California Outdoor Adventures with Adventure Out

SF Surfrider Party & Fundraiser

2008-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Come party-down and help support the San Francisco Surfrider Foundation! Free pizza, surf videos, and a raffle to win a Pearson Arrow Surfboard or a surf lesson with Adventure Out!

Bodhi Retreats - March 2008!

2008-02-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

Join Adventure Out and Bodhi Retreats this spring for a "Re-Awakening" Retreat. 4 Days & 3 Nights in the beautiful Los Altos Hills. Surf Lessons, Rock Climbing, & Wilderness Survival classes along with daily meditation and yoga, organic meals, massage therapy, holistic professionals, and much more. This is a great chance to getaway and treat yourself to an awesome week!

Wilderness Survival Class in Boulder Creek - 2/16/08

2008-02-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day in February and the redwoods were full of majesty when we gathered for our monthly Wilderness Survival Class in Boulder Creek, CA. The group was ready to go and instructors Cliff Hodges and Shawn Moriarty pushed the limits to fit all of the material into the day. Shelter building, fire-by-friction, water collection and purification, hunting, trapping, natural cordage, and more. Here are some pictures from the day:

Largest Marine Reserve EVER!

2008-02-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

The tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati has created the world's largest marine reserve, spanning 164,200 square miles (roughly the size of California). In contrast, the islands comprising Kiribati itself total only about 313 square miles, or about four times the size of Washington, D.C. The new Phoenix Islands Protected Area is home to sea turtles, over 120 species of coral, 520 species of fish, and contains important sea-bird nesting sites. In creating the reserve, the impoverished nation will be giving up millions of dollars in foregone commercial fishing licenses every year, though Kiribati officials stressed that they hope to make up for some of the lost revenue via increased tourism. Officials have also been trolling for financial assistance from other nations. Russell Mittermeier of Conservation International said, "The creation of this amazing marine protected area by a small island nation represents a commitment of historic proportions." The previous world's largest marine protected area was the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands set aside by President Bush in 2006.

Source: Reuters

Mojo Slingshot - Young People Saving the Environment!

2008-02-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Clif Bar (our favorite nutrition bar company) and Focus The Nation are sponsoring the 2008 Slingshot grant program to encourage young people to get involved and help solve the current environmental crisis. Eligible applicants must be between the ages of 18-25 years of age - application categories are as follows:

-Outdoor fanatics protecting the places we love to play – for this category, project should be inspired by the need to protect our outdoor spaces such as mountains, rivers and oceans.

-Artists inspiring our communities – for this category, ideas should use the arts to increase awareness of or change thinking about global warming solutions.

-Innovators challenging our expectations – for this category, projects should challenge the status quo with new and innovative thinking, and include an action element to bring new thinking into action.

For more info, visit http://www.mojoslingshot.com

Dynamite Surfing - Analyized

2008-02-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

Any surfer that is "linked in" to the information age has probably seen this video:

This nifty advertisment for Quicksilver Surf Co. has been viewed over 20 million times in the last year and a half. But the question still remains - is it real? The grainy-ness of the film quality really makes it difficult to tell. In addition, after the dynamite blast, the camera zooms in on the cloud of water vapor turning the screen completely white.

So is it fake or not? You be the judge. Leave your comments.

Brown Pelicans - Conservation Goal Success!

2008-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

40 Years ago, the Brown Pelican looked as though it would dissappear from planet earth at any moment. The pesticide DDT that, among other things, softened the egg shells of the pelican and killed the chicks, was in widespread use and was being dumped into the oceans of southern california. The pelican has always been used by scientists as an un-official "indicator species", meaning, if the pelican was doing ok, then the coastlines were doing ok. That was not the case in the early 70's. The brown pelican was named a national endangered species in 1970, three years before the Endangered Species Act was enacted due to its spiraling population numbers.

However, since the ban of DDT and lots of hard work by scientists and conservationists, the pelican has made an amazing recovery. On Friday, the Interior Department announced a plan to remove the pelican from the endangered species list. UC Davic ecotoxicologist Daniel Anderson agrees with the de-listing, but still warns that "Just because it's not endangered anymore doesn't mean it's any less important," Anderson said. "Children should always look at the pelican and say, 'There's a special bird.' ".

Source: LA Times

Famous Wilderness Survivalist to Teach with Adventure Out

2008-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

Join us this Spring to welcome Bill MConnell - America's most reknowned primitive skills instructor - to the Bay Area from Bozeman, MT. Bill is one of the most accomplished traditional bow hunters alive today who has taught thousands of people the sacred hunting arts of our ancestors. Also an expert tracker and naturalist, Bill's course offerings are diverse and wholly unique.

Check out Adventure Out's Advanced Wilderness Survival and Primitive Skills page to read more about the courses which will include a class on Sweatlodges and Ceremonial Fires, as well as Track Drawing and Nature Journaling.

Extreme Base Jumping!

2008-01-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

Although Adventure Out will not be offering any classes in basejumping with wingsuits, we felt this video was well worth seeing!

Insane...

Iraq ratifies the Kyoto Protocol

2008-01-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

In a somewhat surprising announcement yesterday, the Iraqi government voted to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Although it is questionable whether they actually have the resources to enforce it (I think they might be a little busy with this whole"war" thing), it is an impressive step which their occupiers (us) cannot even get done.

It is true that as a developing nation, Iraq will actually be receiving subsidies for the ratification, but the irony is still quite apparent. As a side note - was Iraq a "developing nation" before the USA bombed their infrastructure into nothingness? I wonder...

Only 356 days until Bush is gone. Hold your breath...

Source: NYT

Book Review: The Animal Dialogues

2008-01-28T14:14:00.001-08:00

Today I'll be reviewing my favorite christmas gift this year: The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild, by Craig Childs.

They say to never judge a book by its cover. But as you can see, the cover of this book is beautiful - and so to is its content. Each of the 40 "encounters" in this book is a seperate story and one need not read them in any particular order. If you're anactive outdoor traveller like me, this is highly advantageous. I read about Childs' thrilling stare-down with a mountain lion during an airport layover. I laughed at his description of running from a "mystery shadow" while huddled in my sleeping bag at Joshua Tree. I turned the pages, riveted by his arctic Grizzly encounter, as I sat on the beach waiting for the tide to drop.

This book is a great gift item and truly a must have for anyone that loves wild places and the wild creatures that inhabit them. Childs' writing style is eloquent yet personable and is so wonderfully descriptive that the reader is taken along through the deserts, mountains, and forests on all his adventures.

Upcoming Trip: Snow Caves & Winter Survival!

2008-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

On March 21st-23rd, 2008, Adventure Out will be holding our last Snow Cave & Winter Survival Trip of the '07-'08 winter season. This class is an amazing opportunity to learn something that every outdoor enthusiast should know (snow caves can and will save your life!)

This is also an extremely fun adventure and a great way to enjoy the amazing snowfall we've had so far this year in California. To learn more about this trip, visit http://www.adventureout.com/snow_camping.html

Buckeye on Buckeye Hand-Drill Fire

2008-01-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone that has taken our Wilderness Skills and Survival Clinic knows that there are LOTS of ways to make fire, and LOTS of different kinds of tools and materials at our dispososal out there in the wilderness. But one of the most common questions we get is, "what is the best around here?" And by "here" we are usually talking about the central coast of California.

I'm sure there are people out there that will disagree, but I am going to go ahead and put my vote out there for California Buckeye.

Either for use as bow-drill fire wood, or a hand-drill kit, this local wood is medium-to-soft on the hardness skale, burns well when damp, and has the handy habit of growing perfect hand-drill stalks out from it's base.

Below is the progession from harvested stalk and branch wood (for the fireboard) all the way to a glowing red coal. This fire was made from freshly falled wood today, January 26, 2008. It has been raining in Santa Cruz pretty much nonstop for about 48 hours, so things are pretty saturated. I picked up this stalk and fallen branch at about 8am while on a walk, and kept them in my jacket to dry them off a bit. Even though the wood was still damp, the fire was started by 12 Noon when I returned from my hike.

Adventure Out's Surf Camp Goes Solar!

2008-01-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

In a continuing effort to leave the least amount of environmental footprint possible, Adventure Out's Surf Camp in Pacifica, CA has gone 100% solar!

In a recent upgrade to our storage and camp facility near Pacifica State Beach, we've installed several panels to power all the lights, electrical outlets, and fans (that keep your wetsuits dry over night!). So when you or a friend decide you want to learn how to surf, come take your bay area surf lesson with the only green-powered surf camp on the west coast!

Whole Foods "Trashes" Plastic Bags!

2008-01-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Natural foods retailer Whole Foods has announced it will stop giving out plastic grocery bags by Earth Day due to the bags' ubiquity and associated environmental problems. The company is opting instead for bagging customers' groceries in 100 percent recycled paper bags and/or encouraging customers to bring their own reusable sacks. "More and more cities and countries are beginning to place serious restrictions on single-use plastic shopping bags since they don't break down in our landfills, can harm nature by clogging waterways and endangering wildlife, and litter our roadsides," said Whole Foods' A.C. Gallo. The grocery chain estimates that the plastic-bag ban at all its 270 stores in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. will eliminate the use of about 100 million plastic sacks between Earth Day and the end of 2008. All together, Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic bags each year.

Hike for Discovery - Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

2008-01-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hike For Discovery is an adventure fundraising program based on Team in Training (TNT), the world’s largest endurance sports training program which has trained over 320,000 participants. Like TNT, whether you are an amateur or experienced hiker, Hike For Discovery’s expert certified coaches will prepare you with months of training for a hike experience like no other. In return, you will raise funds for research to cure blood cancers.

Hike For Discovery is beginning its 6th season this February with an exciting selection of destination hike events:

Grand Canyon: May 15-18 2008

Yosemite: June 14-17, 2008

The Grand Adventure: 3 day overnight hike in the Grand Canyon! May 15-20, 2008. Space limited to 10—there will be an application process for this event.
Get Ready for Adventure!

Information Meetings will be held:

February 7th at 6:30 pm at Sports Basement, Sunnyvale
February 9th at 10:30 am at REI, San Carlos
February 12th at 6:30 pm at Lucy Stern Community Center, Palo Alto
February 16th at 10 am at Willows Senior Center, Willow Glen
February 23rd at 10 am Compadres, Palo Alto—followed by our kickoff at noon with a buffet lunch

Call 408-271-8337 to sign up for an information meeting or email tifin.kutch@lls.org for more information. Visit http://www.hikefordiscovery.org/ to learn more about Hike For Discovery!

Outdoors Inspires Art.

2007-08-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Nick Anderson resides in Santa Cruz CA and art is his biggest passion in life. At the young age of 22, Nick has managed to live the dream of many-supporting himself only by producing artwork. He pretty much can handle every medium that is thrown his way. His specialties lie in visual art, photography and most of all, glass sculpture. Nick says that one of his biggest inspirations for art so far has been experiencing nature in any way possible.

Backpacking throughout the Trinity Alps, California Sierras, exploring ocean life, and venturing on spiritual retreats are some of the activities that provide Nick with fuel for his artwork. His different experiences are evident in the variety of animalistic characters he creates over many mediums.

Up close and personal.

See the horse with copper bling.

Squiddy Jonestown Massacre.

The Lockness Monster has nothing on this guy.

Nick loves that Calimari.

The rare-sighted Japanese Flying Fish.

Nick will continue to grow as an artist as he sees and interprets the outdoors in different ways. Be sure to check out some Adventure Out trips so you can have inspiration for your own passion!

Wave Machines

2007-07-20T10:49:00.002-07:00

Working as the adventure out intern, I often have the job of shipping out wetsuits from the online store. I sometimes ponder the different places that these suits are being ordered from. Where can one surf directly in the middle of the country? Maybe people are getting suits to go wakeboarding or maybe they just want a new warm set of pajamas. But for those who are surfing deprived, there is another option out there.

Artifical wave machines are showing up more and more in water theme parks. I did a bit of research and it looks like surfing is not the only thing that can be practiced in a wave machine. One project going up right now is in Arizona! The $750 million dollar water adventure park, Waveyard, claims to have areas to go wakeboarding, boogie boarding, river rafting, scuba diving and even fly fishing.

If you can't surf in your area, but are looking to get wet, a theme park with a wave machine might be the place for you to check out. Of course you could always travel to Santa Cruz because there are always tons of waves here!

Elemental Awareness Intern Trip

2007-07-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

The non-profit Elemental Awareness recently went backpacking with a handful of kids on its annual Skateboard Camp intern trip. Adventure Out supports E.A. because it teaches skateboarders who usually grow up in an urban setting, the values of nature and survival skills. Interns are kids who have taken the survival skills class at skateboarding camp and excelled in the program. They are invited back to help teach.

This year the interns were taken to Weaver Lake which is apart of the Jennie Lakes Wilderness Area. The setting was perfect.

Interns and instructors had fun doing the usual activities of backpacking, but also worked on survival skils.

If anyone has kids in search of a great camp, you can check out YMCA Element Skate Camp.

If you are interested in learning some of the same skills taught in Elemental Awareness, check out some Adventure Out Survival Classes.

Magic in the Sierras

2007-07-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

From 2 weeks ago in Yosemite, to last weekend in the Sequoias, Adventure Out has been through the Sierra's quite a bit in the last few weeks. It's not difficult to see why John Muir loved this majestic mountain range so much. Here are a few highlights:

Big Sur Surf & Survival Trip - June 2007

2007-06-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people ask us why we do what we do here at Adventure Out...

If you still don't know, then we probably can't help you. Surfing in Big Sur, Wilderness Survival Skills Instruction, Personal Massage Therapist on each Trip - Adventure Out Big Sur Surf & Survival.

Next Trip is On August 24th - See you there!

Eat Corn... with Corn! - Biodegradable Plastic!!!

2007-06-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

Plastic sucks. Yep, we said it. Sorry Mr. McGuire, its the truth... (that's a Graduate reference for those of you under 40). We use oil to make it, which also pollutes the air, and then we throw it in landfills where it doesnt decompose. So lets review: Bad, Bad, Terrible. Now how much fun does that tupperware party sound? ...Not so much right?

Well don't fret! You can have you cake... er... Corn - and eat (with) it too! Check out biodegradable plastic made from corn and potato starch:
This cutlery available from Vegware (http://www.vegware.co.uk/) is just a small example. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of companies out there producing plastic alternatives. What does this mean? Well, in addition to being able to eat with a "plastic" fork without feeling like you're contributing to the "spreading of democracy" in the Middle East, you can just toss your fork in the trash or compost and watch it dissappear (given a few months of spare time).

Anza Borrego Desert Survival Skills Trip

2007-06-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of leading our Desert Survival Skills Backpacking Trip. This is one of my favorite trips that Adventure Out offers. Not only is the majesty of the desert utterly breathtaking (as you can see below in these pictures), but the uniqueness and vastness of the landscape offers an amazing training ground for survival skills.We had a great group of participants - all ready and willing to test their skills and have a great time. We practiced many native skills known to the area including traditional shelter construction, fire-by-friction, wild edible plants, water collection, and trapping.

We were treated with perfect desert weather - 70 degrees all day long, and mid to low 50s at night. The stars were abundant, the moon was bright, and the landscape bustled with wildlife. We watched raptors hunt, endangered Desert Bighorn Sheep feed, and drank from waterfalls every morning.

Since leading this trip, we've had numerous requests for a repeat trip. As much as we would love to fulfill all of these requests, we do feel the need to be responsible stewards of the environment. The desert, in all of its "rough and tough" harshness, is actually one of the most fragile landscapes in North America. With scarce vegetation, dry air, and relatively nutrient-less soil, things change slowly, and wounds are slow to heal. This trip will always be 1 TIME PER YEAR ONLY offering for Adventure Out. Please respect this decision.

Our next trip will be offered in April of 2008. Check here for more information on our Anza Borrego Desert Survival Skills Trip.

Cliff Hodges
Owner
Adventure Out LLC

Wetsuits and Booties!

2007-05-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Wetsuits and booties are now on sale at the Adventure Out store! But what about the people that don't surf? Shouldn't they have some excuse to buy stetchy neoprene material clothing that looks ultra cool as well as keeping you warm even in the ocean?

Uses for wesuits besides surfing: Shark costume, fun thing to wear to the water slide park, progessive balerina outfit, extra large case for laptop computer, a body to make a scarecrow out of, ninja gear, something to wear if auditioning for the next Matrix movie, cool outfit to wear if playing in a heavy metal band, cool outfit to wear if playing in a mariachi band...

Booties: Drink coozie, flower vase, motorcycle boots, cooler looking aqua socks to wear to the pool, shoes so grippy you wouldn't fall when running, even if you're at the pool, feet for a ninja turtle costume, small house for a pet hamster, pen and pencil holder, arrow quiver, something warm to wear on hands during halloween night if your costume is an upside down man...

Happy Shopping! Enjoy the Summer!

Sweat Lodge

2007-05-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

After one of the flintknapping classes last week, some students were invited to the house of Cliff Hodges (Adventure Out CEO) for a tradtional native sweat lodge. This was not an official Adventure Out event, but more of a bonus gift for anyone who took the flintnapping class taught by guest survival instructor, Bill McConnell.

For those who are not aware of what a sweat lodge is, it is a ceremony that has been done by various native peoples. The ceremony takes place in a lodge made from a skeleton of bent sapling poles covered with many blankets, tarps or anything else that can seal heat inside the small dome shape that people sit in. Heat inside a sweat lodge is created by placing hot rocks in the center and pouring water on them. The steam is trapped inside the dome and increases the temperature.

People have different ultimate reasons for doing a "sweat". There also different customs on how the lodge should be prepared, what herbs should be offered, and how the fire should be structured and kept to heat the rocks. I am not an expert on sweat lodges and the traditions that go with them, but I can tell you what I was able to take from the experience.

Physically, the sweat lodge acts as cleanser. The temperature inside a lodge is extremely hot and toxins in your body are released through your sweat. It is like a sauna that is uncomfortably hot. However, the uncomfortable part of the sweat lodge is crucial. Doing a sweat lodge isn't really something you do for fun like getting a massage, or sitting in a hot tub. It is a ceremony that puts you in a unfamiliar state that is uncomfortable, but allows you to relect about yourself and realize how comfortable our life usually is. I am not saying life is easy or is not a struggle at times. But doing a sweat lodge makes you feel alive in a way that cannot be felt regularly. It is also a way to check in with yourself wherever you may be in your life.

If anyone is interested in learning more about sweat lodges or other native traditions, check out some AO Survival Classes.

Keep enjoying the Spring!