Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream

Wanna Be a Smoke Jumper?

Smoke jumping is an adventure disguised as a job. Afterall, who jumps out of airplanes to live a week or two in the wild fighting a forest fire with little more than a pulaski and the clothes on their back? It’s an occupation few of us know much about – until you listen to this episode where my guest explains the lingo, techniques, and experience of smoke jumping.

The Badwater 135 at Any Age

The Badwater 135 ultra-marathon is viewed as one of the toughest running races in the world, starting in Death Valley in 120 degree F temps and including 14,000+ feet of elevation gain. This 2-guest episode was so fun to record with both the youngest person and oldest person ever to finish the race. While they each describe the same race from very different perspectives, they are equally inspirational.

Rafting the World's Whitewater

Rafting expeditions on white water rivers can be addictive – or so says my guest in this episode. His repertoire of rafting adventures was built over a decades-long habit of an expedition every year or two and includes dozens of rivers around the world, including Zambia, India, Bhutan, Peru, Chile, Siberia, China, and Ecuador to name a few. What a great way to see the wild places of the world while enjoying friends and family!

Vendee Globe - Here Comes Canada!

This episode is a conversation with Scott Shawyer, the President and Skipper of the Canada Ocean Racing team, shortly after he and his team completed the 5,000+ mile Ocean Race Europe in their IMOCA 60 foiling ocean racer. That race was just a warm-up for Scott’s ultimate ambition of being the first Canadian to complete the Vendee Globe solo, non-stop, around-the-world race.

Why Do We Explore?

Do you ever have an itch for adventure? To explore? To try something new? My guest for this episode literally wrote the book on why that is (or isn’t, for some people). He also wrote the book on human endurance. What a fascinating combo of topics that helps explain what's behind the accomplishments of my various podcast guests.

Swimming the Oceans Seven

This teenage woman is on-track to be the youngest person to complete the series of marathon ocean swims known as The Oceans Seven. These are 10-25 mile swims across 7 of the world’s major ocean channels, including the English Channel, Gibraltar Straights, Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii, and the Cook Straights in New Zealand among others. She battles strong currents, cold waters, jelly fish and hours of fatigue. Fewer than 40 people have ever accomplished this feat. Listen to why she does it. You can’t argue with her reason.

Halfway Anywhere: The King of the Trail

Tyler “Mac” Fox has spent over a decade hiking the most epic trails around the world. Hear how he went from a totally non-outdoorsy guy to the king of the trail, about a sampling of his best hiking adventures, and how he has turned his love of hiking into the most comprehensive website for thru-hikers. Check it out at "HalfwayAnywhere.com" for tons of information, including really impressive annual surveys of the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail from over 1,000 thru-hikers. 

Would You Rather: Row the Atlantic or Swim the UK Coast?

This is Part 2 of my episode with Jasmine Harrison, the young British woman with an amazing trifecta of ocean records. First she became the youngest female to row 3,000 miles solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She then swam 900 miles up the entire coast of the UK from the southern tip of England to the northern tip of Scotland. And now as I interview her, she is halfway through her 30,000+ mile solo circumnavigation of the world in the Mini Globe Race. That's "mini" as in a mini 19 foot sailboat - not a mini globe!! If you haven't already listened to Part 1, check out Episode #43 first.

Around the World Solo in the Mini Globe Race

What does a young woman do after rowing a boat solo across the Atlantic Ocean? She swims the entire west coast of England, of course. And after that? She sails solo around the world in a very tiny boat. In fact, this episode was recorded via StarLink with my guest sailing across the Coral Sea towards Australia. And it is so packed with adventure, I split it into two parts, so tune in next week for Part 2 and decide which of her adventures is most awesome!

You Too Can Cycle the Tour de France

You don’t have to be a pro to experience the course and the thrill of the Tour de France stage race. My guest in this episode describes what it’s like to ride the mountain stages a few days before the pros come through. His times aren’t quite as fast, but the challenge is sure real. And he describes lots of other spectacular rides for us “regular” people to do with our families.