Iridium 9555 satellite phone - our lifeline is confirmed

I just got confirmation from Iridium that they are giving us a satellite phone to use for our trip - for free! That's so fantastic. Like it says so aptly on their site: "The Iridium 9555 is engineered to withstand the world’s toughest environments, so the world’s toughest customers can depend on it as a critical lifeline wherever need takes them." We'll surely put it through its paces out there.


The 9555 only weighs 266 gr (9.4 oz)  -  long gone are the depictions of a sat phone as a big box. 
Now, on to working out how to keep it charged when we are off the grid, which will be a lot of the time.


Meanwhile, thanks Iridium!

El Bolsón, Argentina

We had a great time in this small town at the 42nd parallel in Northern Patagonia  in 2007.
This brief compendium offers a view into the heart of the town. (Click on images to enlarge)

1. Isometric ab-strengthening exercise - or just an odd thing to do in a park, before drinking up?

2. Piltriquitron Mountain - after Aconcagua base camp, we were still drawn to the mountains. This one not nearly so high :)

3. "To go or not to go" - this was a rather large horned animal roaming in the bushes

4. We opted "to go" ... for a beer in this funky in the middle-of-nowhere-in-particular spot just outside of El Bolsón. Check out the assorted stories unfolding on the wall - from Lennon and Ono to local ferias to...

5. Guy on bike with galloping horse ... for all I know this was the one I rode the next day up the Canyon Azul (I'd never even been on a horse before, and we decide to ride up a Canyon that was worth its name - I faked being relaxed and confident all day on that horse!)

6. Yes, finding the bus stop. That was a challenge. We eventually settled on this corner after we realized that one simply waves at the bus driver anywhere along his route and they stop for you. The lady who explained this to us was very nice ... 

Vaccines, Medications, out of country medical - check!

A significant step in our trip preparation is medical - and it's done now! We went to the Downtown Travel Clinic today for the consult with the travel doc - he's an interesting character who is both an athlete and a traveler; always interesting to talk to.

Reading the literature on all the nasty things one can get  from different kinds of mosquitoes, vampire bats and sand flees as well as ingesting contaminated water/food makes it easy to say YES to vaccines.

Today, we got covered re: vaccines.  We updated Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccinations and added Yellow Fever. While we plan to be in the Andes, ie rather high, much of the time, we will be so close to the jungle that Jan's been promoting dropping down and spending a few days in the Peruvian or Bolivian jungle. Hence the mandatory Yellow Fever vaccination (good for 10 years)  as well as Malaria prevention pills. Those we'll take when we need them. We also got a vaccine that we'll take orally 2 weeks before we leave to protect from ecoli-related traveller's diarrhea - the vaccine lasts for 3 months (just the right amount).

We got prescriptions for a bunch of other fine medications as well as: something to help with altitude sickness, even though I think well-planned acclimatization is the most important aspect here. We also will take 3 different antibiotics: one for intestinal infection, one for breathing-related/bronchial infection and finally one for skin infections which can happen more readily in tropical climates like we'll encounter in Peru and Bolivia.

These plus a few painkillers and the normal first aid kit stuff means we'll be traveling with a respectable assortment of medical supplies to get us out of a jam while traveling  in remote areas.

We also just affirmed that the out-of-country medical coverage we already have takes care of most, if not all  (TBC), of our desires for medical assistance if we need it. We'll confirm whether strictly rescue would be covered, as that wasn't clear.

Jan and I both have been educated in Wilderness First Aid, which has affirmed our existing good appreciation for avoiding trouble, being safe, planning well and having all the adventures worth having. And, ironically maybe, we've had plenty of opportunity to practice certain first aid skills due to our years of inline speed skating. I sure know how to handle road rash!

Porter - done!

On our second full day, we decided to tackle Porter Mountain via Blueberry. It and Phelps were supposed to be merely 0.2 miles total difference in length, but this turned into 2 additional hours.

Turns out the elevation gains are very different (Porter ascends 3,275 feet compared to the 1,980' of Phelps) and that particular way to Porter is a little traveled, steep bushwack-like hike in large sections. We only saw 4 other people all day! The only flat sections were at the very top.

We had lunch at the east summit; Jan's posing here in front of Cascade Mountain, which we have hiked a few times before (it is the short way to Porter) and then finished up the last and flattest section really to get to the real summit for a photo op.

We were on this trail for 7:38 hrs, expending all kinds of effort. We aren't exactly approaching any of our hiking s day hikers, more like backpackers, ie we carry more weight than we need for the hike as we are training for hiking in big mountains when we'll need to carry our things from camp to camp.

All that to say, we had fantastic hike: beautiful views along the way, challenging terrain, enough food and water, and we summited our 7th mountain of the 46ers - only 39 to go!

On our last day we took it easy. We got the first swim of the season in at Chapel Pond, after a 1 hour hike to the Giant Washbowl just to stretch out the legs. Chapel Pond is Jan's favourite swimming hole, and it is practically unheard off to go swim in it in May. (Well... Jan swam and I cooled off my feet.)

Phelps Mountain - done

This Victoria Day long weekend was stunning with blue skies and 30 plus temps.

Jan and I spent 4 days in the Adirondacks High Peak region for some hiking and camping.

On our first full day we hiked up Phelps Mountain from Heart Lake (Adirondack Loj). Phelps is one of the 46ers, albeit a lower one at 4,161 feet. It's 4.4 mile (7.1 km) to the summit. The trail ascends 1,982 feet, mostly in the second half, making for a steep section to the summit. I carried about 35 lbs in food, water, extra clothes, first aid and some other extra stuff so that the weight training part is well accounted for. Glad to be using trekking poles and transfer some of that weight off the quads. We made good time considering, with the round trip coming in at 5:48 (includes about an hour of breaks - much needed in the heat).

We ran into Ken from Vertical Reality on the way back at Marcy Dam - he, his friend and their 2 dogs were at the end of the Algonquin-Avalanche Pass-Marcy Dam loop. It was fun to chat for the last mile as we were booting it back to the car to do a bit of shopping for hiking pants at Eastern Mountain Sports in Lake Placid.

This was followed by a superb stir fry with couscous made on our DragonFly stove and served with a bottle of red wine.

Day 2 was a different sort of story ...

Adirondack weekend booked

We'll be camping in the ACC Montreal Keene Farm meadow for 3 nights this weekend for the next stage of testing our equipment and practicing how to camp together and be relaxed about it regardless of weather and other environmental stressors. We've spent plenty of time at Keene Farm over the last 12 years but have never camped. It feels like a brand new experience in a completely familiar place.

We are also looking to expand the list of 46ers we've hiked. Looking at the guidebook now ... open for suggestions, please.

Equipment test succeeds

We spent our first night camping in our new tent, sleeping in our new sleeping bags, on a new sleeping pad (Jan's) and cooking on our new stove, using our new pots and, yes, eating with our new bowls and utensils. (Info on camping on Gatineau Park)

This is the MEC Twin Peaks all set up - the forecast was for some rain, so we went all out, with putting up the fly and a tarp in the vestibule to keep potential mud at bay. It's a very cosy tent for the two of us, especially since we expect to keep backpacks with us on the inside most often. This tent is easy to set up, stayed completely dry in the rain, and in the morning there was no condensation on the inside at all.

The MSR DragonFly also worked like a charm. This is the exciting, large flame it creates upon first lighting it. The only small problem I have is that the safety lid on the fuel bottle is so safe I can't seem open it. Jan on the other hand has little trouble getting it to open, so I am definitely sticking with her ;)

Of course, no camp is complete without a decent camp fire. So, we lit one using these nifty fire starters, basically looked like cubes of pressed wood, that are highly flammable. Despite the rain - more like a summer rain with short periods of somewhat greater intensity but mostly steady through the late afternoon and into the evening - we hung around  the campfire hot tea in hand. (Soft shells worked well to keep us dry and warm, as usual).

We had a lovely 13k roundtrip hike from Lac Phillipe to Lac Lusk on Sunday in brilliant sun shine equipped with packpacks and keeping on working out the details of how my shiny new pack, the Deva 70 from Gregory, performs best. I am very pleased with it.

As a result of this first excursion I've decided to replace my over 20-year-old inflatable therm-a-rest, with a foam only Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite. Jan's new pad was definitely more comfortable than mine; it just doesn't hold the air like it used to. Other than that, we are all good to go: to the Adirondack's this long weekend for 4 days of  camping and hiking up some of the 46ers, if they are clear enough of snow. I read that the snow line was at 3,000 feet for last weekend, so we'll see how much higher it'll move.

Weather woes

After an unseasonal warm spell lasting several weeks already (awesome!), this past weekend saw temperatures around 0 degrees.

The garden is taking a beating and at the same time we are getting set for camping at Lac Phillipe in Gatineau Park this weekend. The forecast? Well, rain and not that warm. Of course, that spells ideal conditions for testing equipment! Even as it looks like it might be rather uncomfortable ... we'll see if the tent is leak proof - and if not we'll learn how to make it so. As well as, how well the new sleeping bags will perform ... and the stove ... and our mental strength at basically sea level...

The good news: our car will be parked only 5 minutes away and our dry and comfy home is less than an hour away. It's what you might call a "dry run" after all.

The long weekend, we'll be in Keene camping for 3 or 4 nights though ... This could get 'ugly' with present temps...

Romeritos , bacalao and more

Romeritos is a Mexican dish I learned a bit about tonight in my Spanish class. Basico 2 is a 6 week intensive at UNAM ESECA that seems to include some grammar, a lot of words and occasional culinary lessons on celebratory foods. There's also valuable tidbits like Mexican for Avocado is "aguacate", but in Chile and Argentina at least, you're better off asking for "palta."

Jan and I learned about what palta tastes like when it's fresh and didn't travel 10,000 km before being consumed when we were in Chile and Argentina. OMG, they are amazing and they are an amazing condiment; beats ketchup on any burger!

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

This is the world's largest salt flats at over 10,000 square kilometers. Located in the Altiplano in Bolivia's south (near border with Chile and Argentina). The Altiplano is a high plateau surrounded by the mountains with no drainage outlets, making for a unique landscape - and in this case huge salt industry.


Our friend Esther who grew up in Bolivia told us it's a must-see. We are now looking at adding a couple of days there to the trip. There's a train we can take from Chile's Atacama Desert across the Andes, which is closer than La Paz and looks more pleasant than bussing it or renting a 4x4. 
Bolivia is turning out to be quite an interesting place. Can't wait to actually be there and see all the superlative parts, the guide books promise.


(This image is linked via Wikimedia Commons; Credit: Salar de Uyuni. Bolivia January 2007 Picture Ezequiel Cabrera)