Video: West on Deerfoot with Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys

A few years back, British adventurers Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys make an epic journey on foot through the Empty Quarter on the Arabian Peninsula. They made a film about their adventure that was later accepted into the Banff Film Festival. The boys were so excited about this turn of events, that they decided to fly to Canada to attend the premiere of their documentary. But in true adventurous style, they didn't just want to hop a bus from the airport to Banff, but instead decided to travel their on foot. This short film takes us along with them on that journey, which turned out to be a great little adventure through parts of Canada. The clip also holds true to Alastair's philosophy on microadventures, which encourages us to look for small adventures that we can undertake in our own backyard. I hope you enjoy.

West on Deerfoot from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

Video: Exploring Scotland's Bothies by Mountain Bike

This wonderful video comes our way courtesy of adventurer and filmmaker Alastair Humphreys. While making this short film, Alastair rode his bike across some of Scotland's more wild and rugged landscapes, while spending his nights inside the "bothies" that he found along the way. A bothy is akin to a mountain lodge, and there are a number of them scattered along the Scottish trails, providing respite from the elements, and a warm place to sleep, at the end of the day. The stunning images that are captured here will inspire you to want to follow in Alastair's tire tracks. The places he visits throughout the journey are starkly beautiful and alluring. This is the kind of adventure that is accessible to just about anyone if they have the desire to do it, and as always Alastair has a knack for showing us the way. Watch and enjoy. Then start thinking about your own next adventure.

Mountain Bikes and Bothy Nights from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

Alastair Humphreys Talks "Microadventures" with Adventure Journal

A couple of months back I reviewed Alastair Humphrey's new book Microadventures: Local Discoveries, Great Escapes, and found it to be a great read for anyone looking to add a regular dose of adventure to their daily lives. Over the past few years, Alastair, who has quite a few big adventures under his belt, has been championing the idea of microadventures, which are short, cheap, and easy to accomplish adventures that are close to home. The idea is that there are plenty of great things to do right in our backyard for those times when we can't be off on some globe-spanning expedition. With a little creativity, and an open mind, we'll find that there are adventures all around us.

Recently, Alastair sat down with the Adventure Journal to talk about adventure in all of its forms, including the microadventure. In a 10-question interview, Humphrey's talks about how adventure has evolved over the past 200 years, and how it has changed for him personally over the past decade. He also talks about how the concept of the microadventure has taken on a life of its own, particularly as it grew into a hashtag on social media. Alastair goes on to to reveal his toughest adventure yet, the gear he can't live without, and what its like to turn adventure into a job.

I have been saying for some time now that I really like Alastair's idea of promoting microadventures. We all get caught up in the routine of our daily lives, and it is easy to get stuck in a rut. But just by changing up your schedule a bit, and finding new ways to get outside and enjoy the world around us, you can add a dose of adventure to your life. That can have a major impact on how you live, and open your eyes to all the possibilities that exist around us.

Of course, we all enjoy those big adventures that send us off to some remote corner of the globe. Those are fantastic escapes from regular life as well. But we don't always have the time, or the money, to take those kinds of trips. A microadventure sprinkled into the routine on a regular basis won't necessarily replace that kind of escape, but it will at least provide a dose of excitement that can continue to fuel your passions while you wait for the next big adventure to come along.

Here at The Adventure Blog I tend to cover the really big expeditions that are taking place all over the world. But, I also feel that adventure is where we find it, and anything we can do to promote others to pursue their passions, whatever they may be, is a good thing. That's what microadventrues are all about, and that's why they can play a much larger role in our lives than their "micro" name implies.

Go find your adventure, big or small.