Day 40-57
Destinations:
- Redwood National Park, CA
- The Lost Coast
- Crater Lake National Park, OR
- Coos Bay, OR
- Portland, OR
- Olympic National Park, WA
- North Cascades Nat'l Park, WA
- Banff National Park, AB
- Kootenay National Park, AB
- Assinboine National Park, AB
Excerpt from 4 day BP trip in Banff/Assinboine National Park, AB:
I rose early after a fitful night of sleep anticipating the 17 mile hike ahead of me with dread. I scrambled out of my tent and ran to the outhouse then hurried back to the warmth of my sleeping bag. However, I had woken shivering and was now no better. After a minute of vacillating, I started to roll up my sleeping pad. I gathered my things and stepped back out into the crisp mountain air. I flipped the tarp off our packs watching as the frost fell like snow. More awake, I took in the scene around me and watched as the sun rose over peaks in the direction of Wonder Pass.
Packing was quick work, and after leaving a note I was on my way leaving my three sleeping companions behind nestled in their down sleeping bags. As soon as I was making my first steps I knew I had made the right decision. The cool air filled my lungs, and I began to make my way along the path which arched the lake.
There is a peaceful serenity to the early morning. The calm blue of the mountain lake, the rushing of the icy mountain streams, the sound of rustling inside the wooden cabins, the way the yellow flowers reflect the sun so they shimmer gold, and the way the morning frost makes the wooden bridges sparkle silver. The green trees look soft, so much so that I could believe they were only moss climbing the rocky mountainside.
Slowly I ascend to the pass with light purple and bright pink flowers to mark the way. When I turn, I see the valley sprawled out before me and countless rocky snow brushed peaks disappearing into the distance. At last I reach the pass which opens up to a few short trees scattered across the rocky field only to see a view which matches that behind me. The rocky mountains raise before me like a wall.
I stop to soak in the morning sun and gentle breeze while sitting among the casual majesty which is Assiniboine National Park.
- Samantha Zawistowski
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherlandExpedition
Instagram: @motherlandexpedition
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Chapter 2
Day 20-39
Destinations:
- Big Sur, CA
- Sequoia Nat'l Park, CA
- Kings Canyon Nat'l Park, CA
- Yosemite Nat'l Park, CA
- Pacifica, CA
After a nice stay in Pacifica we jetted down Highway 1 to catch the sunset at Big Sur. We originally intended on staying in a campground in Big Sur, but seeing as we were a little more broke then we first planned we took off the same day to Sequoia National Park. Winding turns and steep cliffs with dense fog made for a very entertaining voyage down the coast. Being us, we also decided to whip up some guac in the back seat. We may or may not have hit an In-N-Out as well. I'm over it. After adventuring around Sequoia for a day or two we took a 3 night - 54 mile trip in Kings Canyon Nat'l. We saw three bears, had our packs ravaged by some mule deer, almost lost a member of the crew before realizing he was a few hours in front of us. Day 3 of the trip was the biggest challenge as we took off for 21 miles, started moving around 5:30am and went past sunset into the dark, finishing around 10-10:30pm. After the 4th 10+ mile day as exhausted as we were, we took off to Yosemite. With one rest day we took off on a 6 night 70 mile trip, starting in Wawona. Much of it didn't feel like Yosemite for the better part of the first 4-5 days until we encountered many stunning views of Yosemite Valley on the final part of the trip. We conquered Red Peak, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and a lot of post-lunch storms, bringing us sporadic rain and hail. By the time we got out we all eventually ordered a large pizza and some sides for ourselves, such a surreal feeling to feel our stomachs again. We shipped up to Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road for a day as well as perusing around the Valley in order to rest up a bit. Overall, the trips in California have been to die for. Astonishing rock formations with dense, beautiful forests will simply never get old. A lot of wonderful memories have been made here. Looking greatly forward to heading up to NorCal and Oregon in the next week and change.
- The Mother X Crew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherlandExpedition
Instagram: @motherlandexpedition
Destinations:
- Big Sur, CA
- Sequoia Nat'l Park, CA
- Kings Canyon Nat'l Park, CA
- Yosemite Nat'l Park, CA
- Pacifica, CA
After a nice stay in Pacifica we jetted down Highway 1 to catch the sunset at Big Sur. We originally intended on staying in a campground in Big Sur, but seeing as we were a little more broke then we first planned we took off the same day to Sequoia National Park. Winding turns and steep cliffs with dense fog made for a very entertaining voyage down the coast. Being us, we also decided to whip up some guac in the back seat. We may or may not have hit an In-N-Out as well. I'm over it. After adventuring around Sequoia for a day or two we took a 3 night - 54 mile trip in Kings Canyon Nat'l. We saw three bears, had our packs ravaged by some mule deer, almost lost a member of the crew before realizing he was a few hours in front of us. Day 3 of the trip was the biggest challenge as we took off for 21 miles, started moving around 5:30am and went past sunset into the dark, finishing around 10-10:30pm. After the 4th 10+ mile day as exhausted as we were, we took off to Yosemite. With one rest day we took off on a 6 night 70 mile trip, starting in Wawona. Much of it didn't feel like Yosemite for the better part of the first 4-5 days until we encountered many stunning views of Yosemite Valley on the final part of the trip. We conquered Red Peak, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and a lot of post-lunch storms, bringing us sporadic rain and hail. By the time we got out we all eventually ordered a large pizza and some sides for ourselves, such a surreal feeling to feel our stomachs again. We shipped up to Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road for a day as well as perusing around the Valley in order to rest up a bit. Overall, the trips in California have been to die for. Astonishing rock formations with dense, beautiful forests will simply never get old. A lot of wonderful memories have been made here. Looking greatly forward to heading up to NorCal and Oregon in the next week and change.
- The Mother X Crew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherlandExpedition
Instagram: @motherlandexpedition
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Chapter 1
Day 1-19
Destinations:
- Canton, CT
- Fort Collins, CO
- Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, CO
- Denver, CO
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
- Moab, UT
- Arches Nat'l Park, UT
- Canyonlands Nat'l Park, UT
- Monument Valley Nat'l Park, AZ
- Grand Canyon Nat'l Park, AZ
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Hurricane, UT
- Zion Nat'l Park, UT
- Pacifica, CA
It is so good to be out on the road! We have had quite the interesting first couple of weeks on the Expedition. We started out June 4th from Canton, CT to Fort Collins, CO where we stayed with Scott Shahverdian for a couple of nights. A lot of beautifully made guacamole was accompanied by a few day hikes right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We have been very keen on making large meals while we can, knowing that on our backpacking trips we are limited to what we can bring and make. During our Colorado tour we swung down to Morrison, CO to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see Umphrey's McGee, Dr. Dog, and Delta Spirit. The show was absolutely mind-blowing and went on for 6+ hours, something that none of us were expecting. We then made the journey to Moab, UT for Arches and Canyonlands. During our stay in Moab we got our first few tests of what the rest of the summer has in store for us. Extreme heat (100+ everyday) and few water sources made backpacking quite the challenge, however while we had our obstacles to overcome we certainly had our high points as well. Sleeping under Delicate Arch with the Milky Way Galaxy illuminating the sandstone was utterly jaw-dropping. That was until the mice came and attacked a backpack and some camera equipment. From Moab we headed through Monument Valley en route to the Grand Canyon. While there we took the Bright Angel Trail on the South Rim down into the canyon. We hiked 16 miles straight down and then back up in approximately 7 hours, and while the experience was incredibly worthwhile, it was easily one of the most exhausting hikes any of us have ever done. Signs were posted everywhere not to do the hike in one day's time, however being the ambitious youthful people we are, we decided to take on the challenge and I think it'll be something we all remember for quite some time. From there we headed down to Flag to stay with an old high school buddy John Cipoletta. Some rest time was certainly needed before we headed to Zion. In Zion we took an overnight trip through the Narrows. Most of the trail we were waist deep in the river which came as a bit of a surprise but nothing we weren't all looking forward too after day after day of 100+ weather. Zion is truly unearthly. Once we got out of the Narrows we hitched 30 miles, with 3 separate rides in 2 hours to get back to the Subie. It is incredible how nice and generous some people can be out here, something you definitely wouldn't see back home. The next day we reorganized the car a bit and headed up Angels Landing. Again, just another mind blowing experience along the way as the hike is extremely exposed and not for the faint of heart. From Zion we made an earlier than planned visit to Pacifica, CA to visit Chris Camporeale and Diane Wellman. Currently we are waiting on some car repairs and taking a much needed day of rest before we continue on the rest of the California tour. We are steadily improving on how we are handling organization of our own belongings, the group's belongings, car management, overall planning, etc. It is certainly still a work in process but 19 days in we are certainly gaining a lot of know how on what we're doing with such an extreme trip. It's been a crazy start thus far with plenty of highs and lows, but we look forward to staying current as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.
- The Mother X Crew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherlandExpedition
Instagram: @motherlandexpedition
Destinations:
- Canton, CT
- Fort Collins, CO
- Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, CO
- Denver, CO
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
- Moab, UT
- Arches Nat'l Park, UT
- Canyonlands Nat'l Park, UT
- Monument Valley Nat'l Park, AZ
- Grand Canyon Nat'l Park, AZ
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Hurricane, UT
- Zion Nat'l Park, UT
- Pacifica, CA
It is so good to be out on the road! We have had quite the interesting first couple of weeks on the Expedition. We started out June 4th from Canton, CT to Fort Collins, CO where we stayed with Scott Shahverdian for a couple of nights. A lot of beautifully made guacamole was accompanied by a few day hikes right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. We have been very keen on making large meals while we can, knowing that on our backpacking trips we are limited to what we can bring and make. During our Colorado tour we swung down to Morrison, CO to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see Umphrey's McGee, Dr. Dog, and Delta Spirit. The show was absolutely mind-blowing and went on for 6+ hours, something that none of us were expecting. We then made the journey to Moab, UT for Arches and Canyonlands. During our stay in Moab we got our first few tests of what the rest of the summer has in store for us. Extreme heat (100+ everyday) and few water sources made backpacking quite the challenge, however while we had our obstacles to overcome we certainly had our high points as well. Sleeping under Delicate Arch with the Milky Way Galaxy illuminating the sandstone was utterly jaw-dropping. That was until the mice came and attacked a backpack and some camera equipment. From Moab we headed through Monument Valley en route to the Grand Canyon. While there we took the Bright Angel Trail on the South Rim down into the canyon. We hiked 16 miles straight down and then back up in approximately 7 hours, and while the experience was incredibly worthwhile, it was easily one of the most exhausting hikes any of us have ever done. Signs were posted everywhere not to do the hike in one day's time, however being the ambitious youthful people we are, we decided to take on the challenge and I think it'll be something we all remember for quite some time. From there we headed down to Flag to stay with an old high school buddy John Cipoletta. Some rest time was certainly needed before we headed to Zion. In Zion we took an overnight trip through the Narrows. Most of the trail we were waist deep in the river which came as a bit of a surprise but nothing we weren't all looking forward too after day after day of 100+ weather. Zion is truly unearthly. Once we got out of the Narrows we hitched 30 miles, with 3 separate rides in 2 hours to get back to the Subie. It is incredible how nice and generous some people can be out here, something you definitely wouldn't see back home. The next day we reorganized the car a bit and headed up Angels Landing. Again, just another mind blowing experience along the way as the hike is extremely exposed and not for the faint of heart. From Zion we made an earlier than planned visit to Pacifica, CA to visit Chris Camporeale and Diane Wellman. Currently we are waiting on some car repairs and taking a much needed day of rest before we continue on the rest of the California tour. We are steadily improving on how we are handling organization of our own belongings, the group's belongings, car management, overall planning, etc. It is certainly still a work in process but 19 days in we are certainly gaining a lot of know how on what we're doing with such an extreme trip. It's been a crazy start thus far with plenty of highs and lows, but we look forward to staying current as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.
- The Mother X Crew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherlandExpedition
Instagram: @motherlandexpedition
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Long time no update.
David again, with a long post inbound. Evans seems to be drowning in work recently, and it's been over a month since the last update. Our Kickstarter was very successful, thanks to a lot of very generous donors. The Bear (otherwise known as Jeremy) and I helped to pledge enough to reach our goal, and since then, Evan has been buried in numbers, dates, and equipment, getting everything prepared.
Our Kickstarter page is a little out of date, and so is the blog, since we've had a few major developments in the last few weeks. Our dear friend Zoë discovered that in order to graduate on time, she will need to take classes this summer, one way or another. She is currently waiting to hear back from an application for a summer program in Costa Rica, which would be a fantastic opportunity. We were, and still are sad to find out she would probably not be joining us, although there is still an undetermined chance she could fly out for the last few weeks of the trip.
We spent some time trying to figure out how to replace her, and Evan has been talking to Erin Miles, who is very interested (although still not committed, I might add). Hopefully, she'll join us for the first half or so of the trip, before leaving us, as she gears up for a trip to India. After that, it looks like my girlfriend Sammie will be flying out to meet us after she returns from backpacking/work in Europe. Final logistics are still cloudy, but we're pretty excited to have new people on board. Of course, we still have a spot (although it would be a tight squeeze) for Zoë, in case she will be able to join us.
Lastly, as a result of the new crew, we've had to shift some dates around so that we can utilize particular cities for the airports. We've pushed back departure about 2 weeks, and should be leaving around June 4th. Plans are to be in San Francisco for July 9th, Portland on the 20th, and beyond that, we have an open return.
We've got about 2 months before we leave, and it looks like we will be wallowing in anticipation, especially once all the logistics are worked out, and our prep/research is mostly finished. Further updates will show up as they are warranted, and another big thank you to everyone who donated to the Kickstarter.
-David
Our Kickstarter page is a little out of date, and so is the blog, since we've had a few major developments in the last few weeks. Our dear friend Zoë discovered that in order to graduate on time, she will need to take classes this summer, one way or another. She is currently waiting to hear back from an application for a summer program in Costa Rica, which would be a fantastic opportunity. We were, and still are sad to find out she would probably not be joining us, although there is still an undetermined chance she could fly out for the last few weeks of the trip.
We spent some time trying to figure out how to replace her, and Evan has been talking to Erin Miles, who is very interested (although still not committed, I might add). Hopefully, she'll join us for the first half or so of the trip, before leaving us, as she gears up for a trip to India. After that, it looks like my girlfriend Sammie will be flying out to meet us after she returns from backpacking/work in Europe. Final logistics are still cloudy, but we're pretty excited to have new people on board. Of course, we still have a spot (although it would be a tight squeeze) for Zoë, in case she will be able to join us.
Lastly, as a result of the new crew, we've had to shift some dates around so that we can utilize particular cities for the airports. We've pushed back departure about 2 weeks, and should be leaving around June 4th. Plans are to be in San Francisco for July 9th, Portland on the 20th, and beyond that, we have an open return.
We've got about 2 months before we leave, and it looks like we will be wallowing in anticipation, especially once all the logistics are worked out, and our prep/research is mostly finished. Further updates will show up as they are warranted, and another big thank you to everyone who donated to the Kickstarter.
-David
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thanks to everyone for the support!
http://canton-ct.patch.com/articles/canton-high-school-graduates-look-to-document-journey-landscapes
A very nice article done on us by John Fitts of the Canton Patch in CT! Couldn't be more appreciative of all the support we've been getting. 22 days to see if we can come up with the funding!
A very nice article done on us by John Fitts of the Canton Patch in CT! Couldn't be more appreciative of all the support we've been getting. 22 days to see if we can come up with the funding!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Thoughts from the southern hemisphere.
Hey everyone. It's David, checking in. At the moment, Evan has been pretty busy, and I wanted to throw my voice in the mix here. Pay no attention to the fact that the post shows up as being posted by Evan Camporeale, we're still working the kinks out on that.
Our Kickstarter has launched! It's been up since sometime later in the day on Monday. Evan put it all together, and we spent some time deliberating the various details and rewards and whatnot. It was quite a few drafts before it was finalized. It is a little nerve wracking to check the page and see that there are backers pledging support, but also knowing that it is going to be a long way to our goal.
The truth is that while it's easy to like a Facebook page, it is also all too easy to not to support a particular cause, project, or person. I am, more frequently than I would care to admit, one of the people who has done this. I have come to realize, more recently, that any cause I find worthy of my attention, especially if promoted by a friend, is absolutely worthy of supporting financially, and even with a low bank account, I won't mind donating because I know how life saving it can be to get donations, especially from friends and peers.
Where I am going with this, in my generally meandering style of writing, is that I cannot possibly overstate how incredibly important pledges are to us right now. While the trip is set in stone, and funded individually, this project will never get off the ground without outside support. Even a few dollars is incredibly meaningful, and we are beyond grateful to have every bit of support there is. And the remarkable thing is, if everyone who thought this project was worthy of a like on facebook could pull $5 out of their pockets in support, not only would we make incredible strides toward our goal, but we would be much more than $5 in debt to every individual who helped. If we could, at some point in time, pay back every individual who pledged, we would still be in debt for the support that we received.
I should admit I'm not a fan of how this post comes off. It's hard to tread lightly when you're asking for money. I'll end with a story, something that happened today. An old friend, who hasn't been in touch in...at least half a dozen years, if not more, suddenly popped up on my personal facebook wall. He started by saying that I might not remember who he was, it had been that long. He went on to say that he saw our page show up somewhere on facebook. He said he thinks this trip is an amazing idea, offered financial support, and also made plans to meet us as we pass by him in Arizona, bring us along to a west coast party, if we were so inclined, and potentially have a place to crash with a roof over our heads, which will be relatively rare while we are on the road. It boggles my mind that this trip brought about this unlikely turn of events, makes me grateful for his generosity, and makes me wonder what power this journey might have in bringing people together, whether they be old friends or new, or even strangers on the road.
-David
Our Kickstarter has launched! It's been up since sometime later in the day on Monday. Evan put it all together, and we spent some time deliberating the various details and rewards and whatnot. It was quite a few drafts before it was finalized. It is a little nerve wracking to check the page and see that there are backers pledging support, but also knowing that it is going to be a long way to our goal.
The truth is that while it's easy to like a Facebook page, it is also all too easy to not to support a particular cause, project, or person. I am, more frequently than I would care to admit, one of the people who has done this. I have come to realize, more recently, that any cause I find worthy of my attention, especially if promoted by a friend, is absolutely worthy of supporting financially, and even with a low bank account, I won't mind donating because I know how life saving it can be to get donations, especially from friends and peers.
Where I am going with this, in my generally meandering style of writing, is that I cannot possibly overstate how incredibly important pledges are to us right now. While the trip is set in stone, and funded individually, this project will never get off the ground without outside support. Even a few dollars is incredibly meaningful, and we are beyond grateful to have every bit of support there is. And the remarkable thing is, if everyone who thought this project was worthy of a like on facebook could pull $5 out of their pockets in support, not only would we make incredible strides toward our goal, but we would be much more than $5 in debt to every individual who helped. If we could, at some point in time, pay back every individual who pledged, we would still be in debt for the support that we received.
I should admit I'm not a fan of how this post comes off. It's hard to tread lightly when you're asking for money. I'll end with a story, something that happened today. An old friend, who hasn't been in touch in...at least half a dozen years, if not more, suddenly popped up on my personal facebook wall. He started by saying that I might not remember who he was, it had been that long. He went on to say that he saw our page show up somewhere on facebook. He said he thinks this trip is an amazing idea, offered financial support, and also made plans to meet us as we pass by him in Arizona, bring us along to a west coast party, if we were so inclined, and potentially have a place to crash with a roof over our heads, which will be relatively rare while we are on the road. It boggles my mind that this trip brought about this unlikely turn of events, makes me grateful for his generosity, and makes me wonder what power this journey might have in bringing people together, whether they be old friends or new, or even strangers on the road.
-David
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
2013
Things are really picking up steam! Our kick-starter campaign is about to launch and hopefully we can get some really epic camera equipment to bring along with us! It looks like we have our finally crew of four people after some initial trials and tribulations. Gear is being accumulated as I just got back from Belize and Dave is currently in Chile for the semester. We seem to have a solid itinerary set and the only remaining obstacle seems to be our bank accounts. It's certainly a big obstacle but we all have faith that we can all pull through by 5/20. Will be posting more as that date gets closer. Exhilarated to get this going to say the least!
-Evan
-Evan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)