Packing guides will often list trekking poles as "optional," but they are lying to you. They are as important as a backpack, if not more -- after all, backpacks can't really double as lightsabers to aid in the settling of disputes.

Patagonia experiences all four seasons on any given day at any time of the year.

By the time we finally landed, three people had sobbed loudly, two lost their breakfasts. Not one of us said a word until the plane came to a stop.

The final leg of my race across the great desert of Antarctica ended Friday, and with it, the conclusion of an amazing adventure that has spanned many years.

After three days of being tossed around on the ship, struggling to hold onto my bed while sleeping and avoiding the furniture that was literally flying across the cabin at one point, we have arrived in Antarctica.

A friend once said to me "Len, you'll never be a runner." When I cross the finish line in Antarctica next month, I can officially say I've proven him wrong!

It reminded me of some kind of Hollywood movie set for an old western film that used to run on TV in the middle of the night. It was like no place I'd ever been; it didn't feel real.

Ever since I first saw pictures of the mystifying red rocks of Utah, I wanted to visit Arches National Park. After looking at the map, however, the place seemed so remote that I wasn't sure I'd ever get there.

As summer approaches, many might not be thinking about ice-scapes or glaciers -- unless maybe to cool off at the thought of them.

It's been written about countless times, but Kilimanjaro still holds some secrets.

Sure you can avoid AMS completely by staying sea-level, but living in a fear bubble seams like a waste of space.

A few years back, I set out with my dear friend Tom on a kind of pilgrimage, seeking clarity and little adventure. Our destination was the source of the Ganges river in the Himalayas.

In preparation to travel to Africa and start our 7,000 mile walk, I have read and watched many stories of people who have done long term treks, domestically and abroad.

When I tell people I'm about to spend a year hiking trails from New York to San Francisco with my two dogs they shake my hand, wish me luck and congratulate me for living out my dream. But brows furrow and jaws clench when they realize I'm bringing a smart phone.

When I hiked the week-long Inca Trail in Peru, and then summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania years later, my dad wanted to hear every detail and pore over every overexposed, fuzzy picture I brought back. Rising before dawn to lace up my hiking boots, I'd think of the one guy who understood the sheer joy of hitting a peak at sunrise.

Things were tough at times, but I just kept on walking. On October 15, 2011, about seven and a half months after I began, I walked into the Pacific at Ocean Beach in San Francisco and completed the journey.

Chukung Tse is thought to be the highest point on Earth that one can get to without ropes and technical climbing. Her peak sits proudly just below the massive peaks of the Himalayas: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptche, Cho Oyu and Ama Bablam.

This was a special adventure: a visit to several countries in Central-East Africa, and my first time to trek into the forest of Virunga National Park in Eastern Congo.

There is nowhere quite like Ethiopia. The sights and culture should make this a popular destination, yet the country receives few visitors.

We're all used to tipping for service in the West. It's expected by waiters and service providers and yet it is never demanded, thus giving the tipper...

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. That fact alone guarantees its popularity. Largely ignored, just a couple of hundred miles away, lies Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak.

I was about to experience Patagonia in its most wild form. I knew there were a few key spots that I could not miss. And neither should you.