Kayakers Volunteer

Many kayakers volunteer around the world to help keep rivers pristine. Some even help to support other causes, such as disease in Africa. In this week's blog, check out the video below. American Whitewater is an organization in the United States that many boaters belong to which support the preservation of our rivers. Check out their site, click on the map of your area and look as some of the service projects they support, then answer the following questions for your project.

Questions:
1. What is the main goal of the project?
2. How are kayakers involved?
3. What river is involved?
4. What river statistics would be important for a kayaker?
5. Who is the USGS and how do they support this site?

Resources:
Nomad Films Female Kayakers Volunteer -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRnIv6vKiM
American White Water -
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/

Classic Climbs

For this week's post, take a look at Climbing Magazine's website. They have a list of "Classic Climbs". Choose one of these climbs and discuss:

Questions:
1. Where it is?
2. How is the climb classified?
3. What geological process helped to form it?
4. What equipment would you need?
5. What safety precautions should climbers take?
6. If you wanted to do this climb, what outdoor adventure company could take you there?

Resources:
Watch video trailer for "King Line" on Youtube.com -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUIGsfXud8s
Listen to the podcast from NPR on Chris Sharma -http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15825820
Then check out Classic Climbs on Climbing.com -http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/classicclimbs/

They Did It!

The December 2007 issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine has an article on the coolest adventurers of the year. One guy hiked almost 7,000 miles on trails around the United States, while another guy retraced Genghis Khan's route to Europe on horseback. Watch the video of a couple that circumnavigated the globe on their own power or read about some of the other adventurers (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/best-of-adventure-2007/achievements/adventurers-of-year.html) and let me know which adventure you might want to add to your life list.

TravelPod

I recently found this great site called TravelPod (http://www.travelpod.com) that has hundreds of video podcasts and blogs of adventure trips around the world. Check it out and let me know what your favorite trip was. Get extra points for creating a TravelPod, posting it, and linking it to the Walker Outdoors group.

Famous Explorers

This week we are reviewing famous explorers. Many of them were famous for being first at exploring part of the world, discovering a new plant or animal, or discovering a new technology. Many of these explorers belonged to the Explorers Club out of New York. Check out their website. For this post, make your vote for the most influential explore in the last 100 years. Provide a short explanation for your vote. Post a link to a website, podcast and/or video that describes their adventure.

Resources: Explorers' Club - http://www.explorers.org/

Places in the Outdoors

Student should have read the first 3 chapters of their books. After reading, discuss common characteristics among the people who go on these extreme adventure trips and where they go. Make sure to include the name of the book your are reading, its author, and the chapters you are covering.