From the inspiring to the tragic, this is GearJunkie’s wrap on exploration and adventure news of the week. Here’s what you missed and a few things to look forward to.
April 23 is Earth Day. Both the National Parks Service and Continental Divide Trail Coalition offer a host of opportunities to get in on the action. Check ’em out.
First, through National Park Week: All 400 NPS units have special programs, activities, and digital experiences to mark the occasion. This year’s NPS Week theme is “sPark Connections.”
Each day focuses on ways the individual can become more involved with NPS:
- Monday, April 18: sPark Collaboration – How can you get involved or participate in opportunities?
- Tuesday, April 19: sPark Innovation – What’s new in parks, and how will the efforts improve the visitor experience?
- Wednesday, April 20: sPark Opportunities – Learn about the employment opportunities available in national parks through the federal government and various partner organizations.
- Thursday, April 21: sPark Preservation – What role do you play in the ‘recreate responsibly’ movement?
- Friday, April 22: sPark Action and Earth Day Celebration – What actions can we all take to help reduce our impact and preserve natural systems?
- Saturday, April 23: sPark Curiosity – Through Junior Ranger programs and other activities, learn more about the parks.
- Sunday, April 24: sPark Memories – Do you have lasting memories or traditions created during visits to national parks?
“National Park Week is a great time to explore a lesser-known site,” said National Park Foundation president and CEO, Will Shafroth. “There is so much beauty and cultural heritage to experience in your own backyard.”
To start planning your next adventure, head to NPS.gov/npweek or download the official NPS app. From there, you can search by location, activity, or topic and get the latest details on events and park information.
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition celebrates its 8th annual Trail Days volunteer week in Silver City, New Mexico, April 22-24, 2022. The festivities will include speakers, a gear expo, community hikes, and a special Gila Earth Day festival on April 23.
RSVP to Trail Days events via Facebook and learn more at continentaldividetrail.org/trail-days-2022.
Expedition Africa, the second race in this year’s Adventure Racing World Series, went down last week in the landlocked and mountainous African Kingdom of Lesotho.
The winning team, Estonian ACE Adventure La Sportiva, completed the 416-kilometer course, involving trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, and a 5km donkey-assisted orienteering relay in 80 hours and 15 minutes, having slept less than 1.5 hours. The race ended at the Afriski Mountain Resort, one of Africa’s few ski resorts.
Other events in the 2022 Adventure Racing World Series will take place in Panama, Croatia, France, Canada’s British Columbia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Scotland, and the U.S. state of Oregon, with the 2022 Adventure Racing World Championship taking place in Paraguay in September.
An Everest Sherpa perished on April 14 in the notoriously fatal Khumbu Icefall, reported ExplorersWeb. Nima Tenji Sherpa was shuttling loads to Camps 1 and 2 along with 10 other high-altitude workers from International Mountain Guides (IMG) when he collapsed. A teammate discovered the Sherpa sitting upright next to the trail and unresponsive. Tenji had summited Everest on several prior occasions. He was just 38 years old.
The second-annual Paris-Roubaix Femmes cycling race took off on Saturday, April 16, followed by the 119th Paris-Roubaix men’s race on Sunday, April 17. Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) of Trek-Segafredo executed a decisive victory in the women’s match with 3:10:54 on the clock. On Sunday, Dylan van Baarle (NLD) of INEOS Grenadiers crossed the finish line at 5:37:00 — nearly 2 minutes ahead of the silver medalist.
De la poussière de l’Eɴғᴇʀ ᴅᴜ Nᴏʀᴅ émerge une grande championne ! Retour sur la 2ème édition de #ParisRoubaixFemmes avec @GoZwift et le triomphe d’@ElisaLongoB ! ????♀️#ParisRoubaixFemmes | #GoZwift pic.twitter.com/4Nzkt3HdIc
— Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift (@RoubaixFemmes) April 16, 2022
This article is sponsored by Toyota. Find out more about the 2022 Toyota Tundra here.
