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
The What’s in Your Backpack series has always been quite interesting to me. Despite the small number of posts I’ve found that people generally love or can’t leave home without similar things. The big ones tend to be headphones, speakers, and a journal. As any traveller will tell you these things are fairly necessary when dealing with long bus rides loud dorm rooms! However, upon asking Cole from Wisconsin I didn’t receive… Read More
Growing up, I always got the feeling that airports were not held in high regard. My parents always seem to hold disdain over the long flight cues, the crowded gates, and the general hustle and bustle of airports (of course, travelling with 3 kids I’m sure can be a bit of a nightmare). However, in my experience Airports have always been a bit of a magical place. A sort of limbo in… 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
It’s seems a funny question to ask, why are you travelling? It seems the answer is justified in the question, simply to travel. However, just to travel isn’t really a complete answer. We travel for many different reasons, we travel to take a break, we travel to gain a fresh perspective, we travel to meet friends and family, we travel because we’re curious. Recently I’ve begun to delve into the question of… Read More
So you’ve decided that you want to backpack. Easy. Done. You’re going to love it. But deciding is only the first step. It’s the planting of the seeds. But as well all know, without the loving care of the gardener providing water and making sure there isn’t too much sun nothing will grow! Of course, the next logical step is to buy your plane ticket! 1) Start to get an idea of… 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
Tuesday’s Travel Tip – Work With What You Have As I’ve mentioned before, and I’ll likely mention again, it’s in our human nature to want to be prepared. We want to have the gear, the education, the training, or the experience to tackle new obstacles. We research and catch up on current affairs of any place we wish to travel. And while obvious due diligence is necessary when travelling anywhere new, it… Read More
