'We've all got a story to tell, whether we whisper or yell'
One of our guides noted that countless writers have visited the Grand Canyon and have said that language is inadequate to describe the experience. As I reflect on my first experience in the Canyon, I can't help but feel the same way, and to be equally compelled to make my own attempt at the impossible…
Winter was in full force that Saturday in November. Thankfully, our group of four women stumbled upon the mildest day of that week when we set foot on the Van Hoevenberg Trail. As we strapped our snowshoes to our packs, a mixed energy of excitement, fear, and apprehension surrounded us. Hiking a mountain was a brand new experience for half of our group. Furthermore, the Adirondacks are known for their long, strenuous hiking trails, with significant elevation gain despite their low overall elevation. As full-time mothers, wives, and employees, we are typically drained from daily stresses as we juggle the demands of modern living...
I’ve never really liked hiking. Don’t get me wrong, I love the outdoors, but for some reason hiking and I have never really gotten along. As a kid, when my parents would announce we were off on a family hike, I would hide. Then I’d sulk all the way up the mountain and back, making sure that in my true stubborn fashion, everyone knew I didn’t want to be there. If I dislike hiking so much, then how did I end up on a seven day hiking trip to Colombia’s Lost City? The answer is simple; I was on the search for clarity...
Around the 20th of May, 2006, I left my abnormal life in Quito, Ecuador to explore the enormous continent of South America before time consumed the opportunity. I had been living and traveling in indigenous areas of the Amazon for the previous 3 months, and as much as I loved it, my bag slowly began to pack itself, my mind became full of dreams and my maps covered in ink. I decided to head down to Peru on an Amazonian tributary known as the Rio Napo. For around 1000 kms, it snakes its way through some of the most remote rainforest in the Amazon basin before spitting into the river Amazon just below Iquitos, Peru. A Danish guy who heard I was doing this trip asked if he could join me. I knew that there were no scheduled boats, and that one could be stranded for weeks, or be forced to pay exorbitant sums for short rides on leaky boats, so after a bit of hesitation, I agreed...
One might expect a kayaking trip into the desert to have some odd turns. But having our kayaks mysteriously broken into in the middle of an empty desert was truly not on our radar. We were returning from a hike up Slickrock Canyon to see some Anasazi ruins, but as we approached our boats Kim noticed that the deck and seat of her kayak were covered in bits of ochre coloured sand and mud. Her paddle was not where she had left it. Strange we thought...
Whenever I visit my grandparents in Grimsby, Ontario, I try to make it up to Beamer Memorial Conservation Area on the Niagara Escarpment. It holds many fond memories for me, but I am now just beginning to appreciate all that it is! Beamer is well known for it's incredible view of Lake Ontario as well as a main stop for the annual hawk migration. Venturing off-path can take you deeper into the core of the woods or down the cliffs..
It was a cool late summer day in Peterborough when a friend and I decided we needed to get out. To have a little local adventure. We met at Jackson Park at the bridge with the dam. Water was crashing by below us as we exchanged greetings and prepared for the journey.
"Are you ready?" he said.
I replied with a wink and a grin, "I was born ready...
Pulling up to Little Turtle Lake, I step out of the car and take a couple deep breaths of the crisp, fresh air that I will be surrounded by for the next four days. Under a bright sky of mixed clouds, the shoreline of the lake is splotched with the green of the conifers and the yellow, red, and brown of the deciduous trees, already a bit past their peak of autumn colour. After all the difficulties faced over the course of planning this trip, finally all that remains is to toss my bag and barrel in the canoe and push off...
The image of Half Dome, an iconic landmark of Yosemite National Park in California, is displayed on the Macintosh computer screens in Bata Library at Trent University. Passing these computers now, I’m taken back to a year ago when I first entered the library. It was early September 2015 and I was just beginning my Master of Arts Degree in English.
I’ve always used PC computers and I was surprised when I saw Half Dome glowing on the Macintosh screens. But it wasn’t my ignorance of this detail that made me acutely aware of the desktop background.
Two weeks before school started, I had stood at the very top of that iconic peak, perched out on an overhang with my arms triumphantly raised in the air...
As part of Algonquin College’s (Ontario, Canada) Outdoor Adventure Program, students are introduced to all things adventure related – the kinds of activities everyone wants to try but often never get around to. I often describe the program as a shotgun experience with variety of different activities, giving us the skills to decide what we want to specialize in the future. The 2-year program ends with a culminating project or advanced expedition, a chance for the students to venture out on their own expedition style trip to truly test what was learned both in and outside of class.
I came into the program with a university degree from Trent University, a keen interest in road cycling, and no idea that bikepacking even existed...
