Cheers to 2017

Published on: January 1, 2018

Wow. What. A. Year. I have to say 2017 has been the best, most adventurous year of my life. The first half was spent in the USA visiting family and friends and going on a few adventures there. Then second half has been a whirlwind consisting of jumping around the Caribbean visiting Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba, and finally I’ve been in the incredible country of Colombia for over 3 months now with around a month left! I still need to check out the North Coast, Cocuy, and La Amazona!

I hope y’all had a wonderful year full of adventures too. But if not, you should make 2018 your year! Start planning out a fun trip for this year right now. It doesn’t matter if it’s an hour from home or on the other side of the world. It’s time jump into the new year (Literally! Check out the video below to see what I mean!) do something fun and enjoy this beautiful thing we call life!

I also must apologize! The blog has been pretty quiet the last 6 months. A lot of adventure with a helping of laziness on top of it has had me putting off writing. But I have my stories from Puerto Rico written up and ready to post and the Dominican Republic and Cuba shouldn’t be too far behind! I’m not usually one for New Year’s Resolutions, but I think this year I will really try to write a lot more and might change up the format. Instead of longer tales of grand adventures, I’ll shorten things up and more frequently put out short stories of my more recent escapades!

I am also working on a new website design! I’ve been working like a dog for the past couple days digging deep into my brain where all of my web development knowledge has been gathering cobwebs and dust for the past 2 years. But if all goes well, I will be releasing it sometime this month!

Now to celebrate the closing of 2017, I’ve selected some of my favorite photos, in no particular order, taken in the last 12 months! If you’re interested in buying a print of any of the photos, just shoot me an email at: gavin@gavintravels.com

Flying high above the Atlantic on El Arete Libre 5.10a near Arecibo, Puerto Rico!
La Sierpe Waterfall filling up the Pacific Ocean in Parque Nacional Natural Uramba Bahía Málaga, Colombia.
The sun setting over the neighborhood Barrio La Perla in Puerto Rico.
Sarah and I enjoying our success on Satori 5.10c in El Potrero Chico, Mexico!
My good friend, Will, trying his luck on a V5 in Vacia Talega, PR.
Watching the sunset on my solo camping trip out to Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Crystal clear water. Pearly white sand. Blazing hot sun. Paradise in Bahía de las Águilas, Dominican Republic!
I'm pretty sure that every night has a gorgeous sunset in Big Bend!
If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm kind of in love with sunsets. This one was enjoyed on the Colombian Pacific in the remote village of La Barra.
Glada, the proprietor of a small farm in Viñales, Cuba, enjoys a cigar produced here at her farm.
Juanchaco, one of my favorite places in the world. Juanchaco is a poor village on the Colombian Pacific, but nobody there seems to care too much about not having money and are perfectly content with their simple life!
Wasp Factory, 7b (5.12b) has been one of my favorite climbs of all time. I flailed all over it, hanging on the rope several time, but the climbing was just a joy!
A gorgeous waterfall hidden somewhere in the Colombian Chocó Rainforest.
This was one of the most incredible sunsets I've witness. Near Fajardo, Puerto Rico, we ventured out to a small spot called, La Cueva, in the Natural Park Cabezas de San Juan. The sunset lit up 3 separate storms out at sea and the storm you can see in this photo cast a shadow in the sky that stretch from one horizon to the other!
Sometimes walking through the streets of La Habana, Cuba, you weren't really sure which year it was. 2017? 1947? Who knows!
Enjoying the views of the Atlantic atop of this beautiful arc formation near Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Very possibly the most beautiful day in my life so far. Running alone, naked, around the Chocó Rainforest. I've never felt so alive, so free! (The camera is on a tripod and I use a remote to trigger the camera)
One of the most fun forms of climbing is deep water soloing. Climbing without ropes over water. If you mess up and fall, you simply splash safely in the water below. The perfect type of climbing for the hot and sweaty summers of Puerto Rico.
The sun casting it's red hues over Zona Roja in the Tatacoa Desert, Colombia.
A group of Havana street musicians played a tune just for me.
It might be wet and humid, but the rainforest is one of my favorite environments I've experienced. The energy of the jungle is so invigorating!
The climbing we found near Survival Beach, Puerto Rico wasn't too difficult. But wow, the sunset views were spectacular!
Valle de Cocora. Home to the tallest palm trees in the world and also these cool cows!
Miguel posing for a photo in an art district in Havana, Cuba. I met him while walking around and after he showed me a few sites we shared a mojito together!
The low tide beach at Pacifico Hostel, Colombia. The landmass I'm standing under can be seen in the video I posted above. The tide here raises and lowers up to 12ft/4m!
Sunset showers over San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A fern getting ready to spread it's wings somewhere in the Chocó Rainforest.

Happy New Year Everyone! Get out there! Adventure! And make 2018 the best year yet!

Cheers! Salud! Prost! Saluti! Santé! Živjeli! Etc!

Comments

  3. Fantastic photos Gavin. This quality is professional so get Natgeo to hire you and travel the world for free, huh? Cheers from Arizona and Happy New Year. Can’t wait to see what this year unfolds for you.
    Love from your mountain hiking Auntie Dawn
    Hugs

    • Thanks Auntie Dawn! That means a lot coming from someone who’s married to a pro! Tell Uncle Gary I said “Hola” and enjoy Arizona!

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