Vancouver

In a little over a week the Winter Olympics are going to kick off in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Depending on your political persuasion, your social activist penchant or your desire to watch curling on television this event is either a source of excitement or rage. Rage? Really the Olympics conjuring rage in everyday average folks? Yup – if you talk to certain members of the population the mere thought of the Olympics is enough to throw them into a expletive doused tirade that would make a sailor blush.

So what’s the fuss all about?

Nothing in life is straightforward – least of all an event as large as the Winter Olympics. Vancouver, the Provence of British Columbia and the government of Canada (by this I of course mean tax-payers) have all opened their wallets to the tune of billions (yes the b words) to finance the cost of the games. The argument is that this money could be better spent on social programs and that staging an event such as this is at it’s best vanity and at worst a colossal waste of cash.

On the east side of Vancouver sits a neighbourhood called East Hastings. Hastings is one of the worst neighbourhoods in North America. By worst I’m referring to the fact that it has the highest AIDS rate per capita then anywhere on the continent, the crime-rate is the highest of any place in Canada, the average income is the lowest in Canada and the list of other social problems and economic disparity is as long as your arm. The argument is that the money spent on the games could have been better spent on cleaning up this area of town.

Two years ago during the Beijing Olympics, all of the ‘undesirable’ folks (the drug addicts, the beggars, the homeless and so on) were rounded up and shipped out of town to whitewash the problems from the attention of the world. In Vancouver, there isn’t a plan to ship anybody out of town, but there most certainly is a plan to shield the public from seeing the not-so-nice side of the city. When Olympic officials came to Van to give the city the final once-over they were consistently routed around the troubled areas and it was kept most definitely on the down-low.

You can see the arguments that perhaps the dollars spent on luge tracks and giant torches could have been better spent on these people who really do need a hand. I agree – ending poverty, building habitable housing for the unfortunate and providing adequate healthcare for the masses is a cause that goes beyond nobility. But here is the real question – the tough one.

What makes you think that if the Olympics weren’t being held in Vancouver that the government would be doing anything about these problems? The issues in East Hastings have been around for at least 20 years and nothing has been done about it. Status-quo is a hard thing to fight – no matter how apt, noble or universal the desire for change.

There are always better things to spend money on. I make my living writing about travel, adventure and art – these are all things that are surplus to need in almost every way. From a pragmatic point of view the world would be a better place if we spent our surplus funds on charity. But that’s not the reality. I can’t very well condemn the Olympics and then remind people to buy a copy of the travel guide to Hawaii that I wrote. So what do I think is the right thing to do?

In many way’s I’m an idealist – I see the Olympic spirit as one of the last bastions of peace through sport and play. If we remove the Olympics what do we have left? Let the Olympics come to Vancouver BUT don’t let the Olympics blot out the problems that the city has (and so many other cities around the world). The media of the world is there – point them in the direction of what they should see. When else will the eyes of the world be so solely focussed on Vancouver for such an extended period of time? If there were no Olympics nothing would have changed for the underprivileged and there would be zero media coverage of any of these issues.

In judo they talk about using the energy of your opponent and re-directing it back against them. For those that don’t see the same opportunity here, you’ve lost sight of the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Fine Line

Avalanches are serious business. Every winter skiers, snowboarders and climbers are caught in slides that for the most part end in tragedy. I’ve lost friends in avalanches, colleagues and people that I will always hold in esteem – snow doesn’t care who you are, how good a skier you are or what sort of training you have. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time – you’re in trouble.

On August 3rd Sophie (my wife) along with friends Adrian and Debbie headed out for a ski at Coronet Peak, near Queenstown. I’ll let Sophie take over from here:

We were skinning up the main run at Coronet Peak At about 4.30pm. At about 3/4 of the way up - I heard a cry for help coming from way out of bounds. We stopped and listened and the calling, desperate calling, continued but we couldn't yet see anyone. Eventually we spotted a person on a ridge 300-500+ metres away. Adrian and I skiied over to see what was up at about 4.50pm - I was expecting a broken leg, at most.

Adrian got to the snowboarder, Fraser, first and confirmed that there had been an avalanche (later classed as 2.5-3) in the valley just behind the ridge and that his snowboarder brother Ryan was buried, hadn't been seen for 10-15 mins, that neither of them had any avo gear and that the last seen point was unknown as Ryan had been swept around a corner of the valley during the slide. We were looking down the kinked valley at the debris - there were two upper release points on a very steep section which had then released one entire face of the kinked valley with numerous terrain traps below. The debris was probably 20 metres wide and 600-800 metres long and would later prove to be many metres thick - we needed help and fast.

I called 111 to get help on the way while Adrian questioned the brother further but he was already in shock and was having trouble making sense, but we got as much info as we could from him. Adrian did a quick sweep of the whole area to see if he could spot anything, but it was unlikely as the brother had already done the same straight after the slide. I tried to help sweep the upper area (we traversed into it about 1/4 of the way down) but when 111 tried to call me back I realised I was in a dead cell zone, so I had to climb back up to the ridge where we spotted the boarder to make another call. At around the same time I saw three patrollers at the top of the valley, trying to figure out where to go so I pointed to the slide area with my ski.

With their help we got a 6-man probe line going with the probes and poles that we had, but it was a little futile as the debris was deeper than our probes. More patrollers joined us and we were able to give the brother a break and make the line even longer and tighter. A second probe line started sweeping behind us but it was all just something to do until the avalanche dog arrived. We probed about 3/4 of the way down the debris when we were told to clear off the debris area and let the dog do it's thing and give us a much needed break - I forget the time but it was probably 6.30pm by this stage and I was exhausted. I was always looking at my watch not for the time itself, but to work out how long he'd been buried for...

The dog found two possible points one of which was stronger and right where we had last been probing so the patrollers dived in to probe the area some more. They did so at length without any real luck - more evidence was needed. So everyone was called off the debris and a guy with a recco machine swept the area and got a weak signal in the same spot as the dog had suggested - so then they started digging. They had two dig crews of 4-5 people and they dug deep for a long time.

After maybe 20mins of digging Adrian and I were told that we should go back to base, so we started climbing up. At some point during our climb there was lots of yelling but we were too far away to know exactly what had happened. I later learned that they'd got to Ryan's snowboard but that he was still buried beneath it - he must have been about 2.5-3m deep we reckon. This was at about 7-7.15pm. We continued our journey back to base - a 30 minute climb up the ridge, a skidoo ride to Greengates and a bus from GG to the base to avoid the media.

While we wrote our witness statements back at base we heard that Ryan was in hospital but that his fate was uncertain - he'd been buried for about 2.5hr so we both knew that some miracle would have to occur for him to be alive. When we left Coronet Peak at maybe 9.30pm there were still many unknowns but we asked the police to let us know what happened so that we didn't have to learn about it on the news. I went back to Adrian's as I wasn't yet ready to go home and Deb came over too - we all needed to debrief. Just before Deb arrived the police came over to Adrian’s place let us know the expected bad news. While they'd done CPR from burial site -> chopper -> hospital Ryan been pronounced dead on arrival, the poor guy. I feel so sorry for Ryan, his brother Fraser and his family - it was such a tragic accident that could have *so* easily been prevented, but one that has had such dire consequences.

As you can imagine this was an extremely harrowing experience to be a part of. So many questions and so few answers. Being so far away from Sophie (I’m in Canada at the moment) during this has been especially hard on both of us. But on the other side of anguish comes catharsis.

Sophie has decided to put on a showing of the excellent avalanche education film, The Fine Line as a way to raise awareness in Queenstown. The organizing of this event has been really beneficial for everyone involved, it’s really helped with the process of healing. If you live in Queenstown I strongly encourage you to come to the film, not only is it a great piece of filmmaking but also we are donating all funds raised to NZ Land Search and Rescue.

Here is the press release for the event:

"Ski Porn with a Public Service Message" at the World Bar.

This Thursday at 6.30pm, AdventureSKope Productions will screen the award-winning avalanche film The Fine Line at The World Bar, with all proceeds going to New Zealand Land Search and Rescue. The film that was famously described by Powder Magazine as "ski porn with a public service message," well and truly breaks the stereotypes for educational films. It delivers the deep powder, big lines and huge air you’d expect from a great ski movie, but The Fine Line goes a step further, teaching audiences what avalanches are all about - and how to ride and survive them.

AdventureSKope event director, Sophie Kennedy says she was inspired to organise the screening after being one of the first on the scene at the avalanche that killed Ryan Campbell. "Although we weren't able to save Ryan, I hope that by screening this movie and increasing avalanche awareness in Queenstown, we might be able to prevent situations like this happening in the future." Kennedy said, "If you have any interest in avalanches, snow sports, backcountry access or simply exquisite cinematography you should see this film. You just never know, someone's life might depend on it some day."

The film’s cutting-edge cinematography which includes wire-cam, time-lapse, animation – and even a claymation cameo – has seen it win a swag of international awards including "Best at Festival" at the 2009 Fernie Mountain Film Festival, "Best Director" as the X-Dance film festival and "Absolute Winner - King of Films" at the 2009 Livigno Film Festival in Italy.

Doors open at the World Bar, Queenstown at 6.30pm with the film starting at 7.00pm. Tickets are $10 with all proceeds going to Search & Rescue. House drinks are $4 and entry to the spot prize draw is included. Prizes from - Body Sanctum, Harris Mountain Heli-Ski, IO NZ, Joe's Garage, Onsen's Hot Pools, Outside Sports, Petzl, Quest, The Studio Pilates & Physiotherapy & The World Bar.

Click HERE to see the facebook page about the event and register your RSVP.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you there.
S&S

Cycle2Learn

On the Tour d’Afrique I had the pleasure of riding with lots of really inspirational people. Adventurers from all walks of life with as diverse a backgrounds as you could imagine. Two guys, Bruce and Tim really broke the mold. These guys, both in their late twenty’s, didn’t just decide to raise money for charity while riding the TDA – they stared their own charity! Both native South Africans they were keenly aware of the dichotomy of resources that exist in their homeland. They set out with a simple goal – build two new classrooms for a school badly in need on the Eastern Cape of SA. Their plan was ambitious and bold – they would raise 180,000 SA Rand (roughly $22,000 USD). Not content to simply pony up to big corporations and ask for big handouts – they decided to go decidedly grass-roots. They asked for individual donations of R100 (about $12.50USD) so how did they go? It was a massive success! They raised, at last tally, R172,000, or 1720 individual partners who have donated and done their bit. Really inspirational stuff!

I’m hugely impressed by what these guys have done – but they’re not done quite yet. They are still R8000 ($1000USD) short of their goal – tantalizingly close! It’s a great cause and well worth the modest donation they are asking for. These guys put in HUGE effort to ride the length of Africa; both Bruce and Tim were EFI (every fucking inch of the way from Cairo to Cape Town) and managed to come in second and third place in the race. So why did they put all this effort in? One simple reason - to raise the cash to help out these kids who really need it!

I’ve done my bit and I hope some of you will have a look at what they are doing and get involved too! I’d appreciate it, Bruce and Tim would really appreciate it and words can’t describe how much the kids will appreciate it!

For more on Cycle2Learn and to donate click HERE.

Oprah, KFC and me...

Ok it’s no secret I have a soft spot for KFC. Yes I know the wonderful irony that I am a vegetarian, but on occasion I eat KFC. Long ago I decided to eat the chicken of doom in every country that I visit, or at least every country that has a franchise. Perhaps it all stems from a very funny question a friend asked me years ago, “What do you call a vegetarian that eats chicken?” I thought it was the start of a joke, but it turns out she was honestly curious. I was dumbstruck and had nothing to offer.

I’ve been a veggie for years for a variety of reasons – heath and land-use ethics are the main ones – but another reason is discipline. I like the idea of facing a craving every day and saying no, not because of an ideological subscription, but by a conscious choice I make every day. To me this is a very powerful decision to make - a much harder one than simply saying that, 'I’m not allowed' and turning away. I say no to KFC (most of the time) because I choose not to and for no other reason.

So why am I babbling about KFC today? Well Oprah, yes that Oprah (she’s so entrenched into the cultural zeitgeist that ‘Oprah’ is pre-loaded into the Word spell-check – with Obama, iPod, and Facebook all getting the underline treatment) has decided to give everyone in America a meal at KFC. Go to her website and print out a coupon for a free meal at the grease pit. Apparently it is to promote some sort of healthy meal they are introducing.

What the fuck?

You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that smelling KFC let alone eating it will take tangible amounts of time off your life expectancy. And not only is the most influential woman in America, no, the World saying it’s ok to eat it, she’s giving the shit away? I say again, what the fuck is up with that? I could go on for hours on the inevitable corporate kickbacks and dietary ramifications of such a credible celebrity (sorry does that sound like an oxy-moron to anyone else?) endorsing what is likely the most unhealthy meal on the planet but I’ll save you from that. I guess it’s just another strange turn of events in an already strange world…

I am still waiting for my free Dr. Pepper because Chinese Democracy hit the shelves before China became a democratic nation…

For more on my history with KFC click HERE. For more on celebrities selling out to fast food click HERE.

Earth Hour

One Revolution

Have a look at this trailer for a pretty inspirational expedition on Mount Kilimanjaro. I know I’ll be following along this March when Chris attempts Killi – it’s going to be mega inspirational stuff! You can check out his webpage and blog HERE.



Also have a look on the vid for my great friend Sarah Wallis doing her bit in Tanzania. Longtime followers of this blog will know all about Sarah and her work with The Plaster House in Arusha, Tanzania. It’s an amazing project and has been my charity of choice for a while now. Have a look HERE and HERE for more about the Plaster House and do what you can to help them out – the work they are doing for the kids is awesome!

SK

Tour d’Afrique – Giving Back

I’ve struggled for a long time to come to terms with my philanthropic strategy for my African adventure. My trip will pass through some of the most economically disadvantaged areas of the world – and there is no doubt that I want to do something to give back and help these people. And I want to encourage all of you to help. But where I encounter the rub, is the idea that I am somehow doing this trip for the sole reason to raise awareness or funds. To say that would be a lie, a lie that I couldn’t live with.

The first reason why I am doing this trip is for the pure adventure of it – when I first learned of the TDA I was blown away by the potential of it and that aspect hasn’t diminished one bit. This is wildest dream sort of neighborhood for me, this isn’t some exercise in deprivation for the sake of a charity cause. I’m not running laps at the local YMCA or starving myself for 48hrs to implore you to dig deep into your pockets and help those in need. I’m not going to strong-arm you into writing a cheque just because I’m going to ride my bike in forty degree heat. I’m choosing to do this; I’m not looking for your pity.

That’s not to say that I don’t want you to help out the cause – but I want you to help out for your own reasons. I want you to help those in need because it’s something you feel is important to do – not out of obligation. Too often charities do little more then open up their hands and ask for cash and offer too little in the way of accountability. Likewise, expeditions funded under the thin veil of charity head to the far corners of the globe to fight disease, but the reality of a fully funded expedition looms just below the surface. I’m not going to go down that road and I don’t want you to follow me.

The charity I’m working with on this trip is the Tour d’Afrique Foundation. Every year they raise funds to by bicycles for doctors, outreach workers, teachers and others of influence in need of transportation. With these bikes, these valuable members of the community can get into the far reaches of the countryside and help those in need of their specialized brand of help. It’s a fantastic charity that I hope you’ll support, for the simple fact that they are doing amazing work for those truly in need. It is my goal that through my adventure and the telling of the tale I can encourage you to see the value in this charity. It’s a fantastic organization that is really making a difference for those who really do need outside help in order to survive.

Have a read of their website and do what you can, not for me, not for you – but for them.

http://www.tourdafrique.com/foundation/projects.html

sk

The Arusha Plaster House

Hello Blogland,
Today’s blog is something that is near and dear to my heart – and for that reason it is being simulcast on both my blog and on a page of its own on my website. I’ve never wanted to use my blog as a pulpit or a means to bombard you with my ideological point of view, but this is something that I feel is really important. Have a read, go to my website and look at www.adventureskope.com/plasterhouse and have a think. If you want to join in and help out, let me know and we can make it happen.

~~~~

The Arusha Plaster House
In October 2007 my wife Sophie and I traveled to the African nation of Tanzania. We were there to experience the wilderness, the people and the sites of Africa. If only we’d have known what an impact visiting this region of the earth would have on our lives.

Sarah Wallis is a lifelong friend of Sophie’s. The two of them grew up as neighbors in suburban Melbourne, Australia. As adults the wanderlust of travel infected them both and while Sophie journeyed to Canada and eventually to New Zealand, Sarah went to Africa. As a trained Occupational Therapist, Sarah’s skills were a hot commodity in the developing nation of Tanzania. It was five years ago that she first moved to Arusha, and her impact on the city has been extraordinary.


Sarah is spearheading a project called The Arusha Plaster House, through the Selian Lutheran Hospital and we want to help her as much as we can. Life in Tanzania is hard, especially for children. The houses are mud huts called bomas where an open fire in the centre serves as both furnace and stove for the family and animals that call the boma home. Children are often injured by this cooking fire. As infants they stumble into the flames and sustain horrific burns for which there is little nearby treatment. So often times a burn to the foot will heal in such a way that the skin contracts bringing the toes to near the shin and making it almost impossible for the child to walk.

In the third world not being able to fend for yourself is often a death sentence. If you can’t help with the cattle, fetch water or tend the crops then you are a burden on the family and children like this are often abandoned. But there is hope – aid agencies from the west have set up hospitals that perform plastic surgeries and fix these injuries. Not to mention cleft pallets and other afflictions that would be easily fixed in the west.



But there is a limitation to this help and that comes in the form of bed space. After a surgery the young patients need a place to recover, get physical therapy and be monitored while they are bound in plaster. At the moment they stay in the hospital or in the rehab center. But this clog of patients severely limits the number of surgeries that can be done. No beds equals no surgeries.


This is where the plaster house comes in. It is going to be a place where the children can recover from their surgeries, get better and then enter the rehab center when they are ready. This simple intermediate step will change the lives of countless children. When Sophie and I were in Arusha we had the opportunity to meet these kids, and despite the tough life that they’ve been through, they were more alive then any group of people I have ever met. To us they appear to have nothing, only the filthy clothes on their backs. But the reality is that they have people who care for them so they are rich beyond their dreams. Where once they may have been abandoned to suffer alone, now they have a place to go so that they can have a chance at a real life. You can tell by their smiles that they know how luck they really are.

So what can you do? The Plaster House isn’t going to build itself. It isn’t funded by the government and doesn’t have any corporate benefactors. It also isn’t corrupt, tangled in bureaucracy and political ideologies. This is just good people helping people who need a hand. They need funding from like minded caring individuals like yourselves.

The Arusha Plaster House is our charity of choice and we would be honored if you would join us in donating to this inspirational project – together we really can make a difference.
To donate you can either send us a cheque or arrange a bank transfer. We will gladly make sure that it gets to Sarah in Tanzania and she will ensure that your donation helps out the kids.

Thank you from both Sophie, myself, Sarah and all the kids – we all appreciate whatever help you can give.
Scott Kennedy
July 2008.

AdventureSKope – Heroes Series

This is the first segment in a series of posts about inspirational characters. Heroes can come in many forms; mentors that teach and guide, mythic giants that inspire and those with the strength of spirit to lead from the front with a quiet dignity. The first in the series fits into all of these categories with ease and has been an inspiration to climbers, environmentalists and business-geeks since the 1960’s.

Yvon Chouinard – Yosemite pioneer, stone-master, outdoor equipment innovator, Patagonia founder, blacksmith, writer, activist and philosopher. YC has broken the mould on how to be a successful outdoorsman, businessman and a leader in a field of alpha-male mavericks. He’s created a company that builds products that last, not just till the next season’s collection comes out, but last a lifetime. I have a Patagonia shirt that I’ve worm weekly for 15 years and it still looks good as new. He’s proven that a business can be environmentally sustainable AND profitable. He pays his staff to take time off and work for environmental action groups. He climbs. He goes fly fishing. He surfs. He’s transformed corporate environmentalism from some fringe hippy-idea to something that will actually make a difference (have a look at 1% for the planet some time) and on top of all that he understands the importance of having fun, seeing the world and getting the most out of life.

Have a look at this video and see for yourself.
Cheers,
Scott

Take Only Pictures & Leave Only (Carbon) Footprints

logged old-growth tree on Vancouver Island, Canada

April 22 is Earth Day and has been for the past 38 years now – once the day of days for patchouli munching hippies, the concept of environmentalism or more recently climate change has leapt into the international lexicon. Carbon footprints, recycling, hybrid cars and peak oil are all standard dinner table conversations the world over. Where once only leftist longhairs were talking about these issues even the most devout neo-cons are begrudgingly admitting that, “yes ice is melting up in the north.”

As a travel writer and therefore a frequent traveler the irony is not lost that one major factor in the climate crisis is the pollution created and the oil consumed by international air travel. So what am I doing to offset my impact? Well for starters I’m doing things around my home to lessen my footprint. My wife Sophie and I share a car (gasp!) and unless we are driving to the grocery store or an unreasonable distance we commute by bicycle. We recycle everything that we can, we have a worm farm to get rid of our organic wastes, we buy as little pre-packaged food as we can, eliminating post consumer waste. When the rubbish truck comes around we have the grand total of one bag – every fortnight! I’m a vegetarian, we grow some of our own vegetables, we take our own bags to the grocery store and we don’t accept junk mail. When I travel for work, Lonely Planet offsets my carbon emissions through climatecare.org - have a look and think about doing the same for your next trip. Does this all counteract getting on a jet and flying across the world? Probably not to be honest, but it’s a start.

So should people stop traveling? Has the golden age of gallivanting globe trotting been and gone? I hope not – those who have seen the wonders of the world are the ones who really do put the effort in to save them. By experiencing the world we will be empowered to save it, the more you travel the more you realize that people around the world aren’t that different – we all want the same things and the same things for the next generation.

I guess the essence is that no matter how careful we are and how much we do, there is still more to be done. If we work together we can make a difference, one light bulb, one plastic bag, one planted tree at a time…

Have a look at this brilliant video that has been all over the net recently. The logic behind the argument is undeniable and the evidence is compelling…



Cheers,
Scott

The passing of a legend

Bee Keeper, Philanthropist, Antarctic tractor driver, school builder, Ganges jetboat driver, $5 note poser and climber – Sir Edmond Hillary died yesterday after 88 years of life. Known worldwide as the first person to climb Everest, but that was just the tip of the iceberg to this great man.

Revered in New Zealand as the classic kiwi hardman – tough as nails, cut from the land, he headed overseas to the greater ranges and showed folks how it should be done. His ’53 achievement on Everest brought him worldwide fame and notoriety but it’s what he did after that climb is what will really define his legacy. Building schools in Nepal and using his celebrity beyond the climbing world to help those in need.


For all kiwi’s, even adopted ones, he is the ultimate hero. He is the person that we all aspire to be and hold above all as the best of what New Zealand can produce.

Sir Ed will be missed, remembered and admired forever. By me and millions more.

~Scott

The kindness of strangers

In this time of celebration and giving, people tend to look back on the year that is about to fade into memory and take stock. I got to thinking about it today and realized that it has been one heck of a year! There have been so many adventures, so many experiences that I will never forget, so many good times. But I want to write about today is the kindness that I have born witness to this year.

Now I’m not necessarily talking about the kindness of my family – I could talk about how I was welcomed into homes of relatives all over Canada and Australia. Picked up from airports at all hours, made home cooked meal after meal and felt the love of family all over the world.

And I’m also not really talking about the kindness of my friends. Friends who supported me and helped me in so many ways. Friends in Canada who went out of their way to help me research my Canada project. Friends in NZ who supported Sophie while I was away on the road – for what seemed like most of the year. Friends like Sarah in Tanzania who went out of her way to show us her adopted home and friends like Steve and Leyla who flew to from the UK to Paris to join us for the weekend. Friends like Andrew who invited me on his grand adventure – where we rode our bikes from New York City to Detroit.

No what I’m referring to is the kindness of strangers. This year I have been truly showered with help, assistance and comradeship all over the world. I’m not talking about huge things, but all sorts of little things that add up.

Little things like the people who lined the course of the Motatapu Marathon and cheered me into the finish – you have no idea how good that feels after running 42km!

The guy Andrew and I met near Niagara Falls, NY while we were bike touring who out of the blue offered for us to stay at his house for the night. Simply because he was a fellow cyclist; he offered his home to two complete strangers.

To the elderly gentleman in Paris who shattered the rude Parisians stereotype by going out of his way to help us find our way – even though we didn’t even ask him for directions and his command of English was almost as poor as our mastery of French.

To the guy at the Emerates desk in the Nairobi airport who left his desk, travelled into the bowels of the airport to find my bag and make sure that it made it onto our connecting flight – well it didn’t make it, but at least he tried!

To the woman in Tahiti who picked me up while I was hitching a ride, if it wasn’t for her I would have missed the ferry and my flight out of the country.

To the guy who gave me a ride in The Turks & Caicos after I was completely soaked by Tropical Storm Olga and in the middle of nowhere (check out the vid if you haven’t yet)

To all the people who have helped me research little towns all over the place, who never knew who I was working for and still went out of their way to help me.

There have been so many more examples that I could tell you about – just today a local guy here in St Lucia talked to a bus driver in Creole for me, to be sure I got dropped off at the right destination.

I don’t want to get on some sort of moral pulpit here, but in this world that is supposedly full of religious intolerance, terrorism and “bad people” I’ve experienced a year filled with people going out of their way to help strangers. So the next time you see somebody who looks lost, needs a bit of help or maybe just a few words of encouragement – think how you would feel in their place.

be the change you want to see in the world – happy holidays, and be well.
~Scott

sometimes life is hard to imagine

Hey there gang, it’s been quite a while since I checked into this blog, but the timing seems about right to do an emotional download into the dub-dub-dub-diary. It’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster over the past months. After finishing my bike ride through the states I returned to Calgary, Canada to begin researching my Lonely Planet project. Research started off great and has just gotten better. Leaving Calgary I headed East onto the wide open prairies and big skies of Saskatchewan. With towns few and far between, the pulsing rock and roll of the car stereo was my best travelling companion. Prairie dogs scurried across the road as I thundered past, oceans of wheat swaying to the beat and the odd grain elevator arising from the horizon like a lighthouse. The warm summer sun melted the blacktop and made the light shimmer into an oasis of heat rising from the road. Small towns came and went; Eastend, Moose Jaw, Val Marie, Maple Creek, La Ronge, Saskatoon and Regina. Some were good, some were bad. Some were worth the stop, some were only good for the fill of fuel and some I will never forget. I will never forget the Native Elder I met in La Ronge who sat with me for two hours and told me about the old ways. He told me about when there was no white men, about the days when they would hunt for all of there food, before the road.

The road pulled me ever onwards into my home province of Alberta. First to Edmonton where the hip, cosmopolitan neighbourhoods were a shock to the system. Then north, way north to the frontier. Villages like Grimshaw, Grand Prairie and Grande Cache were carved from the tree covered foothills. Then south into the Rockies, first Jasper then onwards to Lake Louise and Banff. They say that home is where the heart is, and maybe a small bit of my heart will always live up in those mountains. It’s where I learned to climb, learned to take care of myself in the mountains and in the world. It’s where I learned about life and death and discovered how beautiful the world can be. Stopping and looking at mountains that defined my growth as a person was surprisingly emotional. Soon the mountains turned to hills once again and the gravitational pull of Calgary pulled me in once again.

Back in the house that I grew up in, resigned to taking a few days to recharge my batteries – one phone call changed everything. Early one morning I was awoken by the phone, it was early, good news never comes early. My grandmother was gone, not far from her 92nd birthday she was working in her garden and fell. We will never know if the heart attack or the fall came first, but the result was the same. The shock was overwhelming – despite her age, we all thought she would live forever. An amazing woman who lived a life that we should all be proud of. She dedicated her life to helping others through charity work and volunteering. A standout member of numerous philanthropic organizations she was a legend in her home town of Mississauga Ontario. She was the former citizen of the year, the two time volunteer of the year award winner for the VON group; she had received letters of commendation from the Prime Minister, The Premier, The Mayor and her member of parliament. She taught aerobics to Parkinson’s patients into her 90’s, she acted as a driver for the Red Cross for 25 years and opened her home to those in need throughout her life. Whether it was a person getting over a stroke or a cancer patient going through chemotherapy – Grandma K welcomed them all with open arms. And it’s those open arms I will never forget. She loved her family, her children, grand children and great grand children with such affection that none of us will ever forget the love that came through her tiny frame when she gave you a big cuddle.

The funeral was a magical day. We gathered near to where Grandma was born and told stories of the remarkable woman. We laughed and we cried and we said goodbye. She was an amazing woman and we are all going to miss her – and if we all work hard, maybe our combined efforts will come close to filling her shoes…

I’m back in Calgary now, the Stampede is on and I’m back to my research – it’s great to be back on the job. Although it was a tough trip to make out east – it was a great celebration of a fantastic life lived and a nice catch up with family I don’t often get to see. But I’ve been welcomed back with bucking bronks, raging bulls and speeding chuckwagons. It’s just like the good ol days complete with greasy nachos and overpriced beers. Well I better run – I’ve got a book to write…..

Here is my summer mixtape play list:
No Cars Go – The Arcade Fire
Hailing – FC Kahuna
Walk Unafraid – REM
Elementary – Lucy’s Fur Coat
Hard to Imagine – Pearl Jam
The Lonely End of the Rink – The Tragically Hip
Not Ready to Make Nice – The Dixie Chicks
Parting Ways – Pearl Jam
Wake Up – The Arcade Fire
Make this go on Forever – Snow Patrol
We’re All in This Together – Ben Lee

I’ll leave you with the words of Mahatma Gandhi that never rang more true:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Be well,
~Scott