River Rafting the Vermillion

Tomorrow, I am most likely going to go white water rafting on the Vermillion River in Illinois, with a few of my family members. I do not know many details about this trip other than its location (Ogelsby, IL, which is a few miles south of Starved Rock), that it takes 3-4 hours, and to not get my hope up about the rapids. According to what I have heard, it is suitable for beginners (class II), and they have yet to lose one cooler. Judging by this description, it may be lame, and it may actually be some sort of booze cruise.

Having previously rafted the Ocoee river in Tennessee, which features class IV rapids, this trip will probably not compare. But what can I expect, while staying within the confines of the state of Illinois. At least I have an excuse to get out in the sun for a few hours, and have a cold one with Mama Nature.

More updates to come afer the weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend

It is Memorial Day weekend, and it is time to get together with family and friends to honor those brave men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the freedoms that we enjoy. 

Besides attending my local Memorial Day parade on Monday, I will also be tagging along with a few friends to Devil's Lake, Wisconsin for a few days of hiking, camping, adventuring, and rock climbing. There may also be a chance for the more adventurous of the group to be dared into cannon-balling polar bear style into the frigid fiftyish degree water. It should also be a great weekend to take time to reflect upon those that we have lost in wars long ago, as well as in current wars. It will also be a good weekend to take mother nature on a date, and connect with some old friends. 

 

In other news, Jeff is going to be going to Bear Valley California to honor fallen heroes by drinking mass quantities of alcohol with his friends. Although he will be staying in a top of the line Cabin, the opportunity to rope swing into an iceberged lake may also present itself if anyone in his crew has what it takes. 

More updates to come. 

Contributor Bio: Jeff Eckenhoff

• Name: Jeff Eckenhoff
• Home Base: San Francisco, CA
• Education: Graduated from University of Colorado-Boulder
• Industry: Commercial Real Estate
• Music: Bob Marley, Sublime, Classic Rock
• Adventuring Experience: Wilderness Survival, Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Fishing, Skiing, Surfing, Rockclimbing, Mtn. Biking, Canoeing, Kayaking, Snow camping, Cliff Jumping, international travel, Eagle Scout
• Non-Adventure Hobbies: Sand between my toes or in my hair, sports gazing, lifting
• Countries Traveled: USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, Thailand, England, Scotland, Ireland
• Noteworthy Adventures: Backpacking on the Kalalau Trail twice(Kauai, HI); Snowcamping (Lake Tahoe, CA); Camp Oljato (Fresno, CA); Middle Fork River Rafting Trip-5 nights (Idaho)
• Places I want to set up a tent and sleep in it: Bear Valley (CA), Pacific Coast, Mexico, Colorado Rockies, Half Dome (CA), Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Alaska
• Where I want to travel: All over the world, definitely Germany for Oktoberfest, back to Australia, South America
• Best part about Adventuring and Travel: I love being prepared for what my travels could throw my way. Being prepared is all about having the right gear for the right situations. When I don't have the right gear, I enjoy the rush of adrenaline in surviving when I don't have what I need. It is all about getting out in the wilderness, away from electricity and tvs, and spending some time with the outdoors. Backpacking 11 miles on tough terrain to a white sand beach that can only be accessed by foot or helicopter is what I dream about...

Contributor Bio: Charley Tucker

• Name: Charley Tucker
• Home Base: Chicago, IL
• Education: Graduated from University of Florida
• Industry: Technology
• Music: All, especially Classic Rock
• Adventuring Experience: Camping, Hiking, Survival, Paddling, Trekking, Trail Running, Fishing, Rafting,     International Travel, limited climbing, surfing and snowboarding. Eagle Scout.
• Non-Adventure Hobbies: Reading, Watching Sports(Florida Gators, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears), Running, Playing Sports,
• Countries Traveled: USA, Mexico, Canada, England, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Grand Cayman
• Noteworthy Adventures:
• Boundary waters Canoe trip(Minnesota, Canada, 2 times)
• Philmont Boy Scout Ranch(Cimarron, New Mexico)
• Appalachian Trail(Hiked about 100 miles of the trail)
• Europe(Backpacked when I was  a Boy Scout)
• Devil’s Bridge(Sedona, Arizona)
• N.P.’s visited: Yellowstone, Rushmore, Redwood, Everglades, Badlands, Grand Teton, Mammoth Cave, Sequoia, Voyageurs, Wind Cave,  Devil’s Tower, Glacier, and probably more.
• Places I'd like to pitch a tent: Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua Tree
• Where I want to Travel: Ireland, Italy, Germany for Oktoberfest, Hawaii, South America, Mexico again
• Best part about Adventuring and Travel: I think the best way to learn about yourself is by getting out of your comfort zone, and getting out of your daily routine.  There is no better way to do that than by taking time to cut the cord between yourself what life tells you is “important” from Monday to Friday. My favorite part about adventuring and travel is exploring new situations and experiencing the unknown. Nature is relaxing but you can never know who or what you will encounter on the trail, or while traveling. Being outdoors is refreshing and you can usually tell that by the friendly people you meet along the way.Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Adventuring Blog

Adventuring Blog is a blog written by outdoor adventure and travel enthusiasts specifically for likeminded people. It is an outlet designed to create an open dialogue for the exchange of useful information. This information could include any of the following:

• Reviews of travel/camping/hiking destinations
• Upcoming, current or past experiences
• Itineraries and packing lists
• Self imposed or nature imposed survival stories or tactics
• Outdoor gear reviews
• Photos or video of locations or experiences
• Any type of outdoor or travel reccomendations
• Low impact travel or camping solutions
• Etc. 

There are currently three contributers to this project, all of which know eachother, and have had adventuring experience with eachother. We may continue recruiting a few more contributers, but for now, we will see how this set up works too start. The following is a general list of adventuring activities that the contributors have experience with. 

• Camping
• Hiking
• skiing/snowboarding
• survival
• surfing
• biking
• international travel
• trekking
• canoeing/kayaking
• white water rafting
• fishing
• snow shoeing
• trail running

Soon we will have Biographies available of the current contributors.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Adventuring Blog is to promote the idea of Adventuring.  Traveling, Trekking, Hiking, Camping, climbing, interacting with other cultures, learning about nature and survival, and most importantly,  getting outdoors and actively learning about ourselves by purposely pushing the limits and getting out of our comfort zone.