Then, on Saturday, in a feat of even more incredible badassery,  73-year-old Tamae Watanabe of Japan reached the summit of Mount Everest  becoming the oldest woman to ever climb the mountain (the oldest man was a Min Bahadur Sherchan of Nepal, who did it at 76).

Several factors make this accomplishment even cooler than it first appears.

• Wanatabe was already the oldest woman in the world to summit Everest, having climbed the mountain at the age of 63. She smashed her own record by 10 years just for the hell of it.
• She left the last high altitude camp Friday night and climbed all night long, arriving at the summit on Saturday morning.
• Conditions on Everest have been harsher than normal this year, causing many teams of fit young climbers to cancel their expeditions, but this didn’t stop Watanabe.
• It was windier than usual on Saturday when Watanabe reached the peak and descended.
• Three others climbers died in summit bids (while a fourth may have died after simply losing it) on the south side mountain over the weekend, climbing at the same, or almost the same, time as Watanabe. Watanabe was, however, on the north side.

I have been mulling the idea for some time now. Ever since I realized that climbing Mount Everest is a test of physical endurance, rather than technical climbing skill, I’ve considered trying it.

Tamae Watanabe has inspired me. It is official–I must climb Mount Everest before I die. Preferably, within the next five years to ensure that Mount Everest isn’t the place that I die.

Lead photo by Darcy McCarty

***This photo is not of of Tamaei Watanabe nor of Mount Everest and is purely for illustrative and inspirational purposes.***

He was swarmed suddenly by bees that wouldn’t leave him alone. He sprinted up the mountain, rather than down, which can be very dangerous when panicked. But, he wasn’t able to shake the bees before being stung nearly 300 times.

“I was really thinking that maybe the farther I got up, the wind might disperse the bees, I really thought about that,” Watson said.

At the top of the mountain Watson found other hikers who helped him call for help. He was airlifted off the mountain a short time later.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue couldn’t confirm what kind of bees had attacked Watson. However, entomologist Grady Jones said that almost all the honey bees in the valley are Africanized, or ‘killer’ bees.

Africanized bees are attracted to CO2 and are very territorial when people or animals get close to their hives.

“At that point they become extremely aggressive, it becomes their home and all the science fiction types of things you hear, most of them are pretty much true when it comes to the Africanized bee,” Jones told FOX5 News.

After all that, Watson was neither mad at the bees nor deterred from hiking the area. “I’m not mad at the bees, I like bees,” he said. Is he going to go back to Lone Mountain again? Yup, he plans on it.

I have nothing but respect for this man.

Watch the video below:

Lead image by motleypixel

A local family strolls home at sunset on Malapasuca Island, Philippines (click on the image to see a larger version).

As the winner, it’s my turn to host the next competition. The theme for round #43 of Travel Photo Roulette is, not surprisingly, Adventure.

Contest Overview

The contest moves from blog to blog. The winner of each round hosts the next one (I’m hosting because I won the last round). Each host chooses a theme for their round and entrants may submit photos related that theme for one week. Readers may try to sway the host blogger’s choice by posting comments. The host blogger my ignore, delete, or ridicule comments as they see fit. Actually, this is encouraged, especially after seven or eight margaritas. At the end of the week, the host blogger chooses their favorite photo from the submissions and displays it as the week’s winning entry. The host then passes the contest to the winner, who will host the next round and choose a new theme. The game continues until the Internet implodes, North Korea gains control of the Internet and outlaws tomfoolery, or or skynet destroys the human race, whichever comes first. 

Guidelines

• After 1 year, phrases can be reused, however new photos must be submitted.
• Obscene pictures or phrases are not allowed. Suggestive phrases and photography are acceptable, but please keep them within reason.
• You may submit any photo, no matter how old, as long as you took it.
• Most importantly, ALL PHOTOS MUST BE YOUR OWN. No trolling Flickr for winners.
• This is a competition for bloggers, therefore you must be a blogger to be declared a winner.

How to submit your entries

It’s easy. Just leave comment below with a link your photo and caption. I will add it to this post. Please provide a brief description or caption so that  viewers can get a little background as to what’s happening. Check back here throughout the week to see all the entries as they come in and feel free to comment on them. The contest runs for 7 days from today, with the submission date being May 17th, 2012  –  May 24th, 2012 11.59pm GMT (Wednesday to Wednesday). The winner will be announced in the days after the deadline, and they will host round 44. **Note** Please enter medium-size web-friendly photos max 530px wide. Large pictures slow down servers and increase page load times for everybody.

The Entries

Daniel Konk

I’m not fully an adrenaline junkie but I do like to be adventurous sometimes and I really enjoy paragliding. Here is a shot I took during a trip a couple of years ago of another person paragliding below me.

Michael Falk

Here we are hiking outside Asheville, NC after doing a Beer walking Tour the night Before. I didn’t feel great and these ladders were making me a little shaky!

 Ava Apollo

I dove with HUGE, MONSTROUS, GIGANTIC (not really) sharks. Beat that!

Jeremy Jones

To me, the spirit of adventure is an adrenaline rush. Paragliding in Austria was definitely one big adrenaline rush, especially while spinning very fast. This photo is not of me, but I had just finished doing this activity when taking this photo of my friend.

Rebecca

The most adventurous thing I did in the thrill capital of the world, New Zealand! Glacier Hiking! Where’s my medal?

Marta

Ice trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier in argentine Patagonia done just few days ago! The glacier was by far the most beautiful and overwhelming thing I have seen in my life!

The Rowdy Chowgirl

The Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona is non-stop adrenalin. The bulls are unbelievably fast. This one was named Cappuccino, and not everyone was lucky enough to get out of his way. That morning we watched from a balcony. The next morning we ran with the bulls.

Denise

I am soooo not adventurous. so I totally surprised myself when I booked myself and my boyfriend on a kayaking tour of sacred Lake Batur in Bali. While the guys pictured in the photo are our guides and instructors, I’m behind the camera working my way to some very very sore arms.

Cole

Surely as the Kiwi Adventure Couple we can win this round after many, many, many unsuccessful attempts Couldn’t decide whether to go with mountain biking, snowboarding, high ropes course, surfing or ice climbing. So went with one of many shots of me during my summer as a white water rafting guide in Jasper, Canada. It’s a tough life!

 Travis Ball

I went on a four-day liveaboard while I was in Cairns and got in something like 20 dives up and around the Coral Sea. By far the most memorable was the “Shark Dive” and I think you can see why. Mostly black tips, grey reef sharks and a few of the bigger silver tips, but alas, no hammerhead

Ele

I took it in winter when I joined a hike with a group of enthusiasts. At some point we had to cross the river using what we call “a monkey bridge” which was narrow, held no more than 5 people at a time, and was rather slippery. The railings were low, so the entire trip was almost squatting.

Bob R

A little too much adventure for this young kayaker on the Soča (Isonzo) River near Bovec, Slovenia. We took a long break and help get him to shore and then eventually off the river. A few scratches and bruises and a slightly wounded ego, but he was fine.

 Adam

a quick snapshot from a Metric concert in London a few years ago. The crowd was wild and Emily Haines, the lead singer, stage dove into the crowd. Daring and exciting! Awesome atmosphere. My favorite kind of adventure =D

William

Riding in a tiny skiff on Lake Naivasha in Kenya, surrounded by hippo’s definitely got the blood pumping.

And…(dun du du da) the winners are

Choosing a winner was not easy. Three of the entries definitely stood out for capturing the excitement of the moment. But choosing a winner from those three was not easy. But, here are my choices.

Second Runner Up

Running with bulls by The Rowdy Chowgirl. In the end, I chose to give this fantastic photo third place because, while it captures the excitement of the moment really well, it would be better if it she had used a faster shutter speed to get a sharper image.

First Runner Up

Whitewater rafting by Cole won second place. This is a great picture. You can almost feel the frigid Canadian mountain water smacking you in the face! A great photo that narrowly missed first simply because, while this captures the excitement of rafting perfectly, the first place winner was simply a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Winner

In the end, there there was only one choice for first place. Swimming with sharks by Travis Ball is not only a well-composed photograph of a shark dive. It really looks like a once-in-a-lifetime moment when everything went better than you could ask. I’m so jealous! Congratulations Travis! You’re up for round #44.

Past Photo Roulette Winners and Hosts

The following is a list of the previously played rounds blog hosts. This list also doubles as a winner’s table because host won the preceding round! Click the links to go directly to winning entries and see some stunning photographs!

1. Nov 4–10, 2010  – Living the Dream – “Animals”

2. Nov 17–24, 2010 – Skinny Backpacker - “Road Signs”

3. Nov 29–Dec 6, 2010 – Dream a Little Dream - “Street Art”

4. Dec 8–15, 2010 – Flashpacker HQ – “Festival”

5. Dec 17–24, 2010 – Over Yonderlust – “Landmarks”

6. Dec 26–Jan 2, 2011 – Don’t Ever Look Back – “Beaches”

7. Jan 5–12, 2011 – ThePlanetD – “Portraits”

8. Jan 15–22, 2011 – Travel with a Mate – “Motion”

9. Jan 26–Feb 3, 2011 – Johnny Vagabond – “Water”

10. Feb 8–15, 2011 – Ken Kaminesky – “Urban”

11. Feb 21–27, 2011 – Travels of Adam - “Friday Night”

12. Mar 7–13, 2011 – Itchy Feet Chronicles – “The Journey”

13. Mar 19– 25, 2011 – Brendan’s Adventures – “Changing Seasons”

14. Apr 4–10, 2011 - Shutterfeet – “Storytelling”

15. Apr 13–21, 2011 - 10 Times One - “Piousness”

16. Apr 26–May 4, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Learning”

17. May 21–27, 2011 – Travel Junkies – “Architecture”

18. Jun 1–7, 2011 – Destination World – “Transportation”

19. Jun 8–15, 2011 – Living the Dream – “Paradise”

20. Jun 21-28, 2011 - Vagabond Quest - “Clothes”

21. Jul 4-11, 2011 – The Unframed World – “Symmetry”

22. Jul 16-25, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Home”

23. Jul 31 – Aug 7, 2011 – BackPackerBanter – “Inspiration”

24. Aug 14 – 21, 2011 – WanderingTrader - “Darkness”

25. Aug 28 – Sep 4, 2011 – Finding the Universe – “Tranquillity”

26. Sep 12 – 19, 2011 – Fearful Adventurer – “Food”

27. Sep 23 – 30, 2011 – Adventures of a GoodMan – “City”

28. Oct 06 – 13, 2011 – Globe-Trekking.com - “Reflections”

29. Oct 17 – 24, 2011 – Scene With A Hart - ”Framing”

30. Nov 9 – 16, 2011 – Vagabond Quest - “Silhouettes”

31. Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2011 – Hecktic Travels – “Music”

32. Dec 11 – Dec 18, 2011 – Globetrotter Girls – “Love”

33. Dec 25 – Jan 1st, 2012– Man on the lam – “Humor”

34. January 8 – Jan 15 – My Walkabout – “Winter”

35. Jan 15 – Jan 22 – The Art of Slow Travel – “Blue”

36. Feb 6 – Feb 13 – Ten Times One – “Depth of Field”

37. Feb 22 – Feb 29 – Runaway Juno – “My Glorious Digital Nomad Moment”

38. March 7 – March 14 – Nomadbiba – “Sunshine”

39. March 24 – 31 – Travel With Kat – “Local Character”

40. April 10th – 16th - The Travel Bunny – “Street Scene”

41.  April 23rd – April 30th – Adventure Crow – “Spirit of the Country”

42. May 7th – May 14th – Food Travel Bliss - “Evening”

The police are trying to figure out if the thieves stole the lift to sell it (it’s valued at around $10,000 USD) or to set it up somewhere else.

I think that they must be selling it. Whenever ski bums muster up the motivation to get organized and coordinate a plan it usually results in five guys twenty miles into the backcountry, a snow fort, or a large bong.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.

In other weird ski news, a New Jersey ski resort is suing its insurance company over lack of snow.

A rare and remarkable finding at an the archaeological site of Xultun in the northeast corner of the country clearly indicates that the Mayan calendar goes on for another 7000 years.

The finding was made when a student at the site sat down to eat lunch and noticed some paint on a stone in a looter’s trench. Investigation led to a older than the other structures build on top of it. The room contained a mural of a king, a second mural of “strangely dressed figures” and a wall covered in astronomical calculations that indicate a calendar extending thousands of years into the future.

The room has been called a “Mayan workshop for astronomers”.

Some have said the room indicates that the Mayan calendar continues for another 7000 years. Some say for only 4000.

Either way, one thing is for certain. That sandwich-eating student is totally going to get an ‘A’.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Australia Location

Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is located in the Southern Hemisphere and includes the main island of Australia, as well as numerous smaller islands, the best known of which is Tasmania. Located in the South Pacific, Australia is bounded by the Coral Sea to the northeast, Tasman Sea to the southeast, Great Australian Bight to the south, Indian Ocean to the west, and Timor Sea to the north.

Major Cities in Australia

The largest and best known cities in Australia include Canberra, the capital, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, and Perth.

Geography of Australia

At 7.6 million square kilometres, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, the smallest continent, and has about 34,000 kilometres of coastline. It’s often referred to as the “island continent” and sometimes the “Earth’s largest island” even though Australia is technically not an island.

Australia sits atop the Indo-Australian Plate. Since it’s so big, Australia has a wide variety of landscapes and climactic zones. Australia’s best-known geographic feature is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, which is located off the country’s northeast coast and extends over 2000 kilometres. You’ve likely seen pictures of an enormous flat rock that rises out of an Australian plain. They actually have several, one of which is Mount Augustus, the largest monolith in the world, which is located near the West Coast. The tallest peak on the mainland is 2,228 m Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales, but the tallest in the country is Mount McClintock in the Australian Antarctic Territory at 3.492 m.

The northeast of the country is home to subtropical rain forests, and the southeast is comprised largely of mountain ranges. In the middle is a really big desert. Anyone who has seen Crocodile Dundee knows about Australia’s vast wild outback, which is mostly semi-arid desertish landscape. And, of course, there are lots of nice beaches.

Australia Weather and Climate

Since it’s so enormous, and surrounded by ocean, Australia has different climates in different places. They include equatorial, tropical, subtropical, desert, grassland, and temperate. To get a better idea of how Australia’s climactic zones are arranged check out this climate map.

Australia Description

Tourism makes up a significant part of the Australian economy (about 2.5%) and in 2010-11 the country received 5.9 million short-term visitors. Considering the size of the country, though, it’s not exactly what you’d call jam-packed.

Australia is a geographic wonder with tons of unique outdoors opportunities. The country is home to twelve UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites including the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites, Fraser Island, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, the Greater Blue Mountains Area, Heard and McDonald Islands, the Lord Howe Island Group, Macquarie Island, the Ningaloo Coast, Purnululu National Park, Shark Bay, Western Australia, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

The Great Barrier Reef is, of course, epic for snorkelling and scuba diving. Fraser Island, just off the East Coast is the largest sand island in the world and home to hoof of the world’s perched freshwater dune lakes. The Gondwana Rainforests in the east contain a cornucopia of rare and threatened species. The Heard and McDonald islands, just 1,700 km from Antarctica is one of the few places on earth where the unique ecosystem is completely intact and free of alien plants and animals. The Ningaloo Coast has an enormous network of underground caves and is also a gathering place for whale sharks and sea turtles. This list could go on and on.

Adventure activity recommendations

Australia Highlights

It’s hard to pick just a few highlights from this diverse country. But a few exceptional outings include:
• Sandboarding in the Pinnacles Desert near Perth is a great way to experience the desert without getting bored.
• Surfing anywhere in the country.
• The Grampian Mountains northwest of Melbourne offer hiking and climbing for enthusiasts of all levels.
• I don’t even know if I need to tell you that scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef should be on everybody’s list.

Australia Outdoor Adventure Activities

• Surfing
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Scuba diving (wreck, reef, cave)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Hydrospeed/riverboarding
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Via Ferrata
• Canyoning
• Coasteering
• Ziplining
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Ice climbing
• Abseiling/rappelling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Skiing and snowboarding
• Sandboarding
• Cross-country skiing

Travel Insurance

Get a travel insurance quote here

Australia Photos

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Images (in order) courtesy ,drubuntu, University of Denver, nosha, Tooley, monkeyc.net, Michael Dawes, steve caddy, boobook48, Luca Zappa,Kenski1970, richard ling, and kelvin_luffs on Flickr.

Australia Map

View Larger Map

Disclosure: If you purchase insurance, book a hostel, or purchase one of the recommended books on this page using the links provided, I will receive a small commission. I do not, however, recommend these products simply to make money. I recommend World Nomads travel insurance because I use it myself and feel that they offer a good product that suits my needs at a fair price. I recommend Hostelbookers.com because they have the cheapest booking prices that I have seen online and a large selection, and I recommend the selected books from Amazon.com because they have reputations for quality information and were up to date at the time of writing. If you have found my blog useful I hope that you will consider purchasing some of these products using the links on this page to help me to continue providing free information about adventure travel around the world.

Violet tried to stop the attack, so the cheetah started mauling her instead.

Then his buddy joined in.  They weren’t simply biting her leg or foot, mind you, they were gnawing on her head.

And what did her husband do during all of this? He stood there like an idiot photographing the whole thing.  Now the photos of the attack are all over the Internet.

Eventually the Violet played dead and a park ranger chased the cheetahs off of her with a stick.

The husband later said he was so stunned he didn’t realize that he kept taking photos.

I hope Archie is using the money he made selling the photos of his Violet’s mauling to buy her some nice hats.

That was weak, Archie, really weak.

Lead photo by Tambako the Jaguar

Scotland is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. It’s no wonder that walkers the world over choose to find flights to Scotland to experience it the best way possible: with a pair of hiking boots, a stick, and a windbreaker. Of course there are plenty of walks to choose from, but these are by far the most scenic that Scotland has to offer.

The Water of Leith

Photo by law_keven

Start your walking holiday in Scotland with flights to Edinburgh and a walk so picturesque you won’t believe that you’re in the middle of a city. The Water of Leith River flows from the Pentland Hills to the Port of Leith. The 20.5km walk by the riverside begins in the sleepy suburb of Balerno just South of the City, easily accessible by public transport. The first part of the walk goes through a shaded dell, with beautiful trees and ruined mills. The path then takes hikers through the inner city towards the pretty Dean Village and bohemian Stockbridge area of the city. This is the perfect place to stop for lunch, or you can press on to The Shore where there are plenty of bars to toast your walk with a pint of locally brewed beer.

The West Highland Way

Photo by Kenny Murray

Be sure to bring your camera along on this 152.8km walk through the West of Scotland. To begin take the train to Milngavie (pronounced “Mul-guy”), and end in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. The West Highland Way meanders through wilderness and forest, taking in some of Scotland’s most beautiful and well known sights: from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to the mysterious Glen Coe. The route is very challenging, with many hardy walkers giving up before reaching the mountainous ascent of the Devil’s Staircase. The walk is lined with inns, hotels, and campsites so you’re unlikely to go hungry or without sleep.

The Southern Upland Way

Photo by Bods

Rivalling the West Highland Way for scenery, the second of Scotland’s great walks is actually longer than the Highland counterpart. Beginning at Portpatrick the 341km walk passes through Galloway Forest Park and holds the honour of being Britain’s first official coast to coast path. Ambitious walkers only need apply, although some sections are great for families and daytrippers.

The Fife Coastal Path

Photo by Florian Seiffert (F*)

Although the West Coast is considered the best coast when it comes to scenic walks, anyone who has taken the 150km Fife Coastal path from Culross to Newport on Tay will disagree. The path takes in beautiful award-winning beaches, quaint fishing villages, and of course the town where Prince William met his wife: St Andrews. Perhaps the most demanding stretch of the walk is the Via Ferrata outside Elie. This part of the walk involves a lot of scrambling, aided by chains in some areas. It’s best to wait an hour after high tide before attempting this section.

St Cuthbert’s Way

Photo by lunaman

The Scottish Borders provide stunning scenery to rival even that of the highlands. Mountains, lochs, and beautiful ruins form the basis of St Cuthbert’s Way: 100km  from Melrose in the West to Lindisfarne in the East. This walk may be a bit of a cheat, as it does cross the border into England.  Starting at Melrose Abbey, one of the most beautiful examples of 12^th Century architecture still standing in Scotland, the walk ends at the ruined Lindisfarne Priory on the island of Lindsfarne. This walk crosses over with a number of famous walks, including the Southern Uplands Way and the Roman Heritage Way.

James C is an online media professional who loves both hiking and Scotland–especially when they are combined. 

I was just doing some lazy Sunday googling around the interweb, reading about the unfortunate premature death of Adam Yauch and his influence on his hometown, and I ended up finding three really sweet-looking adventures all in New York. Two are in the city, and one is just a few hours away.

If you are in New York, these are all convenient, reasonably priced, and fully worth checking out.

1) Take a Zipline Adventure Tour

Photo by youngrocky

I think ziplines are great. They’re accessible to everyone, even those who aren’t in super shape. They’re very environmentally friendly. They provide a nice little adrenaline boost to go with an epic view. And, they’re the cheapest flights you’re ever going to find (unless, that is, you check out my flight hacking tips).

New York Zipline Adventure Tours, about a 2.5 – 3 hour drive from the city in the Catskill Mountains, offers two zipline packages. Their Mid-Mountain Tour is a light family-friendly tour that includes six zippiness, four rope bridges, nine aerial tree platforms, and one rappel. The tour lasts about three hours and costs $89 USD per person.

Their more exciting tour is called the SkyRider, and they market it as the “longest, fastest, and highest zipline tour in the North America.”  It includes over 4.6 miles of zippiness, which they require you attend a training school to ride. This includes one cable that spans 3200 feet 600 feet above the valley floor. This tour is also three hours, and costs $119 USD per person.

2) Check Out Discover Outdoors Adventures

Photo by slagheap

If you want to get out, get fit, and get into some new adventure activities in New York, Discover Outdoors is definitely a company you should check out.  They have a variety of programs from backpacking lessons (free), to sunrise photography ($59 USD), to multi-sport adventures ($39 USD). They even have extreme indoor rock wall climbing ($29 USD). It’s not exactly Wharepapa, New Zealand, but hey, what did you expect.

The most gruesome looking calss is their mountain fitness training class ($39 USD). These classes are “non-traditional, fitness-oriented adventures,” but from the looks of the pictures they are seriously taxing. There is no specific training routine given, but its implied that the instructor chooses terrain and activities with a mind to wrenching your muscles in ways they’ve never experienced. Yes, they even lift logs. They have pictures of it on the website (though the one I have above is not of an actual class. I just picked it to scare you).

3) The Annual Adventures NYC Event

Photo by Ed Yourdon

Every summer the City of New York Parks and Rec team board teams up with sponsors like Backpacker Magazine, The North Face, and Pentax to put on Adventures NYC, a free outdoors event in Central Park. This year (2012) it will be held on June 25th and will include free bicycle rentals, climbing walls, health and fitness clinics, gear exhibits, yoga, and live entertainment. The price is right, and so are the activities.

Lead photo by Stuck in Customs