Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream

Do you see a frozen lake with a fresh layer of snow as a palette for art? My guest for this episode does. For 20 years, this guy has been strapping on snowshoes and stomping out amazing geometric designs the size of 2 or 3 soccer fields. To the tune of 50,000+ steps each. And he’s created nearly 700 of these ephemeral works of art – sometimes in sand rather than snow. His description of this unique craft is lovely.

A young couple decides to embark on a massive canoe journey 3,000 miles from Minnesota to the Arctic Ocean. Many thought it would end their marriage. Instead, hear how this bonding experience has carried forward into their lives in so many positive ways - in their marriage, child raising, careers, and general outlook on life. Outdoor adventures can bring such positive impact!

My amazing guest from Episode #32 (talking about the Seven Summits and the Greenland Icecap) is back for another impressive adventure recently fulfilled – a solo, unsupported ski journey from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. That’s 700 miles alone, pulling a 240 pound sled for 55 days. Something that fewer than two dozen people have ever accomplished. It’s a great story. Plus, wait ’til you hear about the next dream adventure!

Lots of people boat on the Great Lakes in the summer, and a handful ice fish on them in winter. Here’s a guy who has bicycled on all 5 of these huge lakes in the winter, and he wants to know why more people don’t take advantage of these amazing frozen highways. This might be the birth of a new sport!

Here’s a story about three teens, each taking their own unique 500+ mile, 7 week adventure near the Arctic Circle. Two things their journeys had in common were the personal growth that came out of their experiences, and the amazing organization which arranged things.

So this guy has a spontaneous dream to take a canoe 1,000 miles around the entire island of Ireland. And he manages to find another guy who decides it sounds like a fun challenge. Hear the wonderful story of adventure and chasing a dream in a canoe. And their dreams of adventure don't stop there!

What inspired this 11 year old girl to dream of biking the entire Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)? That’s more than 2,500 miles of pedaling over 45 days, including almost a quarter million feet of elevation gain.  She not only dreamed of doing it – she did it, and is likely the youngest to ever do so. Hear about her adventure, and her wonderful advice to others, both old and young.

Here’s an 80 year-old woman who dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for nearly 70 years before one day realizing she’d better get going or she’d never do it. She laughs off her many challenges (including knee replacement surgery) while achieving the record as the oldest female thru-hiker to complete the trail. This one’s got spunk!

Can you imagine traveling 100 mph or more skimming just inches above a frozen lake? Try ice boat racing. Until the early 1900s, ice boats were the fastest human vehicle on the planet. Today you can find them cruising or racing on frozen lakes all over the world. Here’s an 8-time world ice boat racing champion describing the sport.

If we’re lucky, we get about 4,000 Mondays in our life. How many do you have left? And what do you want to do with your remaining ones? Here’s the author of “You Only Die Once” who gives an uplifting take on the seemlingly morbid concept of memento mori to help us live a more fulfilling life.

What's it like to go a mile deep into a cave to take photographs? Here's a fascinating episode with one of the world's top cave photographers describing how he combines the artistic flair for professional photography with the challenging environment of spelunking in the longest and deepest caves in the world. Such adventures from deep underground all around the world.

I appreciate meeting people who achieve way more than I believe I ever could. It gives me inspiration to strive harder to get there myself. This episode profiles a 75 year old who joined me in last week’s Arrowhead 135 Ultra winter trail race and became the oldest finisher in the race’s 22 year history. It was a tough race, but listen to the end and you'll discover he doesn't plan to stop there.

Here’s another episode about your host’s own adventure – this one being about the coldest (and most fatigued) I’ve ever been in my life. It was during the Arrowhead 135 Ultra that I participated in the last week of January in Northern Minnesota. The idea to run this race came from my Episode #23 guest, so I signed up and somehow managed to finish despite the sub-zero temperatures and 55 hours on the trail pulling a way-too-heavy sled. Hear about my experience, the race director's perspective, and on-the-trail chats with two other participants.

The author of “Tough Broad” and “Gutsy Girl” knows a thing or two about adventure herself. She talks about the benefits of getting outdoors for adventure, about the power of awe, about leading with bravery in life rather than with fear, and about the 5 dimensions necessary for a long and fulfilling life. She’s inspirational for all, but is especially encouraging for women, old and young.

You've heard of people trying to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, right? It's usually not successful. But here's a guy who seeks new and different adventures. He climbed Niagara Falls. In the winter. Up the ice. Successfully. And legally!  And while the half-day climb was challenging, the two years of seeking permission and arranging logistics was even more so. This guest is not only a world-class ice climber (he wrote the book on the sport), but also an all-around adventurer in unusual sports. Like, have you ever heard of vol-biv? It’s pretty cool. 

When I first met him, this doctor seemed like just a normal guy. It turns out he has climbed the Seven Summits while managing a career, raising a family, and maintaining a fantastic blog. His summiting of the Vinson Massif in Antartica was impressive, but so too were his two seasons on Mt. Everest – especially the first. Hear why, and how he squeezed so much into his life.

An annual Great Norse Run across Iceland. Another across Tajikistan. A bicycle adventure from the UK to India. A charity relay across the U.S.  All with energy posing out at the seams. That's the kind of stuff a Chief Vibe Maker would do, and that's exactly what my guest this episode is - a Chief Vibe Maker. Tune in and hear what that's like. 

Four friends decide to try a new way to explore the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. They stuff small whitewater rafts in their backpacks and spend a month pack-rafting hundreds of miles through seldom-seen wilderness. Listening to all four of them in this episode, it’s clear they had a great time!

My guest for this episode hiked, paddled, and skied the entire Trans-Canadian Trail connecting three oceans. She created a spectacular documentary film “500 Days in the Wild” from that adventure, naming the film before she realized her journey would actually require 6 years! Listen to this episode to hear why.

Here’s a dynamic, fascinating individual who picked up photography in his 30’s and has now had three National Geographic magazine cover stories. He’s roamed the Arctic and so many other far-flung places, capturing the essence of wildlife, scenery, and the indigenous cultures. If you think it just takes being a guru behind a camera lens to make it big with Nat Geo, listen in to this episode to hear the real story.

I recently returned from my own Antarctic adventure – not of the “roughing it” type since I was aboard a National Geographic icebreaker ship rather than hauling a sled and pitching my tent in the snow. But the staff were an eclectic mix of polar explorers with a fascinating mix of backgrounds and polar experiences. I interview several in this episode. The scenery and wildlife in Antarctica were amazing. You can find some photos on my website https://gocarpediemnow.com/

Ann Bancroft has a lifetime of amazing firsts in the world of polar exploration: first woman to reach the North Pole, first woman to reach both the North and South Pole, first woman to ski across the Antarctic continent, and many other big adventures. She has also accomplished so many other achievements in her life through her curiosity and determination. Hear about them in this episode.

Here is a professional endurance athlete with adventures in 100 countries, including a 500-mile trek across the mountains of Bhutan. She is the author of Dirty Inspirations: Lessons from the Trenches of Extreme Endurance Sports among other books, and the sports psychologist who coached the 4 women in my podcast episode #39 who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. In this episode, she shares her perspective on training your mind to keep up with your body.

Smoke jumping is an adventure disguised as a job. Afterall, who jumps out of airplanes to live a week or two in the wild fighting a forest fire with little more than a pulaski and the clothes on their back? It’s an occupation few of us know much about – until you listen to this episode where my guest explains the lingo, techniques, and experience of smoke jumping.

The Badwater 135 ultra-marathon is viewed as one of the toughest running races in the world, starting in Death Valley in 120 degree F temps and including 14,000+ feet of elevation gain. This 2-guest episode was so fun to record with both the youngest person and oldest person ever to finish the race. While they each describe the same race from very different perspectives, they are equally inspirational.

Rafting expeditions on white water rivers can be addictive – or so says my guest in this episode. His repertoire of rafting adventures was built over a decades-long habit of an expedition every year or two and includes dozens of rivers around the world, including Zambia, India, Bhutan, Peru, Chile, Siberia, China, and Ecuador to name a few. What a great way to see the wild places of the world while enjoying friends and family!

This episode is a conversation with Scott Shawyer, the President and Skipper of the Canada Ocean Racing team, shortly after he and his team completed the 5,000+ mile Ocean Race Europe in their IMOCA 60 foiling ocean racer. That race was just a warm-up for Scott’s ultimate ambition of being the first Canadian to complete the Vendee Globe solo, non-stop, around-the-world race.

Do you ever have an itch for adventure? To explore? To try something new? My guest for this episode literally wrote the book on why that is (or isn’t, for some people). He also wrote the book on human endurance. What a fascinating combo of topics that helps explain what's behind the accomplishments of my various podcast guests.

This teenage woman is on-track to be the youngest person to complete the series of marathon ocean swims known as The Oceans Seven. These are 10-25 mile swims across 7 of the world’s major ocean channels, including the English Channel, Gibraltar Straights, Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii, and the Cook Straights in New Zealand among others. She battles strong currents, cold waters, jelly fish and hours of fatigue. Fewer than 40 people have ever accomplished this feat. Listen to why she does it. You can’t argue with her reason.

Tyler “Mac” Fox has spent over a decade hiking the most epic trails around the world. Hear how he went from a totally non-outdoorsy guy to the king of the trail, about a sampling of his best hiking adventures, and how he has turned his love of hiking into the most comprehensive website for thru-hikers. Check it out at "HalfwayAnywhere.com" for tons of information, including really impressive annual surveys of the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail from over 1,000 thru-hikers. 

This is Part 2 of my episode with Jasmine Harrison, the young British woman with an amazing trifecta of ocean records. First she became the youngest female to row 3,000 miles solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She then swam 900 miles up the entire coast of the UK from the southern tip of England to the northern tip of Scotland. And now as I interview her, she is halfway through her 30,000+ mile solo circumnavigation of the world in the Mini Globe Race. That's "mini" as in a mini 19 foot sailboat - not a mini globe!! If you haven't already listened to Part 1, check out Episode #43 first.

What does a young woman do after rowing a boat solo across the Atlantic Ocean? She swims the entire west coast of England, of course. And after that? She sails solo around the world in a very tiny boat. In fact, this episode was recorded via StarLink with my guest sailing across the Coral Sea towards Australia. And it is so packed with adventure, I split it into two parts, so tune in next week for Part 2 and decide which of her adventures is most awesome!

You don’t have to be a pro to experience the course and the thrill of the Tour de France stage race. My guest in this episode describes what it’s like to ride the mountain stages a few days before the pros come through. His times aren’t quite as fast, but the challenge is sure real. And he describes lots of other spectacular rides for us “regular” people to do with our families.

No female climbers had ever completed the Yosemite Triple Crown - until this amazing duo appeared on the scene and nailed it this summer. What is it? It's speed climbing 8,000 vertical feet up three iconic big walls in Yosemite (El Capitan, Half Dome, and Mt. Watkins) in under 24 hours. Listen in. The training is intense, the risk is high, but the outcome is spectacular. And check out the photos under the Adventure Stories page of my website https://gocarpediemnow.com/ or on Instagram @gocarpediemnow.

Your host (me) was inspired to try his first 100-mile ultra marathon. It was my podcast episode #26 guest that suggested the Front Range Ultra Dayze event in Colorado as my "hundo" debut. What an experience!! It wasn't just the race - it was the people I met there. Such interesting and inspiring people. In this episode, I capture live from the scene of the race the perspectives of many of the participants and from the awesome race directors. Curios about trying a 100-miler? Pace yourself slow (e.g. walk) and you can probably do it. Really!!

This is a great adventure story of four marine biologists who decided to row a boat across the Atlantic Ocean. 38 days at sea with a coffin-sized cabin and 12-hours daily at the oars doesn’t sound like fun, but the friendships and the learnings more than made up for the challenges. Find great photos of the journey at https://gocarpediemnow.com. 

How many calories do you think you could burn in a day? My guest, Ethan Hunger, picks a day every year to go to the max on everything physical: biking, running, swimming, HIIT… and logs 12,000+ calories in 24 hours. Why? For an awesome cause of raising money for a food bank. And he has built an amazing collection of such athletics-based fund raisers under the moniker “Hunger vs. Hunger”.

Here's a married couple that has woven their lives around endurance sports together in a unique and inspiring way. This episode is packed with so many cool adventures like riding the Race Across America (RAAM), the TransAm, a 15,000 km bicycle speed record around the circumference of Australia, and the Norseman Extreme triathlon in Norway. And the list goes on. 

Could you spend 16 days non-stop in a canoe with 4 people, paddling more than 12 hours each day? That’s what it took to break the Mississippi River speed record traveling the 2,340 miles from source to sea. Hear the story (and the next big dream adventure) from one of the paddlers and his pal who supports the logistics. 

Have you ever dreamed of what it would be like to compete in the Olympics, but feel like that door has closed in your life due to age? Well fear not. You can still go for it in the Senior Olympics, formally known as the National Senior Games. Here’s a guy who threw javelin and shot put in college and is back in the competition 30 years later.

Here’s someone who has walked the walk with 5 Ironman completions, but can also talk the talk on sports psychology. Rather than talking about her own athletic accomplishments, she puts a different twist on this episode. Listen in for her sports psychologist’s perspective on how best to motivate oneself, how to cultivate greater confidence, define your purpose, and improve your performance with your brain rather than your brawn.

Ever try to hold a plank for more than a minute or two? Kinda tough. How about for 5 minutes? Or 10? Well tune into this episode to hear from a planking world record holder who describes what it’s like – and what it takes – to plank for more than 10 hours. It isn’t just about the physical training.

Here’s a young woman who caught the adventure bug full force, all triggered by an unforgettable mountain top sunrise. She went on to complete the Seven Summits in record time, and then moved on to a Greenland Icecap crossing. Just wait to hear what she has planned next!

Did I make it through the 2.4 mile swim, the 112 mile bike, and the 26.2 mile marathon? And if I did, how long did it take and what was it like? This episode is Part 2 of my Ironman journey and is the post-race debrief with my coach shortly after my first Ironman. 

As your host, I feel compelled to practice what I preach. Together with my coach, we tell the story of the nearly half-year journey to my first Ironman triathlon - actually, to my first triathlon of any kind. This is part 1 of a 2-part series, with this episode focused on the joys and travails of training leading up to race day, both from my perspective and my coach's. The experience wasn’t exactly what I expected. The second part - coming soon - will be a post-race debrief, assuming I get to the starting line!!  

Less well known, but arguably more beautiful and challenging than crossing the Greenland Icecap or skiing to the South Pole, this Norwegian guide describes what the month-long expedition across Svalbard is like. This remote arctic archipelago in the Barents Sea is out-of-this-world gorgeous.  Check out some beautiful photos on my website at gocarpediemnow.com or at rostilleguiding.com. And don’t worry, there’s some good winter camping perspective for those who just want to dip a toe in the snow for a day or two.

Here’s a beautiful story of a person going from zero to one hundred on the athletic spectrum, transforming herself from a non-athletic desk jockey in front of a screen to a champion-level Spartan obstacle course racer. She captures her 8-year journey in a beautifully written book, and relates the essence of it in this episode.

Bike touring what might be the longest and most beautiful mountain bike route in the world was not in the plans for this guest – she really had no interest. But when her husband said he was going regardless, she decided to tag along. And what happened? She had the most gratifying experience of her life. This episode is a great example of the try-it,-you-just-might-like-it advice. And the description of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is wonderful.

To run a marathon is a great accomplishment. If you do that, then it’s just 5 more miles to complete a 50k race. Then a mere 19 more to knock out a 50-miler. Now it sounds really hard, but double that and you have a 100-miler. Well, this guy has shaped his life around doing these 50- and 100-milers, a couple dozen of them. Hear how (and why) one does that, and what it feels like. And he might even convince you that it's not as difficult as most people think!

Finally, for you skiers out their, our first episode about the sport. But this isn’t just your typical downhill or cross-country skiing. This is a ski touring adventure done by throwing a big pack on your back and forging a trail deep into the Swiss Alps to travel for a week from hut to hut. There's the famous Haute Route and other destinations, and plenty of descriptions of what you can expect if you give hut-to-hut ski touring a try. An adventure with a mix of most everything.