The aim of the list is to act as a call to action. To engage concerned citizens in the fight to protect rivers and with this public support, directly impact the fate of the rivers and save them for generations to come.

Most Endangered Rivers 2012

1. Potomac River
2. Green River
3. Chattahoochee River
4. Missouri River
5. Hoback River
6. Grand River
7. Skykomish River
8. Crystal River
9. Coal River
10. Kansas River

So what, you say? What can I do? A great deal as it turns out. Many voices together can and will be heard. For more information on how you can help go here. Take action now to stop the attacks on clean water.

At times it feels like the entire journey hinges on the tiniest thing. It doesn't. If I can just get to that river, slide my kayak into the water and dip a blade then all is well. I will have begun and that is enough. A short passage of time later I will paddle into the Gulf of Mexico. A hundred never to be forgotten stories to share...or not. Perfect.

Aleksander Gamme is a bit of a hero of mine. Earlier this year he completed a solo, unsupported, unassisted return journey from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. The first ever to make this trek. He did so very much under the radar, away from most of the media circus. Additionally, Aleks, a couple of days short of completing his record trip, waited for his 2 rivals to the crown, Aussies Cas and Jonesy. They finally walked the last few kilometres together. From all reports the man is a pretty laid back, humble and cheerful guy. I dig him!

Now after close to 100 days on the ice alone coming across a previously stashed supply drop has got to rate pretty highly on the stoke-o-meter. Finding zinc, kit spares and the like may not brighten your day massively but a couple of other things just might. Enjoy the genuine stoke below from a genuine good bloke.

Now that is stoke!

But, of course, for a lot of people the purpose of expedition is to inform, educate and/or entertain. This perhaps necessitates a degree of shouting from the rooftops. Cover your ears!

I am super amped to announce that a holding page for the 7 rivers, 7 continents project website is up! WTF? A holding page? I know, announcing a holding page is a touch lame, but...it looks rad and gives a clear and concise overview of said project and it's aims. Worth a quick shout out I reckon.

John Summerton, the brains behind the awesomeness that is Sidetracked Mag, is working hard behind the scenes to produce an expedition website for the 7 rivers project that is rather unique. I wish I could let more out of the bag but John has sworn me to secrecy.

The plan is to have a working website by the end of March, putting it through it's paces in April and ready to rock and roll in May. Sweet! In the meantime, check it out!

Andy Maser, conservationist, kayaker and cameraman, has just won best professional documentary at the National Paddling Film Festival with, "The Craziest Idea". The film documents the removal of dams on the Elwa and White Salmon Rivers in Washington. Brilliantly put together and a wonderful story (and result!).

Key campaigners for waterways in the US are American Rivers (who I am working with this year) and globally, International Rivers. Two organisations whose work I wholeheartedly support. Check 'em out!

On a related note. Bit of an exciting 7 rivers 7 continents unveil/teaser set for next week. Stoked!

Coming off shoulder surgery last year meant I could not immediately resume my normal schedule of training. But, I needed to do something. Running. Bugger. On the upside, instead of plodding around in my years old trainers I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a couple of pairs of Salomon running shoes. Sweet!

Living in London and mostly bashing pavement I decided to start off with the XR Crossmax Neutral (left of image above). Built as a shoe to get you from door to trail it was a perfect fit. Superlight and snug (it uses Salomon's Sensifit technology to cradle the foot securely) it felt great straight out of the box. So I was off and running, sort of. Fast 5km runs are about right for me. 10km for training is where I draw the line. The Crossmax protected my feet against my embarrassingly brutal and incorrect gait pattern and I started to think that maybe this running lark was okay after all. Then came the wet. Then came the snow.

No fear, XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 GTX to the rescue. Try saying that 3 times fast! If you can decipher the code you can probably work out that these nifty trail runners are Gore-tex lined. Forget snow, forget rain. More excuses not to run, gone, just like that. A bit chunkier and heavier than the Crossmax these bad boys are trail runners at their most extreme. Perfect for bashing through Richmond Park mud and slush. Besides the Gore-tex I am most impressed with the outsole (Salomon's Contagrip). Picking up minimal mud and debris but able to stick fast down even the slickest muddy tracks.

I give both shoes a rating of awesome. What that means coming from an average runner you can figure out, but I am guessing not everyone out there charges like Kilian Jornet. Yeh, yeh, I know you wear those ridiculous looking barefoot runners. If you dig em, good for you. See if you can get Kilian in a pair.

If you want the full spec lowdown on the shoes visit the Salomon website links above. I have never been a massively technical guy when it comes to outdoor gear. If it works, I use it. I could care less about hydrostatic head, fill power, rubber compound hardness etc. If it keeps me dry, warm, upright and moving it's a winner in my book.

Next up: My best all round expedition trekking boots

My boys over at CERN running the LHC (Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator for all you still struggling with the rudiments of particle physics) are hunting for something nicknamed the "God particle". Um, yeh, also awesome.

What am I doing? While not anywhere near as rad as Jeb or as gnarly as chasing a phantom particle, having a crack at paddling the longest river on each continent is my little bit of awesome.

What are you doing to be awesome? Anything? Something, that might just make people say, "Duuuude!". If not, why not? Of course you don't have to fling yourself off of mountains or get a Ph.D in high energy physics from MIT. You just have to do something with passion! Do something that you love with every ounce of power at your disposal. Do this and no matter what, soon enough, the awesomeness will come.

If you think you might need help you can contact The Awesome Foundation who give out $1000 grants for awesomeness. No, I am not kidding!

Stoked for sunny weather in London town these next few days. So, if your boarding, skiiing, climbing, MTBing or kayaking somewhere gnarly this weekend don't feel too bad for me. Well, still a little bad maybe...

2012? Let's get it on!

Andy is at present doing the hard yards and chasing corporate sponsorship. If you can help out or just want to learn more get in touch via Twitter or his website. I am amped for this epic to start!