The Pursuit Zone

Dan Hobbs climbed 57 Colorado peaks in 25 days to raise money for Save the Children, a charity that helps poor and afflicted children in the US and around the world. All the peaks were over 14,000 feet and 17 of them required class 3 to 5 technical climbing skills. That's 400 miles and 160,000 vertical feet of hiking and climbing using many non-traditional routes and peak-to-peak traverses. You can learn more about his challenging adventure at rundanrun.org. Dan Hobbs, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Scott Mestrezat is the first person to Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) the Missouri River, from June to September of 2013, starting at its headwaters in Montana and ending in St. Louis Missouri. He traveled self-supported on a board he constructed. It was 107 days and 2400 miles of lakes, river, wind, and heat. You can learn more about his adventure at missouririversup.com. Scott Mestrezat welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

The Great Himalaya Trail is one of the highest and longest trails in the world. Between April and June of 2013, Doc McKerr became the first person to solo trek the Great Himalayan Trail on a 65 day, 1480 km trek in Nepal from east to west. His route took him through some of the world's most amazing and difficult landscapes as he trekked through Himalayan foothills, forests, jungles, and remote villages. In total he passed over thirteen 5000+ meter passes and reached two 5000+ meter base camps while exposed to all kinds of weather conditions. You can learn more about his adventure at east2westnepal.org. Doc McKerr, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

In May of 2013 Amber Valenti was one of four women who embarked on a source to sea descent of the Amur River—the world's third longest free-flowing river. They traveled through remote Mongolia and Russia from the birthplace of Genghis Khan to the Pacific Ocean delta. They called their expedition Nobody's River Project and its purpose is to tell the story of this widely unknown watershed from the vast biodiversity to the threats that face it including pollution, hydropower, and habitat destruction. You can learn more about their adventure at nobodysriver.org. Amber Valenti, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

On July 27 2012, Katharine & David Lowrie began an epic journey to run the length of South America; over 5000 miles through some of the most awe inspiring and biologically rich ecosystems on earth. Katharine will be the first woman to run across the continent and as a team they will be the first to run the continent unsupported. They hope that through sweat, tears and determination, they can open a portal into the last wilds of South America and rekindle people's passion for running and for our amazing natural world. Learn more about their adventure at 5000mileproject.org. Katharine & David Lowrie welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Along the US-Canada border up in the northeastern arrowhead region of Minnesota, lies the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). With over one million acres, one thousand pristine lakes, 1200 miles of canoe routes, and 2200 backcountry campsites, the Boundary Waters is an outdoorsman's paradise. Barry Johnson has visited the Boundary Waters many times over the past 25 years and has published a collection of real-life stories of adventure in the Boundary Waters titled the BWCA Reader. You can learn more at BWCAReader.com. Barry Johnson, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Janet Moreland is a self-described river rat and has been kayaking for 16 years. In the summer of 2013 she embarked on a solo kayaking expedition of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from the source at Brower's Spring, Montana to the Gulf of Mexico, a 3,700-mile adventure of paddling and portaging. If she is successful, she will be the first woman to navigate this distance solo by kayak. One purpose of the expedition is to empower kids to get outdoors and to help them learn about the history, geography, and the natural environment of the Big Muddy. You can follow her expedition at loveyourbigmuddy.com. Janet Moreland, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Laura Dekker was born on a boat and from a young age dreamed of sailing the globe. With the support of her parents she was ready to set sail at age 13 only to be stopped by Dutch authorities. After the legal battles ended, she won her fight and set off on her solo journey at age 14. 366 days later, she successfully completed her solo circumnavigation in January of 2012 and became the youngest person to do so. She now calls New Zealand her home and has written a book about her adventures titled A Girl A Dream. Learn more at LauraDekker.com Laura Dekker, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Squash Falconer has summited Mt. Everest, was the first British woman to paraglide from Mont Blanc in France, and in the summer of 2013 set the world record for riding an ElliptiGO bicycle across the UK, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and France. A 3,074 mile journey over nine weeks to raise money for the breast cancer charity Coppafeel, and to get people to join the ride and share the love of a good adventure. You can read more about it at squashfalconer.com. Squash Falconer, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Jessica Yurasek is on a journey – a journey to become un-stuck and to find meaning, purpose, creativity, and inspiration in everyday life. After five years behind the cubicle in busy, chaotic Los Angeles, she was burned-out. Fortunately, a job layoff pushed the daydreams into reality. She packed up her belongings, rented her house, and planned for a year of travel vagabond-style through South Korea, Indonesia, China, India, Thailand, Myanmar, and beyond. You can read more about her travels at missjessrose.com. Jessica Yurasek, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.