Every Friday we post an article that shares some of the stories we just didn’t have space or time to get to elsewhere. This round-up often includes news from the world of outdoor adventure and exploration, travel deals, new gear, and so much more. We call them “Adventure Quickies” and here’s what we have on tap for this week:
- A Hunger Strike Against Climate Change in Everest Base Camp: Earlier this week, The Himalayan News posted a short story about four young men who staged a hunger strike at Everest Base Camp to protest climate change. The strike was expected to last for 24 hours, but only made it to four hours. It was cut short, ironically enough, due to bad weather. A four hour hunger strike? We call that the time between lunch and dinner where I live.
- Nike Marathon Running Shoes Under Review: Over the past five years the world record for running a men’s marathon has been broken five times, and on each occasion the runner’s were wearing Nike shoes. And when Eliud Kipchoge ran the first sub-2 hour marathon a few weeks back on the same weekend that Brigid Kosgei set a new women’s record, both were wearing an iteration of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly. Now, this wonder-shoe is under review by the International Association of Athletics Federation to see if it gives runner’s an unfair advantage. Seems like sour grapes to me.
- Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Kicked Off Airplane for Body Odor: Listen up long-distance hikers. If you plan on getting on an airplane after you’ve completed a major thru-hike, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’re good and clean before do. Two backpackers who had recently completed the Appalachian Trail found this out the hard way when they attempted to fly home aboard a Frontier Airlines flight. They were kindly asked to leave do to “offensive body odor.”
- #OptOutside with REI and United By Blue: If there are two brands that care about the environment, it’s REI and United By Blue. Both have focused time, energy, and funds towards projects to help clean up the environment and work to make the world a better place. Now, they’ve joined forces for the 2019 #OptOutside campaign by offering a special clean-up kit to allow us to do our part for the planet too.
- Climb Mt. Elbrus in Summer 2020: Looking to add one of the Seven Summits to your adventure resume? Why not consider Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe at 18,510 feet (5641 meters)? Mountain Gurus and is offering departures from July 8-17 and August 9-18 at a cost of $4600.
- BioLight’s PowerLight Mini Converts for Use on a Bike: BioLite’s PowerLight Mini has been in the line-up for awhile now, proving itself useful around home, in the backyard, and at the campsite. To enhance its benefits beyond that however, the company is taking things one step further by offering the Cyclist Light Kit, which allows two of the lights to be used on the front and back of your bike. Ingenious!
- Spot Polar Bears in the Live Cam: Bear cams are all the rage right now and while it’s always cool to see what’s happening with the ursine crew in Katmai National Park, spotting polar bears in the wild is pretty cool too. If that sounds like something you could spend an inordinate amount of time doing, check out this live feed direct from Churchill, Manitoba.
That’s all for this week. More Adventure Quickies next Friday!
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