When economy and ecology meet on the high seas.....

So I guess the Town of Golden a bylaw prohibiting any new installation of wood stoves in an attempt to remedy the air pollution problem there that's antagonized by the temperature inversions and physical geography. Well that's all fine and dandy and I'm sure it will make a difference somewhere down the line. But wait, here's an idead that will affect things dramatically within a much shroter time. Instead of passing the buck to home-owners, how about we go after the real fucking enemy. SMOKESTACKS. Like seriously, get some perspective, town planners. I'm pretty sure they've got enough clout to go after the mill, so why don't they open their eyes and grow some balls?

On a related note, when my parents were back in Golden for last week, they notcied that someone had stolen the wood stove out of our cabin (left unlocked cuz there's nothing really in it). Who steals wood stoves anyways? The bylaw doesn't affect us out of town limits, I'm assuming. Plus, the aerodynamics are different at our elevation.

So I had the Geo checked out today and the mechanic says its not worth putting any money into. Of course, I'm not as pessimistic, but I think it might be time for the Metrofusion to retire, share its parts, and become one with the universe. CV joints, ball joints, wheel bearing, and bent suspension are what pushed it over the edge. I'm not sure how it got so bad, I babied it every km I had it for. Seriously..... ok, actually I rat-fucked it into oblivion and those are only the damages I wasn't fully aware of. I'd already replaced the exhaust before and now its gone again, part of the frame by the rad is broke right off, no rear bumper, front bumper strapped on, gas tank replaced, big dent on oil pan (that was a close call), and that's just the exterior. I'm resisting the temptation of materialism here, so I'm not gonna go on, but I will say that even though I dropped thousands into it after the initial purchase, the Geo was definitely cooler than the Civic Si. There I said it......

So I'm scanning classifiefs for a new ride. If I can get a decent price on one, I'd go for one of those mini-SUVs. *GASP*. Relax, they're 4 cylinders and are similar to F-UVs in name only as far as I'm concerned. More clearance, 4x4, AWD (I think), most seat 4, and not too bad of gas mileage. Chev Tracker, GMC Tracker, Geo Tracker, I think they're all the same, or a Suzuki Samurai or Suzuki Sidekick. Otherwise I'll just try and find another Geo duplicate and use mine for parts cuz the engine itself is fine. In fact, I think my Geo might've actually been a Sprint. It's hard to tell, cuz Sprints, Metros, Fireflies, and Swifts all splice together seemlessly. I promise this will be the most I'll ever talk about automotives. I feel like I should have a beer in hand. And that's a bad thing.

A few things have been bothering me lately.

Why did The Offspring go all cheesedick? I've downloaded all of their albums now and while there are still some good punkish tunes on the new discs, there's also a shitload of cheese, plain and simple. I mean, their music was never highly sophisticated, but it sounded great and worked well as simple anthems. Now I feel uncomfortable even mentioning them, because the direction they went after their best album, 'Smash', which is actually one of the only CDs I bought as a kid. I'm not talking about a decrease in quality, I'm talking about going mainstream, straight up.

Why did Rise Against have to switch from Fat Wreck Chords to Geffen. I really took them seriously before, but now, just like with the above, there's seeds of doubt planted, although obviously not as deep as with the aforementioned. I took their revolutionary lyrics very seriously, but anyone that knows anything about the undsutry knows that the RIAA is a fuckin quagmire of profit-driven and a cesspool of greed. It makes me wonder what their goals really are, progress or exposure. But then again, Neil Young was on Geffen, at least till they fucked him over one too many times.

And Lorin, sweet sweet Lorin. Lorin, who has samples in his songs bashing the industry, signs to Universal to his next release. UGH! It confuses the hell outta me....

The preparations have begun. I've started sifting through my 16GB music collection, trying to complete collections, so that I can burn Best Of CDs, as well as back up the larger collections. Too bad I'm only at like album 10 of 40 for Neil Young. Fuck he makes music faster than I can download it, I swear. I wanna have an extensive CD collection when I go back, since I might not be able to bring my computer. I talked to the fellow down the street with a Chevy Sprint on blocks in his yard and he said I can take the whole thing for free if I want. I'm kinda stoked, but who knows what shape it's in. No engine or any of that, but if the body is good enough, it might be worth it to pay someone to transplant the engine. Maybe not, I dunno yet, but I like the prospects. I really don't wanna have to pay like $600 just to replace my ball joints, but I've been told they're so dangerously gone that the wheels could fly off. sweet. Apparently when the Rockies were being formed, from 70 million to 30 million years ago, at one point, they were as high as the Himalayas. Fuck, that woulda been a sight, but then the continent stretched width-wise. Oh well. So I won't have a phone or the internet in Golden and I won't be able to take my bike right away either. Should be interesting. The Easter Bunny is older than Christianity hey? Some old Pagan tradition involving dope smoking and orgies. But I guess certain aspects of the tradition faded away as time passed. That's all for now, here's some pictoors.

This is from me and Colton's hike up to Gorman Lake. Once we got to the lake, we continued on up to the ridge for some stellar views. This first one is one of my favorite pictures for sure. I'd have it blown up if I could. I think the whole thing took less than 2 hours. The second two pics are on the way back down. I think he took the pictures from different distances or else I could've lined the pics up as a wicked shot of the lake and the mountain.

In December 2004, computer programmer Clint Curtis swore in an affidavit that he was asked in 2000 by (now) DS Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL) to design a software prototype that could flip the vote in South Florida voting machines.

More here

By now, many will have heard of the Terry Shiavo case. her feeding tube is being pulled, because she is in a vegetative state and her husband believes it is in her wishes to be allowed to die. Her parents think she wants to live and have fought to have her feeding tube reinserted. Cue George Bush steeping in to sign bills enabling her life to be saved. I'm not too knowledgeable about the whole legal process, but it demonstrates the power of the right-wing pro-lifers when they organize and have Daddy Dubya behind them. I'm not sure exactly where I stand on the individual case, observed in isolation, because much of it rests on whether Shiavo would've wanted to live or not and she can no longer clearly communicate that wish. I'm certainly concerned about Bush cutting his trip short abroad and being woken at like 1am to come home and sign a bill to appease the pro-life lobby group which falls under his right-wing umbrella. Anyways, regardless of any of the politics above, take a look at the politics and extreme hypocrisy demonstrated in this article.

Today was supposed to be a super-quick day of prep for me (my only prep shift on the schedule), because last night it was so dead that people finished half my job for me. Plus today the dishwasher, who's a REALLY fast worker, was helping me out. The manager, the one I hate, was rampaging all over our faces today. When he's helping me, we work side by side, and she'd come back to makesure we weren't talking, even though I have to insruct him what to do, cuz he hasn't done much prep. She contrradicted herself so many times that we didn't know what to do. She tells us to keep an eye on the dishes, so when he's in the bathroom or fixing something, I pitch in to get so dishes through because the restaurant has become insanely busy, line-ups out the door. Yet she finds time to bitch me out for not doing prep. She's so concerned because hwo long it's been takeing me to do prep, that she'd rather the server's run out of cutlery, then have me work a full shift that could spill into overtime. At one point, she told the dishwasher to help me, then not even 5 minutes later comes back and yells at him for helping me. I was so close to flipping out on her, since I've got nothing left to lose there. I didn't get too worked up since I'm leaving, but the other guy was pretty choked. The thing is, she's not even a manager, like I thought, she's jsut the wife of a manager, a cook. Anyways, I guess none of that is too important. The real manager (but not the one I confronted last night about my hours and two weeks notice), called me into the office to claim that I had told him I would accept straight-pay for my overtime. A bald-faced lie, right to my face, but he didn't push it too far, nor did he blink when I told him they owed me 15 hours worth of pay. These fuckers are pro. Anyways, I guess I shouldn't complain too much, since I'm geting what I want. I won't talk about work anymore, unless it's somethign really notable. So apparently the Rise Against show in Calgary is sold out, jsut like Seattle was, so I'm gonna have to try to scalp tickets again. I should try to find tickets for Concord Dawn too, cuz they're a pretty big act.

Well that shift was productive. I gave my two weeks notice AND made him correct my hours. They'd underpaid me $125 for 5 of those long shifts (and the other 2 will are still coming). They claimed I'd worked less hours AND they paid me straight time for all of it. But the manager didn't try to fight it, which is too bad, cuz I was getting myself psyched up all night. Anyways, my next check should be big, and it'll include the stat holiday too. I'm really gonna need the money. I think I have 700 bucks as of today and to get my car running is gonna cost that, not including insurance. But I still have tips coming and another check and a half (assuming I work the whole two weeks). I encouarage everyone to keep track of their horus for one pay period, just to make sure you aren't getting fucked around like a corporate slutbag. One of the guys at work (fairly high seniority cook, aged 22) made a comment about "being paid to be an asshole" (justifying his behavior). That really made me mad. I don't think being an asshole is ever justifiable. I've tried guessing the ages of the girls at work and I'm always way off. Girls I woulda thought were 23 are only 18 (rawr). Guys I thought were 25 are 22. It's weird being 20.

So I've been doing some thinking and I think I'm gonna move back to Golden prety quick here, due to various factors. I was planning on moving back at some point anyways, so the only decision was when. If I was getting full-time prep shifts at Whitespot, that could keep me here, but it looks like Spring Break was just training me for the summer and if I stay there, I'll be dishwashing till the summer and even then, only getting 3 prep shifts a week. I hate dishwashing. It's disgusting and time goes WAY too slow. Plus they'd only be giving me 25 horus a week I think, so that's definitely helped speed up my timeline. Also, I want a good chance of getting a good job in Golden, so the earlier I go the better and this way, I'll be able to beat the college kids back. The only reason to stay in Golden any longer would be to save money by staying at home, but if I'd be getting more hours in Golden than I might as well go for it. As long as our house in the Blaeberry doesn't sell real soon, I'll be able to crash there for a bit before I get a place. Not really sure what kind of job or exactly what my longer-term living arrangement will be, but then again, there's a LOT of variables here. For one, my car isn't even running yet. So there's lots to figure out. My family gets back tomorrow, so assuming the discussion goes well, I'll give my two weeks notice withing a few days. I'm hesitant about a lot and I have lots of questions, but that's all good, it was time to stir the pot anyways. My main concern is money, because I NEED to have money for travelling, but maybe I could go the EI route too. I wasn't gonna be able to get out around here much more anyways, since I can't use my mom's car anymore for offroading, so things would prolly get pretty mind-numbing if I stayed to long. It'd be totally different if I had friends here, but the level of friendship I'm looking for isn't just something I'll be stumbling upon anytime soon. The guys at work are cool, but nothing special either. Good to work with though. Anyways, so the ball is rolling now, hopefully stirring things up will jumpstart my mind and I'll have interesting things to say once again. I defintely think of things from time to time, but they seem to drift in and out. I had something today, but I forget. I was watching ppl at work today geting screwed over by poor shift planning and the bosses can be such dicks. One server is a single mom who can't work split shifts because she can't find a babysitter for it. Yet they still try to push it on here even though her availability sheet says absolutely not. Fuckheads. I almost snapped in there when i heard that wonderful line, "Hey, I've got a business to run here". Fuck you dickcheese, she's got a family to raise. Asshole. Anyways, today is a shitty day at work, and I'm not even half way done (I hate split shifts too).


You'll defintely have to click on these to see what's going on and hopefully your browser is like mine and you can zoom in too (I use Firefox as my browser these days, it's rad)

On the left is me gapping some rapids on Kennedy River on the way to Tofino.
On the right is me and Kelly jumping off the Pedestrian Bridge in Golden. It's hard to see Kelly cuz he's on the other side of me, but he's doing a Gainer and I'm doing a Front Flip.


Me and Dani at Wapta Falls. They spray from the falls is so intense. Within a minute up close, you're totally drenched.

Sweatshop Union has a new album coming out in late April called "United We Fall". I previewed a few tracks, it sounds less political and not quite as catchy, but I'll just wait and see. I had an increidbly violent dream yesterday. Face mutilations, one fetuses killing another fetus in the womb, and other shit. It was like someone was readingme this book. It actually haunted me a bit. Here's some pics:

Two cool shots of Spider Lake I took about 20 minutes from my place


Canyon Creek near Golden, where me, Craig, Charles, and Colton got stuck for like 8 hours


The first one is just a pic near my place in the Blaeberry and the second is how far we got on this road (Donald Cirque Road, goes from Donald to the Golf Course), before we got turned around at this rickety snowmachine bridge.

Very satisfying day. I made the 9:00 ferry to Denman and no one on the ferry thought I'd be able to make the 9:40 sailing to Hornby on my bike because it was 11km (docked at 9:15), but I decided to take the challenge, so I boogied there as fast as I could, admiring a nice view of the island from an offshore angle that I hadn't been blessed with yet. Against all odds, I manged to make the ferry with about a minute to spare, thanks to the fact that they were 10 minutes late due to refueling. So I'd lucked out and was stoked. Once on Hornby, I found the trail I was looking for that went along some cliffs and boasted an even better view of the island which has definitely helped me gain perspective and oreintation. Really cool trail since it was pretty high up. I made to to the Co-op, which is the one of two centers on the island. Both islands have a population of about 900, but Hornby's triples during the summer. The co-op was really cool, it had a gas station, grocery store, hardware store, clothing store, and book store. It's so chill there that they don't even watch the book store, they just have a bowl to put your money in, so I bought a Tom Robbins book (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues) and one called "Handbook to Higher Consciousness". I was expecting hippies on the island and I wasn't dissapointed. Lots of em and really cool unique, crazy-ass houses too. But also other people, like retirees. 20 years ago you could get a 1/2 acre of land for $12,000, but nowadays it's like $150,000, so the richees are movin in. There's only one section of logging on a 40acre piece of land, compared to Denman which is probably 1/3 logged. Tribune Bay (and the beach) was really nice. Big beach, white sand just like I expected. Really sweet, but apparently totally packed in the summer. I walked along the water passed some neat rock formations and out to a point where I could see Little Tribune Bay and what must have been over 5000 sea-gulls. I took my shirt off and laid in the grass in the sun (beautiful day), and watched hundreds and hundreds of birds flying overhead, but it didn't even make a dent in the number of birds in the other bay. After the beach, I went to Helliwell Park, which has a bunch of cliffs/bluffs and views of the coast mountains, some of which have really cool peaks and I'd like to find out what they are. Hornby definitely has some cool shit to check out, and the view of Mt Arrowsmith beyond Qualicum was pretty gnarly, and up the island, there was even a view of Mt Albert Edward, the third highest on the island, but you can hike to the top and get spectacular views in a really long day-hike. So I made my way back to the ferry, and after asking two guys if they'd let me hitch a ride across Denman (rude fuckers), some lady hooked me up with a ride, and we talked the whole way. Learned a ton about the area. No predators on Hornby, lots of deer, tons of tourists in summer, hippies arrived as draft-dodgers and there was much conflict with the farmers who were there first. Lots of other stuff too, she was reall nice and informative (unlike everyone else I run into). Overall, I think I biked about 35km, and hiked 4km. I'd go back too I think. Lots pf other things I wanted to say too, but oh well. I expanded on last nights dinner tonight, but still keeping the white & green theme. In addition to the white and green onions, spinach, zuccini, and broccoli, I added kale, asparagus, cauliflower, and even cashews and jalepenos, with great success. Very happy with myself. I'd also like to mention that I've tried a new deodorent, with tremendous success. Even now, after a full day in the sun and intense physical activity, I can't notice any stench at all. It's like this crystal stick that you get wet to apply. I think it has salt in it. Got it at the health food store. Oh I just remembered something I thought of today. Change. People resist change, yet change is the only constant. Observe birds. They could just sit in their cozy nests, refusing to migrate south to get food (or warmth), but they don't. They just ride the 'winds' of change and go with the flow. I like that. Hornby only has cops for 5 months out of the year. Lucky....

room to breathe

Now that THAT is done with, I can continue living again. I cleared about 750 bucks in 90hrs over 7 days. I went for a bike ride today, definitely the most alive I've been lately. I decided I'm gonna take a bike on the ferry tomorrow over to Hornby Island, via Denman Island, and ride around the island, to the summit, and then to it's renowned beaches, which supposedly have white sand and the warmest swimming in BC. I made a cool dinner tonight by combining 3 recipes. Steamed brocolli, pan-cooked spinach, and fried zuke. It was delicious. I have lots of little things to say. I brought a stereo to work today, but I only got one comment on my music. I played chill Bonobo, Dan F, drum n Bass, Beatles, Bob Marley, Bad Religion, and Rise Against. Actually someone asked what the them of the day was when a sitar Indian track by the Beatles was on. Concord Dawn is rumoured to be in Clagary in April (same night as Rise Against), Jedi Mind Tricks are in Vancouver and Victoria next month too. The social dynamics at work are interesting. It's weird how I get along so well with the guys when they have nothing in common with me at all. Normally, I'd write them all off, but they seem like decent kids. Well I'm gonna continue my streak of going to bed early and hopefully I'll be outta the house by 9 or so. I bet I'll be much more intellectually stimulated after tomorrow. Anyways, thanks for being patient through my streak of being mind-numbed. I'll post more pics soon too, I'm just too tired now.

Worked 10 hours yesterday and 12 today. It was so busy for a while, but whatever, it's really not too bad. I'm just drifting along. I tried to post last night but accidentally deleted it., then i tried to post pictures, but it wouldn't work. Michelle tells me that Concord Dawn is gonna be in Calgary the same night as Rise Against. That would be so insane. Rock out to primo punk and drum n bass all in one night. So I'm home alone for the week. Doesn't change much. I can play music in the morning when i get up for work, that's about it.

I have an intense urge to go on ebay and buy a fiddle. That would be so excellent. Anyways, I'm fading fast, goodnight.

Only worked ten hours today. Guess I shouldn't complain. Mitch's mom worked 50 days straight once. Actually twice. Probably like for times, I think. That's crazy. But once you turn autopilot on, time can really fly. My heels really hurt though. Did I mention last night that I got my pictures back? I wish I had time to post them. I might work 6 days this week. That'd make for one crazy check. I'm already sitting at 350 for this week. I had to cut tons of corners today and stop caring about quality so I could get out early. I think they're fully expecting me to stay till summer. Boy are they wrong! Anyways, I'm gonna read for a bit, rejuvenate my brain for a bit.

Deja Voodoo

I worked 13 and a HALF hours today. It defies explanation. I worked like 3 times faster today. The manager asked me if it was ok if he didn't pay me overtime. That was hilarious. I declined his offer. I'm quite fine with $260+ in 2 days, thanks very much. CBC Radio Two has been a welcome companion, except when the other people there start bitching about me listeninig to classical instead of listening to their loop radio. Sorry guys, I'm actually NOT a mindless drone. I got 3 rolls of flim back today. Some sweet pics. Will post later. I wonder when I'll see daylight again. Over and out....

So i've been clean for just about 4 months now, except for a few drinks. Four months. I kinda wished I'd brought some pot when I went camping, but I'm sure I wouldn't have ben able to keep my cool. I'm curious as to what it'd be like. I definitely don't wanna get back in the habit too much though. Just when I'm outdoors maybe. I dunno, I won't smoke for a while yet anyways. I still have this super-LSD kickin around too. I can barely imagine how nuts it'd be. Ten hours of what? WHAT??? Oh the possibilities.... I think I'd wanna do it in a rainforest on the island. Without a doubt, it'd have to be outdoors and during daylight. I've been vegan for more than two months now. I'm definitely diggin it. It's really not hard at all not. I don't really crave cheese at all and there's enough substitues that it's not much of hardship to do without and it's definitely healthier. I sure do shit a lot. But that's a good thing. Nothing sticks around long enough that shouldn't be. Haven't used a microwave either since I went vegan, stoked on that too. Did I mention that, at White Spot, if something is frozen and we nuke it, we don't take the bags off. Isn't that sick? I never wanna eat at another corporate restaurant. "Well if it doesn't look dirty, don't wash it". Fuckin idiots.

I just figured out that I rightfully earned $130 today including overtime, if they pay me properly. I can hope they don't, just so I can call them on it.

Well the corporate review guy was at White Spot today so we had to be nazi's about sanitation and such. I couldn't multi-task and I had to be super precise in measuring, plus this was my first day working alone and there's still lots of prep items that I'm clueless about. After a while though, management started hinting as if I was being slow or something even though they told me to take my time today. I though I did pretty fuckin good. Anyways, what my point? I just worked a 13 hour shift. 7am-8pm. Open to close. Missed the whole day. Saw a bit of sunrise. And I'm back in tomorrow at 7am again. God bless whoever invented autopilot. Here's my contribution for the day. Something I've been meaning to do for years. Please take a look at it, maybe even forward the site to ppl. It's important info and I think we're all getting jerked around in some way or another. Check out the FAQ at the bottom too...
BC Employment Standards Act


Here's some pictures....


Me at Lorin's set in Victoria

Lorin Bassnectar

The train bridge near my place

Hiking up to the Mummery Glacier in the Blaeberry Valley. Me, both Shawns, Clinton, and Charles

Found a pretty well-rounded, informative, easy to understand website here. It's got info on fluoride, chlorine, aspartame, sugar, dentistry (the danger of root canals), and coffee, as well as giving advice on detox diets and juicing (I had been searching for info on enzymes, which led me to juicing, which led me to this site). I didn't realize juicing was so beneficial, I thought it was jsut a type of fast and I also had been wondering for a while exactly how bad sugar is for you. VERY bad apparently. On average, we eat like 25 times more sugar than we did 100 years ago. Anyways, check it out....

I feel weird today. I was borderline nauseous for a while, which never happens to me. Light-headed too. I can't figure out why though. And my butt muscles are really sore, but I don't think I did enough trekking on foot for that to happen. Only thing I accomplished today is finishing off selecting the best pics from ever roll of film for the last year. It sucks though, cuz I have way too many to put in an album. I tried to piece together all my panoramas, but most of them didn't line up properly, so that's a downer. But the ones from the Sullivan adventure and hiking up to the ridge above Gormon Lake are good enough to hang on my wall. If there was a way of scanning it, i'd do it, but it's too wide. I might post some other pics later, but I'm feelling a lack of energy, so maybe not. Two things I've noticed that I thought I'd share. Habits that transfer or die hard, two of them. The first is from karate. When you acknowledge or say 'yes' to your sensei you say 'os' (pronounced like wuss without the 'w'). For a while after I stopped going to karate, I'd have to catch myself and stop from saying 'os' everytime someone told me something. Now that I'm working at White Spot, we have to say 'CORNER' everytime we go around a corner so that we don't run into each other and I find myself wanting to do the same at home. Anyways, that's all for now. Fuck, that post earlier was my longest yet I think. Props to anyone that read thru it.

Cross-Island Trek

Started off early Saturday morning, left by 9:30, went straight to Strathcona (about 1h45m). The camprgrounds I was going to stay at were not only closed, but gated as well, so I spent the day scoping out potential campsites, but also just checking out the short hikes. Walked to two waterfalls that were quite different, but both really cool. Another hike was almost totally pointless. The sign talked about how the creek goes under ground and then reappears, but it was entirely unimpressive, especially for what they had bragged as being a 'limestone wonderland'. The waterfall, however, was quite unique. Hard to explain, but basically, the water drops off the falls, lands in pool, then flows down one side and spirals around underneath the wall that the water had fallen off, and then into a short cave. I noticed a few spots that I could camp on the beach, illegally of course,but since the park isn't officially open, I wasn't worried. But the hike I wanted to do the next day was at the opposite end of the park, so I went over there to try to scope out a closer site. There was nothing really there though, and the backroad that supposedly has an out-of-park campsite was permanently closed. At this point, I felt sort've let-down by the park. It was nice and all, nothing logged, and a few nice mountains, but I think my born-in-Golden bias had kicked in and I had my expectations set high. Many of the mountains here are just huge steep hills, with trees all the way up, and some of them bust out into a rocky peak, but not what you'd expect. The rock is always brown, something I'm not used to, but that was cool. None of the mountains were very distinguished. A fe were borderline 'striking', but nothing jagged or very rugged. I did realise though, that Strathcona is a park best suited towards backpackers, so I figured the coolest mountains were all out of site. But without knowing for sure, it made me less motivated to do a quite difficult 5km hike with 1200m gain in elevation, without having some guarantee of righteous vistas. I realise now that I'm homesick. Homesick for the Rockies. When it comes to mountains, I just don't think the island can compete. Maybe I'll be prover wrong, and this isn't to say there aren't wicked mountains, but it's just not the same, ya know? I miss the distinguished jagged peaks. I know that not every peak in the Columbia Valley is spectacular, but the ruggedness hasn't been matched so far in my travels (short as they've been). So I'd entered the park from the east and now exited out the west, to Gold River. It wasn't helping my homesickness that Campbell Lake (in Stratchona) reminded me of a mini-Kinbasket (complete with a dam too), that there's a Gold River nearby in both places and the obvious Gold River & Golden word association. Gold River has a population of about 1200, which has declined quite a bhit since their mill was shut down. It was a neat little town though and there were actually some neat peaks in the distance, so I felt a lot better, and was diggin the small-town vibe. I intended to find a campsite for the night, so I talked to some kids in Gold River and they reccomended Muchalat Lake (pronounced Mooshlat, labelled 'Campsite' on the map). Gold River is about 20km outside the park and Muchalat was about 20km up a dirt road from Gold River. So I got there and it was actually quite nice there too. Good rec site, and there was a view of some more rugged peaks in the distance, so I was satisfied. As the sun was setting, everyone else at the campground left, so I was alone to watch the sunset. I lucked out and this was probably close to the most scenic place I'd been all day. I decided to camp without a tent, and just set up my blankets and foamie on a groundcloth and kept a fire going. The big question of the weekend was whether I'd be able to supress my fear of a cougar pouncing on me from the woods. I went from feeling peaceful to being paranoid and back again, but eventually, as the stars started coming out (oh yeah, did I mention it was a flawlessly day, very warm completely cloudless), I finally started to relax. I'd read for a litle bit and checked out my maps (I finally gave in and bought the Backroads Mapbook of the Island). By the time it was dark, I had given up reading and eating and just sat on my blanket watching the lake and the stars. I sort've half-meditated the whole time, going from closing my eyes, to keeping them half open, to just observing everything, but always breathing deeply and calmly. I slowly tuned out the woods behind me and brought my awareness to the four sounds present: frogs croaking, water lapping, out-f-sight waterfall across the lake, and the fire cracking. I became quite tranquil and content, blocking out the waild animal variable with the serenity of the area. The stars were out and it was very clear, so I watched the constellations for a long time. Eventually around 8, feeling calm enough, I laid down and tried to go to sleep. It took more than an hour, but I never became apprehensive or paranoid, so it was all good. At about 12 or so I woke about and the moon had gone down and so the stars even more visible. Probably one of the clearest skies I've ever seen, there were SO MANY stars, it was wild, VERY cool. I woke up countless times at night, and also had very weird dreams. I got up before 7, and by 8, I had returned to Gold River. I decided to jsut go for it and do the hike I'd planned, so i called home to tell them my plans, but my mom pointed out that I'd probably be trudging through snow in the alpine. Combined with the fact that I was alone and it was a difficult enough hike as it was, I decided that instead, I'd just go to Tahsis (see map above) and check out everything in between. Tahsis is a 300 person community located on an inlet of the same name about 67km from Gold River down a dirt road. I was totally stoked that there was a town with only one road in ( and unpaved at that). By the time I got to Tahsis at like 11am, I'd already checked out a really cool cave system, two waterfalls, a 300yr old tree and seen some pretty neat mountains, one resembling Moberly Peak, and Malaspina Peak which bordered on being jagged. Plus there were some cool mountains behind Tahsis (actually called Rugged Mountain, imagine that!).Tahsis, like Gold River and likely many other small communities, had also been hit hard by its mill shutting down and the whole town was pretty dead. Not quite as friendly as Gold River, but its remoteness made up for any shortcomings. I found some people and got some local knowledge (apparently, the top half of Vancouver Island has the most cougars in BC, EEP!) on the area and started making my way abck to Gold River, intending to take my time along the way. I went up one side road and ended up plowing over a huge rock in my mom's car (I swear I didn't see it). My mom's car took quite a beating. In all, I dented the exhaust (producing a vibration and a weird noise) and I fucked up the front bumper so that it makes really weird noises. But up that road, I spotted some really cool peaks that were actually impressive. Then I went to Cougar Creek (*nervous laugh*), to check out a Rec Site, and ended up continuing all the way to a marina at the end, that had a sweet view of Nootka Sound and was just out of sight of the open ocean. Nobody was at the marina at the time though, so I didn't bother sticking around to ask if they'd mind if I set up my tent on the dock. So I backtracked a few km and headed up a logging road that switchbacked enough times to get pretty friggin' high. I managed to get the car probably about 800m above the sea level (completely random guess) and the view from there ('Ocean Viewpoint' on the map) was absolutely amazing. I could sea over and beyond Bligh Island and passed Nootka Sound to the open ocean. The water was shimmering in the sun and it was truly awesome, especially for not even having to hike anywhere. I was quite happy to just stay there till sunset (it was about 2pm right then) so I could get some sunset pics. So I sat tanning in the sun, reading and looking at basically the whole island on the maps and just soaking up the sun and the view. I assumed the sun was going to set over the water, but I was wrong, and it set behind an island, so the sunset wasn't super crazy, but it had been worth it anyways. It was so warm and nice. I can't wait to see the pictures. I took them facing the sun, so I hope they turn out okay. At 6:30pm I headed all the way home, arriving just before 10pm. I had definitely racked up some damage on my mom's car. 2-3 new noises, and 2 new vibrations. It defintely got me down but I was still stoked on the view I'd scored. I took two rolls of film over two days and they're developing now, but I think they won't be ready till the weekend, but I've got other pics in the meantime to post. I decided not to stay a 2nd night since I'd covered the majority of the area already adnd didn't feel like testing my newly-expanded paranoia of cougars. Overall, it was certainly not the trip I'd planned, but aside from having covered lots of area (drove more than 500km) and familiarizing myself with that region, there was also enough good views to keep me entertained, even though I didn't go on the hike. I did get inspired by the area and I had lots of different thoughts on many topics and i even inadvertantly did some soul-searching. I realise that when I find something that interests me, I'll dive into it intesnely for a while, yet I'll never take it to its logical extreme. Like with music, I love punk and drum n bass, yet the chances of me ever being in a band, producing music, or even buying turntables or a guitar are fairly slim, yet I'll go too many shows and parties and download everything I can get my cyberhands on. When it comes to the outdoors, I'll but the backroads maps and explore everything in sight, do lots of camping and mini-treks, I'll obsess over local knowledge, yet I'll probably never buy a boat, climb a mountain, and I have yet to actually do backcountry camping that requires backpacking. I don't think its a matter of being trendy, because it's self-directed and I really do dive into things, but it's almost a lack of commitment. I could extend it to many other aspects of ym life as well. For example, I've had many friends where we'll be really tight for a while and then as if it was just a phase, I'll eventually start spending all my time with someone else. But that's the nature of social relationships I guess and most of those friendships haven't turned sour, so its certainly more fo a positive thing than a negative thing. Also, I don't see my obsession with music and nature ever coming to an end. Anyways, that's my introspective analysis of the week. aside from realising how much I miss the Rockies, my other observations weren't about myself. I'm relatively new to the island, so I have to ask around to find out about the area - names of mountains, hikes, roads, etc. But the local knowledge here (which probably isn't just an island phenomenon), is kind've weak. I mean, there are certainly people that know their shit, but basically the only thing anyone can tell me here is which one is Mt Arrowsmith, but even then, they can't differentiate between Arrowsmith and Cokley. Everyone has a few spots they know, but even then, they don't seem to know the road names of how to get there, nor the official name of the area (if one exists). It turns out, that a place I thought was called 'Top Ridge' is actually called 'Top Bridge', go ahead, say it out loud, sounds the same, doesn't it? I thought that was funny. I had to see it written down to realise my own error. Anyways, basically I'm appaleed by the lack of local knowledge wherever I go, even from people who have lived there their whole lives. An observation that I believe to be an island phenomenon, however, is the number of gated raods aorund here. Probably a full 50% of all back roads are gated and locked, whereas in Golden, it's probably less than 25%. Pretty frustrating. My next observation is a double-edged knife. On the one hand, our beautiful province has been logged beyond recognition. Now that I'm starting to really grasp the sheer number of cutblocks in our province, it's really started to deeply offend me. It's disgusting. Nothing is sacred anymore. Logging companies and the government don't give a fat fuck how beautiful or old an area is, if it's not in a Park (provincial, national, or otherwise), it's fair-game. Basicallyt the only place you can go without seeing cutblocks are in the parks. But that sort've defeats the purpose, because most parks are developed and tourist-ridden, so you don't really get the rustic vibes. I don't think a single person would deny that the Sullivan, Valenciennes, or even the entire west coast of Vancouver Island, should all be protected from logging. It takes an ENORMOUS effort, sometimes involving sit-ins, protests, and more just to get those in power to admit that, 'ok, i guess it'd look better if there were trees still standing'. Sure, the trees usually get replanted, but that's a small consolation. Looking at a filed of uniform height, monoculture trees doesn't exactly get the juices of inspiration flowing in me. Personally I like my peaks jagged/rugged without trees on top, but somehow, it's just not the same when there's just stumps. So I'm sure most will agree, loging has raped the natural beauty of much of our province. That's one side of it. But on the other hand, we've got communities like Port Alberni, Gold River and Tahsis (and countless others no doubt), whose livelihoods depended on the lumber trade. Golden almost went under too when Evans almost closed down. BC, aside from fishing which is a whole other issue, is dependant on logging. So what's it gonna be, economy or ecology? Obviously we can't just scrap either one, so some sort ofg balance has to be found. Pot is an incredibly lucrative, fast-growing crop that could easily replace the wood industry, but as far as practical solutions go, it's not an easy question. I'm pretty sure my mom's job as a forester is to answer that question and I've had discussion with her before, and there's just not a quick fix. I'm sure this is entirely ignorant of basic principles, but what if we just jacked up the price of wood, so that money could still be made, without having to clearcut as much wood. So what if there's a shortage of wood, let the importers worry about that. I've seen many 'Ban Log Exports' bumper stickers and it's not a bad idea, really. Wood is a premium, and while it's not exhausted, its certainly hevily-strained. Although, if we use less wood for something like houses, it just means that things like plastic-siding would be in higher demand, and you don't need to be too educated to know that the petroleum industry is in enough trouble already. Sooner or later though, (maybe as soon as the fuckin Liberals get the boot) a balanced solution is gonna have to be found. Anyways, that's enough ranting for the week. Pictures of previous excursions will be posted later....

Strathcomin'

Well I finally caved in and bought the backroads map for the island, I was sick of going into a gas station every time I wanted to check out a route. It's a good purchase though and it'll have been worth it by th end of the weekend I'm sure, as it has write-ups about all the hikes in Strathcona. I'm definitely going now, solo, just packing up and hoping for an early departure. I wasn't so stoked last night, but I am now. Scenery shoul be spectacular and I'm excited to see how the solo aspect will pan out. I think I now what hikes I'm gonna do, but I might even stay two nights. Hopefully, I won't be updating again till Monday. Weather is supposed to be excellent, no chance of precip, so I'm not even gonna take a tarp. Taking two rolls of film. Fuck yeah.... peace out....

Here's a pic taken near the area I'll be in. Mount Elkhorn and (I believe) Landslide Lake

Above is Mount Colonal Foster in Strathcona Park. Third highest on the island. Strathcona was the first Provincial Park in BC, has the 3 highest mountains on the island, and has the island's only icefield, the Comox Glacier.

Henderson Lake, near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, is the wettest place in North America. Prince Rupert, the wettest city, gets 2,500mm of annual precip. That's pretty wet too, but Henderson lake gets an average of 6,655mm annually and set the record at 8,997mmm in 1997. That'd be like 2.5cm of rain everyday.

FYI, Vancouver Island is about 8 times smaller than New Zealand (North & South Islands combined) and about a fifth the size of Nepal. The average distance from coast to coast is 50km and the island as a whole is 460km long (longer than the distance from Golden to Kamloops. It's got the highest waterfall in Canada (unless those falls I was talking about the other day are real at 600m) and the tenth highest in the world - Della Falls at 440m high, divided into 3 cascades.

If you like funny....

Watch this now
So funny

Correction: Yesterday, I claimed to have reached an elevation of 1500m on my trek. I was wrong. It was probably more like 1000-1200m.

Today was a long day at work. We tried to figure out why the call it White Spot. The official answer is that they used to wear white uniforms, but I think it's a lot deeper than that. I love it when people find out I'm vegan, "but wher edo you get your protein". It's getting really cliche. Do people actually think the only source of protein on this planet is from the flesh of a fucking cow? So the guy I work with had two weeks off comming up that he'd requested last year in advance, but today, his 2nd last day before taking off, he's told he's gonna have to work two extra shifts and he let them get away with it. I mean, I wouldn't flip out if it was me, I'd just say, "I'm sorry but it's not my problem, I have two weeks off". But he took it. It made me sad. I think I'll be working at least 7 days in a row next week. But after tomorrow night's short shift, i've got 4 days off. So I've decided to make the most of it. I think I'm gonna go check out Strathcona Park, which is the 250,000 hectare jewel of Vancouver Island, with 6 of the tallest mountains, etc, etc. I'm planning on going alone and going for a day hike, maybe even stay a second night too. I dunno, maybe I'll do something completely different.

I guess I posted some pics of New Zealand's South Island by accident the other day, but here's a few more.

Sutherland Falls, 580m high

Clinton Valley


I finished work 3hrs early, so I headed out to some caves to check them out, but missed the turn so I went exploring up some forest service road (good ol' FSRs). Took me about 25km up to the top of a ridge, looking down one side towards the lake I started at and the ocean on the east coast of the island, then driving about 10 minutes and seeing Port Alberni and an inlet from the west coast of the island. It really helped me get my bearings and it was obviously quite scenic. I fluked out as usual and happened to pick the best branch of the road every time I was faced with a fork. Something weird happened though. I got out of the car and trekked a bit to chill on top of this big rock in the sun and look at the ocean (I was probably about 1500m above sea level). I'd already taken 15 pictures on my car with no problem, but when I tried to take a picture of myself, it wouldn't take it. This was weird cuz it's happened before to me about 3 times, and ONLY when i try to take a pic of myself. Then I'd point it at something else arbitrarily and it would click, wasting the picture. So I'm sitting here on this rock. I'd press the button about 20 times then point the camera away from me and the first press would make it work. Then I'd try like 20 more times to take a pic of me, and so on. No exageration, I pressed that button at least 100 times while I was in the picture, but it wouldn't take and EVERY single time without exception, when I'd point the camera even slightly away (taking myself out of the picture), it would take on the first try. Once I even brought the camera really close to the side of my head and as soon as it got close enough that only my hair would be in the pic, it took the picture. I wasted 6 pictures because it refused to take a picture with me in view. Am I cursed? Did I get a complementary poltergeist with the purchase of my Nikon camera? Seriously, something really fucking strange is going on. Over 100 clicks and everytime I'd point it away from me it would take on the first try. When it was pointed at me, the shutter just wouldn't release. No flash, no click, nothing. File under Frustratingly Creepy.

I guess I should clarify that THIS POST was sarcastic. I just thought it was hilarious that there's online dating services for Christians and that they send out spam to promote it.

I went for a quick walk just now (11pm) and I could hear what sounded like hundreds of frogs croaking in the direction of the wildlife sanctuary (prolly at least 300m away). That was really cool. I wonder what the amazon sounds like at night. I saw a dog howling the other day, head tilted up and everything, it was so funny. I think I'm gonna howl at the next full moon.

I was really tired this morning so I had a 4hr nap after work, that was rad. It was rainy out anyways. But I had a dream about working, I HATE that. Not only do they get you for your waking hours, but they get your dreams for free. I also dreamed about being a waiter at a restauarant, but the whole time i was in the dream, i was having deja vu about having been a waiter before. I could remember the restaurant and everything. Speaking of, I just found out today that we never wash our veggies before we use them. Budy told me they were prewashed, but they're not. There was dirt in the mushrooms. We're suppsoed to, but it's never checked anyways. I don't think I'm gonna eat at restaurants enymore. But once I'm working alone things will change. Lunch breaks will be taken, veggies will be washed, and drum n bass will be listened to. Anyways, I'd really really like to go to New Zealand someday. Mr The-Veggies-Are-Prewashed was telling me about it. Sounds gold. It's the only country in the world with every type of climate, it was the first to give women the right to vote (1890), hundreds of extinct volcanos. There's Hot Water Beach, where you can dig a hole in the sand, it fills with water and presto, you've got a personal spa, as well as thermal rivers, warm enough to bathe in. Boiling lakes, world's largest hot spring, mile-high mountains rising out of the sea, mountains that rival the height of the Rockies.

Here's pics of the North Island:





Mt Cook - 3,700m - Tallest in New Zealand

Well I've just about gone cross-eyed from staring at maps on the internet. I found a few interesting sites. This one is a bio map of BC. This site is the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia, but may not be helpful depending on your purposes. You have to make an account, but it's super easy and you don't even have to confirm it with an email (pet peeve of mine). It helped me figure out some of the Mountains around Valenciennes Mountain. Site is probably best for finding the names of mountains on maps. This site is the map site of the BC gov't and has lots of diff sorts of maps (including the bio map) like aerial photos, topography, etc. Aerial photos are INSANE if you look at them thru stereoscope goggles. There's a warehouse of them in Victoria I wanna check out, but I couldn't figure out how to view them online. I figure that if you could get a boat ride up the Toba Inlet, it would probably be less than a 50km hike to the area I was talking about yesterday night. Those quotes are from some some famous people who were are championing the cause of saving those areas from being logged. MacGver and Robert Kennedy... weird. Anyways, this was probably of interest to only a few of you, so for the rest of you, here's a wicked track....
Saul Williams - List of Demands

Practically my favorite animal

Apparently, ligers are real. Tigons on the other hand are much less common and are dwarfs. No genetic engineering involved, just controlled breeding in captivity. I'm not sure how many there are, but they have reportedly existed outside of captivity, but that may just be a myth.Obviously there's lots of variables in how they look, as seen below, but they're always big I guess. Like 900lbs.

And the rain rain rain came tumbling down....

Not sure where this is, but look how small the people are...



I was checking out waterfalls and I came across a 10/10 that didn't have a picture for it. So I do some research but haven't been able to turn up a pic. Francis Falls on Headwall Creek up the Toba Inlet which is an inlet on the mainland roughly parallel to Campbell River (on the island) or about 200km NW from Whistler. There's no roads there, it's about 60km up the inlet (you'd have to take a boat about 120km from Campbell River), and another 75km or so up the creek.

"In over 20 years of international travel and exploration, Headwall Canyon is the most beautiful place I've ever been. You wake up in the morning, look around and think you're on another planet."

"This is really one of the jewels of the planet. I think anyone who comes here is going to put this on their top 3 list of most beautiful places on earth."

"I've traveled the world for 6 years with National Geographic Television and have seen some special places but Headwall is unique. It's as magnificent as anything I've ever seen. A kind of undiscovered Yosemite. A modern day Shangrila."

6,000 foot walls and supposedly a 600m waterfall (which would place it in the Top 10 in THE WORLD except that it's so unknown and remote). One expedition company flies in a few times a year for $3000. Seems to be much like the Cummins Valley in that photos are scarce and the only easy way to get there is by helicopter. Here's the only picture I've found of the area (not the falls).

Crazy lucid dreaming last night in multiple dreams. It'd be borderline obcsene for me to tell the uncensored version, so here's the abridged version. I found myself being forced to sing karaoke in some log-lodge-pub setting and i became lucid. I had to fight to keep from waking up, but me and a another, who shall remain nameless, flew up thru a blizzard into a hole in the clouds and up through this column of clear sky surrounded by super dense dark clouds. We went out of the atmosphere and watched the earth spin aorund and tectonic plate action. Or something, I dunno, it's hard to explain. Then we flew down to earth again and I woke up soon after that. It wasn't very long, but the flying was so cool.

Got this in my email today. Totally started my day off on the right foot. Thank you ChristianCafe.com, my prayers have been answered....

I've listened to Thrice-IdentityCrisis (song, not album) many times and I definitely wouldn't have noticed anything, had it not been for a lyrics site that had a comment about the religious overtones of some Thrice songs. Lo and behold, I now have a completely different view of the song. I had taken the line 'I put all my trust in you' to be in the past tense (notice that 'put' is the past, present, and future tense simultaneously) and meaning that the singer had put all his trust in a girl and been betrayed. Now I see the line to be directed towards god in the present tense and without any inference of betrayal. Now the lyrics aren't very revealing otherwise, and save for the word 'altar' there's really no hint of the intended meaning. In fact, I've seen a band cover the song and I'd be willing to guess they had the same assumption as me. This has happened to me with other songs too, but none come to mind and they probably weren't quite so completely different than this.

Peaks of North America - and a bonus pic too!

Logan, Yukon - 5,959 - Highest in Canada (second highest in North America), yet Nanga Parbat (Pakistan) is taller than Logan is tall. That is to say Nanga's vertical relief is more than Logan's elevation. YOWZA! Still unbelievably massive though,


McKinley, Alaska - 6,194 - Highest in North America, second tallest (vertical relief) in the world, next to Nanga Parbat. Apparently Mckinley can be seen from as far as 320km away, but obviously only on extremely clear days. McKinley is also called Denali (which is what the SUV takes its name from, grrrrr)


Robson - 3,954m - Highest in Canadian Rockies, much lower than the two mountains above, but still monstrous when viewed in person.

Waddington (Coast Mountains) - 4,016 - Highest in BC, next to Fairweather (which isn't entirely in BC)

Citlaltepetl/Pico de Orizaba - 5,610 - Highest in Mexico, third highest in North America, and a dormant volcano

This one is sort've out of place with these North American pics, but I'm sure you'll forgive me. This is the Taksang Monastery in Bhutan (Nepal's neighbour to the east)

Here's 4 Culture-Jamming ideas I haven't heard before, the first one being the easiest and least likely to get you in trouble, the last one being the most likely to make an impact:
-Make fake out of order signs and put them on every soda/snack machine you can find.
-Use caution tape and orange cones to barricade off all the entrances to the local Wal-Mart parking lot.
-Use a universal remote to turn off every TV in any public place you go.
-Glue locks at Wal-Mart, McDonalds, etc overnight so they can't open on time in the morning

When I was living in Kamloops, Drew and I went to a locally-owned cafe for the monthly 'Philosopher's Cafe'. There would be a theme of the month (maybe it was bi-monthly, I can't remember) like "Responsible Science" or "National Identity" for example. There'd be about 15 people, mostly above the age of 40, but a few other youngins. It was VERY intellectually stimulating and was quite a paradigm shift for me. Instead of having to dumb things down for the average person, I found that I had to put considerable thought into something before I spoke up. Of course, there were a few attendees who didn't know what the fuck they were talking about, but for the most part, there was a wide range of ideas being exchanged, and even though I think it's safe to say we were all on the same side in the end, dissent was common and it made for an interesting few hours. Even though we only made it to about 3 nights of the 'Philosopher's Cafe', I really miss it and yearn for something to take its place, hence my post a week ago about how nobody talks philosophy these days. I try to keep my posts as intellectually stimulating as possible, but it's tough when I have to come up with all the material myself. Exchanging ideas is invaluable and is definitely one of my favorite social pastimes.

I don't think I'll ever eat at White Spot or even a chain restaurant again. We nuke food that's in plastic bags, add butter to the rice (so it's really impossible for a vegan to make informed decisions when eating out), and aside from cutting up veggies, almost nothing is actually made in the restaurant, it's all shipped in bags, pre-mixed. Veggies are cut days before they're used, thus losing much of their nutritional content. For the money usually spent on a meal at a restaurant, it's such a rip-off, it borders on being scandalous. $1.50 for a bag of tea that cost less than $0.05. What the fuck am I doing working here?

Dilemma: I need money to travel to India in the fall, but I also want to do things within BC as well. Yet that requires both time-off from work and money (double-whammy). Considering that India isn't a certainty, I'd hate to waste my summer working and then be stuck here for another winter, wishing I'd done something during the summer.

Peaks of Asia

Lhotse, Everest's neighbour (Himalayas) - 8,501m

Ama Dablam, Nepal (Himalayas) - 6,856m

Nanga Parbat, Pakistan (Himalayas) - 8,125 - Tallest (as opposed to 'Heighest') mountain in the world, about 6,700m above the valley bottom - HOLY SHIT


Shivling, India (Himalayas) - 6,543m

Kailash, Tibet - 6,714 - The holiest mountain in the world for over a billion Hindus, Buddhists, and others (very remote too)


Some random, nar nar peak


North American mountains to follow in the next post....

Well I had a decent post going till my computer crashed, but here's the gist
-I woke up very sick this morning, could barely breathe, called in sick to work, slept for 4 hours
-woke up, went to work, got a lecture about how I'm expected to work no matter what. summary of my rant: fuck you, you capitalist dehumanizing slave-driving pigs
-the guy I work with cut off the tip of his thumb (about 0.5cm), but he wrapped it up and kept working, that pissed me off, but I guess you'll never get to find out why
-i've been bipolar regarding work, somedays it's lame as hell, other times it's pretty casual

I was gonna post those mountain pics too but I need to get some much-needed, well-deserved rest. Two days off.

Jack Johnson - Flake
ICBM - The Pursuit
Adam Freeland - We Want Your Soul

Diagram of how they blew up Ripple Rock, it's underwater height by about 12m, enough for boats to pass over.

Tallest mountain in:
North America - Mt McKinley, Alaska - 6,194m
Canada - Mt Logan, Yukon - 5,951m
Mexico - Citlaltepetl - 5,754m
BC - Mt Fairweather - 4,670 (most of the mountain is in Alaska, but the summit peak is in BC)
Rockies - Mt Elbert - Colorado - 4,401m
BC - Mt Waddington, Coast Mountains - 4,016m (tallest mountain that's entirely within BC boundary)
The Canadian Rockies - Mt Robson - 3,954m
Vancouver Island - Golden Hinde - 2,195m

I think I've finally found the phrase that describes the idea I've had stuck in my head. Apparently 'vertical relief' means the height of a mountain from the lowlands around it, as opposed to it's height from sea level. In other words, how tall a mountain appears from the bottom has nothing to do with it's height from sea level. Tallest, as opposed to heighest, base-summit as opposed to sea level-summit. Apparently Mt McKinley (Alaska) is taller than Mt Everest in terms of vertical relief. McKinley has the tallest vertical relief in the world, second only to Nanga Parbat (Pakistan). I'll post pictures soon.

Often times I hear people say, "no I don't watch tv either, unless it's the Discovery Channel or something". Did you know that Discovery Channel, Inc also owns TLC, OLN, the Travel Channel, and the newest member of the monopoly, wait for it..... wait for it..... the Military Channel. Brilliant, just fucking brilliant. Capitalist fuckbags....

ok, this site is being weird and not letting me post the pics to the Ripple Rock post, so I'll just post them as soon as it works.

EXPLOSION EXPLOSION

So I'm still pretty sore from climbing the other day. It's weird, cuz there were only really two short steep pitches, so when I almost died, I must've gotten so tense that I'm still recovering from it.

Best fruit smoothie so far, check it:
Fresh fruit - pineapple, stawberries, kiwi(organic)
Frozen fruit - blueberries, blackberries, raspberries (all organic)
Fruit Juices - Grape(organic), cranberry(organic), orange
Magnificent, as usual....

I'm pretty sick right now and this time around, I'm emphasizing fruits and liquids more than garlic and spices. Drank 3 large glasses of mostly organic fruit juice this morning and had 3 large glasses of that smootie. Ate a bunch of salad, gonna eat some more. Plus I'm gonna eat some more solid fruit too.

Anyways, onto our feature presentation...


Located on Vancouver Island's East coast, north of Campbell River, Seymour narrows has a reputation as the fiercest, and arguably, the most dangerous area for nautical navigation in North America. According to Captain George Vancouver, "one of the wildest stretches of water in the world". Gaping whirlpools and other neat stuff. However, probably the most dangerous aspect is Ripple Rock, an underwater, twin tower which reached a height of 3m below sea level. This rock lays claim to having sunk more than 120 vessels and taking the lives of at least 114 people. So after decades of deliberation, petitions, etc, the government finally agreed to step in. Their solution? Blow it to smithereens, of course. Two failed attempts at drilling from above Ripple Rock led to an incredibly elaborate masterpiece of design in which tunnels were drilled and they basically went up the asshole of the Rock and laid 1,400 tons of explosives. The all-day/all-night op took 75 men 27 months to complete at a cost of 3 million dollars (probably not adjusted for inflation). The tunnel went 150m down, 800m under the ocean, and back up in two100 feet columns up each tower.

What followed in 1958 was the biggest non-nuclear explosion EVER! Debris was shot 1000 feet into the air, pulverizing an astounding 370,000 tons of rock (or 700,000 tons, depends which numbers you believe, prolly a conversion problem) and creating a 25 foot tidal wave.


So work is going alright these days. Prep is definitely better than dishwashing. It's definitely bearable for the time being. I seem to have adjusted to it mentally, and although I think I'm still lacking some mental power, I think ithis is forcing me into a social context, which is probably healthy, plus this guy who's training me is sucha goldmine of local outdoor knowledge.

So I calculated my percent of body fat and it's 7.5%. That's really low. Like pro-athlete low. Any lower would be unhealthy. I'm stoked, though. No reason to reduce intake of any fat, as long as it's unsaturated. In fact, I just ate 5 vegan cupcake/muffins. Too bad I didn't need to increase my intake of sugar.

So I closed tonight and I open tomorrow at work. Again. Lame, but I'm surviving so far.

I'm really digging the fruit smoothie scene. Almost any combination of fruit juices, fresh fruit, or even frozen fruit, is almost guaranteed to be delicious. And they're great when you have a cold, cuz of the Vitamin C, and they feel good on a sore throat. I can't wait till summer, I'll gather all the fresh organic fruits I can muster and make the bestest smoothie ever. But no banana. I like my bananas by themselves. I wanna go huckleberry pickin this summer.

My hand is feeling better. I think all the aloe and stuff helped a lot. I've tried scanning my hand a few times, but I can't keep my hand still without it pressing up to the glass. I thought work would be brutal, but I double-bagged my hand with gloves and sealed it off with an elastic and it wasn't too bad.

Anyways, clearly I don't have anything important to say. Someone should come visit me.

The Majesty of Gaia

Wow, my fingers were really hurting for while there from the rope burn. Couldn't type, couldn't even open or close my hand really. So I ran them under cold water and elevated my arm for a long time straight up. That was weird, cuz my fingers were throbbing and everytime my heart would beat, the area around the burns would flash red then go back to white. I'm treating them with aloe vera, teatree oil, and vitamin e, and if I get a chance, I'm gonna meditate and visualize them healing. If I wash dishes tomorrow for work and they hurt this much, I'll be in so much pain. Burning hot water, fun fun. I still can't believe how much damage that rope did for only sliding a few inches. I definitely don't think I'll do any sketchy climbing again without harnesses and the whole get-up.

This is Julia 'Butterfly' Hill. She camped 180-feet above ground in a 100 year-old redwood tree in California for 738 days to protest the surrounding forest from being cut down:


"I suddenly realized that what I was feeling was the love of the Earth, the love of Creation. Every day we, as a species, do so much to destroy Creation's ability to give us life. But that Creation continues to do everything in its power to give us life anyway. And that's true love."

— Julia Butterfly Hill, in Legacy of Luna