I'm always interested in people who take on big, difficult challenges, but usually it's in some far-off place, not our own backyard.

That's the beauty of exploration, and I don't mean that on a global scale. Exploration can start anywhere. It's as simple as stepping into the unknown, and that can be across the globe or someplace you've never seen.

This trip report is by Steve Graepel of Boise, who is a contributing editor at Gear Junkie.

He pedaled and paddled 150 miles across the Owyhee Desert.

"Dave and I were halfway into a four-day epic, dehydrated, hungry, and looking forward to trading bikes for boats and a leisurely pack-raft down the upper Owyhee River," he wrote. "Covered in cow crap and sunburned to the core, we hunkered on the banks of the Owyhee to look at the map."

That should whet your appetite for adventure. You can read the rest of the story here.