My boys over at CERN running the LHC (Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator for all you still struggling with the rudiments of particle physics) are hunting for something nicknamed the "God particle". Um, yeh, also awesome.

What am I doing? While not anywhere near as rad as Jeb or as gnarly as chasing a phantom particle, having a crack at paddling the longest river on each continent is my little bit of awesome.

What are you doing to be awesome? Anything? Something, that might just make people say, "Duuuude!". If not, why not? Of course you don't have to fling yourself off of mountains or get a Ph.D in high energy physics from MIT. You just have to do something with passion! Do something that you love with every ounce of power at your disposal. Do this and no matter what, soon enough, the awesomeness will come.

If you think you might need help you can contact The Awesome Foundation who give out $1000 grants for awesomeness. No, I am not kidding!

Stoked for sunny weather in London town these next few days. So, if your boarding, skiiing, climbing, MTBing or kayaking somewhere gnarly this weekend don't feel too bad for me. Well, still a little bad maybe...

2012? Let's get it on!

Andy is at present doing the hard yards and chasing corporate sponsorship. If you can help out or just want to learn more get in touch via Twitter or his website. I am amped for this epic to start!

Bit harsh perhaps? For hundreds of years, explorers and adventurers have returned from their exotic journeys, recounting stories to eager audiences, all hungry for tales of derring-do. A large part of my days are taken up doing just this and ok these stories are not always boring I suppose. I love it, but...there should be more. There has to be more. Fortunately, there is.

In this little world I inhabit (adventure? exploration? expedition?) a small revolution is taking place. In fact, a couple of my mates are on the front line (there are for sure more leading the charge). I was fortunate enough to attend a private screening recently of a film called Janapar by my friend Tom Allen. He is the star of the film and mostly on camera he rides a bike across Europe, Central Asia and Africa. But, the film has almost nothing to do with cycling and certainly sod all to do with expeditions. It tells a story far more interesting and enthralling than punctures, headwinds and long, straight roads. It tells a story about life.

Al Humphreys just wrote a book called, "There Are Other Rivers", ostensibly about his walk in India following the course of the holy Kaveri River. Al, who has written a good few books about his travels already could have taken the easy route and produced what would have basically been an edited version of his journal. Straight forward, simple and go...sell! Not this time. Al has published a book that tells the story of the walk through an account of a single day. Does it work? Who cares! It is different, it is new. It is interesting! Which I guess means, yes, it does work.

In May, I will paddle the length of the Missouri-Mississippi River in the US. Over the course of 4000 miles and 5 months you can bet things will get boring fast if I tell people about the headwinds, the river flow, the aches and pains day after day. Again, fortunately that is not the plan. With the help of a couple of talented individuals, I, like Al and Tom am having a crack at something new, something different. Using the expedition as a vehicle to bring other people's stories to life. Having the expedition as a bit player, rather than the star of the show is how I see the future, my future.

I might get it wrong. It may not work. I might fail spectacularly. But at least it will be fun trying something new, something exciting. What do you think? Do you still dig tales of heroism and beards? Or, do you think there might be more to it?

Last night I was humbled to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace for those involved in adventure and exploration. A real "who's who" in our little world. The usual suspects; Fiennes, Bonnington, Mears, Knox-Johnston. The TV crowd; Parry, Fogle and Cracknell, Grylls, Boorman. Assorted ne'er-do-wells; Saunders, Stafford, Humphreys, Moss and me I suppose. Meeting the Queen and Prince Philip was kind of cool but surely the stand-out for me was seeing Reinhold Messner in attendance. Old grumpy himself. Awesome!

Right, Friday Stoke. With my website going down this week and being laid up for a couple of days ill, I know I can always rely on Seb Montaz to help me out when trolling through endless clips does not seem all that inviting. Of course he has done it again. Enjoy the below and if you like you can download the full film via his website for a just a few quid.

I have one other big gig happening this week but it is difficult to know exactly when this one will arrive. It was supposed to go down yesterday but as yet, nothing. It dwarfs the RGS and Palace by far!

I had the honour of presenting to the society in 2009 following my source to sea paddling descent of the Amazon River, so to be invited a second time is humbling. My Amazon lecture attracted a large audience, filling the 750 seat Ondaatje Theatre to capacity and then some. An indication more, I think, of the lure of the Amazon than the story I had to tell.

To my Iran lecture, my ego would be well chuffed to attract an audience half that size, but my heart would crushed. An opportunity for me to open a window into an amazing country and it's people and one that would be lost to those who don't attend. Granted, talking about Iran may not have quite the same "adventure" quotient as the Amazon but the topic is an important one. What do you really know about Iran, beyond what is reported in the media? For most people, I would hazard very little. Having now spent almost 4 years researching the country, including walking more than 1000 miles across it's surface, I would like to think I know a little about the place and it is certainly a tale worthy of telling.

With new sanctions against the country activated this week, the latest IAEA report into Iran's nuclear activity just released and the spectre of war looming large, understanding the issue is, I believe of great importance, not just to those with their fingers on the buttons but to everyone.

If your were lucky enough to scope out the The Season 1, then you can probably guess what Vol. 2 is all about. Magical videography, coupled with amazing story-telling. In the lads own words, "This year we picked five new athletes each with their own unique storyline. An amputee climber sets his sights on becoming whole again by returning to Yosemite to realize a lifelong dream. A conservationist and angler searches for a fabled ghost run of wild steelhead on one of California’s most troubled rivers. One of the world’s best boulderers struggles to balance her career as a boulderer with raising her daughter. From a burned forest, a vision of an incredible mountain bike trail emerges from the ashes into reality. In the wake of achieving an unthinkable goal, a ski mountaineer returns to the peak where he first met failure."

Enjoy the below and then dive right into the first 19 episodes already online. I think you will like.

Have an ace weekend wherever you are. I will be rocking it at the Royal Geographical Society's Explore weekend in London and fingers crossed a spot of paddling! Stoked!

Trevor got in touch with me earlier this year about joining me in parts for my source to sea Missouri-Mississippi paddle and getting it all on camera. If you have clinked on the link to his website above already you can guess what my answer was and how quickly it came out. Yeesh! I was bummed to have to let him know that thanks to my shoulder surgery I would have to delay until next year. Not deterred, Trevor will join me on river in 2012. A prospect that I am very stoked about.

Being not only an ace photog but a gun waterman and outdoorsman I thought it fitting to hand over the reins for this installment of "Dig this gear" to him.

"I’m an adventure photographer which requires me to go to some pretty out of the way places with the proper gear to make in, document the story, and then make it back out. For the most part, this is always under my own power so I am hyper critical of the things I carry along. Adding in at least 20 to 30 pounds worth of camera equipment, I have to be weight conscious with the rest of my belongings.

That is why I never leave home without my Patagonia Houdini Jacket. I certainly don’t count on it for my main shell against really harsh conditions, but pairing it with a few other base layer options allows me to stay warm while moving through conditions that would otherwise require a rain jacket or hard shell. It keeps the wind off, light rain out and body heat in so I can keep moving lightly without overheating from wearing a shell when it’s not completely necessary.

I use it while out doing everything from backcountry skiing (on the hike), packrafting (where weight is HUGE), backpacking, mountain biking and sea kayaking to just your normal day hike out the back door. It’s even a great thing to throw in your carry on bag while traveling. Weighing in at only 4.3 ounces (122 grams), it’s too light and packable not to bring along."

Check out Trevor's website here and follow him on Twitter here.

Well, I made a week of keeping this site current. Phew! What a mission! Plenty more in store for next week. Have a great weekend wherever you might be lucky enough to be folks.