Go Carpe Diem Now

Live Your Dream

"Your greatest regrets in life will be the things you didn’t do, not what you did do."
- Mark Twain

This website and its affiliated “Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream” podcast, have the goal of inspiring you to bust out of your daily routine and add some spice to your life by pursuing an ambitious dream adventure. Read on to recognize your own potential to rise, strive, and achieve your dream.

Adventure Stories

An ever-growing library of stories by people who have pursued and achieved a cool outdoor adventure.

Inspiration

Everyone needs some inspiration and tips and tricks for motivation now and again. Find yours here.

Podcast

See a summary of all the "Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream" podcast episodes, and the links to listen.

Resources

Need ideas for an adventure, or guidance for how to achieve yours? Here's a curated list of resources to help.

Johan and Hanna at the Otillo world championship finish line

Other Adventures

Life as Otillo World Champions

Achieving world champion status at anything can be challenging enough. But then to achieve it as a husband / wife team, all while balancing the demands of jobs, life, and 4 young children...

Other Adventures

The Grandmaster of Snow Art

A full day of fresh winter mountain air, beautiful scenery, 50,000 steps, and an amazing work of art left behind in the snow. That's what Simon Beck has done nearly 700 times, making...

Paddling

Camp Menogyn Teens in the Arctic

We see kids growing up glued to their screens, stressed by the influences of social media, and unfamiliar with the joys that exercise and time in nature can provide. Well, problem solved....

Other Adventures

Solo and Unsupported to the South Pole

Here's an uber-adventurer, Andrea "Andy" Dorantes who just returned from a solo, unsupported 700 mile and 55 day ski expedition to the South Pole. You can hear all about Andy's adventure,...

Paddling

Two Guys and a Boat - Canoeing Around Ireland

It's amazing how the seed of a dream adventure can be planted in one's mind, and how fast it can grow. Here's a guy who heard someone say, "you know, nobody has ever taken a canoe around...

Molly and her bike in a mountain and lake scene

Cycling

The GDMBR at Age 11

There are not many ways for a kid to build character better than riding 2,500+ miles of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Canada to Mexico. That's what Molly Ehlers did -- when...

A clock with wings (image of time flying)

Why Time Flies

Why does time seem to speed up...

A cold, foggy, and windy day atop Mt. Fuji

Type 2 Adventures

Do you know what a Type 2 adventure...

Mindfulness and the Sundial

There's nothing like a big physical...

Podcast

Your Host Doubles Down on His Hundo

I completed my first 100 mile ultra 9 months ago (listen to Episode #40 from August, 2025). Now I look to more than double it in my new longest race. The outcome of this episode is still unknown as your host soon embarks on a 220 mile running (and lots of walking) race — double his first 100 miler nearly a year ago. This episode describes the ultra marathon called The Pilgrimage and includes my pre-race thoughts and a discussion with the race director about this inaugural running of the most creative ultra format I have ever heard of. Tune into the next episode to hear my Pilgrimage results and insights from the trail with several of the other participants.

Listen on:

Otillo World Champion Couple

The Otillo swim/run race format is a unique one, better known in Europe than in the U.S. Here’s a married couple who won the World Championship describing how they train and race together at the highest level of competition, all while maintaining their “normal” lives with work and four young children. It’s quite the balancing act.

Listen on:

The Grandmaster of Snow Art

Do you see a frozen lake with a fresh layer of snow as a palette for art? My guest for this episode does. For 20 years, this guy has been strapping on snowshoes and stomping out amazing geometric designs the size of 2 or 3 soccer fields. To the tune of 50,000+ steps each. And he’s created nearly 700 of these ephemeral works of art – sometimes in sand rather than snow. His description of this unique craft is lovely.

Listen on: