Instead of Sitting at my Desk I'd Rather Be... Exploring Iceland

Although we’ve talked about visiting Iceland for a while, it was only reading Alastair Humphreys blog followed by watching Julia Bradbury on the BBC, that made us realise what a fabulous and exciting place Iceland really is!

Instead of sitting here this morning at my desk I’d love to be on the Laugavagur trail, spending days walking through land that’s straight out of Lord of the Rings. Feeling dwarfed by mountains and crossing ice cold rivers. Even battling the famous, unpredictable weather, feeling the wind and rain on my face. Arriving at the huts at the end of the days walk to warm up and be safe from the storms.  

It would be great to see the famous volcano Eyjafjallajokull, to see and walk on land that is only years if not months old, land that has been created in our lifetime, not millions of years ago.

And after the walk, exploring the glaciers and ice climbing on the largest glacier in Europe- Vatnajokull …. Boat rides to watch the glaciers calve off into the ocean, seeing whales and dolphins playing in their natural habitat and experiencing hot springs and geysers.

And the midnight sun, never fully setting so partying in Reykjavik can last all night long.

Top 5 Books That Inspire…

I have a real hunger for a good book, and I measure a good book as to whether or not it makes me stay up late in bed reading, makes me sit in the bath until the water goes cold or I use every opportunity to pick it up and get a few paragraphs in.

As an aspiring traveller/ adventurer that is currently desk bound I find books a great way to escape. I love nothing more than reading about travel to amazing places or people pushing themselves to the limit and feel inspired to get out there… even if it’s often only an hour or two’s ride on my bike most of the time!

So here are my top 5 books that not only help me retreat from the daily grind but inspire me to get there and do something…

1. Holding On- Jo Gambi

The story of a couple who give up their jobs and sell their house after Rob’s second bout of cancer to travel the world, climb the seven summits and ski to both the poles. An amazing feat in the face of uncertainty as to whether the cancer will return. Jo Gambi’s writing makes you feel as though you are there and the fact they are both ‘normal’ working people makes me realise that there is more in each of us than we think.

2. French Revolutions- Tim Moore

An hilarious book about a journalist who does very little cycling, but decides to cycle the route of the Tour de France taking only 3 weeks longer than the pro’s. A few facts and figures about the actual tour history are mixed in with his continuously funny and sometime toe curling embarrassing story- especially his attempt at the legendary Mont Ventoux. Even with the saddle sores, overdosing on hayfever pills and bonks once I’ve read this I want to get on my bike and peddle through France!

3. The Man Who Cycled the World- Mark Beaumont

While French Revolutions pips Marks book to the number 2 spot for its hilarity, The Man Who Cycled World is truly inspiring through the countries he visits, the loneliness on the road and the fact that he breaks the record by 81 days! While FR makes me want to cycle France, this book makes me want to explore the world!

4. Riding the Magic Carpet- Tom Anderson

Whilst I’m no where near good enough (or brave enough!) to surf the places described in this book, I have always wanted to see legendary surf spots like J-Bay pumping and to travel to the more exotic like the islands off Indonesia just to experience the thrill. The story is about a guy named Tom who’s childhood dream is to surf J-Bay and how he uses trips to practise and make sure that when he gets there he can ride it as good as he can.

And number 5... is Ben's entry..!

       5.  Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Aron Ralston

Although this book isn’t an “adventure” book as such and more of a tragedy and how Aron had to make the ultimate decision – life or death, it still made me want to get out there and discover new places.   In the 127 hours it took him to make the decision to amputate his arm he reflects on all his various adventures he went on – from his first ski trip, to hiking in waist-deep snow trying to get away from a bear stalking him, to setting himself the “14000’s challenge”, to when he decided to change his plans at the last minute to solo navigate a very unused part of Blue John Canyon un Utah…

Instead of Sitting at my desk I’d rather be… Hiking the Karhunkierros Trail

Fresh air, pine trees and perfectly clear streams and lakes, the Karhunkierros (or ‘Bear Trail’) starts just below the Arctic Circle in Finland and heads South through Lapland to Ruka, through 80km of pristine wilderness.

I’d love to be waking to feel that sharp, cool damp air in my lungs of a forest awakening after a deep winter. Crisp late spring mornings and warm sunny afternoons. The simple life of walking with just a backpack and sleeping bag and food supplies to last the walk, no time to keep, not even full darkness with the Midnight Sun.

Staying overnight at the huts along the way, where everything is provided- even an axe to chop wood and pans to cook dinner. Evenings by the campfire and morning dips in the chilly waters that can be drunk from whenever needed without the need of boiling and purifying.

It would be great to be enjoying the stillness and calm, nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees, the bird song and flowing waters- no cars, no ringing phones, no emails.

And the best thing is… this time next year we’ll only be a few weeks away from being there!!! 

Sponsorship Link for the ITEX Walk

As mentioned in our previous post, on the 18^th June at 3am we will set off walking around the Island of Jersey on a 48 miles ‘trek’ around the coast.

Sarah’s personal goal is to reach Grosnez, 30 miles from the start, but she will be doing her all the reach the finish line or as far as her “granny knees” get her J

Ben is aiming big and reaching for the full 48 miles, probably around 17 hours of walking.

In doing the walk we are raising money for 3 Jersey based charities- The Abbeyfield Jersey Society, Age Concern and Silkworth Lodge.

So if you would like to sponsor us here’s the link…

http://www.itexwalk.je/Sponsor/

You will need our walker numbers 59 for Sarah and 58 for Ben plus our surname ‘Meyer’.

Unfortunately you can’t wait to see if we finish or how far we get as for some reason all sponsorship has to be paid before the walk so you’ll just have to trust we make it (to the start line at 3am that is)!

On the day we will hopefully have GPS tracking and will be tweeting as we go, so keep an eye out on here for updates or on twitter ‘MeyerAdventures’ before and during the walk.

Thank you!

Instead of Sitting at my Desk I'd Rather Be...

... on Everest with AlanArnette… or at least at Everest Basecamp.

Imagine the sights and smells of the chaotic Kathmandu, the white knuckle ride of the flight to Lukla and then days of trekking through the Khumbu valley, surrounded by the highest mountains on the planet, staying in tea houses, watching the yaks on the trail and the rope bridges across the rivers.

I’ve read so much about the climbing Everest, Bear Grylls Facing up, Into Thin Air and Jo Gambi's Holding On aswell as eagerly follow blogs and Twitter updates every year. I almost feel like I know the route from Lukla, to Namache Bazzar and Dingboche and of that first view of the mountain. I wonder what the feeling is when those that are attempting to stand on the summit see her wind torn peak with that famous plume of snow created by the jet stream winds racing across it.

I imagine seeing the Icefall for the first time and the Basecamp ‘village,’ and being part of the excitement and nerves of those going higher even if this was my final destination.

Of course I’d love to experience the climb through the icefall, to see the magnificent Western Cwn, to struggle up the Lhotse Face and enter the Death Zone… but I know that this is a long way off if ever, I wonder if I’d ever have the strength and bravery to face what the climbers face on a daily basis on the mountain.

So for now I’ll sit at my desk and have a little daydream. I wonder about the sights and sounds that Alan has experienced so far as he trekked into Basecamp then higher as prepared for his summit bid and think maybe someday I’ll experience them too… 

The ITEX Walk is Go!!!

After our Finland write up we promised to let you know what our next adventure or challenge was going to be. There has been a little bit of a delay while my knee gets checked out and I’m pleased (?!) to say our next challenge will be…

The ITEX Walk in Jersey!

The walk is a gruelling 48 miles round the coast of the Island, taking in flat expanses of sandy beaches, the notorious ‘ups and downs’ of the North Coast cliff path and a few boring road bits (that are mainly covered in darkness)

So at 3am (yep that’s AM) on Saturday 18^th June we’ll be lacing up our hiking boots and setting out from Elizabeth Harbour.

Now those super athletic types out there are probably going- “so what- 48 miles pah that’s nothing” but let’s put a little perspective in here. 48 miles is almost 2 marathons, it’s not all on nice flat, smooth tarmac and some of those climbs out of the bays on the North Coast are killers! Also, the furthest either of have walked in one go (so far…) is 20 miles on the North Coast, the actual walk is more than double that and remember we have to start at 3AM!!!

Ok, so training so far… we started our walking training back in January on a misty New Years Day with a casual 8 miles wander through St Peter’s Valley and since then miles, and blisters, have been increasing weekly.

Unfortunately, the week after returning from our Finland trip, my knee which I have injured several times snowboarding and cycling, began causing great pain so I have been forced to reduce mileage. Ben however has carried on and last week completed the 20 miles of North Coast that I previously did in the 2009 North Coast Challenge.

After a visit to a specialist it seems I have done some rather long lasting damage to the cartilage and whilst it is painful and makes horrible cracking noises, the good news is in the short term I can’t do more damage although I will more than likely be going into surgery later this year to help reduce the pain. So several ibuprofens and a whole load of will power will at least see me as far as I can go… and I’m still dreaming it may be the end?!

Realistically though I will be going for as far as I can get, if that’s the end then fantastic but on average only 50% of starters complete the walk, the objective is not necessarily to finish it but to reach your own personal goal. So there will probably be a stage in the walk where you’ll find me curled up on a path/ beach/ roadside, shovelling in chocolate and crying for my mum...

Of course we will also be raising money for 3 local charities. Since the start of the walk in 1991, £1559.234 has been raised. This year we will be walking for The Abbeyfield Jersey Society, Age Concern and Silkworth Lodge. We will have a link on our blog soon if anyone reading would like to donate!

I’m pretty sure though that as long as he doesn’t suffer from heatstroke J (see JOGLE blog) Ben will be in that 50%, once he has a goal set that’s it. He’s also looking really strong and while I finished the North Coast the other year a gibbering wreck craving burgers Ben looked like he’d just had a stroll around the park!

So, instead of boring everyone with trip by trip training stories here’s a summary of the stats so far… (based on Sarah’s heart rate monitor)

150+ Miles

55 Hours and 15 minutes

25400 Calories (= a lot of chocolate cake)

We will now be keeping up to date with our training- Saturday is going to be a 20 miler including cliff paths and a 5 mile beach. We have been told that the long flat beach at 3/4 of the way around is a real mental battle with many people dropping out at the end, so we're going to walk it again and try to break the boredom!

Has the Internet Destroyed the Pleasure of Travel?

Paul Theroux in Dark Star Safari states

“But photography spoiling the visual pleasure of places is nothing compared to the way the internet and our age of information have destroyed the pleasure of discovery in travel.”

But is this really so? Being able to look at a place, a view or a landmark before travelling surely helps build the anticipation?

Before our recent trip to Finland, I checked the Ruka Webcams daily for amount of snow falling/ melting and the feeling I had when I saw that red and white stripy tower that I had viewed so much on the web cams I believe it was all that more exciting having seen the transformation from a snow-less autumn to mid winter darkness to the current blue skies and sunshine.

Also, is an image or a description on the Internet ever going to give that same feeling as when you are there in the flesh? The answer is no, as it’s not only sight but all the other senses that come into play, the sounds and smells, the warmth of the sun or the bitter chill of the wind.

And if we move onto traveller reviews and descriptions of places, yes sites like TripAdvisor may make us more careful when booking if there are constantly bad reviews, so some of the ‘adventure’ may have been taken out of travel for those who read and believe, but so many reviews are subjective and often a 1 star “Worst holiday of my life” review is followed by a 5 star “Absolutely magical- couldn’t have been better.” How can one persons experience ever be the same as the next persons? To me a great holiday is a tent in a field spending my time walking, cycling and climbing while many people I know find the thought of that a nightmare and for them beer and bars in Tenerife or a 5 star hotel in Dubai, doing nothing but ordering cocktails by the pool is perfection.

I have tried to think of the negative aspects of the Internet and travel.

There are some areas of the world that were once remote and seldom visited which have now turned into tourist hotspots full of tacky souvenirs. Is the Internet responsible for this? In some ways yes, now when we see a beautiful place we pick up our smartphone, take a photo and send it to hundreds of people through social media, email and review sites. But years ago this was still happening- ok at a slower pace as you’d get home, have your film developed, show it to you friends who’d then discuss it with theirs and maybe someone would write a book about it encouraging  travellers and tourists to visit.

Take Provence in the south of France, once a quiet, sleepy region of the South of France, with hot summers and cheap property. Long before the Internet boom, Provence had been turned into a British/ American/ Parisian summer holiday home, with tennis courts slowly outnumbering grape vines (according to Peter Mayle, A Year in Provence)

But the plus side, in some places, is the great benefit tourism has on an area. The Khumbu region of Nepal now receives thousands of trekkers and climbers each year and numbers are growing. Whilst there is the argument that the region has ‘lost its soul’ it has also benefited from schools and hospitals. Of course this has been happening since the time of Hillary and Tensing, so long before the Internet, but with information easily accessible on the Internet about these projects awareness and donations are enabling them to build and grow.

So the question goes out to you, has the Internet destroyed the pleasure of travel? I’m looking forward to receiving your thoughts!