Spending hours with visual sensory deprivation is an interesting experience. Quickly one begins to crave even the slightest visual queue. A stick or shrub, a brief thinning of cloud, a speck of colour in the distance that offers contrast or an ice-crusted tree to provide relief from the eerie lack of information that our consciousness …
I recently had the chance to explore the nether-regions of Cape Breton in the Skylight Cave with flashlight toting madmen Lory MacKenzie, Derek Hatfield, Ryan Poirier and Jonathan Guy. A big cyber high-five to Ryan for “finding” the hole in the earth and to the rest of my spelunking comrades for letting me tag along …
Sometimes we all need a break from work, from stress, and sometimes even from gravity.
Music festival. Check. Film festival. Check. Shakespeare festival. Check. Chinese lantern festival. Check. I’ve been to ’em all. Or, so I thought. Then I encountered the festival of all festivals, the kind that an outdoor enthusiast’s dreams are made of. Yes, indeedy, a HIKING festival. More specifically, the Hike the Highlands Festival on Cape Breton …
What is a “punter?” How do you get the rope to the top of the cliff? How do climbing routes get their funny names? Why do climbers call each other “dirt bags?” It occurred to me a few weeks ago while searching for climbing routes near Cape Clear with friends that there’s a lot of really …
It may be a mere 6 km hike, but what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in beauty, allure, and myth. Pounded relentlessly by the Atlantic, the gorge at the Fairy Holes near Cape Dauphin on Cape Breton Island greet you initially with a wide cavern that is relatively easy to explore. But, …
Another road trip to Halifax awaits us. I think I could drive the familiar five hour route from Sydney down the Trans Canada Highway with my eyes closed (on second thought, it’s best to keep at least one eye open at the wheel). To what does me and my odometer owe the pleasure? Well, it’s …
While in St. Louis, I looked forward to the “Moonlight Ramble,” every month held by the FBC (the F#*@ing Bike Club). Imagine a hoard of hipsters with their vintage hybrids, athletes with their street bikes and other garden variety bike enthusiasts descending on the streets, which are virtually vacant near midnight when we pedaled off …
You know it’s official when they request measurements. In this case, a total of 17 different precise measurements in odd categories such as “neck to crotch” and “pit to wrist bone” were required. Without a tailor’s measuring tape, we had to improvise. Twine? Check. Contractor’s tape measure? Check. Patience? Uhhhhh, now where did I leave …
[Excerpt from blog entry on Nov. 23, 2010 – Aboard IO, a two year Pacific crossing] We approached the Australian coast just as the sun was setting over the Glass House Mountains North of Brisbane. We have sailed IO from the Northern BC coast, down North America, across to the South Pacific and all the …
After six attempts at packing and repacking my gear “just right,” I ventured out with my buddy and fellow cross country ski enthusiast, Paul Finney, owner of Escape Outdoors in North Sydney, and cross-country snow shoe aficionado, Lori Mackenzie for a weekend of good ole’ fashioned, testosterone heavy, high-endurance, extreme-climate induced stress release. The route? …
I’m delighted and honored to share a few tales from my Trans Pacific voyage with club members, other sailing enthusiasts, and curious minds at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax next weekend. In case you aren’t familiar with RNSYS, they offer instructional programs and on water activities for all ages, and their learn …
[Excerpts from blog entry on August 8, 2010 – Aboard IO, A two year Pacific crossing] Soon it will be August 7th! We are about to cross the date line and lose a day. We are currently about 170 nautical miles out of Tonga. I have not written in a while because we have been …
[Excerpts from blog entry on June 26, 2010 – Aboard IO, a two year Pacific crossing] Point Venus, Arue, Tahiti S17 31.4 W149 32.1 We raised Tahiti out of the horizon at about 1 AM yesterday. Under a near full moon, the grand outline of the island came into focus as we sailed in light …
[Excerpts from blog entry on Nov. 11, 2010 – Aboard IO, A two year Pacific crossing] Position S26 21 E155 20 The last night far out to sea. A Beautiful day of rolling waves and trailing winds, today has been the most calm and pleasant day of sailing since I can remember. Far out to …
[Excerpts from blog entry on October 11, 2010 – Aboard IO, a two year Pacific crossing] Vanuatu. Anchored position: S17 34 E168 12 I am a small fish in a big pond. I do realize that we are floating in the South Pacific Ocean which is the biggest pond of all, but during most of …
Welcome home to Canadia! This time, we’re giving the East Coast a try. Following a 38 hour road-trip through the Midwest and along the East Coast of the US with Lilly, we’ve arrived safely in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, our new home for a bit. I’ve accepted a sabbatical replacement position through May at Cape …
[Excerpts from blog entry on August 30, 2010 – Aboard IO, A two year Pacific crossing, Authored by Hyo-Jung] 46.6’S 179?19.7′ E When at sea, the passages turn into a big blur. But on the charts, it is a significant event to be crossing a certain mark such as the Tropic of Cancer, the equator …
Dare I dilute this moment with mere words?
[Excerpts from November 5, 2010 blog entry – Aboard IO, a 2 year Pacific crossing] New Caledonia. Early morning light flitters and dances and fades into the deep blue depths. One at a time Jaime and I dawn the gear and slip into the water. It’s a bit colder here, we need shorties to stay …
It felt good to be back in the thin skin of the diver’s suit muddling about in the brine and snorkeling through an abandoned freighter that had recently washed ashore on the picturesque Scattery Island, the eastern most tip of Nova Scotia. More importantly, in addition to observing the destructive power of the North Atlantic, …
[Excerpt from blog entry May 30, 2010 – Aboard IO, a two year Pacific crossing] Position, 16 30.3S 145 27.3W We are at the southern end of Fakarava and today we swam with over 50 sharks! Three species: gray, white tip and black tip sharks were everywhere. We started off the day with a brisk …
[Excerpt from blog post on Dec. 3, 2010 – Aboard IO, a two year Pacific crossing] From Brisbane to Bamfield in five days… Like they say, nothing goes to windward like a jet airplane! Sidney to Calgary in 13 hours, incredible! I don’t think anyone living in modern society appreciates what an airplane can do …
I spent the end of what had been a restless and humid summer in St. Louis, MO serving as the Scientific Leadership Advisor aboard the SS Kaisei, a 151′ tall Briggatine sailing research vessel. The ship travels to the Pacific Gyre and in other routes between San Francisco and Vancouver to help drive awareness about …
Friends, I have news. While the tenure track position in Cairo, Egypt and other opportunities in Squamish, Calgary, Toronto, and St. Louis, USA were certainly alluring for many reasons, I’ve decided to accept a one year extension to my contract at Cape Breton University. There’s more work to be done professionally and personally, and I’m … Continue reading
Hysterical and eerily relate-able. I just had to share. See the original blog post here by D. Alrdride (@daldridge). The truth behind that job advertisement for a lectureship/assistant professorship. Location: Somewhere you don’t want to live Salary: Nowhere near enough given the ridiculous number of qualifications you have Contract type: Full-time permanent* Interview Date: Don’t worry, you probably won’t … Continue reading
Ocean Cowboy 