From the Arctic Circle to the Jungle
Two Years of Adventure

Published on: March 18, 2018

Enjoying the views of Kvalvika Beach located in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.

Wow… It’s hard to even know what to write… Today marks 2 full years since I hopped on an airplane in Chicago and began my adventure and it’s indescribable how beautiful the experience has been. Especially the last 9 months here in Latin America, and I couldn’t think of a better day to be writing this up. This afternoon I’ve arrived back to Bogotá on an 18 hour bus from Santa Marta and after finishing up this article I’ll need to find the cheapest flight out of Colombia! For various reasons, I’ve overstayed my visa here and need to leave ASAP. And… yikes! That means I’ve been in Colombia for over 6 months now… I would never have expected that! But I suppose if you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit this magnificent country, you’d understand why!

Anyway, I think the best way to celebrate the 2 years is to reminisce a little and re-share photos of some of my favorite experiences so far! So here’s 20 of my favorite moments, 10 from each year and in no particular order.

2016-2017

Ljubljanski (6a+/5.10c) was one of, and still is one my favorite climbs today. 220m (720ft) of pure climbing bliss. I went up the climb with Chiba and friend I'd made a few days before and it turned out we made great partners! Then to add some interest to the experience, this was the first day of Bura, an incredibly strong wind that blows through for a few days and in this photo I'm being smacked in the face with probably 50kph (30mph) wind with gusts possibly even stronger!

After having been in Paklenica for about a month I finally headed up to the top of Anica Kuk to create a photo I'd been thinking about since I walked in front of the massive rock face. I hiked up the mountain to grab a clearer shot of the stars to be photoshopped into a photo I would later take from the ground. On the hike I got a bit sweaty and with the prospect of colder wind and temperature fast approaching as the sunset, I stripped off my clothes and set them up to dry a bit. Which, in turn, made for a pretty nice photo. Don't you think?

I celebrated my 26th birthday under the Eiffel Tower with my two friends from Austin, Justin and Kristen. It was a incredible day of celebrating with lots of wine, bread and cheese with great company!

While visiting my German friend Robert, whom I met senior year of high school when he was an exchange student, we headed up to the haunting forests in Sächsische Schweiz. We camped for one night here but I wish we could have had more time. The forests were so beautiful!

One day when my friends BMW was free, I took it out for a spin through the Bavarian countryside. What better way to enjoy the views than touring around in than a Bavarian Moto Works!

When I went up to revisit the Lofoten Islands I had the pleasure of witnessing the magnificent display that is the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis is an incredible light show of solar particles interacting with the Earth's magnetic field. Unfortunately, as the cliché goes, a photo doesn't do a justice. For a few moments, I laid on the ground looking up, almost completely paralyzed. The scene before my eyes had me speechless, thoughtless, breathless, motionless. I could only watch. Only observe.

My home for 5 days. The Arctic tried to drive me mad. She almost succeeded. Almost. The day this photo was taken it rained all day keeping me inside. I laid in this shelter for over 24 hours only to exit a few times for only a few minutes. And about 18 of those hours it was dark and I was able to do nothing. Nothing but think.

This sunrise in Lofoten was hands down the most incredible I've yet to witness. This photo required zero editing. What you see here is what it looked like in real life.

When I first began the adventure I stopped over in New York City before heading across the sea to Europe. While there I decided to check out some bouldering in Central Park. The climbing was either pretty easy (like this one) or super impossible hard, but the location was so interesting. Normally you climb surround by nature. Here you're surrounded by one of the biggest cities in the world.

2017-2018

After I'd returned to the USA to surprise family and friends for Chirstmas and New Years, I went for a 3 day solo camping trip to Big Bend National Park on the Texas/Mexico border. This photo is from the sunset on the first night. Not a bad way to start off a camping trip!

Keeping with the theme of spectacular sunsets, this fiery sky was from my last night in Big Bed National Park.

I tried to take a bus from La Habana, Cuba to Viñales but I arrived just too late and the bus was full. So I ended up taking this taxi for the 3 hour drive. It was only $20, which seemed a bit low. Later on, when he went delivering packages, I realized why! I was part of a courier service.

Wasp Factory (7b/5.12b) in Viñales, Cuba has been one my most favorite climbs of all time. I flailed all over this thing, but it was such a joy. I was smiling the whole way up and it took every... single... ounce of energy I had. Not a bad 'one last climb' in Cuba!

What better place to enjoy your first cigar than in Viñales, Cuba with some nice mountains in the background. A few days later I climbed the rock behind my head!

I did a day trip from Santo Domingo to Bahía de las Águilas which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Perfect white sand. Crystal clear, blue water. Hot sun. Mountains behind. Absolute perfection!

In addition to amazing sunsets, Puerto Rico offers a ton of really excellent rock climbing. This is a photo of me in the northwest corner of Puerto Rico, Deep Water Solo'ing or climbing without protection and using the water below to catch your fall. It's a perfect way to climb in the summer or on a tropical island!

Sometimes traveling provides some really special experiences. I met my friend Sara, whom is Colombian, in Croatia towards the beginning of my travel. We became rock climbing friends there and when I was in Colombia we met up. She shared with me this secret spot in the Chocó Rainforest that her and her friends discovered during university. It turns out this spot is probably my favorite spot in the whole world (so far...) and the day this photo was taken has been one of the most special days of my life. I returned to this spot a few weeks later alone and went running up the river naked, embracing my inner wild child. PS: The camera is on a tripod, I really am 100% alone, an hour deep in the jungle!

I decided to try out WorkAway volunteering when I visited the Pacific Coast of Colombia. I worked 3 weeks in a new hostel out there and this is the beach at low tide, which changes up to 4m (13ft) twice a day. At low tide you have this beach and at high tide you can run and jump from the hostel land into the ocean! The Pacific Coast of Colombia has a very special spot in my heart and has been one of my favorite places that I've visited.

Juanchaco. A place that warmed my heart every time I entered the village. Juanchaco was approximately a 15 minute walk from the hostel I was volunteering at and contains some of the nicest people I've met. On my first visit to the village I braced myself. I braced for an onslaught of folks trying to sell me this and that. What was I met with? 'Hola! Buenas! Cómo estás?' and a smile. Nothing more. The people here are poor. They live in shanty shacks. But they don't seem to care. They are just out there living a simple life and enjoying it!

Wow. Only 20 photos. That’s tough. There are probably at least another 20 that I’d love to share! It’s been a absolutely incredible 2 years and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store. I know for sure it will finally involve working as I can finally see the end of the tunnel where the money runs out! But I can promise, the adventures won’t stop!

Comments

  1. Have really enjoyed following your adventures . . .what a great way to spend a couple of years!

  2. I love catching up on the beauty of the world through the photos of your adventures…

    Keep ‘em coming!

  4. I love this pictures, miss ya Gavin! It was good chattin with you tonight, have a safe flight!

  5. Incredible journey Gavin. I really enjoyed catching up via your blog. See you when you get back!

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