http://wildgreenplanet.com Sustainable travel, low-impact living & other outrageous adventures Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:26:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The result is, inevitably, a work in progress. I'm still nowhere near the Zen purity of Peace Pilgrim's journeys (she walked for thousands and thousand of miles carrying nothing more than a comb and perhaps a toothpaste), but I have eliminated an incredible amount. Every time I unpack, I try ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/09/02/crap-carry/ The first day of a trip is always a slightly exhausting leap into a new world. Jumping from the security of home (even borrowed homes, as I've been aggressively couch-surfing for three weeks) into another life of bags and gear and rope and bicycles and buses and ferries - it's ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/09/01/day-1-delight-invasive-species/   First, I have to apologize, because I illicitly stole this cool photo from someone's Flickr site (it came up on Google search, and I couldn't resist!) - so let's thank Dig this Photography for this great shot of a local bike commuter using Vancouver's transit. Today was my first attempt loading ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/08/30/bike-bus-outta/ It's past midnight, and I'm still up, trying to learn how to re-size photographs on my camera and digging up American dollars in old wallets. I haven't slept in my own bed in over a month, and won't be back in my apartment until February. So why am I insisting ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/08/23/borrowed-time/   In the midst of packing, my life currently seems to be all about gear. What to bring (and what not to bring) is a constant debate, as I struggle to bring my weight load down to a manageable level. I scrapped the trailer, the packing case, the panniers, even the ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/08/23/feet-ground/ An equation: Take one week with grey whale researchers, multiply by eight hours per day in a 22' aluminium skiff, add 3' swells on the open Pacific, and you have one seasick traveller. On the first day, I puked once over the side of the boat. Every day following began ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/08/10/gravol-whales/ I'm finally back from the west coast of Vancouver Island, and am currently enjoying the delightful highs (mostly) and lows (very occasionally) of couch-surfing with my nearest and dearest. My internet access is limited to the times when I can find wi-fi and happen to have my laptop, so I'm ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/08/10/mud-diaries/ Ah, the transformation is complete - I've slowly turned into an obsessive outdoor gear junkie, when I carefully weigh every item before packing my bags, jealously recording every ounce in an effort to carry a lighter load. And the perfect tool to help me? My dear mum's cooking scale, bought in ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/07/18/size-matters/ These are the days when riding a bike is so lovely that I seriously can't imagine doing anything else with my time. Hot days, warm evenings, the easy breezy cruise along 10th Avenue, a few jaunts to the False Creek seawall with friends...it's just fabulous. http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/07/16/bike-shadow/ Oh, that warm feeling of accomplishment...what could be better than proudly showing off my new (homemade) backpack and sleeping bag? It's true: after one week of sweat (and a few tears), I've finished my ultralight, ultra-fabulous, ultra-functional backpacking gear, ready to be tested on the West Coast Trail. Using kits from ... http://wildgreenplanet.com/blog/2008/07/10/high-gear/