Date: Thursday, December 27, 2007 Mission: Shotover Canyon Swing Statistics: 360 feet high (109 meters), 200-foot freefall (60 meters), 650-foot arc (200 meters), 93 mph (150 kph) 6 am – Unintentionally awoken by departing dormmates 9:15 am – Evacuate bladder 9:18 am – Shower 9:50 am – Evacuate bowels 10 am – Eat light breakfast […]
Adventures
Scenic Views of Queenstown
Life in Queenstown returned to normal the day after Christmas. Unlike probably any other town in the world, this meant a zillion tour operators began shuffling people to face their fears jumping the 130+ meter Nevis bungy (world’s 2nd highest), skydiving from 15,000 feet, riding the world’s highest swing (109 meters), and a variety of […]
Heli-Hiking Franz Joseph Glacier
Spending a full day (6 hours ice time) hiking on the Franz Joseph Glacier on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island was something I’d been looking forward to for months. It was fully my intent to do the full day hike, however… About 3 days after I had completed the Tongariro Crossing (remember […]
Tramping the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand
The Tongariro Crossing is an 11-mile (18km) hike between two active volcanoes, one of which is Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings.
Canyoning – Abseils, Jumps, and Chutes
I’d wanted to go canyoning since I first learned about it in 2005 while planning a trip to Costa Rica. It consists of maneuvering down a river canyon by combination of hiking, sliding down natural rock chutes, jumping off cliffs and waterfalls, and abseiling (rappelling). The Rough Guide referenced canyons a 40-minute drive west of […]
Caving in Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal
For most people, Belize conjures images of crystal clear Caribbean waters and world class diving, however in May 2006, I discovered the interior jungles are filled with mystery and adrenaline-pumping adventures. The highlight of my two week backpacking trip through this unique country was a 3-hour cave tour of Actun Tunichil Muknal (“ATM”), also known […]
Whitewater Rafting in Costa Rica
The following journal entry was written Saturday, May 14, 2005 in Costa Rica: 6:42 am I’m awaiting the pick-up by Exploradores Outdoors to go rafting for the day on the Pacuare River. I’m trying not to be anxious that it’s past 6:30 am, though if the tour company knows they have a person to pick […]
