Wednesday, June 26, 2013

DESTINATION: ADVENTURE - Recap

Photo: HSA

HSA Expedition Recap


Our adventure to the Oklahoma outback was exciting, fun, beautiful, and at times, quite grueling.
We started off leaving our home in Corpus Christi at about 2:00PM on Friday June 14 and drove straight on through to our destination in the Arbuckle Mountains.

We arrived at approximately 1:00AM and slept for a few hours in the jeep waiting for first light to set up our camp. As the first signs of light began to glow, just before the yellow ball peeked it's head above the horizon, we sat up our base camp and prepared for a long hike to the waterfall.

After several hours of hiking we reached our destination. There we found a beautiful 77' waterfall with an inviting natural swimming hole. As it was extremely hot out, I took a dip in the hole while 2 of my companions waded in the shallow stream created by the overflow.

After the swim, we ate lunch and began the trek back to base camp... all the while capturing footage for the HSA documentary. The hike back to camp was equally grueling. Once we were back, we sparked the fire and began cooking our dinner before laying our weary heads to rest.

The following morning, I sat out on an extreme hike to find the source of the creek that eventually lead to the waterfall. It was an arduous journey, full of rugged and steep cliffs, rocky ledges, and thick overgrowth that I had to climb and bushwhack my way through. The end result was worth the 3 day round trip as I was left with a sense of accomplishment, blessed with beautiful scenery, and the euphoria that can only come with being at one with nature.

On the 5th day, it was time to restock supplies and recharge the electronics. Shooting footage for a documentary deep in the middle of nowhere poses certain challenges, like hiking certain areas 2 or 3 times in order to place cameras, get the proper footage and angles. Afterward a break was much needed With my Dad living in Oklahoma, it was a natural choice to rest at his house before embarking upon the second part of the adventure.

READ MORE (and see photos) AFTER THE JUMP...

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

DESTINATION: ADVENTURE - Update

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
After 4 long days in the rugged backcountry, we are back to civilization for a day. We need to restock supplies and recharge all of the electronics... shooting footage for a documentary deep in the middle of nowhere poses certain challenges. It has been a great experience so far and looking forward to the rest of the journey.

Thus far we have hiked miles and miles of rugged terrain, done 4 river crossings, and been bitten by every bug known to mankind. Tomorrow we should reach our final destination and enjoy the serenity and watersport action of Lake Eufaula.
We will have a full journey update upon our return, so stay tuned...

Sunday, June 9, 2013

DESTINATION: ADVENTURE... 5 DAYS AWAY

5 Days and Counting...

In five days, we here at HSA will set of on a week long adventure. An adventure that will encompass multiple adventure sports.

On the agenda is miles and miles of rugged backpacking,  hiking, climbing, cave exploration, and freshwater snorkeling... topped off with rivers, waterfalls and spectacular views.

This adventure will be filmed on GoPro cameras as part of HSA's upcoming documentary tentatively titled "Life: Reclaimed"

We are gearing up and beginning the final week of preparation for this adventure. We will try to post some photo's along the way on our Facebook page and have a full blown recap right here on the blog upon our return.

See you then!