The Pursuit Zone

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.

  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.

At the end of 2016 he left his job to begin 2 months of planning for a walk across India from Turtuk in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. The walk would begin in 2017. The year marking 70 years of Indian independence. The goal of the expedition was to learn about how Independence and Partition affected the people that lived through it as well as to demonstrate that with careful planning and determination it is possible to walk over 7 months and 4,500 km through high altitude, extreme heat and monsoon rains with a 50-year-old rucksack. He also made a film about the journey titled The Road to Independence. You can learn more about the film and his adventures at oliehuntersmart.com. Olie Hunter Smart, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

When she was little, she dreamed of becoming a writer. But by her early forties, after dozens of jobs from teaching to real estate to selling insurance, she wondered why she had lost sight of that dream. So, in 2011 she set out from Belgrade Serbia on an old 8-speed mountain bike with a budget of 5 euros per day to begin cycling around the world. Along the way she overcame many hardships. But she took time off when needed to rest, earn money, and most importantly to begin writing books about her journey. Nine years later she has cycled in over 40 countries and is currently in South America with plans to cycle to Alaska. You can learn more at her website snezanaradojicic.com. Snežana Radojičić, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

She left her job as a graphic designer and traveled to New Zealand to start her first bicycle tour.  But when it was over, she knew she wanted more.  A few years later in 2015 she cycled away from her home in Sweden with the plan to ride back to New Zealand.  The journey took her through Europe, Turkey, and Iran before ending with an injured foot on the Pamir highway in Tajikistan.  Back in Sweden after 4 months of recovery, she began again on a new route that would take her across Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Australia.  Near the end of 2017, after 36,000 km, she cycled into Wellington New Zealand marking the end of her amazing adventure.  You can learn more at her website mairawa.com.  Ann Johansson, 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.

Enjoy this bonus episode in celebration of reaching 200 episodes. 24 previous guests sent in recordings of what they are doing now.

Back in 2006 while snowboarding in the French Alps, he met some backpackers and became fascinated with their lifestyle and tales of travel and adventure.  Soon after, he quit his job and spent a year working and traveling Australia.  A few years later, while backpacking and volunteering in Central America, he decided to retire the backpack and begin traveling in other ways.  First, he built a bike-car that seats two cyclists in the front and two in the back.  Its maiden voyage was from the UK to Italy and after some modifications he cycled it across Canada and partway down the west coast of the US.  Since then he has gone on to do many more adventures including kayaking the Inside Passage.  You can learn more about Paul and his adventures at going-solo.co.uk.  Paul Everitt, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

At age 15 he emigrated with his parents from Romania to Montreal Canada.  He studied software engineering at University, but after graduation he decided to take another path in life.  He left on a 9-month adventure to cycle the Americas from the top of Alaska to the bottom of South America, a 34,000 km journey that ultimately lasted more than 3 years.  For this he was awarded the European Adventurer of the year in 2018.  You can learn more at his website radupaltineanu.com.  Radu Păltineanu, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In August 2019, he began a 780 km trek across Madagascar.  Joined by three team members, the goal was to walk east to west along Madagascar's longest river, the Mangoky.  The journey was 29 days through jungles and across mountain ranges while avoiding crocodiles and the threat of armed bandits.  Part of the adventure is to raise funds and awareness for the loss of wildlife and wild lands across Africa by working with the African Wildlife Foundation.  You can learn more about Chaz and his adventures at thewildestjourney.com.  Chaz Powell, welcome back to the show.

He is on a mission to use human power to reach the peaks of the seven summits.  After cycling to Nepal and summiting Mt. Everest in 2016, he set out on a new adventure to reach the top of Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak of Mount Carstensz in the Popua Province of Indonesia.  He began on bicycle from Nepal, crossing India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and ending 9,000 km later in East Java Indonesia.  From there he continued by rowboat another 4,000 km to Papua Province, but because of local violence, he had to hitch a helicopter ride with a climbing expedition team to cover the final 70 km.  It was 2.5 years of training, preparing, cycling and rowing to reach the summit.  You can learn more about his adventures at his website jelleveyt.be.  Jelle Veyt, welcome back to the show.

They saved their money and quit their jobs to begin traveling the world with the goal of reaching all seven continents.  Their fourth continent, Antarctica, is an expensive place to get to so they applied for jobs at McMurdo station, a US Antarctic research base with a summer population of about 1,200 people.  You can learn more about their 5 months at McMurdo and their other travels at their website peregrination-travel.com as well their YouTube channel Peregrination.  Zach and Leah, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

His passion is undertaking expeditions through the mountains, thousands of kilometers long, on foot and usually alone.  These journeys provide an opportunity to look within and ponder life's most profound questions.  For more than 2 decades he has walked over 20,000 km through mountain ranges in Europe and Asia.  In 2004 he did a first ever solo thru-hike of the Carpathian Mountains and in 2014 he hiked through the Zagros mountains in Iran.  Inspired by a summer adventure in Iceland, he returned to Iceland in 2020 to complete an east to west crossing in winter.  You can learn more at his website lukaszsupergan.com. Lukasz Supergan, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

The North Sea Cycle Route extends along the coastline of eight countries bordering the North Sea.  It's about 6,000 km long and is also known as EuroVelo 12.  It's a diverse route covering land below sea level in the Netherlands to cliffs over 1,000 meters high in Norway.  Laura Kennington completed this journey over 70 days in the summer of 2018.  She has also recently authored a book titled Kairos, an ancient Greek word meaning the supreme moment, where she shares the stories and lessons learned from her adventures.  You can learn more at lauraexplorer.com.  Laura Kennington, welcome back to the show.

In February 2018, architects Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel bought a marine survival lifeboat and spent a year converting it for a four-month, 5000 km voyage to the Arctic.  Along with a dog named Shackleton, they traveled from the UK to Tromsø, the largest city in the Arctic, situated far north in the Norwegian Fjords.  The aim of the expedition was to design a self-sufficient boat capable of taking on the harsh environments, explore the wild and isolated Arctic landscape, and document the adventure through photography and film.  You can learn more at the website arctic-lifeboat.com.  Guylee and David, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Over the past decade she has done many adventures which have taken her to the Arctic, the Haute route, Bolivian high peaks, Denali, and Iceland to name a few.  Her first time in the Amazon jungle was a short trip to Guyana in 2014.  She went back in 2020 with the mission to cross the Kanuku mountain range.  With a small group of Amerindian tribe members, the team completed the crossing after a few weeks in the mountains. They encountered jaguars, bushmaster snakes and bullet ants.  You can learn more about Lucy and her adventures at lucyshepherd.net.  Lucy Shepherd, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

She is a Swiss outdoor explorer that likes the challenge of winter adventure.  She has competed in 2 arctic winter races in Finland, the Rovaniemi 150 and 300, as well as the Arrowhead 135 winter endurance race in northern Minnesota.  In February 2019 she set out on an expedition called Arctic 1000, a 1000 km solo and unsupported trek in Lapland, the northern most region of Finland.  Her planned route was from the Lapland capital Rovaniemi to Lake Inari and back, but due to equipment troubles her journey ended at 700 km on day 20.  You can learn more about her adventures at her website thestridersadventures.blogspot.com.  Rachel Frei Bandieri, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In the summer of 2012, while working a regular job and in search of a creative outlet, she decided to combine her passion for writing and travel to create the blog WonderfulWanderings.com. Little did she know less than 3 years later, she would quit that regular job to focus on the blog full time to serve a community of travelers.  Beginning this year, she left her home base in Belgium and set off on an adventure to visit a new destination every month to try the location-independent lifestyle and perhaps in the end discover a new home base.  You can learn more at her website WonderfulWanderings.com. Sofie Couwenbergh, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Sofie's article on Chris Guillebeau's site Sofie on the Side Hustle School podcast

While in Kyrgyzstan in 2018 he bought a Russian-made 1987 UAZ-452 van.  After converting it into a campervan he drove off to explore central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan.  After Pakistan, he shipped the van to Argentina where he has begun a multi-year road trip to Alaska.  But before all of this, he lived on sailboats, cycled the length of New Zealand, and rode a motorcycle through Vietnam.  You can learn more about these adventures at his YouTube channel Huub Vlogs.  Huub van der Mark, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

She is one of the UKs most accomplished female adventurers whose achievements include summitting both Ama Dablam and Mount Everest, racing 1000 km across Mongolia on horseback, and completing the 243 km Kathmandu Coast to Coast race on New Zealand's South Island. She is also the founder of How Many Elephants.  An organization which raises the awareness of the plight of elephants in Africa and raises funds for anti-poaching projects.  You can learn more at her website hollybudge.com. Holly Budge, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Starting in Spain, she cycled 10,000 km across 13 countries to reach Ghana on a bike she built from recycled components.  It was an adventure she called Ready Steady Slow in an effort to remind herself not to rush and to patiently take in everything going on around her.  But going slow can be a difficult challenge when the setbacks begin to mount like colliding with a taxi in Senegal and injuring a knee to cycling through the desert in extreme heat to not having the correct tools to fix a disintegrating wheel.  You can learn more about her journey at her website readysteadyslow.wordpress.com.  Nikki Ray, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

She's trekked across the wilderness of Arctic Sweden, walked 1,600 km along ancient pilgrimage routes in France and Spain, summitted Mt. Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, paddled a tandem kayak 4,000 km from London to the Black Sea coast in Romania, and most recently completed an adventure she calls The Green Ribbon, a 1,000 km solo trek along the length of the mountains between Norway and Sweden.  You can learn more at her website annablackwell.co.uk.  Anna Blackwell, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

He lived in western New York and Hawaii before moving to Cambodia in 2015 where he explored the country by motorbike.  During his time in Cambodia he suffered a stroke and luckily fully recovered from it.  But the experience made him think he needed to go on a long adventure.    His first big cycle tour was in 1990 across the United States.  Now, he's on an even longer cycle trip he calls Strokes to Spokes.  Starting in Cambodia his travels have taken him through SE Asia, India, Nepal, and currently Australia.  And as a photographer his camera keeps pulling him in directions he wouldn't otherwise have gone.  You can learn more at his website adventuresofaregularguy.com.  Scott Sharick, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Scott's book on Blurb

She had an ordinary life as a geography teacher before setting out to live a life of adventure.  She is passionate about traveling and human powered exploration and spent 13 months cycling the length of Australia and New Zealand and then from Indonesia to Nepal.  The journey opened her eyes to the kindness of strangers, but also to the harmful effects humans have on the environment.  She also spent a month paddling the rivers of rural Bangladesh and recently returned home from walking the length of Iceland.  You can learn more at her website alicebowers.com.  Alice Bowers, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

He is an Eagle Scout, a former military aviator, and an avid traveler who has explored over 35 countries. He rode a recumbent bicycle across the US using the Race Across America route and in July 2018 began rowing from Neah Bay, Washington to Australia, making landfall 11 months later at Trinity Beach, Queensland – a journey of over 7,000 statute miles in a custom-made rowboat and the longest solo, non-stop row from North America in the history of modern ocean rowing.  He is also raising funds for Water Mission - a non-profit that builds and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas.  You can learn more about him at his website jacobadoram.com.  Jacob Adoram, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

With his dog Saku, he explores the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  In 2017 they crossed Newfoundland - 700 km by foot, snowshoe, and packraft.  In 2018 with the support from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Mountain Equipment Coop, they began a crossing over the Labrador Peninsula on foot and by canoe.  It was a 1,700 km dream project and a way to share some of these last undeveloped wilderness areas.  In the end, their goal of reaching the shores of Hudson Bay fell short by 700 km as high winds pinned them down for 28 days.  You can learn more about these journeys at newfoundlandexplorer.com.  Justin Barbour, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Show Notes Justin Barbour's YouTube Channel Justin Barbour's Instagram

The cycling books he read fueled his passion for travel and adventure.  The mountains of South America, the deserts of Africa, the freezing tundra of Siberia became the backdrop of his daydreams.  In 2018, after 12 years in the British Army, he left that life behind to begin cycling to these far way places.  Since then, his desire to tell his story through video has grown and he's steadily improving his filmmaking craft as he cycles his way around the world.  You can learn more at his website adamhugill.com and at his YouTube channel Adam Hugill – Cycling the World.  Adam Hugill, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Show Notes Scott Sharick Photography Adventures of a Regular Guy mrpumpy.net

In the summer of 2018, Chris Haag and Sophie George began cycling south from Homer Alaska toward their goal of reaching Ushuaia Argentina.  With North America behind them they are currently in Colombia.  You can follow the adventure at their website theplacesipee.com.  Chris and Sophie, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Ian and Jamie. Photo credit to Will Saunders After the Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson in 1830, the US government began a series of relocations of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the southeast to areas west of the Mississippi River. The 5 civilized tribes consisting of Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw were all part of the forced removals.  In 1838 the Cherokee people were removed, via a series of land and water routes, from their ancestral homelands in the Great Smoky Mountains to Tahlequah Oklahoma. It's estimated that of the 16,000 removed, between 4-8000 Cherokee died from hunger, exposure and disease.  This journey was known amongst the Cherokee as the “The Trail Where They Cried”, today known as the “The Trail of Tears”. Beginning in mid-March 2019, Photographer Ian Finch and Jamie Barnes retraced the original trail from The Smokey Mountains into Tahlequah Oklahoma. Over 81 days they descended flooded rivers, canoeing close to 1000 miles, then continuing on foot for 400 miles. You can learn more about their journey at Ian's website www.ianefinch.com, and at www.sidetracked.com where you can learn more about their upcoming feature article in Sidetracked Magazine's October issue. Ian Finch and Jamie Barnes, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Ian previously appeared in Episode 129.

For Tim and Linda, it's been over 400 days on the road so far since cycling away from Europe in the spring of 2018.  Some of the highlights include a month through Turkey, riding through the Pamir mountains in Tajikistan, and cycling for 3 months in China.  You can learn more about their adventure at pedallingtheplanet.wordpress.com.  Tim and Linda, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. The Adventure Cycle Touring handbook Why Don't You Fly? Backdoor to Beijing by Bicycle

After working and hitchhiking around Australia for 2 years, he bought a bike and spent 3 months cycling around New Zealand.  He then cycled back to his home in England starting in Papua New Guinea where he came down with Dengue fever and was chased by men wielding machetes.  After working 16 months in England, the cycling adventure continued through Northern Europe before riding south into the Balkans.  In December 2018 he rode into the Middle East and onward into North Africa.  Currently in Tanzania, he is just over halfway to his goal of cycling 100,000 km through 100 countries on 6 continents.  Part of his adventure is to raise funds for Build Africa, a UK charity working to fight poverty in Kenya and Uganda by using education to combat inequality.  You can learn more about his adventures at his website tristanridley.com.  Tristan Ridley, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In late October 2018 she traveled to New Zealand to begin a 4-month southbound thru-hike of Te Araroa, a 3,000 km walking track across the north and south islands.  It's a challenging hike that took her across various landscapes including beaches, cities, forests, and volcanoes.  You can read more about Te Araroa and her other adventures at her website blissfulhiker.com.  Alison Young, welcome back to the show.

She cycled away from her hometown of Sundsvall Sweden in the early spring of 2015 with the goal to cycle around the world and to experience foreign lands and cultures.  She wanted to overcome the personal challenges of riding into the ruthless headwinds, the freezing cold, the tormenting heat and be able to say in the end, “Girl.  You actually did it.”  But this bike ramble was also something bigger – a fundraiser in support of ActionAid, an organization defending the human rights of the world's most vulnerable girls and woman.  After 33 months, 51,000 km, and 45 countries she accomplished her mission and you can learn more about it at thebikeramble.com.  Fredrika Ek, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Photos by Martijn Doolaard at espiritu-libre.com.

Trekking to Everest base camp at 5,380 meters is not an easy adventure, but the reward is spending time in the incredible mountain landscapes of the Himalayas.  Russ Hepton began his 2-week trek starting in Kathmandu Nepal.  After an exhilarating 45-minute helicopter flight to Lukla he set out with his guide toward Namche Bazaar at 3,340 meters and spent a day acclimating.  The trek continued toward Dingboche at 4,410 meters and another rest day.  After reaching Everest base camp he attempted a challenging hike toward the top of Kala Patthar which stands at 5,643 meters.  You can learn more at his YouTube channel called The Trail Hunter and his website thetrailhunter.com.  Russ Hepton, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. The guide service Russ used: Magic Expedition Trekking and Tours

Death Valley National Park on the California Nevada border is the hottest, driest and lowest of all the US national parks.  It is also the largest National Park in the lower 48 with a diverse environment of sand dunes, salt flats, mountains and valleys.  For three years beginning in 2015, Roland Banas tried and failed 4 times to cross the park solo and unsupported.  In December 2018 he began his 5th attempt.  Starting out with a 85-pound pack of food, water and gear, Roland finally completed the trek in 6 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes covering a distance of 166 miles.  Roland has written about his adventure at explorersweb.com.  Roland Banas, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

From his home in Reading England to the finish line in Reading, PA it was a journey of 46,500 km spanning over 3 years.  On a bicycle he built for less than 500 pounds he cycled through 39 countries experiencing the stunning vistas of Kyrgyzstan and the soul-crushing roads of the Atacama Desert. In El Salvador he was hit by a car and hospitalized, but continued on with a new bike.  As part of the adventure he is raising funds for The Royal Berks Charity and SOS Children's Villages and you can learn more at his website reading2reading.com.  Tim Millikin, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In June 2016, Oscar Scafidi and teammate Alfy Weston assembled the 1960s era Klepper Aerius II foldable kayak and set out on the Kwanza River in Angola – which flows 600 miles from its source on the Bié Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean.  During their roughly 4-week journey they experienced many unexpected delays from dangerous hippos and fishing dams that nearly capsized their boat to government authorities that attempted to deport them.  Part of their adventure was to raise funds for The Halo Trust - the oldest and largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization which has been working for over two decades in Angola, a country heavily contaminated with landmines as a result of the 27-year civil war following independence from Portugal.  You can learn more about the adventure in Oscars book Kayak the Kwanza - Source to Sea Along Angola's Longest River and at kayakthekwanza.com.  Oscar Scafidi, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Donate to The Halo Trust Kayak the Kwanza movie

Joel is the pilot and Keegan is the copilot.  They are the first team in the world to drive a solar powered, 100% electric camper van from Alaska to Argentina.  The adventure is called Route del Sol and the goal is to make it to the bottom of South America by the summer of 2020.  The first part of Route Del Sol has taken them through the landscapes of Alaska, the Yukon Territory and British Columbia.  Now they're in part two and making their way down the west coast of the United States.  You can learn more at routedelsol.com.  Joel Hayes and Keegan Taccori, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Located between India and Myanmar, Bangladesh is a country about the size of England and Wales, but with three times the population.  From January through March 2019, Ian Packham was on a self-supported trek across Bangladesh.  It was 665.8 miles on foot starting in Saint Martins island in the south and ending in the country's northernmost point.  His plan is to uncover the stories of one of the world's hidden destinations.  You can learn more about Ian and his adventures at his website encircleafrica.org.  Ian Packham, welcome back to the show. Song of the Little Road by Graham Finch http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/7360

A lifelong love of sailing and adventure has taken Katherine Knight all over the world, from Iceland to Canada, the arctic and Cape Horn.  Her home, with her partner Eric, is a 50ft expedition yacht called Narwhal.  This past year they set sail on an amazing journey from Scotland across the arctic circle to Norway.  Their expeditions also devote time to Clean Up the Arctic, removing large amounts of trash from the beautiful arctic waters.  Katherine is also passionate about empowering people to get beyond their doorstep and fall in love with adventure.  You can learn more about the Narwhal and their sailing expeditions at narwhalexpeditions.com.  Katherine Knight, welcome to The Pursuit Zone. Film link ‘The Adventure Itinerary' https://vimeo.com/306564120#at=2

In January 2019, Chaz Powell and Tim Roberts set off on a 1,120 km trek of the Gambia River from its source in the Fouta Djallon highlands of central Guinea to the coastal city of Banjul in The Gambia.  It was a challenging 46 days through extreme temperatures and harsh landscapes, with constant hunger and dehydration as a companion along with the wildest of animals.  With unending hospitality and kindness from the locals they were able to reach the Atlantic ocean, becoming the first people to document a full source-to-sea trek of the Gambia River.  For this expedition, Chaz partnered with the African Wildlife Foundation, one of the oldest and largest conservation organizations focusing on the protection of African wildlife and wildlands.   You can learn more about Chaz and his adventures at thewildestjourney.com.  Chaz Powell, welcome back to the show. www.justgiving.com/TheWildestJourney 

William Shears on left Having never ridden a motorcycle, William Shears traveled to Vietnam to begin a roughly 1,200-mile motorbike adventure from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh.  He bought a second hand 110cc Honda he called Black Rose and set off on the Ho Chi Minh Highway with a camera to capture the journey. You'll find it on YouTube in a video titled How to Motorbike Vietnam and you can learn more about William at his website williamshears.co.uk.  William Shears, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.