For 40 years, VAUDE has stood for high quality outdoor clothing and equipment for mountain sports, winning numerous awards for social and environmental commitment. Now VAUDE will continue to build Epiclist and inspire people to discover new adventures around the globe.

As some of you may know, our team been going through a rough time during the last year, with difficulties finding further investment and growing the company. We always had big dreams for Epiclist, firm in the belief that everyone has the opportunity to explore and experience the beauty of our planet through travel and life-changing moments. Realizing these dreams with limited resources and limited funding became very challenging.

By joining VAUDE, with its deep roots in the outdoors industry, we can bring Epiclist to a much wider audience. This is a huge step for us!

What does it mean for our users, partners and ambassadors?

First and foremost, Epiclist will continue to be a free app, with versions for Android, and maybe even Desktop, may be in the pipeline. Our iOS app has been slow in development in recent months, and will soon be getting a fresh upgrade.

VAUDE will also invite their own members from the adventure community to share photos, stories and maps of their expeditions in Epiclist. That means hundreds and thousands of new adventures for you to discover soon!

Our own community has already contributed and documented their adventures form climbing Mt. Everest, kayaking in Greenland, road tripping across Australia, surfing in Costa Rica, backpacking through India, sailing in the Pacific or supporting local communities in Uganda, Indonesia and China, allowing thousands of people to follow this journeys along the way!

We’ll keep publishing new stories in the Becoming Heroes series, sharing how people follow their dreams and explore the most unique corners of this planet.

With this new chapter, if you don’t like your user account and data to stay in Epiclist, please write us a short email: hello@epiclist.io. You can read more about the new TOS on our website.

We are deeply thankful to everyone who supported us to create this company. We built it together — and, without you, we would never have made it this far!

Another huge thanks goes out to our incredible team, investors and mentors. And, of course, to Manfred from VAUDE, who has made our common future a reality!

Onward to a great future!

Olga and Stan
Founders of Epiclist

What is your story?

“My name is Angelo Lo Presti, my moniker is Superjab.

I am a world traveler. On January 1st, 2015, I will embark on a new journey: The Interactive Travel Adventure. The adventure begins in Cancun, Mexico, and will end in Cape Horn, Argentina. The journey will last roughly 8 months. I will only know the starting point and the final destination. All the other destinations will be chosen by a community of people who will vote for each one, deciding how the journey will evolve with me.

I came up with the idea of using this imaginative superhero character to defeat the idea a lot of people have; that in order to travel and do adventures you need to have some kind of special power! My main inspirations were comic books, and movies. Obviously I don’t have any special power and I believe that everybody is capable of exploring the world. So I am using this character to demonstrate that you are your own hero and if I can go on an epic adventure, so can you.

It’s also a funny way to take things a little less serious and have fun on the way. I believe traveling is not the ability to travel to faraway destinations, but the ability to truly understand and accept who you are 100%.

I left Italy when I was 19 years old to live in London. From that day I haven’t stopped traveling. 11 years later I have lived in UK, Australia, USA, Canada and Germany, and I am still searching for new places to explore.

A few years ago I embarked on a journey that changed my life. 9 months and 45,000 km later, I managed to travel with whatever transportation was available throughout Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and Russia.”

This journey taught me and the people around me a lot of important lessons. It made me discover what it means to be free and take care of myself. When I came back, I was a different person, and not because I had lost 17kg during the journey, but because the society and the reality people lived in didn’t belong to me anymore.

This time I’ll share the journey and the learning process entirely with other people, who will discover the journey as it evolves with me. I want this journey to positively impact their life too.

Why are you doing this?

“Our society doesn’t encourage the idea of traveling as a lifestyle. The majority of people I speak to think that this is a crazy decision. In a world where you have to “settle when you get to your 30s”, you should find a “secure” job, and keep “your feet on the ground”, I am the strange one.

I believe in the opposite, traveling is part of who I am. I believe it is part of our human nature. We are explorers, think about all those people we read in history books, heroes like Christopher Columbus, Magellano, Vasco da Gama and so many others.

The human curiosity has pushed us forward, it has lead us to conquer new territories and expand our boundaries, not only in terms of geographical distances but in terms of surpassing mental horizons and all those beliefs that are built upon lack of knowledge and experience.”

The desire to overcome our limits has brought us from the warm savannahs of Africa to the cold lands of Greenland. It has taken us from one pole to the other and to even the moon and Mars.

Are you afraid of failure?

“Failure is the excuse of the person who has never tried or has stopped after the first obstacle. I don’t think it is important to look at this adventure from a success vs failure perspective.

I believe that the process is more important. We are convinced that success is an event, a show. We are raised looking at success as something that happens overnight. We read in newspapers the stories of successful athletes who earn millions. We watch famous actors and musician on TV and we believe that they are “lucky” to live like stars.”

What we don’t read are the days, weeks, months and years of dedication. The hard work, the determination, the work ethic. We don’t see the sacrifices, the constant failures, the critics, the moments of despair.

“But all those moments are the ones that forge the character and make success happen. The truth for me is that it is more important to focus on the process over success.”

How can people support you?

The method I am going to use is rare and, I believe, quite innovative too. We are used to see explorers and travelers from afar, following their journeys in a passive way. We read their stories in books and watch their adventures on TV.

But how can we change their adventures and discover them while they happen?

Usually we can’t. This time, we can.

For the first time, the community who participate in this adventure will be in the driver’s seat. They will choose the destinations and the activities along the journey.

With a simple voting system, the community will decide which direction to go and how to continue the journey. The adventure becomes a collective travel experience, shaped by those participating through their vote.

This system will give the possibility to everyone to experience the adventure in a more immersive and interactive way in all its evolution. The decision we will all make will have an incredible impact on the journey and on the type of content that the community will discover with me.

The idea is to entertain the community but also to practically show them how to plan and execute a journey of epic scale, so they can learn exactly what they would need to do in their own travel adventures.

I believe that this valuable information and the lessons learnt together will give more confidence to people who want to do a similar journey. Traveling means adaptation, shaping ourselves to fit into the new territories and cultures we explore and I believe that by using the method I designed, we will all learn how to successfully do that, day by day.

The ultimate guide to learn how travel like a superhero: www.superjab.com/travel-guide-travel-planner/

To help people who are excited about traveling and to show how I personally plan an adventure around the world I wrote The Ultimate Guide To Learn How To Travel Like A Superhero!

In the free guide I talk about how to save money for an adventure, how to find cheap flights, I offer a variety of accommodation options for any type of budget and even for free. The guide has a series of exercises and a checklist for you to use to plan your dream adventure from beginning to end.

Included with the guide I collected some really useful researches and a series of tools and resources you can use to get started.

The 25,000 words guide will help you understand how to plan an epic adventure step by step. You can download it for free here.

Join Angelo:

Join the adventure at Superjab.com
Follow the journey Facebook and Twitter.

This is the second part of the Epiclist Mountain Edition, featuring the second half of the 10 stunning journeys and mountains submitted by our community on Epiclist.

6. Climbing Mt Rainier by Jdombs Travels

This climb is definitely not for everyone. Though the photos taken by Jdombs on their way to the top can inspire anyone to challenge this active volcano. Walking over the clouds, sleeping in tents and be surrounded by icy winds, meeting face to face with the mountain; all part of an incredible journey:

“As you can imagine, conditions on the 14,410 foot mountain vary greatly from the peaks in Arizona. As Mount Rainier is an active volcano and ever changing glacier we new this wasn’t a trip we could just show up and wing it on.” — Jdombs

Read the full story here.

7. Climbing Iconic Mitre Peak in New Zealand

New Zealand is full of natural wonders! The best thing you can do to grasp it all is to move there for several years or so. Thats exactly what Matt did, now hiking, climbing and paragliding off the beautiful peaks of New Zealand, documenting his trips with amazing photos all along the way. Even if moving to the other side of the planet is not quite for you, you can still arrange a great trip for 2–3 weeks, following Matt his advice:

“Mitre Peak’s summit sits over a vertical mile directly above Milford Sound – 1,692 metres (5,551 feet) above sea level. It’s a hugely demanding climb and one that should not be taken lightly. The track through the thick Fiordland bush is unmarked, the route above the bushline is hugely exposed and it’s a demanding mission regardless of how you tackle it.” — Matt

Read the full story here.

8. Hiking Teapot Mountain in Taiwan

Taiwan is an incredibly exciting country that is sadly (or maybe thankfully) overseen by many travelers. Dan and Casey, the bloggers behind “A Cruising Couple”, have shared some stunning photos and stories about their time in Taiwan:

“There are literally hundreds of hiking and climbing paths crossing through Taiwan’s rugged landscape. Often ‘hiking’ equates more to climbing paved stairs, Chinese music blanketing the air via adjacent artificial rocks. Other times multiple days and a car are required to transport necessary gear and provide adequate time to complete the route. But out of all the hikes we’ve completed, both in and out of Taiwan, Teapot Mountain ranks at the top of the list.” — Casey

Read the full story here.

9. Backpacking Trip in Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is just legendary in the climbing and hiking communities. Its an iconic place, which also means it often gets crowded. Most people stick to the main routes in the park. If you want to have a more close to nature experience, follow Brice on his 3 day trip across Yosemite. Brice has already shared many of his journeys on Epiclist, but this one is definitely our favourite!

“The Diving Board on the right side of Half Dome is great to look over the edge and very intense, but make sure you hike a little down the dome side to catch an amazing view of the Yosemite Valley. By the time we reach our car we will have logged 45 miles and 11.000ft net elevation gain over three days. Just a fantastic time!” — Brice Pollock

Explore the whole journey on Epiclist, by searching for Yosemite.

10. Trekking in Torres del Paine, Chilean Patagonia

We simply could not skip this one! Though not technically a mountain to climb (you can climb here if you like of course), there is a lot of up and down hiking involved in the Torres del Paine National Park. Our own team at Epiclist spent 7 incredible days in Patagonia, exploring huge ice glaciers, massive valleys, spontaneous storms, razor-sharp peaks and discovering one of the most diverse landscapes on the planet!

Discover our story and guide to Patagonia.

Enjoyed this list? Discover the first part of the Epiclist Mountains Edition, or start exploring more unique travel experiences here.

Otherwise, just hit the recommend button below to inspire other Medium readers to get out there!

Your Epiclist team,

Becoming Heroes Part 8: With Suzanne van der Veeken, creating a lifestyle around her curiosity for the world.

“Step by step I create a lifestyle around my curiosity for the world. I go on long-term adventures with many small adventures in it. Whatever adventure I’m on, it has to be meaningful to make it rewarding.” — Suzanne van der Veeken tells her story to become a full-time adventurer.

My first big achievement during an outdoor adventure abroad occurred when I was 8 years old. In a wild river, somewhere in the Belgian Ardennes there was this ‘BIG’ Rock, just sitting there. It had to be climbed. So, with my little pink rubber boots on my feet I hopped into the water and climbed that rock. I felt on TOP of the world and screamed at my parents: I’m standing on a rock! Nothing has changed ever since, while at the same time everything has changed.

I followed the conventional path. I was 17 when I finished highschool. I wanted to go travelling but everyone told me not too. I should study something. Young, privileged and full of assumptions, I listened and I went to university. For two years I surely had some fun but studywise I wasn’t getting really excited. I didn’t feel like I was learning something useful. Was this it? “Shouldn’t you maybe quit your study?” Said mum (yes MUM!). I didn’t even consider that was an option that narrow minded I was. Around that same moment one of my best friends took me on my first snowboard holiday to France. Wow! That excited me. This tasted for more. So ciao studies and hello five month snowboard season!

This big outdoor adventure abroad opened up my world and mind completely. I was in 5-month flow state. From playing in the snow in the Alps I went to another few months of tasting salt, surfing at the Atlantic Coast. I did go back to studying but it had to be something international so I could somehow stay in this adventure flow. So I did.

One of my best friends said to me this week: “For me, you are the master of manifesting your dreams.” That’s eventually the idea of a dream, right? To make it happen!

Dreams are meant to be pursued, not postponed. I’m dreaming a lot about exploring this world. So the latter is what I’m doing. Now.

I roll from one adventure into the other. You know that feeling of super excitement, that make your eyes sparkle, that makes you derive all you energy towards it, that makes you loose sense of time and any other nonsense occupying our days. For me that comes from exploration. In the broadest sense. I developed an extreme curiosity for discovering new cultures, places and adventure sports.

So step by step I created a lifestyle around my curiosity for the world.

The last 9 years this has brought me to every continent except Antarctica. I’ve been trekking the Peruvean Andes; I learned to kitesurf like a pro in Tarifa, the outdoor playground of Europe; I rappled caves in Brazil, I’ve explored depth learning freediving in Indonesia, and I hanged out with the locals in Tonga paradise. I don’t see myself as a traveller though. I find travelling shallow, exhausting, and expensive. I go on long-term adventures with many small adventures in it.

I usually stay in a place for a few months, if not ten. But no day goes by without doing something outdoors. I explore places living them local style. It makes me able to experience the real essence of a destination, to get to know the cool local spots and places, its culture, its people, its uniqueness. At the same time I’m doing work I find fulfilling and contribute to the local scene at the best I can do. That may be the most important thing I figured out after all these years of slow traveling: Whatever adventure I’m on, it has to be meaningful to make it rewarding. For example, in Peru I helped Andean communities develop small scale tourism experiences; In Tonga I researched about tourism and adaptation to Climate Change; In Indonesia I worked with locals helping them to get the word out about their small tourism business.

“Vertical thrillseeking the cave in Brasil today 72 meter vertical drop, freediving into 80 meter deep stalagmite landscape, and then luckily there was some energy left to rappel 72 meter up, out of the cave. One of the most unique adventure tours I have ever come across! Operated by local adventurepreneurs!”

You might ask, how do I finance all this?

The number 1 most asked question I receive, is how do I finance all this?First of all, my lifestyle is at a considerable lower cost than the average person who asks me this question. I choose to live with little to gain more freedom to explore. I value time way more than money. This requires some creativity, proactivity, and adaptation efforts. I don’t own stuff and I find this extremely liberating. No house, no car, no furniture. Just some kitesurf and freedive gear. I’m Dutch, being cheap is in my blood. But really, what do we need? I rather invest in memories than stuff. I wish I could become some 500 years old, just to experience all the things I would like to experience. It’s unlikely that I reach that age so better use my time wisely.

At the end of the day I of course do need some pesos. Through my travelblog and consultancy work in sustainable tourism I facilitate the adventures. Sometimes I earn some pesos, other times simply the experience. There is ALWAYS a way.

So what’s next? Probably the biggest adventure of my life so far!

A big dream coming true. This november I’m embarking on a 6-month sailing adventure around the Atlantic. I hope to be an inspiration and useful resource for other adventurous souls out there, looking for action, responsible and local style travel. My mission is to broaden minds, and to make others aware how they can get the absolute most out of travel and adventures. Not just for themselves, but for the places and people they are visiting, that are in most cases less fortunate than the traveller.

Suzanne van der Veeken is the author of this blog post. You can follow Suzanne’s slow travels on DestinationXploration.com and upcoming from zero to hero sailing adventure at www.oceanXploration.com

Or simply follow her stories here on Medium Suzanne van der Veeken.

This story is part 8 of 14 stories called “Becoming Heroes” by Epiclist.
Read further stories here on Medium.

#AdventureStartsWithYou

“To travel the world, surf, and write about those experiences is a dream. It’s an unthinkable profession – nearly sinful in its indulgence and hedonism, and when compared with alternative (but much likelier) careers, it represents the ultimate vocation. At least it did to me. — Zach Weisberg writes on The Inertia.

But things change and today, Zach is the Founder and Editor in Chief of The Inertia, a home to insightful commentary from the global surf community’s most prominent and thoughtful figures. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, The Oprah Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Duke Magazine and many other publications.

The Inertia has been called “HuffPost for surfers,” and Zach says that’s exactly what he wanted. Zach built it on the pillars of honesty, transparency and passion for surfing, rather than following what surfing brands dictate: “Flipping the online publication model on its head with a bottoms up approach — rather than top down.”

Zach committed his work to his passion. Today, there are hundreds of writers on The Inertia, sharing their ideas, thoughts, experiences, photos, videos and writing about issues in the surfing industry.

The diversity on the site is really outstanding! There are photo-stories about surfing journeys, personal experiences and meaning for surfing, social and environmental projects, and of course a lot of stunning surf photography!

How did this all begin?

Zach used to be a journalist for Surfer Magazine. Zach decided to quit his job after the publisher told him to remove his story about surfing world champion Mick Fanning, where Zach addressed diversity in surfing. Advertisers did not like the honesty of the story published on Surfer Magazine and Zach did not want to play this game any longer: “I had actually decided to leave Surfer before this point, and this really reaffirmed that decision . . . I thought, the things that we publish matter, this is too important an issue to sweep under the rug, and I’m not going to delete it.”

In its early stages, Zach built The Inertia while earning an MBA at the University of Southern California. He says he works best when there’s a lot going on. “Going back to school was so nice in that it had nothing to do with surfing or online publishing or the Internet,” — Weisberg told HuffPost. “It enabled me to have a much different perspective on how to approach those tasks and responsibilities.”

“I started the site in my apartment in San Clemente in the spring of 2010. It was just me, my partner Ross, who is a developer and technical co-founder, and my friend Matt Bauer made the site’s initial design and logo. I pounded down doors, made lots of phone calls, and sent a ton of emails out to get as many well respected and talented contributors on board as possible before we launched. We probably had about 15 contributors then — from respected folks like the CEO of Surfrider Foundation and World Champion Shaun Tomson, to then-lesser-known writers like Tetsuhiko Endo. That month we had about 3,000 visitors to the site. This month we had about 1.5 million. So we’ve come a long way and learned a lot in the process.

Surfing is a lifestyle.

“Surfing, at its best, is the ultimate means of being in the moment. When I stand on a wave, especially one that might barrel, there is only now. That feeling, and sharing those moments with great people in new places, has always been gratifying like nothing else I know.”

With Epiclist, we really understand how hard it is, to pull a project like The Inertia off the ground. For us, Zach is an amazing example of what we call a Hero, who gives everything to follow his dream and passion.

Follow his projects: @the_inertia on Twitter | The Inertia on Facebook

Epiclist Heroes is a series of stories, directed to document the projects of people across the world, who have decided to change their life in order to follow their dreams. Are you working on something great? Reach out to hello@epiclist.io

Discover the previous story of Epiclist Heroes: Part 8.

Untamed dragons, coloured volcano lakes and hidden waterfalls. Welcome to Flores.

The island of Flores, Indonesia: A hyper diverse multi-adventure paradise on both sides of the surface. Here you find rainforest, coral formations, indigenous tribes, deserted islands, wildlife and tropical fruits at its best. Every day I experienced something I never had before.

I’m torn between telling people about this place or a keeping it the secret. With the blessing of the locals I reveal a few of its epic adventure activities.

Camping in Komodo National Park:

Have you ever snorkeled around an island? Woke up with nothing but the sound of the waves and the singing of birds? Had a day without using keys and a phone? Swam with manta’s in the frontgarden? Cast-away is now made possible. Go camping in Komodo National Park with FloresXP.

Find inner peace on Kanawa Island

Chill in a hammock, while baby sharks swim underneath you. Wake up in a Bale on the beach, snorkel, dive, explore and chill a bit more. No internet. Only power at night. Kanawa Island Resort: the ultimate chillaxing spot after or prior to challenging inland adventures!

Swim under the Cunca Rami Waterfall

Rent a scooter and search for this waterfall. On your way make sure you stop for a fresh pineapple or banana. It’ll be the best ones you’ve ever tried. Most likely you will get lost. Support a local by letting him show you the way. If you’re lucky he will cut a fresh coconut out of his garden for you.

Mountainbike in the Bambootown of Ruteng

This bamboo town is at 1200 meter altitude, and while only four hours inland from Komodo National Park, it feels like you are in a different country. More than 90 % of the people here have never seen the sea before (yes, it’s an island!). If the sea, even though it’s close, is an unknown phenomenon, imagine how people react to a mountainbike passing bike. On a mountainbike you can go off the beaten path from the already off the beaten path Flores. Locals Bernardus and Lusia from Florescyclingtours have good bikes and are happy to take you around.

Spend the night at a local tribe: Belaraghi

Spent the night at Kampung Belaraghi, a fairy tale village, but then for real! This town is hard to find and requires some motorbiking and hiking to get there, but it’s worth it! Belaraghi is in the Ngada region of Flores where ancient belief systems are still part of everyday life. They’ll be honoured to have you and welcome you with a ti’i ka ebu nusi ceremony (in the photos above). I leave it up to you to experience what that is. Local William can take you there. He speaks the dialect. William Contact: +6281353968211 and http://welcome2flores.webs.com/

Observe the 1000s of foxes in Riung

Every evening just after the sun sets down, thousands, perhaps millions of Flying Foxes fly out from the Mangrove forest to starts their food searching activities on the mainland. It’s an incredible epic experience to watch this! Lovely local guide: Luk Man +6285253908340. He speaks some English and grills the best fish you’ve ever had.

Watch the sunrise at Kelimutu National park

The tree coloured lakes of Kelimutu are what Flores is possibly most famous for. It’s easy to get there (for Flores terms). Make it more adventurous to hike down and go for a swim under the waterfall and a dip in one of the natural hot pools.

Thoughtful Travel Take-aways:

• Learn the basics of Bahasa Indonesia
• Get a local phone number
• Bring 1 small backpack
• Open your heart and mind like never before
• Plan roughly, or not.
• Eat local fruits and zip tons of coconuts. It’ll be the best you’ll ever have.
• Dress conservatively (shoulder & upper legs covered). Strong christian religion dominates.
• When to go? Offseason which is February — May. It’s quiet and green.
• How to get around? With the local bemo bus, a scooter, or car+driver

The rest I leave up to you to explore!

Check out Suzanne’s Flores adventure on Epiclist. You can read more about Flores on Suzanne’s adventure travelblog Destination Xploration!

Author and photos by Suzanne van der Veeken.

Mountains have always inspired us. Every mountain is a new challenge. A new way of seeing things. We are very excited to have many explorers on Epiclist, sharing their mountain adventures with our community. Some of this mountains require a lot of time and preparations, while others can be climbed in a day or two. One thing we know for sure: To have a great experience, you can not underestimate the mountains. If you come unprepared, physicaly and mentaly, some mountains can turn to be brutal. They are wild and untamed. Thats why we link all of this featured climbs with the stories and guides, so you can follow the advice of the climbers and hikers to come prepared and have an incredible adventure.

And if you are ready, search for this journeys on the Epiclist app and add the experiences you like to your trip plans. Ready? Here we go:

1. Climbing to the Everest Basecamp by Dave and Deb from Planet D
Climbing Everest is a dream of many. But most of us don’t really know how it is like. The adventurous couple Dave and Deb hiked to the Base Camp, documenting every day of their adventure.

“It is not the scary daunting experience that people imagine it to be, trekking to base camp is actually a lot of fun and hopefully these points will help you with your future climbs and make it just a little bit more comfortable on the way up.” — Dave and Deb

Discover their original story on their blog here.

2. Climbing in the Peruvian Andes by Clinton Lewis
The Peruvian Andes hide some of the most beautiful mountains and landscapes on the planet. Photographer and mountaineer Clinton captured them on his camera.

“Borrowed boots that were the wrong size were a bad idea. I collapsed from the altitude and exhaustion on Quitaraju and wasn’t discovered for almost 45 minutes…But learning how to function in the mountains and my first taste of an alpine start from a cave bivvy in the Ishinca Valley were enough to hook me on the alpine life.” — Clinton Lewis, Mountaineer

Discover his report on our Medium blog here.

3. Islands of Indonesia by Matt Prior
Adventurer and photographer Matt says he got inspired for this journey by discovering Indonesia on Epiclist. So he went himself, climbing volcanoes, exploring local villages and islands! Though not everything on this journey is about mountains, Matts photos are so incredible we had to feature his whole trip on this list!

Discover the mind-blowing photos from this journey on Matts Flickr page.

4. Discovering the Avatar Mountains by Brendan van Son
Brendan is one of the best photographers out there and we are huge fans of his work! On his recent trip across China he went to the Avatar Mountains, sharing his discoveries on his blog and on Epiclist.

“If you’ve seen the movie Avatar, you’ve already seen Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – but don’t let that stop you seeing them in real life. These mountains were the inspiration behind the Hallelujah Mountains in the mythical world of Pandora in the movie Avatar, and it’s easy to see that when you visit.” — Brendan van Son

Discover his original story on his photoblog here.

5. Ultimate Machu Picchu Expedition
There are literally hundreds of tour operators offering you a guided climb to Machu Picchu in Peru. Our friends from One Seed Adventures showed us a lesser known path to reach the famous ruins of Machu Picchu with local temples and coffee farms on the way. Join their organized adventure, have an incredible time and support local families with micro-donations, all in one.

Join this trip here.

Our 2nd part, featuring more climbs and mountains is coming out next week. What are your favorite mountains to climb or hike? Let us know in the comments. We are always curious to discover new destinations!

“Borrowed boots that were the wrong size were a bad idea. I collapsed from the altitude and exhaustion on Quitaraju and wasn’t discovered for almost 45 minutes…But learning how to function in the mountains and my first taste of an alpine start from a cave bivvy in the Ishinca Valley were enough to hook me on the alpine life.” — Clinton Lewis, Mountaineer

“I like to call myself ‘an adventuresome photojournalist.’ I discovered photography though skateboarding as a teenager, and being a photographer has defined me ever since. I strive for authenticity in all of my photos; I’m not one to combine 10 photos to create an image.

What you see is exactly what I experienced!

I have been fortunate to photograph two environmental mountaineering expeditions through the American Alpine Club and their research project called the American Climber Science Program in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.

I had just started climbing a year or two before my first trip in 2011 and had met John All. We work for the same university and started talking about climbing and photography. Naturally, one discussion led to another and I was off to Peru to document his research for WKU, having no idea what I had just gotten myself in to.

Being mostly out-of-shape and a complete mountain newbie were tough obstacles. With a very short window of time between approval and departure, I had real time to train and spent the two and a half weeks of the trip in a state of exhaustion that I had never before experienced. Not only did I have to learn the basics of mountaineering, I also had to maintain enough focus to work my camera and bring back storytelling images for the University. It was a tall order.

I used borrowed boots that were the wrong size, resulting in over 30 blisters. One of my toes got infected. I collapsed from the altitude and exhaustion on Quitaraju and wasn’t discovered for almost 45 minutes. I could have died. I didn’t make a single summit.

I ground to a halt just a few hundred feet short of the summit of Ishinca. I like to say that the 2011 trip was a miserable experience with a couple high points. But learning how to function in the mountains and my first taste of the alpine start from a cave bivvy in the Ishinca Valley were enough to hook me on the alpine life.

I used that as a motivator during 2012 to hit the gym and focus on training with one goal in mind: summit. Combining running and cardio with weights 5+ days a week, I dropped about 20 pounds and returned in 2013 in the best shape of my life.

The 2013 expedition was incredible, a complete turnaround from my last trip. I invested a full four weeks of time, brought more photo gear, and had my mountain gear dialed in… especially the boots. That alone made for a successful trip! Instead of being the last one, I led most of the treks to base camp. I was solid on the mountain. I discovered photos look way better from the summit!

Returning to the Ishinca Valley was my main personal goal since Ishinca shut me down in 2011. After a shakedown climb of Urus Este (first summit! 5495m), our next target was Ishinca (5530m). We were stalled for a couple days due to weather, so redemption would be delayed.

I remember the exact spot I stopped in 2011. The feeling was almost euphoric to reach that spot and pass it in 2013.

Reaching the summit fulfilled and justified my laser-pointed focus of the past year. It was a sweet 30 minutes atop my nemesis. Definitely the highest point of my trip. We also scaled Andevite (5446m) and Maparaju (5425m). Both were great climbs.

What I take away most from these expeditions is not only the climbing, photos and science objectives — yes, we do work while we are there — but the sense of self-accomplishment and becoming more confident in the outdoors. These are characteristics that translate beyond the climbing world into real life at work and home. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who will? My wife sent several notes along with me about llamas and other goofy things for entertainment, but also for motivation. My favorite one reads:

“You are going to succeed because you are crazy enough to think you can.” And I did.

What have been your craziest adventure? We are excited to have Clinton documenting and sharing his journeys with the Epiclist app. Follow him on his next trip or contribute with your own story. Onwards!

Last week we teamed up with Adventurer and Filmmaker Leon McCarron for the new Epiclist Mission: Summer Adventure.

The best contribution will win a copy of Leons new book The Road Headed West. During this 2 weeks people shared some amazing adventures and moments with us! We have been super excited to see them all!

Selecting the best was really tough. Check out the best 5 contributions:

Andy Madeley: “Riding home from Belgium as wingman to @TheCycleDiaries after 3yrs cycling.”

Olga Reimgen: “Road tripping and hiking hills in Iceland, one of the most beautiful places I have seen on our whole planet!”

Stan Bugaev: “Climbing Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany. An amazing landscape, ranging from bold mountain peeks to grassed hills!”

Steve Armenti: “Backpacking / road trip from @CraterLakeNPS through Lake Tahoe to @YosemiteNPS”

And our congrats to the winner:

Chyrel Gomez: “From sea to summit. Bikepacked south of Cebu, 323km in total mileage.”

“Over the next 14 months I cycled 14,000 miles from New York to Hong Kong, facing tornados, swollen river crossings and one hungry black bear along the way…”

We met Leon in a bar in London. He did not look crazy or anything like that. He looked like a normal guy, who would wake up in the morning and go to his office to get his job done. Actually, he seemed like a great guy! And then we figured out that he is more then just a great guy. Here comes his story:

What happens when you swap the nine-to-five for two wheels and the journey of a lifetime?

“I was 23 years old when I first wobbled my way out of New York City on a bicycle, over-packed and under-prepared. I’d given away or sold everything I owned except for the bike, a few panniers and a handful of clothes. What happened from that point onwards would be anyone’s guess, but my hope was that these few belongings would eventually add up to the ultimate possession of all: freedom.

Up until then I’d led a pretty regular existence. I’d gone straight from school to university, finished with a good degree and got offered a job on the day I graduated. Part of me couldn’t believe my luck– after all, this was 2008 and the world was in recession. The problem was that another part of me didn’t want a job or a career at all– not yet. I didn’t want to ‘settle down’ without really testing myself and seeing what the world had to offer. I had no idea of what my real skills or abilities were, or even my true passions. I was yearning to do something wild- something totally different that would put me way out there on the edge of experience. The best decision I’ve ever made was to listen to that urge.

Over the next 14 months I cycled 14,000 miles from New York to Hong Kong. It was my first big adventure, and I learned so much about the world and myself in the process. I realized the power that journeys like this can have, and knew I wanted more. I’d become thoroughly absorbed by the idea of storytelling through adventures – to be able to inspire, educate and entertain via writing, taking photographs and making films seemed like a wonderful cause to put my time and energies into.

In 2011–2012 I walked 3000 miles across China with an adventurer called Rob Lilwall. Our plan was to trek through the heart of the country, from the Gobi desert in Mongolia to the South China Sea in Hong Kong, and make a TV show along the way to show how such a fascinating country looks from the inside.

We got a commission for a 4-part TV series from National Geographic and spent 6 wonderful (if challenging months) on foot heading south.

Not long after returning from that I walked 1000 miles through the Empty Quarter desert with Alastair Humphreys, following in the footsteps of our hero – the great British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger. For 7 weeks we dragged a heavy steel cart loaded with supplies from Salalah, Oman to Dubai, UAE, and subsequently made a feature length independent film about the trip called ‘Into The Empty Quarter.’

This year I spent 5 weeks in Iran, following the longest river in the country from source to sea by human power – walking, packrafting and cycling from the Zagros Mountains to the Persian Gulf. I have been on many smaller adventures alongside these larger trips, but it’s always human power that I choose.

It’s quite simply the best way to immerse oneself in a culture, and to experience the full spectrum of physical and mental challenge along the way. It’s also a fantastic catalyst for finding stories worth telling, which ultimately is now my goal. Adventure, I think, is everywhere. You can find it on a long bicycle trip, or by trekking through China, or kayaking down an Iran river. But you can also find it closer to home – it is not location specific (or related to what kit you have or what skills you think you need.)

Adventure is very simply a word we use for a certain type of experience – doing something new, something that challenges us and leaves us with happy, rewarding memories. For that reason, I think it’s a necessity in life, rather than a luxury, and for now I’m delighted to dedicate my time to spreading the word – adventure is great!”

Leon has just published his first book: The Road Headed West

Visit his personal website: http://www.leonmccarron.com
Follow his journeys on Twitter: @leonmccarron

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