Comments for The Next Challenge

Comment on How To: Get to the North Pole by Graeme Joy

Graeme Joy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:46:01 +0000

Richard, if you’re still considering the NP return journey then reading the Weber & Malakhov book ‘Polar Attack’ could be useful. It gives clear detail of the level of undertaking to achieve this…. (they’re the guys Alex Hibbert mentioned)

Comment on 5 health benefits of cold water swimming by Al

Al — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:23:24 +0000

that Czech study on immune system is very small, hasn’t been replicated and hasn’t been widely cited, as far as I can ascertain- generally a sign of lower quality science. I’m not saying cold water can’t improve the immune system, but I think the benefits are rather over hyped in this respect.

Comment on 5 health benefits of cold water swimming by Michel Fitzgerald

Michel Fitzgerald — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:03:45 +0000

Great article! I’m an experienced winter swimmer here at Blackrock, Galway. One caveat! Be careful about time spent in cold water as hypothermis can set in very quickly, in a matter of minutes in water at say 8ºC. The real danger for the inexperienced is that the cold sensation abates as the core body temperature reduces and the victim becomes unaware of the danger. The benefits are obtained in the first minute or so an do not require a longer immersion.
Enjoy!

Comment on Couch Surfing by Nadine

Nadine — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:40:02 +0000

I love the idea of CS and it was very useful for my cycle trip around Spain – not only did I make good friends all over the place, but got more personal insights into the culture, becoming part of their families (sharing their traditions). It’s a good way of getting to know a country on a deeper level, when only passing through.

Comment on Patagonia Plan by Tom Evans

Tom Evans — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:55:05 +0000

Have an amazing trip!

Comment on Couch Surfing by Tom Allen

Tom Allen — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:47:05 +0000

Nice one for bringing it to light. I’ve Couchsurfed with close to a hundred people now. It’s a great point of entry into urban society, if you travel in order to make friends and meet people – cities can otherwise be rather anonymous places. Several times I’ve begun with a single CS host and stayed in a city for several weeks by being passed between mutual friends thereafter. Like you, I’ve also found members in the most far-flung places of all (often foreigners themselves, often involved in volunteering in the place in question, and often very well embedded in that society).

Comment on Great Expeditions Don’t Make Great People by Tom Allen

Tom Allen — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:50:25 +0000

I think there are some hidden assumptions in the language of this piece, namely in what might constitute the objectives of or motivations behind an ‘expedition’ or ‘adventure’, and in the definitions of those very words.

You talk of “success” and “achievement” as related to tangible end-points or “feats of physical or mental prowess”, which only have meaning when compared to what has come before – the goal-driven mindset of this day and age. In the current media climate, of course, these are still the projects that do get all the attention.

But the article ignores or sidelines the strands of the adventure/expedition/exploration/whatever-you-want-to-call-it field which are undertaken for other reasons – education, documentation, simple fun – intrinsic factors in which qualities you mention such as kindness, honesty, thoughtfulness, etc, may well be central to their ‘success’ or ‘achievement’, especially in a group or where communication is concerned; and qualities such as perseverance and determination far less relevant. Unfortunately, these kinds of project are a bit more difficult to write headlines for.

This is a piece about myth-busting, so I think it’s relevant to pull the old ‘definitions’ thread out as well. Just a thought!

Comment on Kit List For A Wild Swim by D. Friedman

D. Friedman — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:49:45 +0000

I think there’s something else that’s needed for a successful swim:

H20

Comment on Catch the Worm – Everyday Adventure #5 by The most popular posts on adventure blogs | Slow Quest

The most popular posts on adventure blogs | Slow Quest — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:54:20 +0000

[...] Catch the Worm – Everyday Adventure #5 [...]

Comment on 5 health benefits of cold water swimming by Interview with Tim Moss from The Next Challenge | Slow Quest

Interview with Tim Moss from The Next Challenge | Slow Quest — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:30:48 +0000

[...] one of his recent challenges to run the length of all the tube stations in London. I also enjoyed his blogs on wild swimming and doing mini-adventures on the cheap, but hang about here for the moment. I wanted to know more [...]