#1 Some good ol' fashioned feelgood content to kick things off this week: a Scotsman cycling around the world has adopted a stray kitten and is taking her with him. Highlighted by Adventure Journal and doing the rounds on social media, this story has captured the hearts of everyone fed up with pessimistic news, and the video is well worth checking out to give you a spring in your step as you clock out for the weekend.
#2 Our Planet, the new Netflix nature documentary, has attracted a lot of attention on social media for its outspoken stance on climate change and the role that all of its viewers - i.e. us - play in it. As The Atlantic outlines, we are all complicit in the ecological destruction of our planet and the sooner we accept that, the sooner we can work towards a solution.
#3 Although global efforts to combat climate change have been muted at best, some projects have real promise - a recent initiative from a coalition of scientists, activists and celebrities has garnered support on social media for that reason. The group advocate combating CO2 emissions by restoring natural habitats such as woodland, mangrove swamps and peat bogs, which will also help to protect endangered animal and insect populations. If this comes to pass, it will be hugely beneficial to the fight against climate change.
#4 The Barkley Marathons is a now infamous running event in the US, a near mythical off-road race created by Lazarus Lake, described in equal parts as eclectic and sadistic. The five 20-mile loops are made torturous by the need to navigate to checkpoints across steep terrain; the total ascent is the equivalent of climbing Everest twice. Only 15 people have completed the full event since it started in 1986, though more have finished the 'fun run' (three loops). The 2019 event has just finished and, yep, no-one completed it.
#5 We're not going to cast aspersions on whether it rivals Alex Honnold's ascent of El Capitan or not, but Jim Reynolds has free soloed a 5,000ft icy peak in Patagonia and then down-climbed it too. Which, frankly, is nuts. There's no video footage yet but this report from Outside Magazine gives a good idea of how impressive a feat it is.
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