The Pursuit Zone

TPZ 215: Creating Trails Magazine with Ryan Wichelns

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.

TPZ214: Cycling the Iron Curtain Trail aka Eurovelo 13 with Laura Scott

  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.

TPZ213: Kayaking the Amazon River with Olie Hunter Smart

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

TPZ212: Cycling England to Australia with Josiah Skeats

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.

TPZ211: Cycle Touring Across the USA with Anna Welch

  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 YouTubeMy Kate Harris interview - Episode 162