The Pursuit Zone

Greetings from TPZ headquarters where I produce The Pursuit Zone Adventure Travel Podcast. In this episode I talk about where I've been for the last year and about ideas I have for the podcast going forward.  I also tell you about the biggest mistake I've made as a podcast producer.  Let me know your thoughts and give me your feedback. In this episode I talk about: Why I burned out The online busi...

Mike Summers is an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for hiking. In December 2016 he set out westbound to complete the Ice Age Trail in winter. It's one of the 11 National Scenic Trails and exists entirely in the state of Wisconsin. It took Mike 58 days to thru-hike the 1,077 miles. You can learn more about the Ice Age Trail at iceagetrail.org and more about Mike at improbablebutpossible.com . Mik...

For over a decade, Chaz Powell has been backpacking in remote places around the world. Starting in August 2016, Chaz began an attempt to walk the length of the Zambezi river starting at the source near Kalene Hills in northwestern Zambia. He walked for nearly 1,300 miles in 97 days through one the most remote parts of the world, most of the time alone and self-supported. The goal was to reach the...

In the summer of 2010, Leigh Timmis pedaled away from his home in England to begin an around the world cycling adventure. Somewhere along the way he realized that cycling every painstaking and dangerous mile of the journey is not as important as enjoying it. Leigh cycled in support of the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre , a charity that provides week-long holidays to children in need. After 7...

In March 2014, Steve and Jo Dew-Jones traveled to the bottom of South America and began hitchhiking north. In November, they arrived in Homer Alaska after traveling over 26,000 miles with 392 drivers. Their only rule was to hitchhike and not use paid transportation. They wrote a book about the adventure titled The Rule of Thumb 2 […] The post Hitchhiking Argentina to Alaska with Steve & Jo Dew-Jon...

With 45 days of food crammed into their 17 foot expedition kayaks, Will Copestake and his friend Seumus began an 840 km expedition through the icy fjords of Chilean Patagonia – a perfect harmony of the brutal and the beautiful as Will writes at his website willcopestakemedia.com. Will previously appeared in episode 53 talking about […] The post Kayaking in Chilean Patagonia with Will Copestake : T...

In the summer of 2016, a team of five from Oxford University traveled into the Arctic Circle to ski east to west across the island of Spitsbergen – part of a Norwegian archipelago. They retraced a 1923 expedition that had contributed a great deal of scientific knowledge about the region. Their goal is to conduct […] The post Mountaineering in Svalbard with James Lam : TPZ 137 appeared first on The...

In the summer of 2015, Jeremy Cronon set out on a 32,000 mile road trip through the USA. He wanted to better understand the American wilderness and its conservation ethic by visiting places we have chosen to protect. With his faithful companion Sam, a 2008 Atomic blue Honda Element outfitted like a camper van, Jeremy […] The post Road Trip thru US National Parks with Jeremy Cronon : TPZ 136 appear...

In 2011, Henrik Frederiksen quit his job as a marine civil engineer to pursue his dream of cycling around the world. But when he reached Ecuador, after 2.5 years, he was looking for a change. So with his Bulgarian friend Peycho, the two decided to build a bamboo raft and float down the Amazon river. […] The post Rafting down the Amazon River with Henrik Frederiksen : TPZ 135 appeared first on The...

Olly Hicks and George Bullard kayaked from Greenland to Scotland. Their 22 ft tandem sea kayak was customized to allow them to lay flat in the cockpits and rest during the long crossings. From Greenland they paddled to Iceland then made their way along its northern coast before starting the 4 day and 4 night […] The post Kayaking from Greenland to Scotland with Olly Hicks : TPZ 134 appeared first...

Cycling from Belgium to Nepal to attempt a climb of Mount Everest, Jelle Veyt first stopped to climb Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. After summiting, he continued on cycling through Kazakhstan, China, Tibet and Nepal until reaching Kathmandu. After the roads ended he continue on foot to Everest base camp to join his […] The post Cycling to Mount Everest with Jelle Veyt : TPZ 133 appe...

34,000 km, 26 countries, 1 gear. In 2015 Markus Stitz began his round the world cycling adventure on a single speed bike. For the sake of simplicity, he abandoned not only the gears, but the traditional racks and panniers in favor of a bikepacking setup built on top of a Surly Ogre frameset. Iceland, New […] The post Cycling Single Speed Around the World with Markus Stitz : TPZ 132 appeared first...

Federico Cabrera is cycling thousands of miles through developing countries with a portable photography studio. His goal is to meet families in need that don't have a family portrait and to make one for them. The project is called Their Only Portrait and his plan is to visit a new country every year starting with […] The post Bikepacking and Photography in Argentina with Federico Cabrera : TPZ 131...

Sumatra is the 6th largest island in the world with just over twice the land area of Great Britain. During the summer of 2016, undergraduate Biology students Oli Broadhead and Iris Berger set out to walk across Sumatra to compare the biodiversity of untouched forests vs. deforested ecosystems. They found their way into an unexplored […] The post Sumatra Biodiversity Expedition with Oli Broadhead &...

After 68 days and 3200 km by canoe, Ian Finch and team completed their Pull of the North expedition – a source to Bering Sea descent of the Yukon River. Ian is an adventurer and researcher who travels to remote locations to learn about the ancient traditions and ways of life of First Nations people. […] The post Canoeing the Yukon River with Ian Finch : TPZ 129 appeared first on The Pursuit Zone .

Kate Davis and Andy Bartlett became the first people to stand up paddle board the entire length of the Danube River from source to sea in 2016. Starting in the Black Forest of Germany they traveled through 10 countries, visited 4 capital cities, and reached the shores of the Black Sea in Ukraine after 90 […] The post SUP the Danube River with Andy Bartlett : TPZ 128 appeared first on The Pursuit Z...

Starting in the summer of 2016, Lisa Pugh and Alyce Kuenzli will attempt to become the first female expedition to complete a source-to-sea descent of the world's 4th Longest River System – the Jefferson, Missouri, and Mississippi. They call their expedition Source of Confidence and its aim is to inspire and teach women and girls to discover and […] The post Canoeing the Missouri & Mississippi with...

In January 2016, Laura Bingham began an attempt to cycle across South America. Nothing out of the ordinary for a 23 year old looking for adventure except that she planned to do it without any money. With only the equipment she could fit in her panniers, she cycled 7,000 km from the Pacific coast of […] The post Cycling without Money across South America with Laura Bingham : TPZ 126 appeared first...

The Jungle Ultra is a 230 km footrace in Peru. Competitors have 6 days to complete the 5 stages of the race starting in the cloud forest and descending 10,500 feet to the Amazon Jungle below. Hollie Woodhouse ran the Jungle Ultra as part of a team known as Running for Rangers. They compete in […] The post Running the Jungle Ultra in Peru with Hollie Woodhouse : TPZ 125 appeared first on The Pursui...

For 6 years beginning in 2010, Stephen Fabes cycled 86,000 km across 75 countries, from the scorching deserts of Syria and Afghanistan to the freezing Mongolian steppe. He survived blizzards, landslides, marauding school children, and a run-in with a gunman.   Along the way Stephen slept in the homes of people in more than 50 countries and is convinced […] The post Cycling Around the World with St...

By circumnavigating the islands of Sark, Guernsey, and Jersey, Laura Kennington completed her first triathlon in the Channel Islands. In 3 consecutive days, the plan was to swim 5 miles around Sark, kayak 28 miles around Guernsey, then cycle 45 miles around Jersey. Of course, like most adventures, it didn't all go exactly as planned. […] The post Channel Islands Triathlon with Laura Kennington : T...

After 12 years working in the corporate world, Jamie Ramsay decided to trade in the suit and tie for a pair of running shoes and hit the open road. In 2014, he began a 17,000 km solo and unsupported running expedition from Vancouver, Canada, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, raising money for CALM, Macmillan, and WaterAid. […] The post Running 17,000 km from Canada to Argentina with Jamie Ramsay : TPZ 1...

For 24 days Charlie Tokeley trekked and packrafted a remote stretch of Chilean Patagonia, documenting previously unexplored glaciers and traversing unnamed rivers. During this time he saw not a single person or sign of human activity. He describes it as breathtakingly stunning at times and inexplicably hard the rest – a rainbow in a rainstorm. […] The post Solo Trekking and Packrafting in Chilean...

Graham Clarke started the Why Not? Adventure Film Festival in 2012. Now in its 5th year based in Galway Ireland, the festival aims to bring the vision of filmmakers and athletes to a wider audience and to inspire people to take up an adventure no matter how small. Graham himself was inspired after seeing the […] The post Why Not Start an Adventure Film Festival with Graham Clarke : TPZ 120 appeare...

Most musicians tour in a van, but not Ben Weaver. The bicycle is his mode of transportation. With custom bike bags for his guitar and banjo, Ben has toured 1,500 miles from St. Paul to New Orleans and recently spent 16 days cycling 1,400 miles around Lake Superior for his Surrounding Water tour. In addition […] The post A Musician Tours by Bicycle with Ben Weaver : TPZ 119 appeared first on The Pu...