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Customer Reviews (6)

Great adventure
Will perk your interest to what an adventurer goes thru. Come on, if trudging thru -48 degree snow scrap weather in -148 degree wind chill factor doesn't perk your interest this book is not for. Great easy read and thrilling. Read this then get Julie Angus' book which details their Atlantic crossing - Lisbon to Costa Rica - in a rowboat.

A triumph of spirit and fortitude
The story of Colin Angus' two-year quest to circle the world on human power starting in mid 2004 is captivating. "Beyond the Horizon," his travel adventure, reads like a thriller. I felt as if I too had endured 26,700 grueling miles rowing across the Bering and Atlantic Seas and cycling, hiking and skiing across Canada, Asia, Europe and North and Central America. I too felt the painful rift between Angus and Tim Harvey, his first team mate, and the joy of completing the second half of the trip with Julie Wafaei, his fiancée.
Angus survived getting lost in sub-zero temperatures in Siberia, a life-threatening kidney infection in Russia, the Atlantic's most severe hurricane season in recorded history and a scary encounter with a grizzly.
It was lovely reading about Angus' accidental meeting with Rosie Swale-Pope in Siberia on her own around the world run. I'd just read "Children of the Horn," her second book, about sailing around Cape Horn in a 30-foot catamaran in 1973.
I can see why Outside Magazine named Angus one of 25 "bold visionaries with world changing dreams" and National Geographic named him and Wafaei the 2006 Adventurer of the Year.

Great read, will hold your attention
I purchased this book as I enjoy reading about cycling adventures and knew that Angust used a bicycle over much of this journey.I highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading stories of human struggle against the elements and tales of travel amound different cultures.

As for a true story of cicumnavigating the world by human power, this one falls just a little short.Angus made this circumnavigation entirely in the northern hemisphere, did not touch antipodal points, and had the aid of his friends while rowing.

Overall, read this book and enjoy the journey.

An adventure to be admired!
I enjoy reading books of personal struggle and triumph. Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Into Thin Air, Lost in the Amazon, Miracle in the Andes, The River of Doubt, etc.This book was as good as any of them.The writing was good, the tales and near tragedies were gripping, and the soap opera like side story added an interesting element.I am inspired by what Colin Angus attempted and what he was able to accomplish.A feat never before completed.Hats off to the man, his dream, and his drive!!!Buy this book and check out the others mentioned in the review, most notably Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

- Matthew Houseknecht

An epic adventure!
Colin Angus set out to complete the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe, setting out from his home in the Vancouver B.C. area.Partnering with a friend, their relationship in this two-man team fissures in Siberia and Angus forges ahead solo before meeting up with his fiancé Julie in Moscow.

Aside from the physical strain, the interpersonal challenges loom large in pulling off a feat like this.Angus undertakes this monumental task in order to highlight human-power, to raise consciousness about the environment and the perils of global warming.

The book is an entertaining adventure read, though oddly paced.With about 40 pages left, Colin and Julie are barely half-way across the Atlantic, which they crossed in a rowboat.In the remaining pages, they must complete their trans-Atlantic crossing and bicycle up through Central American, the United States and part of Canada.The balance of the book suffers somewhat by this once over lightly treatment.

Overall, though, BEYOND THE HORIZON is an uplifting and inspiring true life tale of persistence and endurance.RECOMMEND!
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Examines the history of the HPVs, Human Powered Vehicles, that use no fossil fuel and do not pollute, from the first bicycles to the most advanced muscle-driven methods of transportation. ... Read more

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An amazing and deeply insightful account of how two normal guys decided to embark upon the unthinkable: an attempt to circumnavigate the globe using just human powered means.

On a rainy, miserable Monday morning in Paris a twenty-something bureaucrat decides there must be more to life than the United Nations project on which he is working. Stevie Smith tries to figure out what he could do of great significance and hit upon the notion of a trip around the world using only human power—no motors, no sails, no balloons—maybe the last great first. With no experience, no particular expedition skills, and no money, the adventure begins.

A pedal-powered boat, a bike, in-line skates, and a lot of hilarious non-heroics take Stevie and his buddy, Jason, where no one has gone before. A bike ride through Europe by a guy who's never ridden much beyond the corner grocery; a pedal-boat trip across the Atlantic in 111 days by two guys whose combined sailing experience was a bout or two in a dinghy on the English coast; a bike and in-line skates get them across America; more pedaling to Hawaii…

No travel writing has more accurately captured the old adage, "it's the journey and not the destination." Therein lies the simple beauty of this entertaining travel tale—a search for simplicity, integrity, and freedom. 12 black & white photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Pedalling to Hawaii
I was expecting more from this book.

Not that it's poorly written or anything, It's just that I was expecting it to take me on an exciting adventure. The book does that sometimes, but too often relates the problems these two guys had in finding sponsors, the many things they do while they stop between parts of the course (which aren't always that interesting), how pedalling for months in the ocean is boring and you heve nothing to do, the things you start thinking while crossing the seas, and the pace is often interrupted

I usually read a book in about 1-2 weeks. This one is took me more than a month. It's not a bad title by any means, it's interesting and altough it incites you to go on your own adventure of self discovery it also clashes the naked truth in your face: it's not an easy task, it's often hard and even boring.

I do not regret my purchase. This is a good title, weighed by the boredness of real life in opposition to the ever thrilling action fiction delivers. The good thing about it is that it really answers your question: "how would it be if I chose to leave everything behind and go travelling the world moved by my human power alone?"

Where's the proofreader?
I tore through this adventure yarn in a weekend, reading parts out loud, and laughing a lot.The chutzpah!For all the environmental credentials, it's really a colonial attitude: let me inflict my ill-conceived folly on you and you pay for it!I also found the several glaring spelling mistakes of geographic places irritating.They weren't even consistent, misspelling them differently in different places.For the record, it's Extremadura!Honokohau!Leleiwi!
Fun read, though.

Would you consider cycling across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans?,
Well Stevie Smith did, and his book describes the true story of how he and a friend set out on a seemingly impossible adventure to avoid the tedium of office life and do something truly unique. The book is a fantastic read, written from the heart and describing an adventure that no sane person would even dream about. A must read.

A story of change and motivation
Looking for high adventure? Read Pedaling To Hawaii: A Human-powered Odyssey. A Parisian bureaucrat decides to change his life and with no special skills and no money, he and his friend ride through Europe and pedal-boat across the Atlantic in 111 days. Using skates, bikes and boats and the two cross the US and then go to Hawaii their high adventures combine with life-changing insights in a story of change and motivation.

Incredible story
Awesome, awesome book. This treasure joins about three dozen other adventure books in my library and is one of only a few that I have read twice. It's honest, funny, intense and thouroughly entertaining. Thank you for sharing your story Stevie!!

Greg K
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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on September 1, 1996. The length of the article is 864 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Greek Olympic cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos has set endurance and distance records that may never be broken in a 1988 study called Project Daedalus. The man pedaled a human-powered aircraft called the Daedalus for almost four hours and a distance of 119 km over the Aegean Sea from the island of Crete to the island of Santorini. The four hour flight required the amount of oxygen needed to pedal a bicycle over level ground at 37 km per hour or the mechanical output needed to complete two 42.2-km marathons in two 2 hours and 20 minutes run consecutively without pause.

Citation Details
Title: The limits of human performance: Project Daedalus.
Author: Ethan R. Nadel
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1996
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: v67Issue: n3Page: pS71(2)

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This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Dolan Media Company on April 26, 2010. The length of the article is 992 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Oystermen sailing choppy waters: industry seeing worst year since Katrina.
Author: Wally Northway
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 26, 2010
Publisher: Dolan Media Company
Volume: 32Issue: 17Page: 27(1)

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Articles on Pearls, Prince Eugene of Savoy, continents, wolves, human-powered vehicles, World War I photos, and butterflies. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Management Quarterly, published by National Rural Electric Cooperative Association on June 22, 1994. The length of the article is 2248 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Economic and environmental concerns are fuelling interest in natural gas-powered vehicles. Economically, natural gas is appealing because it is abundant and cheap, and its increased use will help lessen the dependence of the US on foreign oil. On the environmental front, this energy resource is attractive because of its clean burning nature. Aside from these reasons, interest in alternative energy-powered cars is being driven by government pressure. The Alternative Motor Fuels Act aims to stimulate the development and use of alcohol and natural gas as transporation fuels, while the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 mandates the use of alternative fuel replacement vehicles in federal and state governments. This development may open opportunities for rural electric cooperatives to provide fueling stations. The pros and cons of becoming a provider of compressed natural gas for refueling vehicles are cited.

Citation Details
Title: Are natural gas vehicles in your future?
Author: Scott Welk
Publication: Management Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 1994
Publisher: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Volume: v35Issue: n2Page: p12(5)

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