Author: vargocity

Day 2 – On the Trail Again

Darling River to Tsusiat Falls (11km)

We woke up on this morning to find ourselves engulfed in the misty rain that is so characteristic of the region. It creeps in and then just sits there on top of you. The weather does, however, help everyone pack up with increased efficiency. Rob had dazzled us just two days prior with his modular, stripped down pack from eBay. Unfortunately, the ultralight pack, which sat on a hook on a belt, broke before we were 5km into the hike. Today he was once again exhibiting the pinnacle of equipment performance with his rain poncho/pack cover all in one. The concept – like that of the pack – was solid but in practice it presented issues. The elastic cord to cinch up portions of the poncho ended up dragging behind Rob, occasionally getting hooked on roots and branches. Josh, who was Rob’s unofficial guardian on the trip, would have stop Rob once the cord had stretched about 25ft behind him and before it would release and snap back at Rob.

Personally I felt this was the worst/hardest day of the entire hike. The trail was much more rugged than the first section but not as rugged as we would run into later and I had this biting pain in my Achilles from the boot. It made the relatively short day go on forever. Day two did give us our first cable car of the hike. No matter how bad the day is going the sight of some serious mechanical hardware makes you feel like a kid.

Our stopping point for the day was the Tsusiat Falls campsite, perhaps the most picturesque of all the sites along the trail. We got there at a decent hour and had some time to enjoy this idyllic spot. We were sure about the rules regarding bathing in the water since everyone was also using it to obtain their drinking water but we some people go for it. For dinner that night we had hummus, textured vegetable protein (TVP) flavored with Middle Eastern spices, couscous and tomatoes. Also we were beginning to realize that our planned meals were actually much larger than needed for the group. We managed to give our extra hummus and couscous to a young Vancouver Island native to whom we gave the name Lars and whom we saw at several other points along our trip. Despite my feelings about the day’s section of trail our trip was back on track and we were moving closer to our ultimate goal.

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Day 1.2 – George Returns

Darling River to Pachena Trailhead to Darling River (28km)

George earned the nickname Penny Candy, during our treat-crave-fueled theme for nicknames on this trip. He was continuously telling stories that could have been, and at times were, preceded by “back in the good ol’ days.” We figured that in those same days candy could be procured in individual samplings for the price of one hundreth of one American dollar, hence he was Penny Candy.

As you might expect, before falling asleep the first night discussions were taking place about the goings on the first day. One of the main topics was what George was going to do in the morning. That first day he had fallen behind and needed assistance at several point on the trail. All this starting from the north end of the trail, the section that everyone agrees is “the easy section.” Everyone knew that he was not going to make it but we also felt that he would have real troubles getting back to the trailhead with his equipment if we did not help. George knew most of all I think and was at a point where he was willing to accept the help offered by others. So in the morning a party of three – Matt, Josh, and I – split up George’s pack weight and escorted him back to the trailhead. He was in pretty good spirits, singing his show tunes all the way back to Pachena, but it was sad to see him defeated and leaving.

The return party ate lunch at the trailhead and started the breakneck journey back to camp. Now we had two packs between the three of us and enjoying that same good weather that had chaperoned us just one afternoon earlier. We did in just over three hours what had earlier taken us over five. Our compardes back at Darling River had spent the day licking their wounds (aches, perhaps) and gotten the site in proper order, including secure spots in the food locker for our things. Duke (I assume it was Duke) even made us a small, modestly decortated dining area where we sat and were waited on for dinner. This evening’s offering was one of the planned meals that Duke and Graham had researched and tested back in Seattle: real smoked salmon and dehydrated peas added to rehydranted pasta primivera with spices from the traveling ‘pantry.’ This is a bag that Duke prepared that included spices and things like butter buds to add to each night’s meal and made it just a little but more than a readymade meal in a bag. I highly recommend putting one together before any big trip. We went to sleep fed, relaxed and one man down but looking forward to moving after a day of rest.

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Day 1 – "A Whale of a Time"

Pachena Bay Trailhead to Darling River (14km)

What else can you say when the captain of the captain of the whale research vessel you just hitched a ride on asks you to sign his guestbook? (see post title) We started our day at a hotel in Port Renfrew and boarded the vessel sometime just after 6:30. I thought we were just getting a ride to the northern trailhead but it turned out that Brian (captain, my captain) was a whale researcher and halfway up there he got word of some orca and we turned that boat around. We got to see several orca and learned about the different types, how they are identified and how they operate socially – it’s matriarchal with the oldest female (some nearing 100 years old) making all the decisions for the pod. We also saw gray whales (less exciting) and sea lions. Rob offered a kid (maybe 10) who had just finished the trail skittles in exchange for carrying his pack for the old man. From then on out we were calling Rob “Skittles” and thinking of nicknames for everyone else on the trip.

From the town of Bamfield we hopped in a shuttle van to the trailhead, signed some papers and were ready to set off. The first day’s hike went pretty smoothly. We stopped for lunch at Pachena Lighthouse – very near Vulva Mouth Beach on map – , started to lay down a communication routine and began to understand what we were in for. About 12 km in we popped out at Michigan Creek beach camping – a popular spot for the northbounders – and kept on going to Darling River just 2k down the beach. The beach terrain of large rocks and then soft gravel was far different from the dirt and boardwalk of the forest trail we had started on. About 15 minutes into the beach travel we spotted a black bear ahead of us on the beach. We (6) all stopped and waited to see what it would do. It eventually turned and headed into the woods with a seal in its mouth. Half the group (led by Rob) pushed forward after about 2 minutes and even stopped where the bear had been to look around, fix gaiters, etc. Graham, Matt and I waited a bit longer. Eventually we proceeded and once about 100 ft for the spot of the original sighting we noticed a black mass that had re-emerged from the forest. We walked backward, Graham with his poles flying in the air, and sat on the beach for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile a bald eagle flew overhead, someone spotted a whale off the coast and we realized we were in the wilderness.

That night at camp was a little it rough. Everyone was still at the feeling things out phase and everyone had their own routines for camping – dinner, water shelter, etc. – but the group did not have a routine that was held in common yet. The planned meal ended up not happening as we arrived later than expected and instead we got by with readymade dehydrated meals in a bag. The food locker was full before we got ours in and trees to hang from were hard to come by. Our bags were hung just out of human reach and from a tree that was fallen and tilted out over the beach. Also one of our food bags was just a trash bag wrapped in rope like gift for the bears. We were obviously novice but the learning curve is steep. Stay tuned to hear if we turned this ship around (literally).

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

WCT – We (well, some of us) made it!!

I am now back safely from the trip to Vancouver Island and the hike on the West Coast Trail. The hike was exciting, unpredictable and rewarding. We had really good weather and saw a lot of wildlife. My walk from the train to work in Atlanta’s code orange air this morning had me feeling more dirty than I ever felt in 8 days without a shower on the trail. I look forward to sharing our stories and experiences with you in person as well as through the blog. To whet your appetite I will tell you that we spent 7 nights on the trail, had mostly great weather (one big rain day) and started our trip with 8 hikers but finished only with 6.

I would like to start the adventure by introducing everyone.
Duke – the leader of the pack, lives in Seattle, has had this trip on his mind for some time now and made the whole thing happen

Rob – Duke’s elder brother, ultralight, giggles a lot, answers questions like there is such a thing as a stupid question and you just asked him one

Richie – Duke’s childhood friend from scouts, consultant to National Athletic teams for the Nation of Bahrain so he know what being in shape means

George – A jean-shorts-clad friend of Richie’s in New Mexico, most recent conquest was a 31 day fitness boot camp immersion experiment that lasted 31 days

Matt – Duke’s son, the guy who invited me along,

Graham – Duke’s future son-in-law, patient and knowledgeable, fresh from a bike-car accident that had him in the hospital less than a week before (shoulder)

Josh – Graham’s friend from childhood, unfortunate recipient of guff from the older guys

me – Matt’s friend from grad school in Atlanta, Pacific NW first-timer and Canadian impersonator

I am planning to add posts detailing each day of the journey but wanted to put up a link to the pictures that many of you have asked about.

the photos

ATL-SEA

Today I leave from Atlanta and fly to Seattle to begin the journey to the West Coast Trail. There has been a flurry of activity over email between the eight men setting off on this trip. Some of the discussion was humorous other parts analytical, but hopefully we’re all set mentally and materially for the hike. I have finally begun to research a bit about just what it is I’ve signed up for and the more you look into it the more you fear. At first you hear miles of British Columbia coastline in late July and beautiful panoramas appear in your head. Then you begin to read about the trials of the others who have gone before you and you instinctively second guess your initial leanings.

Seriously, it is rumored to be difficult but everyone says that it’s well worth it. Stay tuned for updates upon my return. I’ve created a new label (WCT) for all the posts relating to the West Coast Trail so you can read the whole story start to finish if you like.

Mudhounds – a good diary with pictures from some folks who have been there and done that

House of Cards

Thanks to Chad for passing along this video, and thanks for the vote of coolness in thinking that I had already seen it. In fact, I had not and had no idea what was going on with it until I investigated further.

The whole video was shot without cameras or lights, which in passing sounds slightly unimpressive and takes some time to digest. This is not a digital recreation of the actors in the video characteristic of the Pixar productions we are all now accostomed to. Instead, the shapes and movements are literaly recorded using 3D scanning technologies at two scales: one that uses structured light(?) to small movements and fine grain topography, and a second to get record landscapes.

Radiohead has not only (again) embraced technology for its own expression but has taken steps to allow fans to use play with the technology themselves. There is a full google-hosted section of a site with info about the video, the technology and the code and an app that allow you to manipulate the data (the video) and create. There is also a making of the video (if we can call it that) that should be checked out. This follows their previous experiment with the song Nude, where they released snippets of the song to the world and asked for remixes.

Pitchfork says it all better and with much longer wind than me

Trips Abound

A week from today I head to Seattle and immediately on to Vancouver to hike the West Coast Trail. I have not been keeping up with a training regimen the way I would have hoped but I think I am in good shape for the trip. It will help that it is not 90 with 95% humidity out there, not to mention the break from the ground-level ozone. There’ll be another hike on Sunday to warm up and then its all learning-by-doing. I appreciate any advice/suggestions for the trip people want to offer up.

Speaking of taking a trip, Jorge has returned home but not without his fair share of harrowing culture shock. First he forgot a bag containing passport, hard drive digital camera, books, etc. in a cab. But, as it goes in much of the world, there were many sets of eyes on the street and someone saw the the cab’s number. He narrowed it down to two cabs and found the drivers before the police. The driver’s were angry about the possible police attention and the accusations and didn’t produce any reclamations. This all happened on his vacation on the coast and he had to move on, so he hired a guy there to stay on the case and low and behold the bag turned up, less camera, hard drive and some books. But he got his passport back and safely returned to Bogotá. But he wasn’t done paying a second time for his own possessions. The bike he packed and mailed to himself from Atlanta was deemed an import and charged taxes. Is this an import? I am not sure. It was not in the condition that it is usually shipped from the company and sold, but there is surely a market for it as it was. In any event he’s home and reminiscing his time here already.

And then there’s the honeymooners. Paul and Hilary are somewhere still, hopefully not Bermuda, and soon Ben and Katy will be returning from their trip to Europe which sounded amazing. Their advice: drop what you’re doing and go to Slovenia immediately. Finally, our friends Dave and Liza have taken a trip (one-way) out west to Salt Lake City. They’ve gone there to live and work as Dave continues his education/professional program. We’ll miss them and wish them the best of luck.

Garden Update

The last time I told you anything about the garden it was just two boxes of dirt. Since then we’ve learned a lot and even have a couple things to show for it. We started with a variety of herbs from seeds, but a late frost hurt our efforts. Lauren then brought home a number of plants ready to be planted in the ground. These were tomatoes, squash, zucchini, eggplant, onions and arugala. At the same time we started some beans, peas, and carrots from seeds. Right now I have to say that the plants from seeds have been doing better than the plants we bought, but I think it may also be due to the types of plants. The beans, peas and carrots are producing, but the squash may be getting too much sun and heat to survive.

The tomatoes have started to produce and the arugala is going gangbusters but is getting too big and bitter before we can pick it. About a month after that first planting I planted more bean, pea and re-tried basil from seeds. We also picked up a few pepper plants. The basil is looking good now and we just picked the first chilli pepper. One important thing I learned which I think made a difference was pruning. This is taking some of the plant parts off in order to guide the growth of the plant, for example steering the plant to put more energy and nutrients into fruits. Another thing that we’ve had to do was provide plant food once and awhile, including worm poop and amending the soil further with compost. We also put down some pine needles in the bed as a sort of mulch to retain moisture. Now I’m trying to deal with some pests on the green peppers.

In addition to the garden proper I’ve transplanted some of the basil into separate pots and am keeping them around the deck to keep mosquitoes away (possibly?). We’ve also added some rhododendrons in the back as well as a honey crisp apple tree and a blackberry bush. Finally I spit around 6 watermelon seeds into a planter and they are starting to sprout. This week we’re also getting some rain so it looks like everything’s coming up roses. My biggest challenges at the moment are trying to save the squash and green peppers and possibly getting the eggplants to produce.

What to do with all the Boxes from Wedding Gifts

Just back from San Francisco for the wedding of Paul and Hilary I found a few ideas worthy of pulling me out of my blogging slump. The first is obviously the wedding. It all went down in the Presidio on a beautifully clear July day. The whole weekend was a unprecedented success for which the couple deserves much of the credit.

The second thing to really capture my attention is a far more public matter to which I can provide more information. On Sunday during some free time I wandered down to Dolores Park with Lauren and Peter. We found great people watching and were content to just pick a spot on the side of a hill and relax for an hour but as we entered the park a gathering on the far side caught our eye. At first glance we thought it was a fight or maybe some performance art. We could see one man on stilts but no juggling and so we decided to go have a look for ourselves.

We found that many of the people were dressed in cardboard armor adorned with superhero logos or medieval flavor. In the center of the circle were two children doing battle with swords which were actually the remains of a roll of wrapping paper. It was a tournament that we watched in it’s entirety. Then, when we thought we could get on with our frisbeeing and people watching, the whole thing was taken up a level. Adults with wristbands of different colors were allowed to get their own tubes and do some battle and eventually the sides formed at opposite ends of the field to do Braveheart-style battle. We were standing near the person who took this video. Notice the guy in battle garb (red plume) riding a play horse. He was on the team at the far end and flanked the charging team to appear right behind them, wonderful strategy.

Looking into this further I found that what we witnessed has happened before in Seattle and Sydney and is called the Cardboard Tube Fighting League. Interesting enough. What I was surprised to find out was that there is a formal declaration of war from the Government of Box Wars against the CTFL.

Declaring that a state of war exists between the Government of Box Wars and the government and the people of the Cardboard Tube Fighting League and making provision to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Government of Box Wars has formally declared war against the government and the people of the Cardboard Tube Fighting League:

Therefore, be it Resolved by the Representatives of the Cardboard Tube Fighting League, that the state of war between the Cardboard Tube Fighting League and the Government of Box Wars which has thus been thrust upon the Cardboard Tube Fighting League is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the Cardboard Tube Fighting League to carry on war against the Government of Box Wars; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Cardboard Tube Fighting League.

This group also meets in Dolores Park but appears to be less formal with fewer rules. Box Wars sells itself as an art movement or an edgy-eco-sensitive motivation to recycle. Both make the point that people need to get out and have simple fun more often.

I did find some LARP in Atlanta called Nero, but it looks a little too scripted. Until my next trip to San Francisco I’ll be waiting for the CTFL or another classically quirky phenomenon to make its way to Atlanta and wishing I had the energy to make it happen here sooner rather than later.

Bicycle News

With gas prices as high as most people have ever seen, more and more news stories are popping up about transit use and biking to work. Also, May is National Bike Month. A couple of interesting bits of bicycle news have caught my attention recently.

First, there is the story of the Dutch cycling lobby group working to prevent bike theft by teaching people how to steal bikes in the hopes of making them more aware of how to secure their bikes.

Second, last weekend there was a nude bike rally in the UK. It was held in Sussex and full nudity was allowed by the police there. It seems a bit akin to Critical Mass, drawing attention to bikes as a mode of transport by throwing them right in front of motorists in a way they can’t ignore. But this goes one step further and captivates (or appalls) even the most apathetic bystanders. It also had a bit more focused purpose, taking on oil. This weekend a similar ride is planned for London and it should be even larger.

It doesn’t have to be bike month to bike.