Tips On Climbing Mt Adams

Mount Adams, situated in the eastern Cascade range, east of Mount St Helens and north of Mount Hood, is the second most massive and the third tallest volcano in the Cascade range. Popular among hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts in general, Mt Adams is accessible year round, and visited by folks from both states - Washington and Oregon.

Land Paddling On A Snow Day In Seattle

Land paddling in Seattle is not really a year round activity. 

It rains a lot most of the year, and in fall/winter, when the temperatures drop, only the most dedicated spend time land paddling, and having fun.  

And we at "Seattle Kite, Surf, Paddle" are among those crazy ones who enjoy land paddling in any weather !

There is something special about land paddling in the snow ! It's like combining longboarding, snowboarding, and paddleboarding in one. 

And the surroundings are breathtaking ! Because there is nothing quite as serene as seeing your beloved city in a fresh sheet of snow. It's truly magical making your first tracks in the snow.

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My Bucket List : 2017 Achievements & 2018 Goals

"What you GET by achieving your goals is not as important as what you BECOME by achieving your goals" ~ Henry David Thoreau

Maybe I'm getting too old, by it seems like 2017 has flown by so fast I didn't have time to really notice it.

In 2016, I made a decision to spend more time on my businesses rather than on my adventures...

But the best part of running your own fitness & travel business is that you DON'T HAVE TO COMPROMISE ! 

As you might know, another one of my favorite quotes is : "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life" ~ Confucius 

And that's exactly how 2017 was ! I didn't work a single day !

Ski AND Surf Lake Tahoe

Recently, I read it somewhere that Lake Tahoe had been ranked the No. 1 ski destination for the 2010-2011 season. I can't comment on that since I've never been to Lake Tahoe, but can say one thing: if I ever make it there it's not going to be ( just ) skiing...

Bucket list Ideas : Volcano Boarding In Nicaragua !

Believe it or not, "volcano tourism" is a popular, and growing travel trend. Every year millions of tourists make active and dormant volcanic areas their preferred destination, either for recreational purposes and sightseeing, or perhaps as an adventure trip involving more extreme activities such as hiking, climbing, camping, taking a hot air balloon trip over volcanic landforms like in Capadoccia, Turkey.

But recently, one activity/adventure has become especially popular - volcano boarding !

What The Hell Is River Bugging ?

Here, I present you another relatively new, crazy, adrenaline-filled water sport -river bugging.
"What is river bugging?" - you ask. In a nutshell, it's river tubing with a twist.



Instead of a tube, you sit in an ... inflatable armchair, pitting your wits (and other parts of your anatomy) against fast-moving rapids, bouncing off rocks and rafting down eddies into icy pools of water below. Your hands are covered in webbed gloves and you also wear short flippers, to help you manoeuvre around the river currents. You also wear the standard "whitewater outfit"- (full body) wetsuit, PFD and a helmet.

Parahawking- Flying Like A Bird...With A Bird.

The video below is absolutely beautiful !

When you go parahawking, you are not just flying like a bird - you are flying with one. And there's only one place in the world you can do it: Pokhara, Nepal and doing it is as awesome as it sounds.

If it's too much to digest, let me first explain what parahawking is.

Parahawking is a fusion between Falconry and Paragliding. Falconry is a huntung sport where birds of prey are trained to hunt prey. Parahawking is different, our birds of prey are trained to fly with Paragliders and to guide them to the thermals. Parahawking also gives you a unique opportunity to interact with birds of prey in their own environment.

When parahawking, you soar with trained Egyptian Vultures, which are an exceptionally unique species of bird. Not only are the Egyptian Vultures incredibly intelligent (they're one of two bird species in the world that use tools to source food (they will actually pick up and drop rocks to break into eggs) but they are incredibly energy efficient. The vultures rely on warm pockets of air, called thermals, to achieve lift — allowing them to soar with minimal effort. The higher they soar, the wider their perspective becomes, allowing them to more easily source food. If there are no thermals, the Egyptian Vulture will find a tree to perch on and conserve energy until it's ready to try again.

Diving With Sharks At The Florida Aquarium In Tampa Bay

Florida diving offers something for everyone, from the newbie to the most experienced divers, from coral reef diving to fresh water, wrecks, caverns, 4000 lb statue of Christ of the Abyss to ... diving at the The Florida Aquarium.

I came across this incredible adventure while looking for guided scuba diving trips around Tampa. The Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay offers two great diving adventures - Swim with the Fishes and ...Dive with the Sharks !

Diving with the great white sharks near the Neptune islands of southern Australia has been on my Bucket List since I first got my PADI Open Water certificate.

But diving with sharks at The Florida Aquarium was no less thrilling.

2016 Bucket List Goals Achieved; Plans For 2017

How do you find "work-life balance" ?

For many people finding "life-work balance" is an ongoing challenge. Even though there are tons of books, blog posts, studies, and many "gurus" who teach how to find "work-life balance",  achieving it can often feel like an impossible goal, especially for people who strive to give everything 100% ( like most ExtraHyperActive folks are ).

Last year, I made a decision to focus more on business, and hence, my "adventure time" in 2016 was very minimum. Yet, it was another year when I checked off a few goals off my Adventure Bucket List :

Paddleboarding To The Bottom Of Snoqualmie Falls

Looking for once-in-a-lifetime experiences and adventures while visiting Seattle ?

Seattle offers amazing outdoor opportunities for adventure seekers, and outdoor lovers year round ! But fall through spring, they're limited to mostly snow related activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.

Yet, even most Seattleites don't know that there are outdoor activities, that are normally considered to be "summer watersports", could be done year round.

When it comes to watersports, one can enjoy kayaking, paddleboarding,  kiteboarding, surfing, scuba diving, and sailing 365 days a year.

Freighter Wave Surfing In Seattle

As I wrote in my previous post, I discovered "surfing" right in the heart of Seattle ! Well, almost...

Shilshole Bay Marina in Ballrad  is only 20 minutes from downtown Seattle. Located on Puget Sound, the marina affords direct access to one of the finest salt-water sailing basins in the world. Shilshole's stunning setting and convenient saltwater location make all types of boating fun !

Shilshole Bay has long been popular among sea and recreational kayakers, windsurfers, and now, paddlebaorders.

But it wasn't until recently, the place has become an alternative destination for local paddle surfers who found it frustrating to drive 3 hours to the coast.

Indoor Skydiving At iFly In Tukwila, WA

Being ExtraHyperActive, we're always on a lookout for new adventures and experiences ! And in Washington state, there is never shortage of awesome and exciting things to do ! All year round ! Indoors and outdoors !

And recently, we added another epic adventure to our Bucket List - indoor skydiving !

After doing my first tandem skydiving jump, and trying out tandem BASE jumping, I didn't think that indoor skydiving would be that exciting for me. But I thought, for my 9 year old, it would be a great memorable experience !

Colonnade Mountain Bike Park In Seattle

We've been hearing and reading about Seattle's Colonnade Bike Park for a while now, but haven't had a chance to take my bike to the park. One of the main reasons it took me so long to visit the park was the park's reputation of being not "beginners friendly".

Tanker Surfing

"Texas isn't surf country, but it doesn't stop them from fulfilling their passion..."

Bucket List Idea : Try Bouldering

If you've ever wanted to try rock climbing, I'd recommend to start with  bouldering. Bouldering is an excellent way to introduce beginners to rock climbing. It requires minimal equipment, it’s safe and there isn’t the distraction of ropework or fear of heights.

Bouldering is climbing without a rope on boulders, cliffs or indoor climbing walls where a fall is unlikely to result in injury.

The definition of bouldering is broad, as bouldering can mean different things to different people. It can be about pushing limits and climbing hard, getting outdoors with friends and having fun, discovering new problems or training for route climbing.

Tips On Visiting Crater Lake National Park In Winter

I've been really looking forward to visiting Crater Lake National Park in Oregon for the past 5 years ! I wanted to see it both : covered under the blanket of snow, and on a nice sunny summer day.

Ice Climbing In Colorado

Ice climbing is a very challenging, both physically and emotionally, and engaging sport. At the same time, ice climbing is a thrilling adventure, and a great way to spend a winter day in a beautiful surrounding.

Journaling Towards Your Dreams

The article below is a guest post by Melanie Bowen, who is a contributor to the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance blog.

In her post she talks about the importance of keeping your dreams/goals/resolutions in writing.

I think that this is THE BIGGEST part of goal setting that most people simply don't understand. Most people don’t bother to write down their goals. Instead, they drift through life aimlessly, wondering why their life lacks purpose and significance.

Don't be one of those people, write them down on a piece of paper, in your Notepad, or start your own blog !

If you are like most people, you have started a journal here and there and then abandoned it when you skipped a few days. The truth of the matter is that almost no one keeps a journal every single day, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep one at all! When you are confronted with a challenge, especially strenuous illnesses like breast cancer, mesothelioma or even diabetes, you’ll soon realize journaling may be the tool that gives you the strength that you need. No matter what your prognosis is, learn how journaling can make your dreams and daydreams become a reality.

Ski Biking In Vail, CO

I came across ski-biking ( snowbiking ) a few years ago while researching about another new winter activity - airboarding.

Though both of these activities could be experienced in our neighboring Oregon at Hoodoo ski area, for the past 2-3 years, I simply couldn't find time to make a trip down there. And honestly, to me, ski-biking seemed a bit like kids snow scooting. I thought it would be fun to try, but didn't think it was worth driving for 5 hours.

But during my trip to Colorado I had a chance to jump on this great opportunity, and combine skiing at one of the epic ski resorts in US with trying out a new adventure.

2015 Bucket List Goals Achieved; Plans For 2016

I want to start this blog post with a joke :

"My goal for 2016 is to accomplish my goals from 2015...which I should have completed in 2014...because I planned them in 2013.

The past few years working on my Bucket List taught me a lot about goal setting.

First, I realized  that not all goals are created equal. Some are more realistic and achievable than others, some take more time, planning, and execution , and some goals simply require more money that you expected. Second, I learned that there were no "non-achievable" goals. There are goals that simply don't inspire. And third, no matter what, sooner or later, one way or another, ALL DREAMS COME TRUE !