Shaffer decided to attempt it alone.

Earl Shaffer on Mount Katahdin. Photo: Adventure Journal

What’s Harder: Silence or Burden of Dreams?: Stefano Ghisolfi has set himself a challenge: to climb both Silence and the Burden of Dreams. Often considered the hardest sport climb and boulder in the world, it is no easy feat.

Silence is a 45m, 5.11d route in Hanshelleren Cave, Norway. It has been successfully climbed once. Burden of Dreams is a 4m, V17 boulder in Lappnor, Finland. It has only been climbed twice. Ghisolfi has tried and failed at them both. In this video, he contemplates the climbs and tries to compare them.

The Hikers Who Found Julian Sands: The British actor Julian Sands went missing in January 2023. There were eight searches totaling 500 hours but to no avail.

On June 24, a group of hikers took to Mount Baldy. Three hours in they found a boot and a few hours later they found another. Then they found trekking poles, bones, and a pile of clothes. The driver’s license in the pocket belonged to Sands.