LABOR DAY WEEKEND - END OF A SEASON

Photo - HSA

The End of Summer is Here

Labor Day Weekend is upon us; the traditional North American weekend that, for all intents and purposes, signifies the end of summer.

While the calendar may say otherwise, for most school children, parents, and vacationers the season is done.

The long weekend is the last opportunity for many to enjoy one last day at the beach, one last weekend camping, or some other adventure before the fall season will be upon us.

While Fall and Winter have their own grandiose adventure opportunities such as skiing, snowboarding, winter hikes and such, it is Summer that has always allowed many of us the most joy.

So as we say goodbye to a spectacular season, HSA asks everyone to do something fun this weekend... do something challenging... give yourself a reason to say that you enjoyed the summer...

In fact, it could be a perfect opportunity to take us up on the HSA Challenge... either way, leave a reply to this post, or hit us up on our Facebook page and tell us what you did with your Labor Day Weekend.

As we here at Human Spirit of Adventure are quite fond of saying, "What Will You Do???"

 

COAST TO COAST - Part 2... Adventures of Everyday People

A Breezy Start

Coast To Coast - Part 2

BY MICK LORD

Way of the Roses 3rd-6th May 2013

We set off from Morecombe on the West Coast of the UK at 11am on Friday 3rd May, myself and my wife Julie had in reality not really done much training for this. We were enthusiastic to share a small adventure and explore some of our fantastic countryside that we had not been to before.

The route should have been 270km however some slight mistakes found us doing just 20km further our total route 290km, our total route can be accessed here:- Way of the Roses by mick2991 at Garmin Connect - Details

Fri 3rd 11am we start from a cool and breezy Morecambe on the flat following the river Lunn out to Lancaster and then begin to climb out onto the Forest of Bowland. We were so busy chatting at this point that we missed the turning adding the extra 20k onto the route, not a good start.

We cycled up into the hills along quiet country roads and lanes passing through beautiful villages and countryside, stopping at a couple of tea shops along the way. Our aim that day was to get to Malham just the other side of Settle where our B&B was for the evening, we were tired as we got to Settle 5 or 6 hrs of up and down hill riding.

As we got into Settle thinking wow about 10k till we can rest at Malham we saw the hill that we had to get up "it was huge", we set off up in the saddle but quickly realised we had to get off and push for 45mins till the top, once at the top we had a nice freewheel into Malham for a quick bite to eat and then flop into bed exhausted. READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

CAMPING - The Rite of Passage

CAMPING – The Rite of Passage

Ahhh summer is drawing near. The air is getting warm, school will soon be out, and millions of families will answer the call of the wild and brave the great outdoors in the ritual known as camping.

Growing up, my mom and dad would gather us up; load up the car and off we would go on an exciting journey. As kids we looked forward to cooking hotdogs and roasting marshmallows on the open flame, hiking all day to a nice and cool swimming hole, and tell ghost stories around the fire.

As adults, when we look back, we forget the snakes, scorpions, bugs, and mosquitoes, but we remember the time that dad fell in the water and mom forgot the popcorn. Summer camping is a ritual, a rite of passage that is fun, memorable, and at times disastrous.

So as summer descends on us, whether we are backpacking through the outback, or car-camping in a campground, let us not forget certain essentials that will make the trip more bearable and fun, and give great memories that will last a lifetime.

Below, we have compiled a list of some essentials… this is a broad list that can be narrowed down for solo backpacker, or expanded for the car-camping family of city-slickers... Oh yeah, don’t forget the popcorn!

CAMPING LIST AFTER THE JUMP...

HSA FOUNDER HONORED...

HSA Founder Honored in Feature...

Human Spirit of Adventure's founder and managing partner, Joe Vulgamore, was honored this week when he (and HSA) was chosen as the "Featured Participant" by The GoWorld GoPro Project. 

"I first ran across The GoWorld GoPro Project on Facebook. They were releasing trailers from a past movie as promotion for their upcoming movie, IGW2013. I thought their concept was so cool... they were uniting people from across the world using a common theme, which is exactly what we at HSA wanted to do as a 'community blog'. One thing led to another and we became fast friends and I'm honored that they chose me for the feature, and even more proud to say that their ideas have been a huge influence on HSA... Thanks Mike, for everything!" 

We ask all of our readers to check out The GoWorld GoPro Project at: http://thegoworldgoproproject.com

Also check out their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-GoWorld-GoPro-Project

Visit them often...

As the time draws closer for the IGW2013 movie premier, we will have an interview with Mike and you can get to know them better by reading the story as Mike sees it.

We can't wait...

COAST TO COAST - Adventures of Everyday People

Photo: Michael (Mick) Lord

 Coast to Coast - Adventures of Everyday People

Editor Note:
We welcome one of our readers, Michael (Mick) Lord, as he shares his upcoming adventure with the world...This is what HSA is all about... Everyday people sharing their adventures with the world... Welcome Mick, and thanks for sharing your fun with us!

STORY BY: MICHAEL (Mick) LORD

This Friday the 3rd May myself (Mick) and my wife Julie will be setting off to cycle the 170 mile Way of the Roses route that goes from Morecambe to Bridlington, crossing from the West coast of Lancashire to the East coast of Yorkshire.
We are not regular cyclists, we were just looking for a bit of adventure over the Bank Holiday weekend, so the plan is to cycle it over 4 days from Friday to Monday staying in Bed & Breakfasts and a friends house on night.

The plan is to have a long first day around 50 miles from Morecambe through Lancaster, Settle to Malham on the first day, coming out of Settle there is a large hill that will almost definitely see us pushing the bikes up.

Second day onto York to stay with a friend and then to see how our legs, saddle sores are holding out as to how far we go for next two days. We are hoping to be going slow enough to enjoy it and take in the sights along the way and staying in B& B's has enabled us to keep the bikes as light as possible.

I will try up date as we progress if possible if not I will send my blog at the end of the trip.

The HSA Challenge... What Will You Do?

Graphic by Human Spirit of Adventure

An idea pops in my head every once in awhile that I can't seem to get rid of... I've been thinking about this one for a bit and decided I would throw it out here and see what happens.

The idea is "The HSA Challenge"

What is the HSA Challenge you ask? Well, simply put, We here at Human Spirit of Adventure challenge our blog readers, our Facebook followers, and indeed the world, to put a little adventure into your lives. All too often people are bound to their desks, chained to their cell phones, or glued to the TV. Many of those people say to themselves, "If I only had the time I would do ______." Yet, for some reason, they never do.

In comes the HSA Challenge...

We challenge you, our readers and fans, to add some adventure to your lives and document it for the world to see. Here is the concept...

• Pick at least one day each week to do something adventurous
• Document the adventure with photos or video
• Share the adventure with us on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Humanspiritofadventure)
• And (most important of all)... HAVE FUN

That all there is to it...

Pics do not have to be professional quality... they can be shot with a cell phone in the crappiest conditions. Vids don't have to be professionally shot or edited... this is NOT an editing contest.

This is about human beings breaking away from self-imposed bondage and servitude by injecting fun and adventure into their lives. It's about rekindling that spark down deep within all of us. It's about showing the world that the human spirit is still alive.

I hope that you will all join us in this endeavor... and I'll kick it off right now with a little MTB vid that I shot yesterday at the end of my ride... Enjoy!




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Upcoming Projects for 2013...

Human Spirit of Adventure has a few projects on tap for 2013.

We are currently working out the details for a video series of DIY survival videos, How-to videos, and will be putting together a small documentary on Adventure Sports in Texas.

The documentary will feature surfing, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and much much more!

We do not yet have any final release dates for any of these projects, as they are still in the planning stages, but our tentative timeline is to begin posting the survival and how-to videos around June and to have the documentary release by the end of the year. We will definitely announce them here and on our Facebook Page as the details become clear.

We are very excited about these projects and hope you will enjoy them and find them useful as you adventure forward!

Thank you all for your support!

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...

Be Adventurous... Get Out and Do Something!

Every day there are people pushing themselves to the edge, seeing how far they can go, testing the boundaries, and exceeding their ouwn expectations.

Too often we sit at our desks, or on the couch, saying that we want adventure. There are few of us who actually seek out the adventure. We don't have the time, we're too busy, or we're too lazy... plain and simple, we are not motivated.

No matter what it is you like to do... hiking, biking, surfing, climbing, or riding motorcycles... there should always be an element of adventure. Adventure is what makes humans go farther.

One of our Facebook followers posted this video. It is very inspirational and adrenalizing. It is quite simply motivating. So watch it... then go outside and get your adventure on!

Extreme Adventure Vehicles Pt. 2

Photo courtesy of globalxvehicles.com

In keeping with our series on Extreme Adventure Vehicles, we come to a group of vehicles that are truly built for adventure.
These vehicles are extreme! If you are trekking across South America or the African Savanna then one of these might be for you.
These vehicles are not for the Weekend Adventurers... they pack a serious punch and are built for the literal long haul.

Built by Global Expedition Vehicles, these will definitely get you wherever you want to go...

Check out their website HERE

GoPro HERO 3: The Ultimate Adventure Camera...

Photo courtesy of GoPro.com

When looking for the ultimate adventure camera, you can't beat the new GoPro Hero 3.

I'm not just saying that either... I'm not endorsed or sponsored in any way by GoPro, but I know what those cameras can do, and the new HERO 3 can do even more!
I mean this thing is totally cool... It can shoot 1080 HD video at 60fps or 720 at 120fps. It can shoot 12MP photos with a 30fps boost.

No matter what sport you are in to... surfing, kayaking, snowboarding, skateboarding, rock climbing... this thing is a must-have for documenting your adventure. You can mount it on your board, to your head, chest, wrist, or just about anywhere.

See all of the Specs HERE

Check out this video shot 100% with the HERO 3...

Surfing World Loses A Legend...

The Surfing World has been delt a blow as legendary surfer/shaper Donald Takayama passed away yesterday. Donald was 68 years young.

One of the best longboards I ever owned was a Takayama Model T... it was a nose riding machine, but was fast enough to get through the critical section of a wave... geez I miss that board.

Below is an excerpt from Surfline on the great Donald Takayama:

"It is with heavy hearts that we report that master Hawaiian craftsman Donald Takayama passed away yesterday. He was 68 years old.

Hailing from Waikiki but raised in Honolulu, Takayama placed 2nd to Corky Carroll in the 1966 and 1967 U.S. Surfboard Championships and enjoyed other competitive accolades, however, his main contributions to the sport and culture occurred in the boardbuilding realm. Remarkably, the Hawaiian started shaping surfboards not too long after he first started surfing, at only seven years old -- making him the sport's original child prodigy.

By the time he was 12 years old, Takayama bought his own plane ticket to the mainland with money he earned from a paper route. He promptly landed a job in Venice Beach, CA, at Velzy-Jacobs Surfboards, and once the company owners divided the business, Takayama followed Jacobs Surfboards to Hermosa Beach, where he built blades for the likes of Mickey Dora and Lance Carson before debuting his own hugely influential Donald Takayama model in 1965...."

To read more, Click HERE

RIP Donald. I know you are toes on the nose in heaven!

Welcome Adventurers!

Welcome Adventurers!

Does it seem like you are chained to your desk? Do you sit back and wish that you could get away from it all and take that vacation that you've been promising to take for years?

This day in age, too many people are busy with their day-to-day lives, the job, the kids, the bills... I too have been there. I too know how it feels to be trapped in the work world (mainly because I still have to work for a living), but I do enjoy my little adventures, excursions, and expeditions. Follow me as I go through the process.

This blog is dedicated to those who try to capture and embrace the adventure spirit... Get off the couch and go for it!