The Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door: Wade Heflin (Part 2)

Filed in archive Interviews on May 8, 2007

This is the second part of the interview with Wade Heflin of Outdoorzy. Read the first part below.

Tell me about your last outdoor/adventure trip. Today I paddled the Green River in Mammoth Cave National Park with my wife and some friends scoping the rivers islands for a good place to camp on a future trip this summer. But my latest big adventure was a little over a year ago. I traveled to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. It was something I had been wanting to do for years. I spent two weeks in Africa, traveling, climbing, taking safari, and meeting the local people. I have gained a profound respect and affection for that place and it's people since the trip.

What influenced you to take this trip? Africa has always had a mystique to me. I also love to climb mountains. This trip allowed me to climb a major peak in a part of the world where even my tourist dollars would be of help to the local economy. And frankly it sounded like an awesome adventure!

What's your next outdoor adventure? Where and why? My wife and I are doing some initial research on hiking the inca Trail to Macchu Picchu in Peru. We are talking about taking the trip this winter, which is the South American summer. The motivation behind this trip is two-fold. We are very interested in the history of Incan society. But we've also never been to South America, and we want to experience a mix of the urban and rural cultures.

Name three items/gadgets essential to the outdoor lover and why. I know everyone has their own personal gear favorites, but here are the three things I can't live without. A Nalgene Water Bottle (gotta drink!), a headlamp (I take one even when I'm on a day-trip... just in case), and duct tape (it fixes EVERYTHING).

Thanks Wade!