of Backpacks and Beards
Adventures abroad, lessons learned, and beards.
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To The man I Picked up Outside Regina: There you were, arm outstretched, thumb pointing straight up the blue skies that canopied the long flat wheat plains of Saskatchewan. I’d been on the road for the last 3 days, trying to keep my mind occupied with extended phone calls to family and friends, podcasts, some albums, and the thoughts in my head – I was looking for some human connection. We shook… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About – The La Cloche Silhouette Trail Killarney’s La Cloche trail is an apparent 78km loop through the parks rugged interior that comprises beautiful lakes, rugged quartzite mountains, and serene mixed woods. The reason I say apparent is because when I tracked it with my Fitbit I got a total of 86km. After having completed the La Cloche trail in 4-days, my first recommendation… TAKE YOUR TIME…. Read More
One quick hard heel cut and, whoosh, up it goes. A beautiful wave of the light fluffy stuff, a quick turn on the toe edge and you’re right straight in the middle of it, covered in powder and sporting a huge shit-eating grin slapped on your face the whole way. You look up to see about 4-5 other riders experiencing the same sense of child-like joy. Powder slashes here, kick jumps there,… Read More
Zen and the Art of Ski Touring Sliding my feet in that familiar cross-country motion, I take a look at my surroundings; karst mountain peaks ripple the landscape as far as I can see, I’m surrounded by a strange variety of trees seemingly mummified in a blanket of windblown snow and ice, as the sun beats down providing a comforting warmth in a seemingly cold and hostile place. Almost anyone that tours… Read More
Traveling abroad in any country you are constantly meeting new people, making new friends, and sharing a large variety of conversation. After the standard hello’s and maybe a quick laugh about the situation you’ve found yourself in, the next question is generally, “So where’re you from?” Being from Canada, I’ve found I’m generally met with a positive response from most parties. People who have either travelled to Canada, or want to spend… Read More
From Pachena Bay to Port Renfrew on BC’s beautiful Vancouver Island I sat down on a wooden stump I’d found to be flat enough to call my seat, I stretched out my left knee slowly, feeling the stiffness in the joint after a grueling 17km day on the roughest trail I’d ever walked. I looked around at the makeshift clotheslines crammed with dripping wet raincoats and pants. My Dad remarked that it’d… Read More
Late Season Winter Camping In Algonquin – Who Needs Snowshoes? There’s something about the calming white abyss and the feeling of complete isolation that forges a passion for winter camping within a person. For my girl and I, it’s pristine wilderness without the bugs or people; a place where a warm fire really does make or break the night, and a place where the sky is never more alight with stars, and… Read More
It’s Never Too Late – Camping Algonquin Park’s Interior in late March The beauty of a forest covered in a blanket of white is hard to accurately describe. As we take each step down the narrow trail path and listen to that familiar crunch of snow beneath our feet we’re captivated by the pristine condition of this wilderness. Although we’re aware that we’re not the only people that choose to winter camp… Read More
After a long and exciting run, our dream of racing around Canada has come to an end! We made it through the entire interview process but weren’t exactly what they were looking for! For what it’s worth, here’s our audition tape for Season 2 of Amazing Race Canada.
So the best company in Canada, Mountain Equipment Coop is running a contest right now called “What Moves You”, I’ve chosen to enter the contest in the ‘Connecting with People’ category. Basically describing how throughout my travels and adventures I’ve had the underlying goal of connecting with people. So for anyone who’s given my blog a read and enjoys anything I have to say please give my page a look and give… Read More
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