CheapTents.com Interviews Alastair Humphreys

CheapTents.com has posted a great new interview with explorer and adventurer Alastair Humphreys to their blog. Humphreys is well known for having cycled around the world and trekking across Iceland, amongst numerous other adventures. Most recently, Alastair has been promoting "microadventures" as a way to inspire everyone to add some adventure back into their lives.

In the interview, Humphreys talks about what inspired him to become an adventurer and which of his journeys has been the most challenging so far. He also mentions his fondness for micoradventures close to home and shares his favorite pieces of gear, while giving us a few insights into what he has planned for the future. Hint: It involves a very long journey in a very cold place.

My friends at CheapTents were once again kind enough to let me tag a few questions on to their interview, and one of the things I asked was what tips Alastair had for adding a little adventure into our normal, day-to-day, lives. His response was the best advice that I think anyone could give: "Do it!" He of course goes on to expound on that notion, but too often we let little things get in the way of our living life more. We put up our own obstacles and make excuses. Sometimes, if you just "do it" you learn that those obstacles fade away and soon get left behind altogether.

Thanks to Alastair for such great responses and thanks to CheapTents for letting me be a part of the fun once again. Great work guys!

CheapTents.Com Interviews Andrew Skurka

CheapTents.com has posted an interview on their blog with long distance hiker Andrew Skurka, who just finished his six month long, 4700 mile Alaska-Yukon Expedition. The epic trek, which passed through multiple national parks in both the U.S. and Canada, traversed both the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges, while passing through some of the most pristine and remote wilderness in North America.

In the interview, Andrew touches on such topics as his inspirations for these long distance treks, how he deals with solitude on the trail (Hint: it isn't an issue!), and which section delivered the best scenery on the expedition. He also offers some thoughts on gear, route planning, as well as his training for these kinds of journeys. Andrew even gives us an interesting tip on how to make your own cook stove out of a can of cat food!

I want to thank the writers of the CheapTents Blog for allowing me to participate a bit in this interview. They were kind enough to allow me to submit three questions of my own (I'm not saying which ones were mine!) and they even kept them in the final draft! This interview only adds to the quality posts that they are making over there, including an interview with long distance hiker Samuel H. Gardner that I linked to last week. Keep up the great work guys and thanks again for allowing me to have a little input on this one.