Not long ago, I watched the movie “Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, two of my favorite actors.
I thought the movie was very funny and for those of us over 60, a stark reminder we are not invincible and won’t live forever.
So what if you knew you were going to die? What are the things you would like to do or experience? If you had to sit down and compile your own bucket list, what would it include? Most people probably have not thought much about it. You might want to add these adventures to your bucket list.
1. Float through the Grand Canyon: There’s nothing as simultaneously inspiring and spine tingling as traversing the rapids of the mighty Colorado River, with the turbulent water swirling around you and 5,000-foot-high walls millions of years old towering over your head.
2. Hike the Appalachian Trail: Experience the Appalachian Trail, America’s most storied footpath. If you can’t hike all 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine, which usually takes five to seven months, spend a week or two in the most northerly stretch, where you’ll find the most rugged terrain and, in summer, the most tolerable weather.
3. Cycle through Provence, France: Provence is a region of sunflowers, olive groves, wineries and bouillabaisse. It’s also the world’s most exciting region to bike through because of its rolling hills, riverside rides followed by excellent meals and quaint hotels. Downtime allows for strolling medieval cobblestone streets, and exploring the landscape that you’ve seen on a dozen Van Gogh canvases.
4. Trek through Bhutan: You could aspire to climb all Seven Summits, but why not look for a trek that’s more spiritual and less demanding? Bhutan is hidden among 22,000-foot peaks of the Great Himalaya Range, and the Buddhist kingdom enthralls hikers for its mix of hardcore terrain, beautiful scenery and cultural gifts. Trekkers who enter the valleys and villages around the sacred 24,000-foot mountain of Chomo Lhari encounter monks perched in nest-like monasteries, blue-colored sheep, and ravishing views around every corner. Bhutan has allowed outside visitors only since 1974.
5. Surf in Panama: Panama has the waves of Hawaii and the cultural allure of Bali. And the Central American coast is very friendly to the wallet. Experts and novices alike can find waves to their liking in Morro Negrito, a surf camp on the far-flung island of La Ensenada. Hardcore types should book between April and October, when you’ll have the best shot at 12-foot-tall waves.
6. Ride horseback through Mongolia: Untouched mountainsides spill down to steppes and pastures; the only signs of civilization are a few yurts in the distance. On a horse trek through Mongolia, adventurers don’t even have to close their eyes to pretend they’re Genghis Khan. Ten days of horse riding through the Darhad, and you’ll experience the sun-baked valley of Mongolian herdsmen, wild lakes and jagged peaks. You’ll also meet the nomadic “Reindeer people,” whose ranks are disappearing as modernization encroaches.
7. Ski the Andes: A great way to cool off in August is in Portillo, Chile, where nearly 300 inches of snow blankets the 1,300 acres of bowls, steeps and chutes from late June to early October. With only the distinctive yellow Hotel Portillo at the base and a handful of guests each day (including members of the U.S. Ski Team, which trains here each summer), the skiing is as pure as the surrounding Andes and Lake of the Incas.
8. Bike and hike in the Canadian Rockies: The remote silence of the Bugaboo Mountains would be next to impossible to reach, unless you’ve arranged a heli-hiking trip. It is the only way to see the far-flung splendors of the Canadian Rockies. The other half is spent biking through Banff National Park, with only the pine-scented air between you and the wildlife of Canada’s version of Yellowstone.
9. Safari in Tanzania: There is something a little unsettling about coming real close to a lion or cheetah in the bush, especially when you’re actually sharing those same bushes with them — on the ground rather than inside a Land Rover. Any stay in the Tarangire National Park is pretty extraordinary, but what makes this African safari so special is that forays into the Serengeti are conducted both on foot and by vehicle. You’ll meet some of Tanzania’s 120 tribes. And you’ll see lumbering bull elephants, graceful giraffes and, if you’re there between January and March, some 2 million wildebeest migrating across the plains.
10. Dive the Great Barrier Reef: Few of us will actually get to explore outer space. But you can come pretty close by donning a mask, an oxygen tank and a pair of flippers to float through some of the 2,800 coral reefs that make up Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Drifting through the water really is akin to spacewalking, and the creatures, most of which are pretty hard to identify, definitely look like they are from another world.
11. Sail in Antarctica: For anyone who grouses that adventure travel has become too soft, meet the Seal. The six-passenger Seal is specially fitted for the Antarctic, with a swing-up keel to handle groundings and is completely watertight. The sail starts and ends in Puerto Williams, Chile, with a true adventure experience when you harness yourself to the deck to sail through Cape Horn and the Drake Passage.
12. Climb Half Dome: Even the sharpest of photographs fails to capture the American icon of Half Dome, the granite monolith rising nearly 4,800 feet from the valley floor in California’s Yosemite National Park. The series of trails on the backside leading to the summit pass through woods and waterfalls before climbing up rocky switchbacks to the final, 45-degree section, whose steepness is made manageable by a series of cables. The sheer rock wall is just scary enough to leave you feeling euphoric as you stare down at Yosemite from the summit.
13. Run to Machu Picchu: It took American historian Hiram Bingham years to discover the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu, but now runners can jog up to the sacred archaeological site in just a couple of days. The run up the Inca Trail itself is 27 miles, split by a night of camping in the cloud-strewn town of Phuyupatamarca. After the final arrival at Machu Picchu, you can explore the ruins.
14. Mountain bike in the Rockies: Perhaps the only thing more exhilarating than wheeling among the 14,000-foot peaks of southern Colorado and the slick rocks of southern Utah is doing both — and not having to carry an ounce of food or camping equipment. The San Juan Hut System spans 215 miles from Telluride, Colo., to Moab, Utah, letting mountain bikers pedal all day on single track and secondary dirt roads, then break in a fully stocked shelter at night. Spaced 15 to 40 miles apart, the system’s six wooden huts are furnished with a kitchen and eight bunks and supplied with cold beer, bacon and more.
15. Take a camel trek in Morocco: The only authentic way to cross the Sahara is on the back of a camel. It may be less comfortable than a leather car seat, and even a boxful of Altoids can’t help that camel breath. But you’ll be too spellbound by Morocco to care. The country’s sensual bazaars, imposing Atlas Mountains, and undulating sands all have mystical powers over travelers, who feel more complete after experiencing the Moroccan mosaic of Kasbahs, souks and Berber villages.
Federal Way resident Jerry Vaughn is president of World Voyager Vacations. Contact: jvaughn@worldvoyagervacations.com
