BREAKING NEWS: Michael Perham Youngest Person To Sail Atlantic SOLO

Michael Perham arrived safely at his destination today, setting a NEW  World record for being the youngest person to ever sail Solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

To read more on this story, Just Click Here

The Adventurist CONGRATULATES Michael on this Incredible Journey into the Record Books!  If you would like to send your own congratulations and thoughts to Michael, You may do so by clicking here.

Your Thoughts on Michael Perham’s Trip Across the Atlantic

From time to time, I like to open up an area to hear your thoughts.  Michael Perham is scheduled to become the Youngest person to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean Solo.  He was within 40 miles of his destination in Antigua lastnight, and I am waiting on a confirmation that he has arrived at his scheduled time of 10 am this morning.

What do you think about this amazing journey by this 14 year old sailor?  Opinions, Congratulations…feel free to use this area for whatever you would like to say to Michael.

Christine Boskoff: U.S. Embassy requests that search continue for missing climber in China

The U.S. Embassy in China has made a special request of the Chinese government concerning lost climber Christine Boskoff.  The Chinese government called off a search for the missing climber two days ago due to bad weather and the likelyhood that Boskoff would be found dead, just as her climbing partner Charlie Fowler was found this previous week.  The U.S. Embassy has requested that the search continue for Christine Boskoff.

Two Chinese military helicopters were going to try to circle the remote mountain yesterday in search for any clues to Christine’s fate.  The helicopters had to turn back though before reaching the mountain as bad weather started setting in.

“The two helicopters are standing by and will take off whenever weather permits,”  said  Liu Feng, a liaison worker with the Sichuan Mountaineering Association.

So this search seems like it is definately on again and will continue until something definite is known.  I will keep all of you updated as I hear word.

Michael Perham to become youngest SOLO Atlantic Ocean sailor today

Michael Perham, the 14 year old who is attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean on his own, is scheduled to make landing within the next couple of hours in Antigua completing an incredible trip and setting a new World Record.

Perham is to become the youngest person to ever cross the Atlantic solo.  He started off from Gibralter on November 14, 2006 and will finish up today in Antigua.

“When I spoke to him this morning he was in high spirits, and I know he is looking forward to sleeping in a bed that does not move, and eating food that does not come from a tin.” said Michael’s mom.

Michael, who has sailed since the age of seven, first volunteered the idea of breaking the transatlantic record three years ago, after watching footage of a previous record attempt.

Michael’s Father said “”Michael said to me: ‘It would be great if I could do that, Dad.’ As a parent I just thought it was a typical boy’s dream. I never thought it would actually happen. “The poor lad has had no [Christmas] presents, nothing. And he’s run out of snacks but I can’t give him any because the rules say I can’t help him in any way.

Michael’s father is trailing him a few miles back in another boat.

Michaels latest bog entry put him 40 miles away from Antigua lastnight, and he was expecting to make landfall around 10 am.  No confirmation has been reached yet on whether he has made it or not yet, but it should be getting very, very close.

I will keep you updated.

Here is the link to Michael’s blog of this trip if you would like to check it out.

The Adventurist: Raising Funds and Selling Books

It takes a lot of time and effort to try to run a successful website.  Recently, I have been searching for a method to maybe raise a few funds to help in my efforts to continue to make this site the absolute best that I can.  I am not big on advertising all over the place or having those annoying adds hit you in the face every time you log on to my site.

After doing some research, I have found an alternative that both allows me to make a little bit of money, as well as stay true to my Adventurist and Adventure roots.  Selling Adventure books.

We all love a good adventure story, and if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here..so that helped in my decision.  I am not after thousands or even hundreds of dollars here..just enough to maybe pay for my web connection and a few upgrades.  If that pans out, than I have decided to give the rest to charity.

Please Check out my new bookstore by clicking here on                                ”Adventurist Books”

I will lay out the details of what I have done.  Amazon.com offers an Associates program where the “associate” who runs a website may set up a store.  I have done this.  By doing this, anyone that makes a purchase out of my store will help support ‘The Adventurist” website with 8% of the books cost.  Let’s say you buy a book that costs $20.00…that means that “The Adventurist” would profit $1.60 off this sale.  I know that isn’t alot and another good thing about this…the books prices are not jacked-up to help me make a little profit.  This is Amazon’s going rate–you may investigate this if you like.

Amazon will pay 8% from their cost to me, in turn, I give them sales and a bigger audience.  This program really sounds interesting, so I thought I would give it a try.

All of the books that my store features are hand-picked by me, alot of them I have read, am currently reading, or have on a wait list.  These books will have subjects very familiar to all of you…Everest, K2, Seven Summits, Ed Visteurs, Peter Hillary, Mountain climbing in general…Timothy Treadwell……my good friend Michael Bane’s books are featured here as well and highly reccommended.

Also featured are a few select DVD’s covering the same subjects….flip through the pages of my store and I am sure you will find something of interest…

Now a note on the funds I am looking to raise to help offset some of my costs:  This is what I am looking to have covered by this store.

1. Internet Connection:  $20.00 a month
2. Wordpress Upgrade:  $40.00 roughly total

I would really be happy just being able to cover these.  My time is not important, as I do this purely out of enjoyment of the subject.

My new bookstore’s name is “Adventurist Books”  — I know it is pretty original, and let me say, I spent hours upon hours contemplating this name but I think I finally hit on a good one! 

I am going to add a link to the side-bar on my site, it will be titled of course, “Adventurist Books”.

I will also be doing a monthly book review on “The Adventurist”, with one book featured a month.  This book will be for sale in my store if you are interested in making a purchase. 

I am trying to tell you as much as I can here.  I do feel like advertising on the internet in general is a hassle at times, coming from a reader’s standpoint…on the other hand, it is my duty to make this work, as easily as possible, without much interference.  I think by telling everyone upfront what is going on, and by trying to blend this in with my original idea for this site, and staying true to the subject and my readers–that it could very well be a win-win situation.

BREAKING NEWS: Christine Boskoff Presumed Dead, Search Ends For Missing Climbers in China

The continued search efforts for Christine Boskoff on a remote mountain in China has ended.  Search and Rescue workers involved in this effort are worried about the continued threat of Avalanches in the area and have decided to call the search off.

Christine Boskoff’s climbing partner, Charlie Fowler, was found dead on Wednesday and it is presumed that Christine Boskoff is dead as well.  It is believed that Fowler and Boskoff were the victims of a high altitude avalanche in this remote region of China.

David Jones, a director of Mountain Madness, said harsh winter weather had made it unsafe for searchers to stay on China’s 20,354-foot Genyen Peak.

Mountain Madness is the Mountain Expedition Company owned by Christine Boskoff, and formerly owned by Scott Fischer, who lost his life on Mt. Everest in 1996 in the worst Everest disaster ever.

Charlie Fowler’s body is still trying to be recovered from the remote Chinese peak, Mt. Genyen.  All efforts have ceased for Christine Boskoff at this point.

Jones said Friday that snow storms had made the avalanche field where the body was found too dangerous for searchers to remain.  He also mentioned that Mountain Madness would be keeping in contact with the search and rescue team in China, and they will hopefully resume the search when the weather permits…probably in the spring.

Boskoff and Fowler, who lived in Norwood, Colo., were reported missing after they failed to return to the United States as planned on Dec. 4.

Grizzly Man Timothy Treadwell: Adventurist or Idiot?

It is going on four years since Timothy Treadwell, The Grizzly Man, was mauled and eaten by a grizzly bear in the Alaskan wilderness.  Four years and the controversy is still swarming around this man.  Was he mad?  Was he a Grizzly Bear savior out to protect these wonderful creatures or just someone trying to use these bears to publicise himself and his name?

There are many, many questions that are still being discussed today and perhaps this is only due to the fact that he was eaten ALIVE by the very same species that he had lived in the midst of for 13 previous summers.  In Life, Timothy Treadwell was a well-spoken advocate for saving the grizzly bear from poachers….in death, he has become a symbol not only for the grizzly bears, but also a symbol for what “not” to do in the wild.

Timothy Treadwells antics of trying to be “friends” with the grizzlies…walking straight up to the grizzlies and saying “I Love You, I Love You”, reaching out and petting them as they walked past–was seen as both crazy and unconforming but did garner him alot of fame.  Treadwell lived with these bears, played with these bears, and shot some of the most amazing videos ever of this much feared species.

It is not my duty to pass judgement on what an individual tries to do with his or her life, and I will not rehash the basics of this story.  If you would like to read more about Timothy Treadwell, I encourage you to check out this article by Outside Magazine. 

What I do question, as many people still do, is the reasonings behind his fascination with the Grizzlies.  Was he out to protect them? 

In a sense I feel like Timothy Treadwell started out this amazing journey in complete innocense.  He was fascinated by these creatures, and once they showed him some attention, he was enamored–then obsessed.  Obsession is what led to the downfall and eventual death of Timothy Treadwell.  He kept pushing the boundaries with bears wanting to get closer and closer..trying to shoot a video that topped his last one.  Timothy Treadwell believed these bears loved him and that gave Tim a sense of security that ultimately led to his mauling by these same bears.

Timothy Treadwell invaded upon their territory.  Tim once stated, “I will die for these bears!”  and that is exactly what Tim did, but he died not for the bears, but with the bears.

Here are some interesting Tim Treadwell websites.  Please check them out and I will let you decide on who the real Timothy Treadwell was.

• Timothy Treadwell’s last known letter–days before his death
• In Honor of Timothy Treadwell–a letter from a personal friend
• Grizzly People–Timothy Treadwell’s personal foundation to protect the Grizzlies, founded by him and now ran by his family and friends.  Has some of Tim’s amazing videos and photos of his journey with the grizzlies.
• The Myth of Timothy Treadwell–an article by John Rogers
• Full Report and exammination of the Timothy Treadwell incident
• Timothy Treadwell: An Invented Life
• Trailer and Clip of “Grizzly Man”–The Werner Herzog documentary on the life of Timothy Treadwell
• Among Grizzlies–Timothy Treadwell’s first book as featured on Barnes and Noble