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If you had all the time/resources in the world to complete a physical activity--what would it be and why?
Appalachian trail? Ultramarathon? PCT? Any hope of actually completing it?
Appalachian trail? Ultramarathon? PCT? Any hope of actually completing it?
Find/buy a good forest. Build a house in the middle of it using the woods of the forest and my bare hands and few tools.
Not entirely related, but there's a guy with a YouTube channel called Primitive Technology who has more or less done this: he purchased a forested piece of land and now uses only the resources available around him to build huts, kilns, and a number of other very interesting projects.
I just watched the channel for an hour in peace. Thanks!
If you turn on subtitles in his video, you can see his step-by-step commentary.
Glad you liked it! I did the same thing when I first found it. So many cool videos...
I love this channel. They're very clever with the things they make and it's calming to learn by watching the fabrication and use of each item.
My Self Reliance on YouTube will definitely interest you. He has built a log cabin in the wilderness and is working on other structures now like a separate kitchen hut. He has incredible skills and only uses hand tools.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog
I've lived in the bush a bit and am currently looking for land to slowly build my own hut from scratch, but using a mix of classic and modern techniques, eg I want solar power and hot water but in a more classic style hut.
This is a cool one because it requires a lot of research ahead of time dependant on the forest you're building in.
I'd love to ride a bicycle from Portugal to Belgium. I like that kind of grind, I like bicycles, and I enjoy meeting people.
Any particular reason for stopping at Belgium? There's a lot of cool things east of Belgium too :D
Arbitrary. I don't know eastern Europe as well. A bike tour from Portugal to Moscow would be cool though.
I always wanted to bike to China, maybe even further. I am from Germany so it would take months
Cheat, and use bike and rail. I'd bet there are large chunks that would pretty grim, lonely riding.
A friend of mine did Bejing, to Mongolia, then down to Thailand, then Indonesia. It took him 10 months. He was pretty happy the whole time except apparently in Mongolia all you get to eat are spiceless mutton recipes.
Here's a picture of some Rat's Foot hard liquor he also found... In Mongolia.
https://twitter.com/reddit_AMA/status/997176484258172928
One more reason for me to stay teetotal.
I would love to be a dancer/acrobat for a Cirque Du Solei show. Not happening as I'm past the age of acrobatic excellence, but I'm going to learn pilates anyways. I'm sure I have a couple of dance recitals in me at least!
I would be a part of a professional-tier production of The Nutcracker Ballet or Swan Lake. Like, in NYC.
Alas...
That would be pretty fun. However, all the resources in the world could never get me to bend like that.
Are you a flexible person?
I dance currently, but I find the older I become the less flexible I become, and I tire more easily. My cardio is not what it once was >n<
I don't have the money or time to train and execute such a thing, but climbing Mount Everest. Just want to be on top of the world.
I'd really love to go do a thru-hike in America, particularly the PCT. Months out in the wilderness hiking 8 - 10 hours a day sounds like the best! I've been doing multi-day hikes locally and I've loved it, the idea of spending months doing something physically challenging appeals to me.
Someday I would love to paddle through the Boundary Waters/Quetico. Start on the US side, and keep paddling north until I reach a reasonable take out point.
Kayak or canoe?
I've been there before in the fancy kevlar canoes, so probably by canoe.
Can I pretend that "resources" includes a body that doesn't feel sick after minor physical exertion? :D
If so... I'd learn a martial art or two. I'd probably start with tai chi and see whether I enjoy it; I'm more interested in forms than sparring.
Do you have a diagnosed condition that causes this problem?
Yes...? If it was a more general lack of fitness, it wouldn't be worth mentioning as a caveat. :)
I've had an ambition since I was a map obsessed 7 year old. Having no concept of scale I decided that walking the Mediterranean coast from Morocco to Gibraltar would be no big deal. "It looks like a big lake" I said innocently.
As an adult I still have that ambition, and have managed to do short stretches of the coast in France, Italy, Portugal and Croatia.
Unfortunately some of the places that intrigue me the most are somewhat restive and unstable. Algeria and Libya are countries I've always wanted to see. Older, wiser me would happily compromise and use boat or rail to get round the more challenging political and physical areas. The only thing really stopping me these days is having enough money to see me through the several years I envisage it taking.
But I still intend to try make it happen.
This is amazing and totally reasonable at that age to make that error.
That's awesome you've done as much as you have. The Mediterranean countries are gorgeous and the cultural diversity is kind of crazy to think about.
I'd build a nature reserve with multiple demarcated local environments. Trying to introduce plants and animals back into the natural equilibrium always has a chance to go horribly wrong, so I would have some large fire breaks, 15-25 feet wide and made of concrete, interspersed through out the reserve. It would allow for me to try and introduce species in zones and to burn the zones out if something went wrong, like an invasive species taking over. It would also allow for natural burns without threatening human buildings as routine burns are a necessary part of many forest biomes in north america at least
I want to go to the moon. See the Earth from the outside. Appreciate how precious it is among the inky blackness.
I would do BJJ. The only reason I don’t is that I’m a professional musician and BJJ carries a high risk of injury to the hands and fingers, but if I could take a few years off, not do musical work, and learn a new skill... ugh yes. I dis it for a few months, and it was a revelation. Trying to roll when I had no idea wtf I was doing was one of the most exhilarating feelings I’ve ever experienced.