TPZ213: Kayaking the Amazon River with Olie Hunter Smart

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.

In 2015, with his friend Tarran, he completed a kayaking adventure along the Amazon River, traveling from the headwaters of the Rio Mantaro, high in the Peruvian Andes, to the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil.   It was 400 miles of trekking followed by 3,600 miles of kayaking for 4.5 months.  You can learn more about Olie and his adventures at oliehuntersmart.com.  Olie Hunter Smart, welcome back to the show. Olie appeared first in TPZ episode 204 about his walk across India I interviewed West Hansen about his Amazon adventure in TPZ episode 038

The first part of his 40,000-kilometer cycling journey took him from England to Tbilisi Georgia.  After a winter break in England earning money, he reunited with his bike and continued through central Asia along the Pamir highway and into the Whakan Valley.  He was denied a visa to China so he chose to cycle India from south to north.  His adventure continued into Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and down Australia from Darwin to Adelaide enduring the relentless heat of the Outback.  It was 775 days on the road with a budget of $5.40 a day.  Check out Josiah and his other adventures include sailing across the Indian Ocean and hiking across Europe at josiahskeats.com.  Josiah Skeats, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

  In the summer of 2019, Anna Welch traveled from New Zealand to San Francisco to begin cycling across the United States. She was inspired by the Kate Harris book Lands of Lost Borders – A Journey on the Silk Road. She wanted to see a cross-section of American culture and geography in a way that tested her mental and physical limits. She followed the Western Express and Trans Am routes, using maps from the Adventure Cycling Association completing her journey to Yorktown Virginia in 83 days. Anna says the best thing about the whole adventure was how cycling facilitated a connection to the landscape and the people. You can learn more at thesevariousadventures.wordpress.com. Anna Welch, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Anna's presentation on YouTube My Kate Harris interview - Episode 162

  In 2018 they began a long cycling adventure, heading east from their home country the Netherlands. Some of the places they have cycled include Turkey, Iran, Oman, and Japan. They've experienced the extremes of the high mountain passes through central Asia and the heat and humidity of SE Asia. Along the way they captured these moments with their cameras and created some of the best cycling videos on YouTube. Their channel is called Wheels to Wander and you can find them at their website wheelstowander.com. Eric and Maudi, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. The Big Africa Cycle - Peter Gostelow's blog Earthships

  He lives a life of adventure as a travel writer and broadcast journalist, reporting from over 100 countries in the past decade.  Back in 2016 he sailed and cycled from China to London in 133 days.  The main legs of this journey were a 28-day yacht race across the North Pacific then cycling across the USA in 49 days before getting back into the race on a different crew and sailing 11 days across the North Atlantic from New York to Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland.  His latest creation is a video series titled Earth Cycle.  In the first season he cycles 2000 miles in Norway and Sweden, interviewing locals and shining a light on environmental issues.  You can learn more about Simon at simonwparker.co.uk.  Simon Parker, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Simon's TedX Talk BBC Radio Documentary for the Sailing & Cycling Adventure

Christine Ka'aloa runs the YouTube channel GrrrlTraveler.  It's a channel that takes you inside her solo travel adventures around the world.  Before YouTube, she lived in New York City for over 8 years, working in tv and video production including working with MTV.  When the economy slowed in 2009, she decided to take a gap year to travel abroad.  She spent time living in South Korea teaching English before spending 7 months backpacking in India and SE Asia.  She also runs a companion travel blog at GrrrlTraveler.com where you can learn more about her travels.  Christine Ka'aloa, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Photo credit: Susanna Oreskovic In the late 1920s, the husband-and-wife duo Don and Phyllis Munday believed there was an undiscovered peak in the Coast Range about 200 miles north of Vancouver which was an uncharted part of the province.  They called it Mystery Mountain and set out to find it.  They achieved their goal in 1928, reaching the lower summit of Mystery Mountain which became known as Mount Waddington, the highest peak inside British Columbia at 13,186 ft.   About 90 years later, a team of six set out to retrace the Munday's expedition to Mystery Mountain using only 1920s era equipment.  Greg Gransden directed the documentary film about the adventure titled The Mystery Mountain Project which is available to view online.  You can learn more about the film and the team at canadianehsociety.ca.  Greg Gransden, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. View on Amazon View on Vimeo View on Reelhouse View on Adventure Sports TV Don and Phyllis Munday Photo credit: Museum of North Vancouver

Her travels have taken her all over the world.  Her first big adventure was traveling solo through parts of East and West Africa using public transportation.  She is also into cycle-touring and spent 2.5 months in SE Asia, 5 weeks in Patagonia, and most recently was back in Africa cycling from Luxor Egypt to Khartoum Sudan.  In 2019 she competed in the first Bike Nonstop US race from Portland Oregon to Washington DC.  It was her first experience in an ultra-distance cycling race and she completed it self-supported on her Surly Long Haul Trucker.  Alissa writes about these experiences and more at exploringwild.com.  Alissa, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.