Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream

Do you see a frozen lake with a fresh layer of snow as a palette for art? My guest for this episode does. For 20 years, this guy has been strapping on snowshoes and stomping out amazing geometric designs the size of 2 or 3 soccer fields. To the tune of 50,000+ steps each. And he’s created nearly 700 of these ephemeral works of art – sometimes in sand rather than snow. His description of this unique craft is lovely.

A young couple decides to embark on a massive canoe journey 3,000 miles from Minnesota to the Arctic Ocean. Many thought it would end their marriage. Instead, hear how this bonding experience has carried forward into their lives in so many positive ways - in their marriage, child raising, careers, and general outlook on life. Outdoor adventures can bring such positive impact!

My amazing guest from Episode #32 (talking about the Seven Summits and the Greenland Icecap) is back for another impressive adventure recently fulfilled – a solo, unsupported ski journey from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. That’s 700 miles alone, pulling a 240 pound sled for 55 days. Something that fewer than two dozen people have ever accomplished. It’s a great story. Plus, wait ’til you hear about the next dream adventure!

Lots of people boat on the Great Lakes in the summer, and a handful ice fish on them in winter. Here’s a guy who has bicycled on all 5 of these huge lakes in the winter, and he wants to know why more people don’t take advantage of these amazing frozen highways. This might be the birth of a new sport!

Here’s a story about three teens, each taking their own unique 500+ mile, 7 week adventure near the Arctic Circle. Two things their journeys had in common were the personal growth that came out of their experiences, and the amazing organization which arranged things.

So this guy has a spontaneous dream to take a canoe 1,000 miles around the entire island of Ireland. And he manages to find another guy who decides it sounds like a fun challenge. Hear the wonderful story of adventure and chasing a dream in a canoe. And their dreams of adventure don't stop there!

What inspired this 11 year old girl to dream of biking the entire Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)? That’s more than 2,500 miles of pedaling over 45 days, including almost a quarter million feet of elevation gain.  She not only dreamed of doing it – she did it, and is likely the youngest to ever do so. Hear about her adventure, and her wonderful advice to others, both old and young.

Here’s an 80 year-old woman who dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for nearly 70 years before one day realizing she’d better get going or she’d never do it. She laughs off her many challenges (including knee replacement surgery) while achieving the record as the oldest female thru-hiker to complete the trail. This one’s got spunk!

Can you imagine traveling 100 mph or more skimming just inches above a frozen lake? Try ice boat racing. Until the early 1900s, ice boats were the fastest human vehicle on the planet. Today you can find them cruising or racing on frozen lakes all over the world. Here’s an 8-time world ice boat racing champion describing the sport.

If we’re lucky, we get about 4,000 Mondays in our life. How many do you have left? And what do you want to do with your remaining ones? Here’s the author of “You Only Die Once” who gives an uplifting take on the seemlingly morbid concept of memento mori to help us live a more fulfilling life.