Check out this winter’s great line-up of talks sure to inspire every level of outdoor enthusiast. The series includes local and national outdoor adventurers, who have lead exciting expeditions through natural resource gems of Ohio and on more distant summits. This four-part series covers the gamut of outdoor adventures and is a partnership between Five Rivers MetroParks and Wright State University.[hr]
PETE AND AINSLEY SAVARD: SUP THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER
7 PM, February 12, 2019 | Wright State University Student Union, 3640 Colonel Glenn HWY
This past summer a team lead by Pete and his 15-year old daughter set out to stand-up paddle board the Susquehanna River from source to sea. Why? To link their 30-day paddle to the need of safe sustainable water for humanity! Join us on Global Water Consortium’s #SUP4WATER adventure down the Susquehanna and see how it impacted both the team and people across the globe! On this journey you will meet new people, hear about the river and its health, and all the unexpected events that make any journey an Adventure! Sit back and enjoy the adventure as we paddle down the Susquehanna together!
Paddler Bios:
Pete Savard: Pete grew up in a city and didn’t learn to love and appreciate the outdoors until he was an adult! Now he loves the outdoors and most everything you can do in it! As a university professor in nursing and the founder and CEO of a global non-profit, his desire is to help impact the health and lives of others whether at home in the US or abroad. Combining his love for the outdoors and people is something he is always excited to share with others!
Ainsley Savard: After watching her dad and older siblings travel the world to help people, Ainsley said, “I want in!” As a 10th grade student she loves the outdoors, playing varsity tennis and paddling with her family. From paddling her first solo across a large lake in a kayak to paddling a month on a stand-up paddle board loaded with 65 pounds of gear, Ainsley loves to be outside on the water! [hr]
EARL MCDANIEL: BIKE ACROSS AMERICA
7 PM, February 27, 2019 | Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, Auditorium
Earl McDaniel cycled 3642 miles in 38 days while traveling through parts of 18 states to cross the United States on bicycle. The trip allowed Earl and his father, who drove his support vehicle, to see a swath of the country on a personal level. Together they faced the challenges of maneuvering through city traffic, climbing mountains, getting lost, and having the support van totaled in a deer strike. Come experience how years of planning and training paid off on a trail from the California Science Museum to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island on two wheels.
Biker Bio:
Earl McDaniel started cycling as a work commuter after Hurricane Katrina, finding a way to save money on gas and using his commutes for exercise. The former cross country and long distance track athlete from Earlham College soon found that cycling opened up more chances for exploration. Starting with using cycling to run errands, he found himself go further to find mail boxes. Building up mileage, he started a string of at-least-once-monthly century rides that is now over seven years long. Mixing in some multi-day trips in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois, he trained to cross the United States by bicycle on his own route in September and October of 2018. He is third year member of the MetroParks Volunteer Patrol (MVP) program that patrols the local trails to help others. His cross country talk will focus on the 3,642 miles and 17 states covered in his trip across the continent. [hr]
MICHELLE AND BRIAN COLEMAN: HIKING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
7 PM, March 14, 2019 | Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark Auditorium
From St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, and on to the end of the earth at Finisterre, Spain, the Coleman’s hiked on average 14 miles a day over 7 weeks to complete all 550 miles of the Camino Frances in the summer of 2017. The El Camino de Santiago is a 1200-year-old pilgrimage across Europe culminating in Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of the Apostle St. James. The Coleman’s had days where the temperature topped out at 105º and others where it didn’t even hit 60º with 25 mph winds. They stayed in albergues, hiked over Pyrenees Mountains, wandered through the plains of the Meseta, and met incredible people from all over the world. The Coleman’s have started planning for their Camino Portugues in 2019 and will share their planning methods. They will share their adventure to inspire you to hike your own Camino.
Hiker Bios:
Brian and Michelle Coleman have been adventuring together since 2007. They have visited 43 states and 5 countries. The Coleman’s lead the Every Trail MetroPark Thru-Hiking Challenge. They are avid long-distance hikers, backpackers, cyclists, and teachers. They present regularly for Dayton Hikers and presented at the 2016 and 2018 Adventure Summit. The Coleman’s blog regularly about their travels on their website, Cruisin’ with the Colemans.[hr]
GUDRUN AND PETER SEIFERT: BACKPACKING ALONG THE GIANTS OF THE ALPS
7 PM, March 29, 2019 | Wright State University Student Union, 3640 Colonel Glenn HWY
Gudrun and Peter have walked in the Alps for the last twenty years. At ages 80 and 82, they defy our perceived expectations of outdoor adventurers. They are infected by the hiking bug, and have found no cure. Fortunately, all the side-effects are positive. This past summer, they added miles and trails to their trek through the Aosta Valley in Italy. Traveling just below the ridge of the Alps, they headed west in the shadow of the Matterhorn connecting with the famous Tour Mt. Blanc route to the tiny French village of Chapieux. Come spend the evening and enjoy pictures and tales of last summer’s adventures.
Hiker Bios:
Gudrun and Peter Seifert stem from Germany but have lived in Middletown, OH for the past fifty years. They are retired and are enthusiastic hikers. One can meet them most often in the local Five River Metro Parks, Colorado, in the Alps – or as one of the “Regulars” at the Adventure Summit. They love to talk hiking with fellow enthusiasts or to prospective hikers.