Gear guide has arrived

Just got the new Explore Magazine today: It has the full meal deal on gear. Not that I am a gear geek but I'll be scouring through this issue. Still in the market for a few odds and end. ... like back packs - I have been convinced to go modular on that, so we can leave a few items behind depending on what hiking we're doing.

Time travel

I have experienced it again and again -- time having a particular expansiveness while travelling. And although I have experienced it a number of times, I still find it quite surprising when it happens. My "theory" of time and travel (not to be confused with "time travel") is that, when travelling, there is so much that is new and unfamiliar, you have no other option than to be in the moment. While at home, moments can pass without being aware of their passing. It is remarkably easy to miss moments and remarkably difficult to be in them for as long as they last.

I hope to experience yet again the expansiveness of time.

How far is it? And what's the nearest airport?

Living in Canada teaches that distance is easily misjudged - especially by those not living here. Since we are planning to travel across an entire continent, even though we'll mostly stick to its Pacific side, we looked for distance calculators to appreciate fully just how far we will go.  Most offer 'as the crow flies' information, which is good enough for this purpose. The Daft Logic tool using Google maps has the quickest interface I've found so far.

The other day we found another site, which I cannot locate online for the life of me now :(  It had a decent distance tool interface but more important, it also had a 'nearest airport' finder tool. This is great, because it looks like we will want to fly to some smaller places a couple of times along the way. We'll  have to check on Jan's computer later for the bookmark. Meanwhile, if you have a favourite site you've used, let us know.

On that note, thanks again for the tip on www.itasoftware.com airline travel application.

Airline tickets

There are a whole bunch of sites out there that offer "around the world" airline tickets. I like the Airtreks site so far because it has a utility that enables trip planning and offers a quick, not guaranteed, range of prices.

Whistler - Blackcomb in the sun

I was watching a bit of the Paralympics online -  lo and behold the alpine events at Whistler were delayed due to fog again!

Mountains are definitely best enjoyed on bright, sunny days (don't forget the sunscreen). Whistler is great when the fog and clouds do lift and to prove it: here's Jan loving the view from the top of Whistler mountain on a bright sunny day a couple of weeks ago.

Varied landscapes

I have never been to Central America. Nor have I been to a jungle. How exciting to ponder doing just that at the front end of our adventure (at least that is what we are thinking at this point). There are so many landscapes -- and ensuing weather -- to consider as we make plans. Nice problem to have, I would say.

Point to ponder:
25% of Costa Rica is comprised of nature reserves and national parks.

Backpack: Recommendations Please!

I am researching backpacks.

• Trying to figure out how much volume and how much weight it needs to accommodate is a bit of a trick. In the Grand Canyon we carried about 35 lb, but our guide had 85 lb! We were only gone for 4 days, and we were able to get fresh water every day along the way. I am looking at the 80-85 litre packs right now. Plenty to fit in with tent, sleeping bag, therm-a-rest, stove and fuel, cooking pots and plates, food and water, first aid, sat phone, clothes (for any weather and temperature), hiking boots (2nd pair), papers. 
• Fit is super important, especially with the weight I expect to carry. Hence, I will explore women' fits and well padded hip belts, breathable materials for the back and excellent weight transfer to the hips and legs away from the shoulders.
• I want a backpack where some part can be converted to a fanny pack, to I don't need to have different packs.
• Sturdy bottom (some sort of hard-wearing rubber bottom would be good)
• I want lots of pockets to keep things handy for the hiking parts and access points for packing/unpacking ease.
• Camelback pouch and external water bottle holders.

I went to MEC to take a first look. Next up: Bushtukah, Expedition Shoppe and Trailhead. They each carry different brands, so no one-stop shopping here.

Any suggestions and things to look out for will be appreciated.

Zamberlan Hiking boots

Yeah! I got my new hiking boots today, Women's Zamberlan Vioz GT GoreTex Backpacking boots, size 42H. I hope the way they feel right out of the box reflects how they will feel when broken in and getting a workout on Andean trails!

I am so done with men's boots and the mangled heels, well beyond mere blisters... I'm so happy that there are finally larger women's sizes available in North America.

To celebrate I'm starting to break them in by wearing them to my Spanish class tonight.

Blogging on the go

I am now set up to post travel musings on the fly. So here is one (just because I can): landscapes are compelling.

Tourism's contribution to rebuilding

Natural disasters have a way to halt tourism; often an important source of income and the impetus for improving infrastructure, education and creating jobs.

Chile had the fifth largest travel & tourism economy in Latin America with a Travel & Tourism Demand accounting for (US$12 billion) in 2007, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Chile has begun a campaign to assure tourists that its tourist attractions are largely unaffected by the major earthquake that struck last weekend, and travel in most of the country is returning to normal.
Coverage from Britain and in USA Today.

We are planning on some major hiking in Torres del Paine National Park, in the very Southern part of Chile.

This map shows all the major routes through the Park's lakes, meadows and mountains. One of the bigger challenges, apart from the hiking of course, seems to be strong wind. They mention it on their own tourism site - so it must be quite something.

This is a stunningly beautiful place. Hiking here will be extraordinary.

To enlarge the map, simply click on it.

Lightweight cutlery and other equipment

The excitement that can be generated by the smallest things ... :)

For my birthday I got the GSI Cutlery Set Halulite. I had been dreading researching and picking from among the various sets. And now it just appeared - and it's perfect! Thank you, Jan.

Other upcoming purchases that require a bit of research still:

• hiking/backpacking backpack. I have quite a number of backpacks - some large, some small and some in between. None are designed for backpacking - and they just won't work for the 3 months duration we are planning for. 
• a pair of sturdy and comfortable hiking boots. Finally, there are women's hiking boots on the Canadian market in my size (depending on the make I take a 41.5 to 42.5). I got 2 pairs of hikers last fall that work great and fit, but neither are designed for mountains and really rugged terrain. 
• camping stove and pots. We want  multi-fuel since we need to be able to get fuel wherever we are.
• water purification system. We really liked the one used by the Four Seasons Guides on our Grand Canyon trip: it was so easy and all chemical. Need to do some research on this for sure.

We've got our tent already. We went with the MEC Twin Peaks tent - a 3-season tent. We wanted to balance weight (3.1. kg packed), ruggedness, versatility, size - and cost. This one had the best combination for our needs and the reviews were spot on, too. 

All of our other gear is well in hand from first aid kits to rain gear.

Visiting in an Earthquake Zone

The huge earthquake (8.8) in Chile this weekend has devastated large parts of central Chile - I've not been able to get Chilean TV online, but there is info on the Chilean government site - and the usual news media of course. The huge aftershocks seem not to have made things worse, even though some have been measured as high as 6.9. The human toll is traumatic with more than 700 dead; so far it seems most of the deaths reported stem from towns nearest the epicentre.

Seeing pictures of some of the damage in Santiago and Valparaiso feels ... strange: we've visited there in 2006 and just fell in love with the country; the people are entrepreneurial and inventive in their survival; they work hard and sustain their lives against all manner of challenges. This situation looks so difficult, and still I cannot help but believe that the Chilean people will imagine their future, regain their equilibrium and build up their lives once the initial issues with basic supplies are dealt with.

Chile has a long history of big earthquakes. The whole of the Pacific rim is very active with earthquakes and volcanoes asserting the bigger earthly picture on a regular basis.

As part of our preparations we are naturally learning about all facets of self-supported travel in  mountains, deserts and places in between. In light of this latest earthquake, these to-the-point videos from the Southern California Earthquake Centre seemed like a good spot to start. It appears that being outside in nature (as long as nothing significant can fall on you) is a pretty good spot to be in earthquake. I'll be glad to have an Iridium satellite phone to stay in contact when needed.