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Black Tusk

29 Jul

Three weekends of partying in a row is pretty usual in the summer months but I needed a break. I called up my buddy Luke and we decided to get into the back country. Luke picked me up at 5am Saturday morning in his Jeep Cherokee and we were out of the city by the time the sun came up. 1.5 hours later we were at the trail head with our gear strapped to our backs and started up the path. The trail up to the Lake is nothing to write home about with countless switchbacks for the entire 9km. We got to the end of the trail and I was blown away by Garibaldi Lake. It was a gorgeous turquoise blue without a single ripple on it.

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Garibaldi Lake

Luke and I set up our camp and went right to the lake to cool down from the mornings hike. We made a make-shift cooler in the lake to cool our beers down and spent the day relaxing in the sun and jumping off the dock.

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Garibaldi Lake

We got up early the next day and started out on the trail up the mountain. Black Tusk has always been a bucket list item for me and to quote Sir Edmund Hillary today was the day I was going to knock the bastard off. This part of the hike was stunning as you are surrounded by lush meadows, wild flowers, streams and the back drop of the coastal mountains.

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Taylor Meadows

As you get near the top all sign of life disappears as a warning that the Tusk is not to be taken lightly. The terrain turns to shale and every step forward you slide a little back. Before you know it you are starring the last obstacle in the face, the dreaded chimney.

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Just below the Tusk

My heart was pumping with adrenaline as I started the climb knowing that any loose hold would send me barreling into Luke and take us both off the side of the mountain. We both managed just fine and were left speechless at the top. We took our time taking it all in, then came the obvious question of how are we supposed to get down?

 

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Black Tusk Summit

 

Until next time my foggy friends!

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Arctic Adventure

10 Nov

An outdoor adventure to Canada’s great white north.

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Rwanda Genocide

6 Nov

In 1994 approximately 800 000 people were murdered in Rwanda over 100 days as the international community stood by and watched. The killing was between the Hutu and Tutsi, definitions given out during the colonization period in the 1800’s. Today Rwanda is perfectly safe but the scars of such a recent tragedy are still apparent. A visit to the capital Kigali can not be done without stopping by at the genocide Memorial. There is a mass grave here on sight as well as a museum. The museum is by donation with an audio tour costing you $13 ($10 if you have a “valid” student ID like me). The museum is in three parts with the first taking you through Rwanda’s history from the beginnings all the way up to today. The second part of the museum compares this genocide to others that have happened over history. The last part of the museum is when things really hit home as it shows you pictures of children killed during the genocide, and tells you tales of what there favourite things were. It then tells you one by one how each were killed or what their last sight was. It is quite a somber experience but something you must do if in the country. You can also take a 40 minute bus ride from Kigali to Nyamata where there are two churches where mass murders took place.

 I was lucky enough to bump into a guy who was my age at the bar, which would have made him seven during the genocide. He was a Tutsi and told me the story of how him and his family hid in a hole in the ground for three weeks. His father was killed just feet from the covered hole when he left to find the family bananas. The rest of them eventually made their way to Uganda where they were safe until things were over. I asked him how the country can get along now knowing what happened. He went on to mention that the only way for their country to move forward is for the one side to forgive and the other side to ask for forgiveness. He said that without this their country would be stuck in a vicious circle and never get anywhere. Very forward thinking as I don’t know if I would have had the same level head if my dad would have been killed. My hat is off to the Rwandan people who are making leaps and bounds in the recovery from such an atrocity not too many years ago.

 Foggy 

(Photo to come due to slow internet)

 

 

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Mzungu the Local Celebrity

3 Nov

While wandering through East Africa you will begin to wonder who is this Mzungu you keep hearing about. You always seem to just miss him as people always start yelling his name while you are around. Mzungu is obviously the word for a foreigner and as a white man in Africa you kind of stick out a little… Children run to the road side to shout out your Mzungu name and wave at you. It’s definitely fun but after a while this travel bum realized this is the closest he’s ever getting to celebrity status. Until next time my Mzungu’s.

Foggy

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Noosa National Park

10 Apr

The four Canadians piled into the car and we took the 40 minute drive from Mooloolaba to Noosa National Park. It was a gorgeous 4000 hectares nature reserve right on the Sunshine Coast. We took one of the trails that took you by all the different beaches until getting to Hells Gate which gave you a view of Alexandria Beach. Sadly I didn’t have my perving binoculars out though because it is known as a nude beach. We doubled back and settled down at Tea Tree Bay which the girls were quick to point out also had some nice pairs on it. A lot of people were surfing but we just hopped in for a dip and then lounged in the sun. I really recommend anyone who is up the coast in Australia to head there and take in the walks through the park, and hopefully you will get luckier than us and actually see some wildlife besides bigger than life spiders.

Foggy

Noosa National Park, Hells Gate

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Swimming in Dubai

25 Jul

I was told that I needed to feel the water temperature at the beach in Dubai. So Meghan and I hoped in a cab out to a beach. We walked around a little before and my boxers were instantly soaked, can you say swass? We eventually got to the beach and it was right into my swim shorts. Jumped in the water and could not believe how hot it was, it was warmer than a bath tub. It was about 32C, which is crazy so we swam for a while and then got out to watch the sun go down. The only thing that could have made it better was some cold beers, but we felt it was better to stay out of prison.

Foggy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gravy Train is Over

16 Jul

Yes it is true, my travelling life is about to change dramatically. My parents have just left me in Copenhagen and I will no longer be living on their dollar. It was a tearful goodbye (once mom starts it’s all downhill) and then I was alone in the hotel room. This would be the last time I would be laying in a room by myself. I now start the hostel circuit, where I will be bunking up with travellers from around the globe as I continue this musical mystery tour. It is pretty exciting to be out on my own, there is not a lot of plans for here on out and that will always lead into a good foggy tale. I just want to thank you Mom and Dad for a great trip, and don’t worry Mom I will be home before you know it. For the rest of you here’s to hoping I won’t have to be giving special favors to afford this trip.

Foggy

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Tupac Reincarnated in Riga, Latvia?

12 Jul

Stockholm, Sweden

6 Jul

Back to the Roots

4 Jul

The main reason we took this trip to Scandinavia was that my Dad’s side of the family is from Norway. After doing the main travel destinations in Norway it was time to make the long trek to Odda where it all began. We got up at 5 in the morning and piled into the rent a car, it was pouring rain as we made the 4 hour drive to Odda. When we got there we only had time for a quick walk around of the town. My great grandpa grew up there before being swindled to Northern Manitoba and then eventually Powell River. Odda was a little town at the end of a Fjord and I could imagine how isolated it was back in those times. It was a stunning backdrop with tall mountains on both sides coming down to the water, I could not imagine moving from here to brown Northern Manitoba. The day ended with another 3 hour drive to Bergen where we caught a flight out to Stockholm. Very few people get to travel to the place it all began and this was definitely something checked off the bucket list of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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