When you have nothing else to worry about, small problems can quickly become exaggerated disasters. No, my map issue is not a small problem. It is the single biggest thing problem anywhere on the planet right now. Of all the thousands of pieces of mail Canada Post handles daily why did this package have to be the one with the problem? Why?
I'm going to start hiking tomorrow, getting replacement maps for the first couple of sections is no big deal and everything else will work itself out I am sure. I hope.
A whole bunch of people started hiking yesterday so I should only be a couple of days behind, and I shouldn't have any awkward six-month-plus-couple-days visa issues because of my December 13th flight home.
I was also able to finish the final season of Boy Meets World, which made me happy.
It's just cost me a fair bit of extra cash sorting out things and staying in Calgary an extra three nights. And my broken camera and "Best Fashion" Nepali watch are going to die any moment but i don't want to replace them just yet.
The Continental Divide Trail. That's what I'm doing. A 2100-3200 mile (depending which routes I take) long corridor down the US continental divide (surprise) between the Canadian and Mexican borders. Like the Pacific Crest Trail with less trail tread, more hunters, Grizzly Bears, more cows, less thru-hikers, longer hitches to towns, more time above 12,000 ft, more cold and more navigating skills required.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_Trail
I have mostly the same gear as last year:
Pack: Macpac Amp Race 40. Kind of falling apart in places but should hold up. Blaze Orange colour means I don't get shot. Carries well, fairly light, utility belt is awesome. Smells bad.
Shelter: Mountain Laurel Designs Patrol Shelter in Cuban, poles and Bug Bivy. It's pretty awesome, good coverage, roomy and transparent. the Bug Bivy is a little short for my lank.
Sleeping Bag: The wonderful Marmot Hydrogen 30F/-1C that might not be warm enough but should be ok. I know it's limit and am comfortable taking it there (mid-low twenties). My Thermarest Prolite 3 Short and Gossamer Gear 1/8th thinlight help a lot. Was going to carry a bivy in cold sections but that never arrived. Yeah, I know. Postal Service.
Navigation: Let's not talk about that anymore. i have a button compass and my brain. I am over-confident.
Shoes: I have some halfway done old Montrail Hardrocks. The ones everyone loves except me. Will likely go back to New Balance after them.
Grizzly Bear Protection: What? I'll hang my food probably?
Ziplocs: Using the same toilet paper bag as last year (with some leftover tp) and a couple of the same food ziplocs. How awesome am I?
I have an awesome hat, my shemag, uncooperative mp3 player and some clothes.
Good times.
Michael's Le CDT plans and challenges (I want more challenges. Challenge me):
1000 Poptart Challenge (wonder if they would sponsor me....)
100 mile One Candy Challenge (maybe).
One Meal One Section Challenge (I swear I'll do it this time).
McUltimate Challenge.
Double Double Down Challenge.
Break the 50 mile day Challenge.
Cut down the casual swearing Challenge.
On Trail Zero Day.
No Beard this year because it looks awful.
Only use my tarp if I really have to. Cowboy!
10+ Peak Bags. At least.
Actually take photos of interesting things. I'm going to be one of those ultra-irritating camera all the time people, if my camera co-operates.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Great Northern State.
Still in Canada, waiting for my package to arrive. Waiting.
I think Canada knows I am leaving, perhaps for good. It's trying to keep me here. Let me go Canada, let me go. Please. I beg you.
I drew this to help any prospective visitors to this country. Plus my super useful Canadian city guide:
Victoria- Good friends, good job, nice winter. Good views of the awesomeness that is northern Washington. But. Ugly city, too much crack, bad pay, expensive, annoyingly proud citizens and stop asking me for money man. Go away.
Ucluelet- Way better than Tofino. Way.
Vancouver- Overrated.
Calgary- Awkward. Clean and empty. Even on a sunny spring Saturday afternoon. Where is everybody?
Thunder Bay- Stay at the Sleeping Giant Guesthouse. That is all. Massive vortex.
Sault Ste. Marie- Don't bother. Top Five Stopover my ass.
Toronto- Does big, filthy, unfriendly city really, really well. And I love it for that.
Niagara Falls- Drive there, look at the falls briefly, continue on your way. Preferably your way would be somewhere in NY.
Ottawa- Does bland but beautiful capital city with not much to do way better than Canberra and Wellington. Super nice.
Montréal- If I wanted to see French people, I would go to France.
You can thank me later.
I think Canada knows I am leaving, perhaps for good. It's trying to keep me here. Let me go Canada, let me go. Please. I beg you.
I drew this to help any prospective visitors to this country. Plus my super useful Canadian city guide:
Victoria- Good friends, good job, nice winter. Good views of the awesomeness that is northern Washington. But. Ugly city, too much crack, bad pay, expensive, annoyingly proud citizens and stop asking me for money man. Go away.
Ucluelet- Way better than Tofino. Way.
Vancouver- Overrated.
Calgary- Awkward. Clean and empty. Even on a sunny spring Saturday afternoon. Where is everybody?
Thunder Bay- Stay at the Sleeping Giant Guesthouse. That is all. Massive vortex.
Sault Ste. Marie- Don't bother. Top Five Stopover my ass.
Toronto- Does big, filthy, unfriendly city really, really well. And I love it for that.
Niagara Falls- Drive there, look at the falls briefly, continue on your way. Preferably your way would be somewhere in NY.
Ottawa- Does bland but beautiful capital city with not much to do way better than Canberra and Wellington. Super nice.
Montréal- If I wanted to see French people, I would go to France.
You can thank me later.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Swear word swear word swear word square word. Shit.
Thunder Bay was pleasantly amazing. Best hostel in the country for sure right there. Good times, hard to leave.
Calgary is a nice city with nobody in it.
In between was a 36 hour bus ride. Shit.
And I almost, almost lost my bags on one of the transfers. They weren't on the same bus as me, but the bus they were on arrived earlier and they were there waiting for me. Shit, lucky.
The Canadian Plains were much more interesting than their American counterpart. Plus one to Canada, still losing badly.
36 straight hours on Greyhound is every bit as bad as you think but at least I had two seats the entire time. I'd take it over a 12 Indian bus trip any day. Even with the insane, muttering, surrounded-by-a-plastic-sheet force-field (not kidding) man behind me for ten hours or so.
Everything right now for me is all CDT CDT CDT. Shit.
This is causing problems. Shit.
I have not really organised or planned anything. That was fine on the Pacific Crest but this Continental Divide Trail requires a little more attention. I'm sure it will be fine but it's hard to calm myself when my maps are missing.
Yes that's right. Missing.
Shit.
My three+ kilograms of paper that will guide me back to the Mexico/U.S. border is somewhere where I don't know where it is. This is really, really bad.
I had them mailed to the hostel I'm currently at but no dice. Unless they are in some room. A room that won't be unlocked until tomorrow. I really, really need to leave tomorrow. Early.
And if they're not in there I really, really have no idea what I'm going to do. No idea. I would have to print off 300 maps again as well as re-buying the road Atlases, that would require a printer and at least a couple of days and money I don't want to spend. Shit. My head is all over the place right now. I don't need this.
SHIT.
I know none of this makes sense but I'm not thinking straight right now.
Sorry.
Shit.
Calgary is a nice city with nobody in it.
In between was a 36 hour bus ride. Shit.
And I almost, almost lost my bags on one of the transfers. They weren't on the same bus as me, but the bus they were on arrived earlier and they were there waiting for me. Shit, lucky.
The Canadian Plains were much more interesting than their American counterpart. Plus one to Canada, still losing badly.
36 straight hours on Greyhound is every bit as bad as you think but at least I had two seats the entire time. I'd take it over a 12 Indian bus trip any day. Even with the insane, muttering, surrounded-by-a-plastic-sheet force-field (not kidding) man behind me for ten hours or so.
Everything right now for me is all CDT CDT CDT. Shit.
This is causing problems. Shit.
I have not really organised or planned anything. That was fine on the Pacific Crest but this Continental Divide Trail requires a little more attention. I'm sure it will be fine but it's hard to calm myself when my maps are missing.
Yes that's right. Missing.
Shit.
My three+ kilograms of paper that will guide me back to the Mexico/U.S. border is somewhere where I don't know where it is. This is really, really bad.
I had them mailed to the hostel I'm currently at but no dice. Unless they are in some room. A room that won't be unlocked until tomorrow. I really, really need to leave tomorrow. Early.
And if they're not in there I really, really have no idea what I'm going to do. No idea. I would have to print off 300 maps again as well as re-buying the road Atlases, that would require a printer and at least a couple of days and money I don't want to spend. Shit. My head is all over the place right now. I don't need this.
SHIT.
I know none of this makes sense but I'm not thinking straight right now.
Sorry.
Shit.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Why is last.fm so full of Russians?
Feel your pain Gavin. I feel your pain.
I piked out of my hitch and weaseled a half price bus ticket my Student Card from 2005. And it's raining.
New Foals:
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thumbs.
Hitchhiking. Goddamn. I hate it so much, but enjoy it almost as much. I'm willing to do it but never look forward to it. I almost always get picked up by someone amazing/interesting/generous/wonderful but hate standing on the side of a highway for two hours waiting for them to appear. When it takes a day and a half to complete what should be a three hour drive, my head gets clouded with frustration. I couldn't honestly differentiate it from street begging. And I hate street begging. America hasn't been too bad hitch-wise, so long as you avoid Interstates. Which is usually the problem.
Back from a week in Michigan and my return to the UP, greatest place in America. Ben dropped me off just outside Marquette before he started this. I was headed towards my old nemesis, Sault Ste Marie. Back to Canada. I walked over an hour on the highway shoulder before I got picked by Frank, an 84 year old WWII paratrooping veteran corporate lawyer extraordinaire who embodies all of what I said up there about people who pick me up. I had 38 miles left after Frank and I parted ways. It was a little after 1pm. Awesome. Second car that passed me picked me up but could only take me three miles. OK. I was in high spirits. I LOVE travelling this way. Another hour later I was over it. I HATE this. No more. Unfortunately I was in the middle of nowhere. A position where I would see someone who genuinely needs assistance, yet all these drivers see is "Holy fuck he wants to kill me! Don't stop! DON'T STOP!!". I walked off the highway and into the forest. I had my tarp, a book (City of Thieves by David Benioff, ridiculous good) and some music. No food though (I wouldn't eat for 23 hours, oh woe is me!!). But I had plenty of sleep to catch up on after a week of good times. No problem. Early this morning I got a relatively quick ride from Steve who'd hitched down to Florida more times than he could remember and had some astonishing stories for me. Sault Michigan is way better than this side, I had my fortune told at the bus stop and like it.
See what I mean.
Tomorrow I start a 700km hitch to Thunder Bay. $140 for the bus is ridiculous. Dang.
If you're really bored: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/6/3/chesters.html
Also, get Donnis' mixtape if you like the rap musak.
Back from a week in Michigan and my return to the UP, greatest place in America. Ben dropped me off just outside Marquette before he started this. I was headed towards my old nemesis, Sault Ste Marie. Back to Canada. I walked over an hour on the highway shoulder before I got picked by Frank, an 84 year old WWII paratrooping veteran corporate lawyer extraordinaire who embodies all of what I said up there about people who pick me up. I had 38 miles left after Frank and I parted ways. It was a little after 1pm. Awesome. Second car that passed me picked me up but could only take me three miles. OK. I was in high spirits. I LOVE travelling this way. Another hour later I was over it. I HATE this. No more. Unfortunately I was in the middle of nowhere. A position where I would see someone who genuinely needs assistance, yet all these drivers see is "Holy fuck he wants to kill me! Don't stop! DON'T STOP!!". I walked off the highway and into the forest. I had my tarp, a book (City of Thieves by David Benioff, ridiculous good) and some music. No food though (I wouldn't eat for 23 hours, oh woe is me!!). But I had plenty of sleep to catch up on after a week of good times. No problem. Early this morning I got a relatively quick ride from Steve who'd hitched down to Florida more times than he could remember and had some astonishing stories for me. Sault Michigan is way better than this side, I had my fortune told at the bus stop and like it.
See what I mean.
Tomorrow I start a 700km hitch to Thunder Bay. $140 for the bus is ridiculous. Dang.
If you're really bored: http://www.socresonline.org.uk/6/3/chesters.html
Also, get Donnis' mixtape if you like the rap musak.
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