The Pursuit Zone

Bruce Low is a professional whitewater rafting guide and whitewater kayaker. For 6 days in 2010, he solo rafted a 60-mile stretch of the Cotahuasi River in Peru. It's a 160-mile river that drops 100 feet per mile and winds through the deepest canyon in the world – the Cotahuasi Canyon – twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Located on the edge of the Atacama Desert, it's dry, hot, and windy. Besides a zest for adventure, another reason Bruce challenged the river was to raise money for CLAN, a cancer support organization in his hometown of Aberdeen Scotland. Bruce Low, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

When Hannah Engelkamp learned of the recently opened Wales Coastal Pathway that would connect to the Offa's Dyke Path, she hatched a plan to spend half of 2013 walking 1000-miles around Wales. A grand journey in its own right, but Hannah spiced it up a bit by traveling with a companion – an eccentric donkey named Chico. The pathways were off limits to Chico, so the two trekked over bike paths and country roads. Hannah plans a book and a movie of the adventure she calls Seaside Donkey and you can read more about it at seasidedonkey.co.uk. Hannah Engelkamp, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Tom Denniss began his lap around the world on December 31st, 2011 in Sydney Australia. Over the next 21 months, with the help of a small support crew, he ran across 4 continents including North and South America, Europe, and Australia. In total, a run of 26,232 km averaging 50 km per day. He did it for the adventure, to inspire others, and to raise money for Oxfam, an organization devoted to fighting world poverty. It was also a record-setting attempt to be the fastest person to run around the world. You can read more about his run at tomsnextstep.com. Tom Denniss, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In January of 2012, Darren and Sandy Van Soye set out on a 424 day, around-the-world expedition, visiting 53 countries on six continents. Their goal was to bring geography to life for as many young people as possible in hopes of instilling a greater appreciation and curiosity about the planet, people, and cultures. They also trekked nearly 500 miles in some of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. You can learn more about their journey at trekkingtheplanet.net. Darren and Sandy Van Soye, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

At age 16, Lewis Clarke set a world record for being the youngest person to ski from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. It was a 48-day, 702-mile expedition along the Hercules Inlet route. Lewis and his guide experienced temperatures as low as –40 C and winds up to 60 miles per hour in one of the harshest environments on earth. You can read more about his adventure at his website youngesttosouthpole.wordpress.com. Lewis Clarke, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

For Felicity Aston, Antarctica has been a constant thread running through her life. From time spent as a scientist at the Rothera research station to leading an expedition of eight women on a 38-day ski expedition to the South Pole. In 2012, Felicity returned to Antarctica to test her mental stamina on a 59-day, 1,744 km expedition across the continent from the Leverett Glacier to Hercules Inlet making her the first women to cross the continent solo. You can learn more in her book titled Alone in Antarctica and from her website felicityaston.co.uk. Felicity Aston, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Anna McNuff set out in July 2013 to cycle 11,000 miles through all 50 states. Starting in Alaska, she made her way to the lower 48, cycling a unique route from Washington State to Texas. She encountered floods in Colorado, blizzards in South Dakota, and the Polar Vortex in Arkansas. She ended her 7-month journey in Hawaii, cycling to the top of Mount Haleakala, a 10,000 ft volcano in Maui. You can read more about her adventure at thebigfive-o.com. Anna McNuff, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

After a 9000 km cycling adventure across Africa, Davey du Plessis set his sights on his next adventure, an unsupported solo source-to-sea expedition of the Amazon River. In 2012, with the first two stages of the Amazon expedition behind him, Davey set out to kayak the remaining 5700 km to the Atlantic Ocean. This final stage, however, would not be completed because Davey was ambushed in the Peruvian jungle, shot 4 times with a shotgun. He managed to escape, despite his serious injuries, and find help from the locals that ultimately saved his life. You can read about his incredible ordeal in his book titled Choosing to Live and from his website daveyduplessis.com. Davey du Plessis, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

West Hansen first paddled the Amazon at the 2008 Great River Amazon Raft Race in Peru. Their team won the race and set a new record in the process. On the flight home to Texas, West read the book Running the Amazon by Joe Kane and got hooked on the idea of paddling the entire river. He started planning the next year and by August 2012 was back in Peru to begin his Amazon Express expedition. His goal for the expedition was to be the first person to kayak the Amazon River from it furthest source to the Atlantic Ocean. You can learn more about the adventure at theamazonexpress2012.com. West Hansen, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

When Norwegian surfers Jørn Nyseth Ranum and Inge Wegge discovered an isolated bay on a remote, arctic island along the coast of Northern Norway, they wondered if it would be possible to spend 9 months of winter there, surfing the ice-cold waves rolling in from the Atlantic ocean. With only a few hand tools, they built a little cabin from the driftwood and other trash washing ashore. They also brought their cameras and filmed the entire adventure. Their award-winning movie Nordfor Sola or North of the Sun is a must see. You can learn more about it at facebook.com/nordforsola. Jørn Nyseth Ranum, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.