5. Erden Eruç – Pioneer of Human-Powered Adventure

Not many of us could even fathom quitting our job at 41 years old, cycling from Seattle to Denali National Park and then snowshoeing and climbing our way to the top of North America’s highest peak. Erden Eruç not only did all this, he also described the incredible feat as a mere ‘warm up’! Motivated by the death of his climbing partner and friend Goran Kropp (who once cycled from Sweden to Nepal, scaled Everest and then cycled home again) Eruç’s next project was somewhat more impressive.

On July 10, 2007 Eruç set off on the epic of all epic adventures, attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe by human power alone. He succeeded. Along the way, he rowed for 312 days from California to Australia, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and covered a grand total of 41,196 miles by rowboat, sea kayak, touring bicycle, and on foot all on his lonesome! After his trip, he started a non-profit organization, Around-n-Over, with the aim of using his travels to raise money for various charities and to educate children in impoverished regions around the world.