A Guide to Adventure

When it comes to backpacking and camping, besides clean water, the most important thing you need is food. If you are planning on primitive camping (not car or luxury camping) then you don't want to bring a heavy a cooler full of of cold meat, ice, and canned goods. You want to pack light, easy-to-prepare, and fulfilling food. How do you do that without sacrificing the taste though? Dehydrated food isn't as bland as it once was, and the options today are unlimited. Options ranging meat, turkey, chicken, meatless, rice, pasta, vegan, organic, and desserts there is something dehydrated for everyone!  Your pack doesn't have to consist fully of dehydrated meals though. By adding tuna or other meat pouches, instant oatmeal or grits, coffee, and nuts of some sort and you will not go hungry on your hiking adventure. One of my favorite backpacking foods is ramen noodles with fried Spam. It's filling, and actually tastes pretty good. Its also really cheap so we don't

What better way to cool off on a sweltering summer day than to enjoy thrill of a waterslide? I'm not talking about a backyard slip-n-slide, or the neighborhood pool though. What I have in mind is way more exciting. All across the world - even here in the states - the most intense, and terrifying waterslides can be found. Here are the Top 5 most terrifying water slides in the world!! 5. Tantrum Alley, Dubai  Start off this slide by climbing into the 4-person raft, go through the first tornado to get your speed up. Then there is a downhill drop, followed by another tornado. Add one more downhill drop, and tornado and the slide is over. 4.  Città  del Mare, Italy  We know some of the best stuff comes from Italy, Olive Oil, Wine, etc. So naturally, they said no more sliding into a pool. At this resort, hewed from the rugged and gorgeous Sicilian coast, you can ride a series of waterslides into the very Mediterranean itself 3. Big Thunder, Florida  So many

Summer time offers many outdoor activities, hiking, swimming, and of course camping. Whether you are traveling to another country, or looking for a new adventure closer to home,  camping is the most affordable and scenic way to spend a vacation. As a regular camper, I am always looking for a new spot that offers something more exciting. Here are the Top 5 most insane and amazing camping spots across the world! 5. Tree Camping, Germany These awesome hanging tents, or portaledges, are the specialty of the Waldseilgarten camping resort in Germany. For roughly 200 dollars a night, the resort will give you an elevated tent high in the trees or on a cliff-side, provide you with all the gear, and they even feed you! 4. The Human Nest, California, USA Treebones Resort in Big Sur, California is a totally unique experience (this one I definitely want to go to) since you actually get to sleep in a human sized bird nest. The structures are built just as a bird would, and to keep the natural fe

5. The Kokoda Track The Kokoda Trail is one of the world’s great treks, taking enthusiastic, fit hikers on a journey that will challenge and inspire. Follow the path where Australian and Japanese armies engaged in bitter warfare during the early days of World War II. Papua New Guinea’s unforgiving, rugged wilderness provides an unforgettable backdrop for a life-changing experience. 60 miles long, the Kokoda Trail takes trekkers through mountainous country that boasts incredible rainforest and jungles that are home to rare species of ferns, orchids and birds. Sparkling mountain streams and steep valley climbs provide breathtaking contrasts throughout the trek. In 2009, 13 people died in a plane crash en route to the trailhead, and four more hikers died on the trail, which takes up to 11 days to complete. They faced malaria, extreme heat, frigid nights, and daily bone-soaking afternoon rains. The route itself has been called a StairMaster in a steam room, with ankle-deep clay muck,

Did you know Pinocchio's neck would snap if he told 13 lies?  A study out of Leicester University began by estimating the dimensions and properties of the little Pinocchio's head.  It was then estimated that he was most likely carved from Oak, and his head weighed about 9 pounds.  His nose was one inch long, and doubled in size with every lie he told.   The thirteenth lie he told would put so much strain on his neck that it would cause it to break. 

In the United States, and many other developed countries clean drinking water is taken for granted everyday. What most of us aren't prepared for is what will be our demise. A person can only live three to five days without consuming clean water. In emergency situations FEMA recommends having one gallon of water per person, per day!  All it takes is a strong enough earthquake, tornado, flood or fire to destroy our clean water supply. As Americans we have seen in recent years with the blizzard in New York City last year, and the ongoing Flint water crisis in Michigan .  We cannot always rely on something/someone to provide for our basic necessitates for us. This is why having an emergency water filter is essential to surviving a catastrophic event.  With the right filter you can drink out of a mud puddle, or swimming pool and be completely safe and HYDRATED ! 5. Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System The Sawyer Mini is very small, only weighing about two ounc

Public nudity is something frowned upon in the United States - many of us are thankful for that -, although in Europe most beaches are nude friendly. If you want to feel a little more free, and looking for a new experience, then check out these top five nude beaches in the United States.  5. San Gregorio, San Mateo County, California  The small town of San Gregorio, home to only 287 people is just south of San Francisco. This is the oldest nude beach in the United States. San Gregorio is popular with the Bay area gay community, who are typically found on the northern part of the beach, and straight visitors tend to stay on the southern side. With two-miles of beach to explore there is a spot for everyone. No matter what side you are on, everyone stays to watch the sunset.   4. Black's Beach, San Diego California Tucked away between La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Beach, Black's Beach is incredibly secluded. Surrounded by high cliff walls, and a hi

State parks in South Carolina are so underrated, as a South Carolinian I know the struggle of wondering what to do on my days off, "go to the mall, too old for the skating rink, they tore down the civic center Volcano, hmm movies are expensive, so let's go out to go eat." That thought process has gotten so old, that I 'just can't even' anymore. When you actually look to see what the state has to offer, South Carolina has state parks everywhere! From small ones like Saddlers Creek on Lake Hartwell, to Jones Gap and Table Rock in the mountains. All within an hour driving distance, from Anderson, Greenville, Clemson, and Seneca areas. You can literally go somewhere new every weekend! This brings me to my list of Top 5 State parks in beautiful South Carolina! Table Rock State Park, Pickens County, SC Table Rock is one of most commonly known state parks in South Carolina, most people have been there at least one on either a class field trip, or for a summe

      A few years ago, I had the great and lucky opportunity to travel through SE Asia, and particularly Cambodia. Cambodia is a very small and largely forgotten country squeezed in between Thailand and Vietnam. People often forget, or didn't even know in the first place, that what is now Cambodia was originally the Khmer empire, which controlled and ruled over almost all of southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, Maylasia, etc. For reasons largely unknown, their empire slowly but surely has shrunk down to what is modern day Cambodia.  Anyway, if you are lucky enough at some point in your life, you will have a chance to visit Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and see some of the modern temples and also be welcomed with incredible hospitality from the local people. Eat local street food, go to a local carnival, etc. Have a good time. And of course you will need to go to Siem Reap, which is the tourist town set up for excursions to Angkor Wat. At the height of the Khmer E

Mid-June in South Carolina is HOT , and   humid , increasing the chance of pop up showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday afternoon was no exception to this, after leaving the falls to prepare for the storm that was rolling in over the mountains, we had plenty to do at camp before it rained. I was scavenging for firewood - the sites are pretty cleared out of the easily accessible wood - I could feel raindrops starting to fall, hearing thunder in the distance I brought Derek the small amount I gathered, and just as a cool breeze blew through the trees and 3 foot tree limb falls on Derek's head! It could have been much worse if the branch had more force, or landed in a different way, he was okay, startled by his near death experience we moved the tent over a few feet, away from the towering pines.  Since our campsite was only a short walking distance from our car, we had some extra pillows, a book I really wanted to finish reading, and a few luxury items. We also did n

On Memorial day of this year, Derek and I decided to make an impromptu trip to Brasstown Falls located in the Sumter National Forest in Oconee County, SC. It is a fairly easy drive, only an hour away from Anderson, and is pretty much a straight drive down country roads. Our adventure did not go well, the place was crowded, nowhere private to camp, and we carried too much stuff for the terrain we ended up on. Needless to say we were miserable, we decided to go home before the rain started, and that was the end of our day.  Now that it has been a few weeks since our terrible experience, we decided to go back to Brasstown falls to redeem ourselves. We were not going to let this place get the best of us. So Tuesday morning rolls around, and it is time to go. We load up the car, Rocky running around with excitement he is going for a ride, and we set off down the highway once again. We arrive at the falls around 11:00 am, and were very thrilled to see there was only one site taken.