Adventure-Crew.com

Thursday marks the 40th Anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, the spacecraft that first took man to the moon, an event that many people feel is the greatest accomplishment in human history. To commemorate this historic event, a new website has been launched at WeChooseTheMoon.com which will recreate the entire mission from start to finish.

If you visit the site right now, and as I write this we're still more than 43 hours from "launch", you can see a virtual representation of the Saturn V rocket that would propel Apollo 11 out of the Earth's atmosphere. You'll also be able to hear ground control running through pre-flight checks as they prepare for the mission, which is still two days away. All of the audio feeds are authentic, and once the mission is underway, there will be video as well, as we follow the three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their voyage, which will culminate next week on July 24th when they return to Earth with a splashdown. Of course, before that happens we'll get to relive the most significant piece of history when on July 20th, Armstrong and Aldrin pilot the lunar lander to the surface of the moon, and become the first humans to step foot on another world.

From what I understand, the details of the mission have been rebuilt to exacting specifications for this website, so we'll all be able to follow along in realtime. The site also allows you to view the liftoff from a variety of angles, and feeds us information about the speed and distance traveled. Other feeds provide trivia about the day, such as what the best selling books were at the time, and the songs that topped the charts as well.

Of course, once liftoff occurs, that's when the fun really begins. I'm told that there is nearly constant chatter between the astronauts and mission control, which should make for a very interesting way to relive this slice of history. I wasn't around when the moon landing happened, I was actually born a month later, but I have always been a fan of the space program, and have been fascinated with the idea of traveling to other planets. For the next week or so, this is going to be something that I'll be watching very closely. In my mind, it is indeed the greatest human adventure of all time, but if you can think of one better, I'd be happy to re-evaluate.

The inaugural Vuelta Sudamericana is scheduled to get underway in just a few weeks time, with 23 cyclists from around the globe preparing to set out on an epic 12,000km (7456 mile) race and expedition ride across seven South American countries. Along the way they'll experience a range of environments including arid deserts, thick jungles, and mountain passes exceeding 4200 meters (13,780 feet) in height.

Brought to you be the same team that organizes the Tour d'Afrique, this race is scheduled to last 134 days, which will be broken down into 110 stages, 23 rest days, and one travel day. The riders will average more than 110km (68 miels) per day as they peddle through Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. The race will begin in Rio and finish four months later in Quito.

Much like the Tour d'Afrique, this is as much of a competition as the riders want it to be. Some will go all out to win stages and finish first, with the fastest overall time, and others will prefer to take it more leisurely and ride at a more moderate pace, taking in the scenery and soaking up the culture. The race is also broken down into nine sub-sections that will allow other riders to join or withdraw at various points along the way.

Speaking of scenery, the cyclists will be passing some of the most amazing sights that South America has to offer, with the route taking them by Iguazu Falls, Aconcagua, the tallest mountain on the continent, the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth, Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, and the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. They'll also peddle along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and cross the Andes mountain range in between.

This sounds like another amazing cycling adventure. I wish I had a 134 vacation days built up so I could join them on this ride. What a way to see South America!

Text by Christian Camerota Take a tumble on a pair of K2 skis and you might twist an ankle. Fall on K2 skiing and it will likely spell disaster. A solemn reminder of the inherent danger on the mountain's stolid slopes, Italian adventurer Michele Fait slid down an ice sheet to his death while skiing the SSE spur from atop an acclimitization camp on June 23. Fait and Frederick Ericsson had planned on scaling K2 and becoming the first people to ever make a complete ski descent of it before the tragic accident occurred. Ericsson had been chronicling the pair's trip on Powder Magazine's website and, a few days before, even went so far as to report that the harrowing car ride through a waterfall to arrive at the mountain "was probably more scary than anything we will face on K2." Their first days on the slopes held great promise,...

I've been hearing about this climbing group for awhile now, but Backpacker has confirmed that eight blind climbers, along with their 17 guides, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania last week. The team topped out on the 29th of June and in doing so, set two new records on the mountain, the most blind climbers at the summit at once and the youngest blind summitteer ever in the form of 13-year old Max Ashton.

The entire group was climbing as part of the See Kili Our Way organization, which is raising funds and awareness for programs designed to aid visually impaired babies. On the site, you'll find more information about the climbers, photos from the climb and their preparation hikes, and a blog that chronicles their exploits.

The team is back in the states already and were featured in video for Good Morning Arizona just yesterday. To check out their story and learn more about the mountaineers and their cause, click here to watch the video.

Very cool and inspirational story.

A first aid kit, much like car insurance, is one of those things that we buy and hope we never have to use. It's one of those 10 essential items that we should always have in our pack when we head out on the trail, and yet, it's one of the items that gets the least attention. We stuff a few band aids in a box, maybe some ibuprofen and thats about it. Well, I"m here to tell you that the first aid kit is one item that you shouldn't scrimp on, but fortunately Adventure Medical Kits is here to make it easy on us all.

As their name implies, Adventure Medical Kits provides top notch, pre-made med kits that are ready to go in our backpacks and stay there until we need them. The kits come in a variety of sizes and specialities, for what ever your outdoor pursuits happen to be. For instance, their Paddler Series comes with everything a kayaker would need out on the water, and it's all sealed up in a nice drybag, while the Mountain Series is designed for longer alpine expeditions.

My AMK comes from the Ultralight line, which is specifically marketed for multisport athletes such as adventure racers. The kits are perfect for races where a med kit is standard equipment, and any race above a sprint probably does require one, because they are small, compact, and light weight, yet still carry everything you'll need and more. For instance, I have an Ultralight .9 which comes pre-packed with several varieties of bandages in different shapes and sizes, trauma pads, gloves, moleskin, duct tape, safety pins, splinter packs, antihistamines, ibuprofen, a plethora of wound care items, and a lot more. All of that is packed into a waterproof pack, and it all sits nicely inside a backpack.

In addition to all the great stuff that comes in each of the medical kits, the AMK website has some great supplemental gear that you can add to your kit to enhance its usefulness in the backcountry. For instance, they have a variety of insect repellants, hygiene products, blister protection, and other essentials. There are even repair kits that allow you to fix your broken gear, even while on the go. Put all this stuff together, and you have everything you ever need to cover medical issues no matter where you are.

I have to say that I am throughly impressed with the Ultralight .9 pack that I have. It lives up to its name, barely adding any weight to your pack and despite its size, the kit remains very versatile and useful. While AMK recommends it for adventure racers and other outdoor athletes, I believe that it is equally useful for backpackers, long distance trekkers, and even travelers in general. It really is a nice piece of gear that will fill most people's needs right out of the box. Add in a few extra items that may be essential to you specifically, and you have the perfect customized med kit that is always ready to go when you are.

All of the kits from Adventure Medical are also very affordable, which means that we don't have any excuses to not have one with us in the backcountry. Select one of the kits that works best for you, and you won't want to ever leave it behind either. You might even think that it's essential.