Adventure Travel
Fjällräven Polar is an annual expedition developed to show that with the right knowledge, equipment, and support, anyone can learn to appreciate nature and become an Arctic explorer.
Read more about the Fjällräven Polar 2023 expedition.
Alongside his cycling partner and trainer, Nikki Davenport, Mr. Mills’s journey began on May 24 at Canada’s most easterly point of land, the Cape Spear Lighthouse in Newfoundland. By the time the pair reached Victoria’s Ogden Point Breakwater Lighthouse on Saturday, his customized bike was in rough shape.
“It’s pretty beat up. The brakes are just about done. But it made it,” said Mr. Mills, who is 43 and from Newmarket, Ont.
All along the route, they were met with unrelenting kindness – from roadside cheers and meals from strangers, to the private donors who helped get him back on the road when the devastating theft of his specially adapted bike in Quebec City almost derailed the endeavour.
On September 25, 1890, 133 years ago today, the U.S. Congress established Sequoia National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Sequoia National Park is the second-oldest national park in the U.S.
Sequoia National Park was established to protect giant sequoia trees, the largest living trees by volume on Earth.
The protected area has grown to include the nearby King’s Canyon National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Sequoia National Forest, protecting a total of 404,064 acres (631 sq. miles) and at least 8,000 sequoia specimens.
On October 26, 1976, UNESCO designated Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks as an International Biosphere Reserve as the best example of “South Sierran oak woodlands, chaparral, mixed conifer forests, sub-alpine and alpine environments.”
Here are our winners! You can jump straight to the jury verdict for each product by clicking the links below.
Best hiking boots: Inov-8 Roclite Pro G400 GTX V2 (Winner), Aku Rock DFS Mid GTX (Highly commended)
Best hiking shoes: Altra Lone Peak 7 (Winner), Arc’teryx Norvan LD3 (Highly commended)
Best waterproof jackets: Montane Phase Nano (Winner), Patagonia Granite Crest (Highly commended)
Best insulated garments: Outdoor Research Superstrand LT Hoodie (Winner), Rab Mythic Ultra (Highly commended)
Best mid layers: Alpkit Woodsmoke (Winner), Salewa Agner Polarlite Hooded Jacket (Highly commended)
Best hiking pack: Atom Packs The Mo VX60 (Winner), Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 40-60 (Highly commended)
Best sleeping bags: Gruezi Biopod Downwool Subzero 185 (Winner), Therm-a-rest Parsec 20F / -6 (Highly commended)
Best tents: Nemo Dagger OSMO (Winner), Sierra Designs Meteor 3000 2P (Highly commended)
Best safety equipment: Lifesaver Wayfarer (Winner), Zoleo Satellite Communicator (Highly commended)
Best stoves: Jetboil Stash (Winner), MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe (Highly commended)
Best navigation device: Suunto Vertical (Winner), Coros Apex 2 GPS (Highly commended)
Best camping tech: Therm-a-rest NeoAir Xlite (Winner), Rab Ionosphere 5.5 (Highly commended)
Award for innovation (product): Keen WK400 (Winner), PrimaLoft RISE (Highly commended)
Award for innovation (brand): Inov-8 (Winner), Sierra Designs (Highly commended)
Award for sustainability (product): Silva Terra Scout H (Winner), Vango Apex 2 (Highly commended)
Award for sustainability (brand): Keela (Winner), Nikwax (Highly commended).
Kasper Høglund, a Norwegian who lives full-time in his Land Rover and works as a photographer, steps up and calls out overlanders how are driving off road in Norway, which is not permitted and illegal.
Unfortunately, the problem of overlanders (and others) not taking responsibility for their actions, and being short sighted, are ruining it for most everyone else.
As Kasper puts it in his video description »
There’s been a growing issue with more and more roads closed off for travel in Norway the last years. And throughout my traveling up north this summer a lot of my former favourite spots was now closed for good.
Apps like Park4Night and social media presence from people doing illegal and stupid driving over here is making the overland scene tougher for everyone.
For years I’ve never done anything but kindly reminding people about the strict off road laws in Norway. But these two guys pushed to limit enough to piss off locals enough to contact me directly to address this.
These guys with over a hundred thousand people following them and million of views does have a huge impact to a small town with a few hundred people living in it.
If you agree with him, follow and support Kasper (and others) who are doing what’s right before selfish a**holes ruin it for everyone.
US Dept of State Media Release states, “the embassy will be a symbol of our shared commitment to advancing democratic values, sustainable economic growth, and global cooperation.”
The military coup d’état happened minutes after President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of disputed elections.
I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour. I dropped it carelessly, Ah! I didn’t know, I held opportunity.
» Hazel Lee (Aug 24, 1912 – Nov 25, 1944)
Deutsche Welle Documentary »
Taiwan is a place of incredible variety. The tiny island’s natural beauty is a concentration of some of Asia’s most spectacular features. To the east, there are sheer cliffs with mountain peaks, plateaus and hot springs. To the south, you’ll find sandy beaches, coral reefs and lagoons.
Although the Taiwanese live in a high-tech world, they are still firmly anchored by ancient traditions. During the course of his life, Lin Liang-tai has created many elaborately adorned wooden boats. But they’re not built to last, as they’re destined for Taiwan’s legendary Wang Ye Festival. As part of the temple ceremony to honor the goddess of the sea, a 10-meter boat is blessed, loaded with offerings and pulled through the village down to the beach. There, it’s set alight, burning any evil spirits that might be lurking about the place.
Shrimps are all the rage in Taiwan. In large halls across the entire island, shrimps can be fished out of huge tanks and put straight on the barbecue. Zhan Jia-ming runs one of these popular shrimp halls, and tips bucketloads of fresh shrimps into the tanks every hour.
Oysters are a mainstay of Taiwanese cuisine, whether boiled, fried or made into oyster sauce. On the west coast, oyster farms sustain entire village communities. In Fangyuan, we see one oyster farmer still using traditional methods to harvest his oysters. He drives ox-drawn carts onto the tidal flats, just as it has been done for generations. In the fishing village of Dongshi, several tons of oysters are harvested, opened and processed every day.
Taiwan’s relations with the mainland have often been strained since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Beijing regards the island as part of its territory. Tensions have been on the rise in recent times. Tsai Jin-lu is a committed birdwatcher. For years, he’s documented his rare bird sightings in the Aogu Wetlands Forest Park on the western coast of Taiwan. But these days, his binoculars are frequently trained on something much bigger, up in the skies above. That’s because this is where the Taiwan carries out fighter jet exercises almost every day.
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