A Few Favorite Extreme American Travel Adventures

Image source: Flickr - Ramanathan Kathiresan

Americans are famous for their daring and adventuresome spirit which often leads to some extreme adventures; ones that involve hair-raising thrills, long difficult rides, and breathtaking climbs that test the stamina of many.

Often these adventures include rough and rugged terrain, wild churning waters, and dark caves. Here are some extreme exploits that will surely excite, exhilarate, and thrill adventure seekers like you and me.

Warning: Do not read if you are faint of heart as this may produce palpitations and make you break out in a cold sweat!

1. Challenging Dirt Bike Riding through the Mojave Desert

This very popular adrenaline adventure winds through Hidden Valley National Monument and McCullough Mountain Range in Nevada.

Needless to say, it is gorgeous but tremendously challenging and involves extreme weather and land conditions that will truly test your mettle! It is a favorite among dirt bike adrenaline junkies.

2. Triple Crown Trek

Only a handful of people can boast that they have trekked the Triple Crown, 7,700 miles that combine some of the longest trails in the United States.

The entire hike is like trekking a third of the planet and takes at least a couple of years and several pairs of boots. Embarking on this unforgettable adventure will lead you though inclement weather, rugged mountains, and dry deserts, but it also provides you with amazing views over the span of many states as well as a great sense of accomplishment.

3. Scale up Yosemite's El Capitan

Legendary figures have climbed this formidable mountain that looms over Yosemite Valley in California. The fact that the mountain is the size of two Empire State Buildings stacked on one another is intimidating, to say the least.

In years past, the climb took several days, but today professional climbers can free climb it in a matter of hours! Pretty impressive, right? Still, the average Joe huffs and puffs his way to the summit in approximately three to five days.

4. Kayak Over Palouse Falls

Extreme kayaking is fast becoming one of the most popular extreme sports in the US. One of the kayaking feats that has brought extreme kayaking to the mainstream is Palouse Falls.

Plummeting 186 feet, kayaking this waterfall in the state of Washington may even make you a Guinness World Record holder. Although it is extremely dangerous, this death-defying act has become popular, especially with kayak professionals who feel anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

5. Bike your way from Alaska to Argentina

Twenty thousand miles separate Alaska's Prudhoe Bay and Argentina's Tierra del Fuego. The road between them is peppered with highways, two precipitous mountain ranges, and a multitude of nations. Numerous flat tires, seeking out supplies in remote areas, and finding adequate drinking water are a few of the challenges to expect while completing this monumental journey.

The experience would no doubt test the patience of Job and can take up to two years to complete.

Extreme adventures attract and repel many of us at the same time. They beckon and light up the adventurous spirit in all of us; however, these adventures are not for everyone.

Be aware, one needs to be prepared and well trained and even then not everyone will cheer you on. No doubt, the question always is "why?" Simply put, we take up the gauntlet and march forward merely "because it is there."

Which of these extreme adventures would you tackle first?

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.