Top Adventurers Reveal What's On Their Bucket Lists

Here's another article that was posted while I was away last week, but is definitely worth a mention. National Geographic Adventure polled some of the top outdoor athletes and explorers and asked them what remains on their "bucket lists" to accomplish. The results were then put online for us to enjoy. Check it out here.

Each person on the list was allowed to name their best trip ever and the dream adventure that remained to be accomplished. For instance, mountaineer Ed Viesturs said that his best trip ever was his third climb on Annapurna, which successfully put him on top at last, finishing off the 8000 meter peaks. And what was Ed's dream adventure? Visiting the South Pole! Ed didn't quite make it to the Pole, but he was just in Antarctica to climb Mt. Vinson as part of the First Ascent team.

Other athletes that were polled include skier Alison Gannett, long distance hiker Andrew Skurka, and ice climber Will Gadd, amongst others. Each has already had some fantastic adventures of course, but they also have some big dreams too.

So, if you were asked the same question, how would you answer? What is your best trip ever and what is the top adventure you'd still like to complete? So many choices in each category!

First Ascent Antarctic Expedition: The Team Is In Base Camp

The First Ascent sponsored climbing team of Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, Seth Waterfall, Caroline George, Jake Norton, and Kent Harvey have arrived in Base Camp on Mt. Vinson after catching a lift on one of ALE's big Ilyushin aircraft. In a dispatch from Antarctica yesterday, Norton says that it was a long but exciting day for the group, who have been anxious to get to the mountain.

The flight took them from Punta Arenas to ALE's Union Glacier camp on the Antarctic continent. From there, it was onto a smaller plane, a famed Twin Otter, for a flight to Vinson BC, where they'll now begin their climb in ernest. By all accounts, the weather is fantastic on the mountain at the moment, so they hope to get started with building their high camps and supply caches soon.

Last in the day, Whittaker called in with an audio dispatch which filled in more of the details. Below you'll find a YouTube video of that dispatch that includes photos of the journey so far. He also gives a preliminary outline of what they'll be doing over the next few days as well.