There are such a lot of nice bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and photographers on the market creating superb outside content material each day.
Not solely did I need to personally get to know them higher, however I additionally wished to discover their outside influences and fervour for nature.
Thus, we’ve launched the I Love The Outdoor Interview Sequence.
If you’re eager about taking part within the sequence, please contact us and tell us!
The Van Escape
- Inform us slightly about your self.
We’re Agnes and Chris, a pair in our 40s and 50s who share a ardour for the nice outside.
We’ve been exploring completely different components of the world for a very long time, however we’ve been touring collectively for six years.
Our prime picks for journey locations are the United States, significantly Alaska, the Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest.
Although we’re initially from Poland, we at present stay in Mexico and use it as a base to journey round North America, with a give attention to the US and a few components of South America.
Our ardour for mountain climbing and street journeys led us to buy an RV in 2019, permitting us to journey from Alaska to Florida for nearly eight months all through the USA and Canada.
Sadly, our plans have been interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. However we’re happy to have the ability to journey once more.
2. What’s your favourite outside exercise?
We get pleasure from mountain climbing on scenic trails to seize beautiful views of landscapes and wildlife in the very best lighting.
We desire to discover intriguing trails throughout dawn or sundown or stroll alongside paths that result in breathtaking waterfalls.
We additionally get pleasure from taking part in numerous outside actions, together with kayaking, particularly amidst the attractive glaciers of Alaska.
3. The place is your favourite path?
We love the paths on Alaska’s Hatcher Move. However most of our favourite trails are within the Southwest.
Too many to listing all of them, however the ones we prefer to repeat are the Subway in Zion Nationwide Park, Delicate Arch in Arches Nationwide Park or Rattlesnake Arches path.
We love the Wave hike and would like to do it once more, however profitable the allow within the lottery is so difficult.
As well as, we additionally love mountain climbing in slot canyons. Lately we reached the marginally claustrophobic and very slim Zebra Slot Canyon in Utah.
4. The place is your favourite tenting spot?
We’ve just a few most well-liked tenting spots that we like to return to.
Campground on Homer Spit, Alaska is one in all them – it’s located on the bay the place you may get pleasure from a shocking view of glaciers flowing down from the mountains out of your tent or RV.
Nevertheless, we like to camp on the BLM (public lands) as properly, particularly in Utah, the place the breathtaking western surroundings by no means fails to amaze us. Lately, we stumbled upon the hidden gem of Utah – the Nice Chamber close to Kanab – and have been enchanted.
We prefer to camp alongside the Scenic Byway 95 in Utah or the Grand Stairs Escalante Nationwide Monument.
5. What was your first outside reminiscence as a child?
Agnes: Fishing journeys to the lake with my Dad. We caught fish after which fried them collectively. Additionally, making a campfire with Dad and baking potatoes in it.
Chris: Once I was 9 years previous, I went on my first tenting journey with the scouts, and the reminiscences nonetheless persist with me.
Throughout the journey, we have been answerable for organising the tent, gathering firewood, and getting ready meals.
Moreover, we realized about navigating within the area and took part in numerous sports activities competitions within the forest.
6. What was your all-time finest tenting or mountain climbing expertise?
One in all our most memorable tenting and mountain climbing experiences was the difficult 10-mile hike to Havasu Falls in Arizona’s Grand Canyon.
The vacation spot presents a breathtakingly lovely Havasu Campground the place you may spend three nights and revel in 5 beautiful waterfalls.
Nevertheless, acquiring a allow for this hike is sort of difficult because the Havasupai Tribe manages it, and entry is restricted.
7. Who’s your favourite particular person to camp or hike with?
For six years, we have now been having fun with mountain climbing and tenting adventures collectively.
Our camaraderie on the campsite is outstanding.
Every of us is answerable for particular duties to make sure easy tenting operations.
8. What’s your favourite piece of drugs and why?
Agnes: I’ve been utilizing trekking poles throughout hikes for the previous few years. My backpack tends to be heavier as I carry many picture gear and mandatory objects for the hike.
The trekking poles have vastly relieved my backbone, and I haven’t skilled any ache even after strolling lengthy distances.
Additionally they support in balancing on difficult terrain and have turn into an important a part of my mountain climbing gear. I’m fairly keen on my trekking poles.
Chris: I all the time maintain my pocket knife with me, because it was a present from Agnes.
It’s a helpful tenting software; I all the time pack it in my backpack. Moreover, I by no means hit the path with out my trusty sports activities watch.
It helps me observe how far I’ve walked and verify that I’m not overexerting myself. The watch has a photo voltaic perform, so it recharges whereas I’m within the solar.
On our hikes in New Mexico, it was useful as we looked for the distinctive rock formations within the Bisti Badlands, which have been in desert terrain.
9. What do you like concerning the outside?
We love the chance to breathe contemporary, crisp air, the sounds of nature, sunrises, and sunsets.
Lately we pitched a tent on the BLM grounds in Arizona among the many blooming large saguaro cacti.
At night time, we have been woke up by essentially the most lovely live performance of nature: the hooting of owls which have their nests in cacti.
On one other event, we savored the expertise of listening to howling coyotes within the desert.
At occasions, we have been roused from our sleep by the squawks of seagulls.
Even the pesky mosquitoes, which can appear bothersome, add a singular allure to every outside expertise.
10. What outside locations are in your bucket listing?
We love the US Nationwide Parks and the huge wilderness present in Alaska.
Regardless of having visited six of the eight nationwide parks in Alaska, there are nonetheless two on our bucket listing that we have now but to discover.
These distant places, equivalent to Kobuk Valley Nationwide Park, will be costly.
One other park we want to spend extra time in is the Gates of the Arctic Nationwide Park, which is the least visited park within the USA.
We may solely spend at some point within the park throughout our earlier journey by means of Dalton Freeway, however we plan to return for a 5-7 day trekking journey.
As bear fans, we love to look at the bears. One in all our desires is to look at polar bears of their pure habitat.
We’ve had the chance to look at black, grizzly, or brown bears many occasions, for instance, in Katmai Nationwide Park.
However now we’re dreaming of a visit to see the polar bears alongside the coast close to Barter Island, the place the village of Kaktovik is positioned.
11. What’s your aim as an outside content material creator? How can we assist you and the place can we discover your content material?
Since 2019 we have now maintained a journey weblog, The Van Escape, that showcases the locations we go to and gives useful suggestions and journey concepts, equivalent to detailed mountain climbing path descriptions, opinions, and ready-to-go itineraries.
We solely share our private experiences, together with our ideas on excursions and equipment we’ve bought and used, and we by no means write about locations we haven’t visited ourselves.
Our aim is to offer our readers with solely verified and dependable info.
We’re additionally obsessed with pictures, particularly wildlife and panorama.
That’s exactly why our weblog solely showcases our unique pictures taken on our adventures. We don’t use inventory pictures.
Agnes and Chris, thanks for the nice interview and for taking part within the I Love The Outdoor Interview Sequence!
If you’re eager about taking part and sharing your story, please contact us and tell us!
