Famous Wilderness Survivalist to Teach with Adventure Out

Join us this Spring to welcome Bill MConnell - America's most reknowned primitive skills instructor - to the Bay Area from Bozeman, MT. Bill is one of the most accomplished traditional bow hunters alive today who has taught thousands of people the sacred hunting arts of our ancestors. Also an expert tracker and naturalist, Bill's course offerings are diverse and wholly unique.

Check out Adventure Out's Advanced Wilderness Survival and Primitive Skills page to read more about the courses which will include a class on Sweatlodges and Ceremonial Fires, as well as Track Drawing and Nature Journaling.

Extreme Base Jumping!

Although Adventure Out will not be offering any classes in basejumping with wingsuits, we felt this video was well worth seeing!




Insane...

Iraq ratifies the Kyoto Protocol

In a somewhat surprising announcement yesterday, the Iraqi government voted to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Although it is questionable whether they actually have the resources to enforce it (I think they might be a little busy with this whole"war" thing), it is an impressive step which their occupiers (us) cannot even get done.

It is true that as a developing nation, Iraq will actually be receiving subsidies for the ratification, but the irony is still quite apparent. As a side note - was Iraq a "developing nation" before the USA bombed their infrastructure into nothingness? I wonder...

Only 356 days until Bush is gone. Hold your breath...

Source: NYT

Book Review: The Animal Dialogues

Today I'll be reviewing my favorite christmas gift this year: The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild, by Craig Childs.

They say to never judge a book by its cover. But as you can see, the cover of this book is beautiful - and so to is its content. Each of the 40 "encounters" in this book is a seperate story and one need not read them in any particular order. If you're anactive outdoor traveller like me, this is highly advantageous. I read about Childs' thrilling stare-down with a mountain lion during an airport layover. I laughed at his description of running from a "mystery shadow" while huddled in my sleeping bag at Joshua Tree. I turned the pages, riveted by his arctic Grizzly encounter, as I sat on the beach waiting for the tide to drop.

This book is a great gift item and truly a must have for anyone that loves wild places and the wild creatures that inhabit them. Childs' writing style is eloquent yet personable and is so wonderfully descriptive that the reader is taken along through the deserts, mountains, and forests on all his adventures.

Upcoming Trip: Snow Caves & Winter Survival!

On March 21st-23rd, 2008, Adventure Out will be holding our last Snow Cave & Winter Survival Trip of the '07-'08 winter season. This class is an amazing opportunity to learn something that every outdoor enthusiast should know (snow caves can and will save your life!)

This is also an extremely fun adventure and a great way to enjoy the amazing snowfall we've had so far this year in California. To learn more about this trip, visit http://www.adventureout.com/snow_camping.html

Buckeye on Buckeye Hand-Drill Fire

Anyone that has taken our Wilderness Skills and Survival Clinic knows that there are LOTS of ways to make fire, and LOTS of different kinds of tools and materials at our dispososal out there in the wilderness. But one of the most common questions we get is, "what is the best around here?" And by "here" we are usually talking about the central coast of California.

I'm sure there are people out there that will disagree, but I am going to go ahead and put my vote out there for California Buckeye.

Either for use as bow-drill fire wood, or a hand-drill kit, this local wood is medium-to-soft on the hardness skale, burns well when damp, and has the handy habit of growing perfect hand-drill stalks out from it's base.

Below is the progession from harvested stalk and branch wood (for the fireboard) all the way to a glowing red coal. This fire was made from freshly falled wood today, January 26, 2008. It has been raining in Santa Cruz pretty much nonstop for about 48 hours, so things are pretty saturated. I picked up this stalk and fallen branch at about 8am while on a walk, and kept them in my jacket to dry them off a bit. Even though the wood was still damp, the fire was started by 12 Noon when I returned from my hike.

Adventure Out's Surf Camp Goes Solar!

In a continuing effort to leave the least amount of environmental footprint possible, Adventure Out's Surf Camp in Pacifica, CA has gone 100% solar!

In a recent upgrade to our storage and camp facility near Pacifica State Beach, we've installed several panels to power all the lights, electrical outlets, and fans (that keep your wetsuits dry over night!). So when you or a friend decide you want to learn how to surf, come take your bay area surf lesson with the only green-powered surf camp on the west coast!

Whole Foods "Trashes" Plastic Bags!

Natural foods retailer Whole Foods has announced it will stop giving out plastic grocery bags by Earth Day due to the bags' ubiquity and associated environmental problems. The company is opting instead for bagging customers' groceries in 100 percent recycled paper bags and/or encouraging customers to bring their own reusable sacks. "More and more cities and countries are beginning to place serious restrictions on single-use plastic shopping bags since they don't break down in our landfills, can harm nature by clogging waterways and endangering wildlife, and litter our roadsides," said Whole Foods' A.C. Gallo. The grocery chain estimates that the plastic-bag ban at all its 270 stores in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. will eliminate the use of about 100 million plastic sacks between Earth Day and the end of 2008. All together, Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic bags each year.

Hike for Discovery - Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Hike For Discovery is an adventure fundraising program based on Team in Training (TNT), the world’s largest endurance sports training program which has trained over 320,000 participants. Like TNT, whether you are an amateur or experienced hiker, Hike For Discovery’s expert certified coaches will prepare you with months of training for a hike experience like no other. In return, you will raise funds for research to cure blood cancers.

Hike For Discovery is beginning its 6th season this February with an exciting selection of destination hike events:

Grand Canyon: May 15-18 2008

Yosemite: June 14-17, 2008

The Grand Adventure: 3 day overnight hike in the Grand Canyon! May 15-20, 2008. Space limited to 10—there will be an application process for this event.
Get Ready for Adventure!

Information Meetings will be held:

February 7th at 6:30 pm at Sports Basement, Sunnyvale
February 9th at 10:30 am at REI, San Carlos
February 12th at 6:30 pm at Lucy Stern Community Center, Palo Alto
February 16th at 10 am at Willows Senior Center, Willow Glen
February 23rd at 10 am Compadres, Palo Alto—followed by our kickoff at noon with a buffet lunch


Call 408-271-8337 to sign up for an information meeting or email tifin.kutch@lls.org for more information. Visit http://www.hikefordiscovery.org/ to learn more about Hike For Discovery!