Adventure Lurks Around Every Corner...

Corpus Christi Hiking/Biking Trail - Photo by Joe Vulgamore

As I sit watching the Mavericks Invitational, I'm reminded how blessed I am to live where I do.

Loving adventure as I do, I am very fortunate to live in South Texas. Not really known as an "Adventurers Paradise", Corpus has more to offer than meets the eye... especially for the weekend adventurer. But having a mix of semi-arid and sub-tropical terrains, one doesn't need to look very far to find something to whet the adventure appetite.

From here I can surf about a hundred or so days a year, while not world class, it still gives me a fix. I can take advantage of a few good bike trails that provide a moderate level of difficulty, if you know where to go. We have a ton of wind for all kinds of other things like wind surfing, kite boarding, and sailing. There are plenty of guys who are into powered paragliding, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, camping, hunting, and more.
A couple of hours to the north lies San Antonio and Austin which brings better hiking and biking trails. Also close is the Texas Hill Country, which gives more in the way of hiking and camping and also allows for some decent rock climbing.

The only thing missing that I can think of are a few good cliffs for BASE jumping, but we do have a skydiving school 15 miles away in Port Aransas.

The point of this post is that there is adventure around every nook and cranny in most places and if you look hard enough, you will find it.

So get out there and look, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find...

Bikes Not Bombs... A Cool Concept

Photo by Matt Teuten

A Boston-based company called "Bikes Not Bombs" has a very cool concept of driving social change in developing countries by recycling used bicycles and donating them.

In developing countries, people many time have to traverse long distances just to get the basic necessities of life. Having a bike makes that much easier.

There is a great article on Takepart.com about this company, their concept, and all the great work they do... Read it HERE

2013 Enduro World Series

Fans of Enduro style mountain biking are in for a real treat in 2013 as the EMBA (Enduro Mountain Biking Association) has created the Enduro World Series slated launch this year.

"Cool," you say, "but what is enduro style mountain biking?"

Simply put, enduro is a combination of XC fitness with Downhill riding. There are sections of pedaling with plenty of trail and downhill skills needed to deal with the course. One of the things that appeals to many riders is that contests can be run on traditional trail bikes with only minor modifications, the events are popular with riders who don’t have, or want to buy, specialized downhill or XC race bikes.

With this in mind, the new Enduro World Series announced in November of 2012 a schedule of seven races to be held in four countries (U.S., Canada, France and Italy).

Below is the schedule:


May 18-19 - Superenduro PRO - Punta Ala, Italy
June 29-30 - Enduro Series - Val d'Allos, France
July 6-7 - Crankworx Les 2 Alpes - Les 2 Alpes, France
July 27-28 - Colorado Freeride Festival - Winter Park, United States
August 10-11 - Crankworx Whistler - Whistler, Canada
August 24-25 - Enduro Des Nations - Val d'Isere, France
October 19-20 - Superenduro PRO - Finale Ligure, Italy


You can read more about this new series at www.enduroworldseries.com or just click HERE

Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest - Feb. 14 - 16, 2013

Photo courtesy of Desert Sports

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. have teamed up with Desert Sports to bring the 2013 Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest to the Big Bend Ranch State Park in mid February.

West Texas, and the Big Bend area in particular is quickly becoming a "go-to" destination for Mountain Bikers.

(From the TPWD website) "The Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest is a celebration of Mountain Bike Riding in the Big Bend Area. 

This festival will feature rides in Big Bend National Park, the Lajitas Resort Trail System, as well as various rides in Big Bend Ranch State Park. 

The 3 day event will feature a different riding area each day, with options for alternate rides in other areas. 

The main venue and staging area for the event will be the Lajitas Resort and riders will either ride or drive to the Trail Head for the start of each ride. Each day will offer opportunities for rides of different lengths and difficulty and will include rides appropriate for Families/Kids. The Main Event for the Festival will be the route named as an IMBA Epic in Big Bend Ranch State Park."

You can find more about this event and sign up information at the Desert Sports Website.

Summit On The Summit... Climbing Kilimanjaro

There is a major crisis going on in the world today... we're not talking about wars, politics, or conspiracy theories. We are talking about an issue that is life-threatening and robs people of a basic human right... We are talking about a global clean water crisis.

In so many areas around the world, water is not clean enough to drink. This threatens the lives of many people across the globe.

Enter the Summit On the Summit.

"What is Summit on the Summit", you ask?

According to their website, the Summit On The Summit is "An initiative designed to drive awareness and change to the global clean water crisis while engaging a community through raising awareness, supporting education, inspiring advocacy and activating fundraising. By taking cultural influencers, educators and high profile individuals to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, SUMMIT is able to support organizations in bringing clean water to the 1 billion people living without this basic human right."

The Project: 

(From the SUMMIT Website) Our project will consist of a 7 day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with internationally recognized influencers as well as men and women who have either made an exceptional global impression around the water crisis or proven to be a leader in youth activism. These two groups represent Influencers and Educators. They will climb Kili as a team; communicating about the issues around access to water, learning of solutions to the problem, discussing how to improve social awareness and embracing the idea that they are now the example for showing ways to take action and give back to those with little or nothing. Through our efforts, we will directly support nonprofit organizations providing safe, clean drinking water to struggling communities...giving future generations the chance to thrive.

Who is involved:

There is a long list of celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs  and activists who are participating in this climb to raise awareness. 

You can find a list of them on the SUMMIT website at http://www.summitonthesummit.com/climbers

Human Spirit of Adventure is closely following the climb. We are sharing updates and video from the climbers daily on our Facebook page. So follow along and show your support for bringing clean drinking water to the world!

Happy New Year Adventurers!!!

My fellow Adventurers,

As we bring to close another year in the history of our lives, let us not look back and wonder what could have been... but look forward to what will be. We will have plenty of time for looking back when we are old, gray, and reminiscing with grandchildren.

The Human Spirit of Adventure has always been about moving forward and meeting challenges... from the early days when Columbus sailed the Atlantic in search of a new world, to the first moon landing, to Felix Baumgartner's super-sonic Base-jump from the edge of space, adventurers have always followed the road less traveled.

Robert Frost said it best... (READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP)