HotmailThe bucket list of ultimate adventures
Which 15 spine-tingling experiences should you have before you die?
 Courtesy of O.A.R.S. There's nothing as galvanizing, humbling, and deeply spine-tingling as bucking and bobbing down the tourmaline-green Colorado River, the water whooshing a few inches from your backside and the Grand Canyon's 5,000-foot-high walls towering over your head. |
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We fully understand that many types of adventures have a sell-by date: If you're older than 18, anything that involves wheelies, jumping off of ramps, or a special slot in the X Games is probably a bad idea. A shot of adrenaline to a 9-to-5 life, though, will not only take you out of your comfort zone—it'll get you out of your zone altogether. Everyone should walk the Appalachian Trail once in their lives (pictured), dive the Great Barrier Reef, and at least aspire to set foot on Antarctica. We've assembled a list of 15 adventures—some easy, some not so—that will guarantee a life worth living. Aim for achieving seven of them, or maybe ten. Or if you're truly an adventurous spirit, start from the top and just keep on going. Just don't break a leg.
For a complete slideshow of Ultimate Adventures, click here.
1. Float the Grand Canyon
The trip: There's nothing as galvanizing, humbling, and deeply spine-tingling as bucking and bobbing down the tourmaline-green Colorado River, the water whooshing a few inches from your backside and 5,000-foot-high walls towering over your head. (Goodbye, outside world.) The journey, punctuated by hikes through the Grand Canyon and dips in fern grottoes, is like life itself: full of unexpected twists and turns and scary moments that alternate with serene, magical stretches. Boaters can bounce along the rapids in a hard-hulled dory (à la Winslow Homer) for a true roller-coaster ride, or cruise along in a more flexible rubber-bottomed raft. The average length of a trip is eight days, but why be average? Opt for the full 19-day experience. It did take 300 million years to carve this place, after all.
Why go? More than any other waterway, the 1,450-mile Colorado River (277 miles of which run through the Grand Canyon) represents the lifeblood of the United States—and dams are starting to temper its wildness.
What to pack: Watercolors, for sketching the psychedelic colors of the canyon walls from your riverside campsite.
Difficulty: 4 out of 10. Novices are welcome, and guides will not only help paddle through the Class V rapids but also prepare food and provide sleeping bags with sheets, pillows, and inflatable mattresses. But be ready to hike nine miles into the canyon and nine miles out, and to paddle hard day after day.
Your guides: O.A.R.S., whose founder, George Wendt, was granted one of the first Colorado rafting licenses, in 1969. Guests hosted include Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Christine Todd Whitman.
O.A.R.S.
Tel: 800 346 6277
Rafting and dory trips, from $1,690 per person; 19-day trip from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead on a dory (including 47 major rapids, three to five hours per day on the boat, guided hikes, and all meals), $5,296 per person
2. Hike the Appalachian Trail
The trip: It's a late-summer morning, the air still crisp and redolent of campfire, your belly full of breakfast, and all your belongings (at least the ones that matter) on your back. Time is measured in the metronomic crunch-crunch of your Timberlands; distance, by the tracing of a single line on a crumpled topographic map. You're a few days' walk away from your next shower, cupcake, or click of a keyboard. Welcome to life on the Appalachian Trail, America's most storied footpath. If you can't through-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.
Why go? Nearly 100 years after Benton MacKaye envisioned a path linking towns and wilderness, the A.T. remains an escape from urban life—and a community unto itself.
What to pack: A few Snickers bars or packets of high-fat macadamia nuts to share with northbound through-hikers as they slog through the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine, just before taking the last of their five million footsteps at Mount Katahdin. (Most complete their trek by late August or September.) 
Difficulty: 9.7 out of 10 for a through-hike. Only a quarter of the folks who start out in Georgia make it to Maine, mostly because of the mental challenge. But for a one-week hike from New Hampshire to Maine, it's only a 6. This section requires agility to squeeze through tight spots and scramble up rocks, plus cardio conditioning to make it up and down 5,267-foot Katahdin.
Your guides: Yourself, and a copy of the "Step by Step" planning guide by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which will point you to requisite maps and gear for following some of the 165,000 white blazes along the A.T.
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Tel: 304 535 6331
3. Cycle through Provence
The trip: Provence is a promise of sunflowers, olive groves, wineries, and bouillabaisse. It's also the world's most rewarding region to bike through, thanks to rolling, riverside rides followed by languorous meals and sumptuous hotels. Bikers on a weeklong excursion with Butterfield & Robinson might depart from Avignon and ride 20–60 miles per day through vineyards and orchards toward the lavender-flecked village of Sault-en-Vaucluse. (Or, one could just do it on one's own, of course.) A generous serving of downtime allows for strolling medieval cobblestone streets, lounging by countryside pools, and exploring the landscape that you've seen on a dozen Van Gogh canvases. Leave the PowerBars and Gatorade behind: You'll be refueling at Michelin-starred bistros and sipping Côtes du Rhône.
Why go? It's an ideal way to soak up the area's gorgeous terrain. And if you're going to eat your way through southern France, you may as well burn a few calories while you're at it.
What to pack: In addition to those cushy-tushed bike shorts and bike shoes, be sure to bring a pair of flip flops in which to play boules at the end of the day. Happily, lightweight aluminum-frame bikes are provided.
Difficulty: 6 out of 10. B & R rates the trip "moderate." It's even easier if you're a triathlete, well trained in the arts of cycling, dining, and wining. Or, find "easygoing" trips with B & R in the Loire Valley.
Your guides: Francophile, oenophile, and foodie George Butterfield has been leading bike trips in Europe since 1966, and his guides know exactly how to balance riding and relaxing.
Butterfield & Robinson
Tel: 866 551 9090
Seven-day trip, including a Cannondale bike, six nights in hotels, and most meals, $6,195 per person
4. Trek through Bhutan
The trip: Sure, you could aspire to bag all Seven Summits, but why not look for a trek that's more spiritual and less goal-oriented? Bhutan is hidden among 22,000-foot peaks of the Great Himalaya Range, and the Buddhist kingdom bewitches hikers for its mix of hard-core terrain, beautiful scenery, and cultural gifts. (Researchers at the University of Leicester crunched the numbers to deem Bhutan one of the happiest countries in the world.) Trekkers who enter the valleys and villages around the sacred, 24,000-foot mountain of Chomo Lhari encounter gracious monks perched in nest-like monasteries, whimsical blue-colored sheep, and ravishing views around every corner. Expect up to 14 miles of hiking per day, with ascents of up to 13,382 feet. Afterward, were it not for the worn boot soles and phenomenal photographs, you might wonder if it were all but a dream.
more photos
Why go? Bhutan has allowed outside visitors only since 1974. When someone hands you the keys to a kingdom, you take them. You still have to go with an outfitter, however; independent travelers are still not permitted. 
In total, UNESCO has inscribed nearly 900 sites to its World Heritage List. Click through the slide show to see some of the world’s best-known World Heritage List locations.
What to pack: Warm, windproof clothes. It's chilly up there, and in a a typical ten-day trip, you'll ascend some half-dozen 12,000-foot mountains.
Difficulty: 9.4 out of 10. You should be ready to handle high altitudes and extreme wilderness with no vehicle support.
Your guides: Mountain Travel Sobek, one of the earliest outfitters to receive permission to lead trips in Bhutan.
Mountain Travel Sobek
Tel: 510 594 6000
16-day, 15-night trip, including ten days of trekking, nine nights of camping, six nights in hotels, and all meals, around $5,780 per person
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