The Hotel Prices Are Too Dang High Party

As many of you know I'm currently finishing up the planning for my next trip to Maine!  I'll be leaving in about 2 and a half weeks, and I'm excited to be getting back up there to work as a teacher's assistant under ultra survival guru and canoeing aficionado Tim Smith!

Lately the expedition funds have gotten a bit low, and frankly, after traveling the USA all year to go off on these wilderness excursions I'm tired of paying for hotel rooms.  On top of that, every hotel in the great state of Maine is overpriced.  For example, I'd have to pay around $60 just to sleep at a crumby hotel with bed bugs and whatnot snuggling up next to me while rednecks get heart attacks, while committing domestic violence next door (See AZ expedition day 1).

Therefore, I'm quitting hotels.  I'm just going to get off the bus in Bangor, ME at 10:30pm, set up my tarp in a large stand of trees (they have lots of trees in Maine, not like the great Cornhusker state), and catch some Zs, free of charge.

Since returning to society after my first month in Maine I've learned something from a certain movement that shall not be named (rhymes with Pocupy Mallstreet).  What I've learned is that if you set up camp and sleep where you're not supposed to, you get kicked out.  If you do it to complain about paying for college (just one example of course), then that makes it okay!  All you need to do is complain about your rights being violated, and you can get away with quite a lot here in the good ole USA.

So, I've decided to start a new political party during my one night stay in Bangor.  It's called "The Hotel Prices Are Too Dang High Party."  I stand on one issue, and one issue alone.

Occupy Bangor!  Tarp Price=FREE(out of a dumpster) The Hotel Prices Are Too Dang  High!

When I appear on the TV show North Woods Law and they drag me out of my shelter for trespassing in the middle of the night I will have two things to say, 1: I'm doing this for social justice, and 2: The Hotel Prices Are Too Dang High!

One of my shelters, constructed last year in the North Woods

As always, thanks for reading!

Adventure Will Change Your Life-Al Humphreys

Alastair Humphreys is an outstanding blogger and adventurer.  He was named one of National Geographic's "Adventurers of the Year," he's cycled around the world, and he's currently training for an expedition to the South Pole.  I found this post in his blog today and felt the need to share it with my readers as well!  Enjoy!

Photos Courtesy of Alastair Humphreys

"The world sounded a scary place until I stepped out into it. Sure, it sounded exciting. Exotic places like Pakistan or Guatemala or Syria: I knew they had fascinating cultures and people that I’d love to get to know. I’d seen beautiful photography of extraordinary places and read exotic stories of crazy, bold adventures.

But I always assumed that countries like that were for real travelers; dusty, crazy guys with more nerve and experience than I would ever have. The world’s wild places were for me to enjoy from the comfort of my own home, nothing more. I enjoyed vacations. But adventures? I didn’t think they were for me.

But all that changed.

I set out one summer morning to seek adventure. I don’t know how I summoned up the nerve to begin, but begin I did. I climbed onto my bicycle, pedaled away from my front door, and didn’t stop riding for four years until I arrived back home. I cycled right the way round the world. I wasn’t rich (the whole trip cost approximately $10,000), I wasn’t brave. I wasn’t very fit. I just did it. I pedaled away from all that I was familiar with in England.

I rode right across Europe and into the Middle East. Far from being the dangerous place I had always seen on the TV News, people waved to me as I passed, families invited me to stay the night in their homes or join them for a meal. I learned a crucial lesson about the world during those hot, dusty weeks: whatever governments are shouting angrily about, whatever extreme sections of society may be doing, the vast majority of people on Earth are good, ordinary people just like you and I. I rode through 60 countries on my circumnavigation, and in each country this held true. The world is, by and large, a good place. Traveling opened my eyes to that.

After the Middle East my confidence grew. I cycled on into Africa confident that the overwhelming majority of people I met would want to help me, not harass me. From Egypt’s pyramids I rode south, crossing deserts in Sudan, mountains in Ethiopia and the Equator in Kenya. I saw elephants and extraordinary sunsets and a million wonderful details. And I rode and rode until I reached the ocean in South Africa and could ride no further.

Next I spent 18 months cycling up the Americas. I remember feeling incredibly daunted the day that I began that ride from the southern tip of South America. I stood on a cold, damp pebble beach in Patagonia. Across the water behind me lay Antarctica. And I was planning to cycle all the way to Prudhoe Bay on the northern coast of Alaska. It felt like a ridiculous, insurmountable distance. But little by little, mile by mile, I crept through the achingly beautiful Patagonian wilderness and up and over the mighty Andes.

On and on I rode, meeting new people, seeing beautiful things, learning more than I had ever imagined possible. I crossed at last from Mexico into the United States and spent six glorious months riding up the beautiful west coast into Canada, through the vastness of the Yukon and Alaska, eventually reaching a cold, damp pebble beach on the shore of the Arctic Ocean with a quiet, but fierce sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Finally I rode across Asia. It began with three months cycling through a grueling Siberian winter, riding and camping at temperatures as low as -40 degrees. It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.

Japan’s bright lights and China’s boisterous warmth were particularly enjoyable after those brutal winter months. I chased the sunset west and rode on across Asia and Europe until the memorable day when I arrived back at the place where I had started, four years, 60 countries, and 46,000 miles ago. Home.

I had cycled round the world. I had discovered the world. Pandora’s box had been flung open and all its treasures revealed. Travel had shown me more about the world, about life, and about myself than I ever could have imagined. My life would never be the same again. Adventure changed my life. The only really difficult thing I did was to build up the boldness to begin. Don’t be put off thinking that adventure and travel is only for real travelers or professional adventurers. Step out of your comfort zone and go explore. You will surprise yourself." -Alastair Humphreys (first published in the Huffington Post)

The Bush Biker

I just found this guy on youtube and his videos are definitely worth checking out!  He's an adventurer in Europe who basically bikes across countries, sleeps in the woods, and puts together some great videos to tell his stories!  He's a bit more serious than I, but I'm sure you'll enjoy his videos, though they're more oriented towards travel than wilderness.  Check it out!

Storm In the North Woods

There's a big storm that's supposed to hit Lincoln today, and I can't help but be reminded of one of the hugest and most terrifying storms I've ever encountered.

Last summer in Maine we had just finished up a quick exploration of a nearby creek when we saw some clouds coming over the horizon.  What we saw on the horizon was a hurricane on the coast.

I snapped this photo right before hunkering down.  You can see the storm moving in on the left side of the picture.  Honestly, that store scared me more than anything else I've run into in the outdoors.  I even took a shaky flipcam video to share the experience with you.  Notice all of the "ums" and "uhs."

ARIZONA CHALLENGE DAY 13: Packin in, Heading out.

After nearly 2 weeks of rugged wilderness travel Tom and I found ourselves hiking down a winding mountain road to be picked up.  As we moved to lower and lower elevations the flora transformed from 30 foot pines to sycamores, and cottonwoods.  The road followed a trickle of water that turned into a small stream as we walked.

Tom often took the time to stop and tell stories about rattlesnakes he had encountered along this road, border patrol encounters, and memorable times spent out in this beautiful country.

We arrived at what locals refer to as the "well house" after about 4 miles of hiking.  My pace had slowed during the hike down and I blamed it on the weight of my pack.  In reality, I was just exhausted.  The high desert had really taken it out of me, but given me much in return.

Homie Matt arrived at the well house to pick us up at 9 o'clock sharp.  As usual, he had coffee.  Hot coffee!

I've never been a very sentimental person, but driving back down to civilization after spending 2 weeks in the bush made me very thankful.  First, I was thankful for the wilderness that God so lovingly created, and second, for the people that God has placed into my life (Tom, Matt, and a loving, supportive family).

The first thing that I did after arriving back in town was hit up the local doughnut shop which was owned by a Croatian (Edit: Cambodian!) family. When the woman behind the register looked up and saw my face caked with dust, my matted hair, and my sunburned face I saw a look of nervousness in her eyes.  She quickly gave me the doughnuts that I requested while avoiding eye contact.  I'll go back there if I return to Sierra Vista and apologize for the smell.

Tom and Matt dropped me off in my Tucson hotel just after noon, and after snapping a few last photos, we said our farewells.

2 hours after being dropped off I was sitting in a pool, surrounded by palm trees, with my stomach full of doughnuts.  What a change of pace!  It had been a challenging journey, and after 2 of the roughest weeks in my wilderness career I was headed home.

ARIZONA CHALLENGE DAY 12: Easter gone wild!

On Easter Sunday good friend and resupply aficionado Homie Matt decided to drive up the mountain to wish us a happy Easter, and force us into making fools out of ourselves.  He came with a very unexpected present... I'd make a longer blog post today, but I think the pictures say it all.  Homie Matt blames his wife, saying that "she told me she wanted pictures of an Easter egg hunt" and "she dyed these eggs just for you."  Without further adieu, here's our Huachuca Mountains Easter egg hunt...

Yup, my name is Sam... Here I am with green eggs and ham... never got that one before!

As always, thank you for reading!

ARIZONA CHALLENGE DAY 11:Lickin' the wounds

As I've mentioned a few times in this series, we weren't carrying much food during the trip.  Because of this I would supplement my diet with wild edibles(mostly dandelions, and watercress), and the much more taste treat, lizard.  The Huachuca Mountains are home to a healthy population of small lizards and when I could locate an area where they liked to sun themselves I could usually manage to get a few.

To hunt these lizards I used one of the world's first weapons, the rock.  I would walk through a rocky washout, and as soon as I spotted a lizard sitting out my stone would be thrown directly at its head for an instant kill.  Surprisingly, I was very accurate with stone throwing.  I've never been a good shot at basketball, never been accurate with a football, and when I played baseball I'd hit the shortstop, even if I was throwing the ball to first base.  Somehow, rock and lizard just happens to be my hidden talent.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of my lizard hunts because I was convinced that my girlfriend would kill me if she found out I killed lizards... but I'll give more info on that later.

The rest of day 11 was spent treating some of the wounds that I had acquired over the past week and a half.  Tom and I both avoided any major injuries during the trip by practicing basic safety methods, but I still hadn't managed to stay away from being hurt completely.

The insides of my thighs were rubbed raw on both sides from the dryness, as well as the chaffing that occurred during long hikes.

My neck sunburn turned into an open wound after rubbing against my shirt.  I treated this with ointment, and some wet wipes.

Other than these two small inconveniences the desert had spared me.  I took the time to hike up a mountain near our camp to make a couple of phone calls home.  I told my parents about the lizard hunt, and reassured Sydney that everything was perfectly safe.  Then, retiring to my sleeping bag I remembered something.  Tomorrow was Easter Sunday!

ARIZONA CHALLENGE DAY 10: Lions, and Coues Deer, and Bears Oh My!

On the morning of day 10 Tom and I discovered a spooky reminder that we weren't the only ones in the mountains.  

This Mountain Lion track was nearly the size of my hand.  There's a possibility that this could also have been a Jaguar track, but that would be very unlikely since their population is sparse at best.  We sipped our pine needle tea that morning while searching for other tracks, and wondering where it might be now.  

Later that day I decided to go on another hike.  I knew that the "ridge trail" was not far from where we were camped, and it was the first time in days that I had enough energy to complete such a hike.  We weren't taking in many calories but the new shelter style was really helping me to be more fully rested.  

I followed the valley for a couple of miles before cutting up into the mountain towards the ridge trail.  It was easy to navigate this area as long as I stuck to the washes.  I soon found a deer trail, and took it all the way to the top.  Near the ridge trail was Sawmill Springs (a small flow of water that was adequate for refilling my bottle), and just up from Sawmill Springs I made the following video after discovering sign of another large carnivore.  

On my way back to camp I was able to spot some coues deer.  They scampered away as soon as they heard me bushwhacking, and I barely caught the flip of their tails.  The wildlife of this area is astounding.  

ARIZONA CHALLENGE DAY 9:WEATHER PROOFED

Nothing cheers me up like a good night's rest!

After the extreme drops in temperature, as well as the insane winds we were experiencing I decided that my shelter had to be more that just a simple lean-to.  Keeping in mind the mechanisms of energy transfer (conduction, convection, radiation, evaporation) I made sure that my new shelter would keep out the wind, and I improved my bedding.  Pine needles were prevalent in my area and after a few minutes of collecting my bed became much thicker.  As for the roof, I salvaged a piece of plastic that was most likely left by an illegal alien and attached it to one end of my new tent style shelter, in order to block out most of the wind, and the occasional bigfoot.