Sometime in July...

...of next year. I'll ACTUALLY BE ON A PLANE HEADING FOR NEW ZEALAND.

My heart aches for the departure date.

My film contract was extended until end of December. Praise God for financial provision. THANK YOU.

Leaving in January isn't the best idea for me - as my plan does not really allow for safe travels during the winter months for NZ. Most trails are closed from May through July due to winter conditions that are dangerous for trampers.

So I will be tramping through the North Island for the end of their winter, and by the time I hit the south island, all will be well.

I have a year to map out the journey and start saving for the next two expensive purchases - a PLB and a GPS unit (maybe).

By December, I will have the finances set aside 100% for this trip. I hope to find a temp film contract to get me through January through the end of May. Then I will spend the next month and a half storing, visiting, prepping and leaving. :)

Also in this time, i plan to investigate the condition of my knees a little bit further. I do have a really great set of walking poles with shock absorption, but none the less, good knee braces and proper physio (if that can truly exist at a cheaper price than 80$/hr 3-4 times a week) will do me wonders.

On a side health care note - i'd like to say how appauled I am that OHIP has removed physio as a covered medical treatment unless you spend a night in the hospital. No offense - but I didn't ask for my knees to be without fluid and grinding themselves to oblivion with apparently no real solution until basically the bones destroy one another. To me - that's a condition that I didn't really ask for - and it probably should be covered by OHIP in some way.

Dang it.

Oh well - I'm still hoping that training will help develop more muscle protection/support for my knees. :(

The fate of my travels...

So everything is up in the air...again.

First - we have yet to confirm what the fate of our show is. We are confirmed for 13 more episodes. They are trying for more. If there are only 13, I am done working at the end of August - and I am good to go. If there are more - who knows. If I am working straight until December, I am better off to wait until the end of the following July to leave for NZ (as backpacking is highly un-recommended in June/July due to snow/weather conditions).

Second - to make my heart a little happier (the travelling bug is frowning on the inside), I've decided to go on a trip for my work hiatus in June. Thinking San Francisco or Vancouver. Sad news is that we just had a very strange inquiry from our head office - and their request most likely will render my hiatus extinct due to post requirements that they will need adhered to.

Now I am back to square one. My heart is very somber today - and I don't know how to cheer it up. I have been immersing myself in travel websites for the west coast as I am so eager to begin an adventure.

Another sad note - i just did a check on my Cathay Pacific flight to Auckland for mid-September and the cost has jumped 1400$. :(

Maybe it won't be the same at Travel Cuts - but that hurt just a wee bit. Maybe i'll be blessed with a lottery win over the next few months and I won't have to worry about the finances.

I have been blessed with a wonderful job opportunity however - that has allowed me to save up once again for my travels. I am very grateful.

I am just so excited to go on that trip. The departure date keeps running away from me.

on a side - i need to post a collection of my travel gadgets. They're highly entertaining.

Swimming Lesson #1

Brent and I finally made our way to the Eglinton Community Centre nearby.

Interesting first lesson.

So - i don't really know how to swim. I know how to enjoy water - I do love being in the water. I just have this phobia of drowning cause for some reason, I never really learned how to tread water. So patient Brent has agreed to teach me. :)

The first day (which was a few weeks ago now) was funny. I think we spent 50mins in the pool - but I would totally have stayed longer.

He patiently worked with me as I tried to get the motion of the egg beater just right. Not right enough, cause I was still drifting below the water's surface...but it was a valiant first attempt (if i do say so myself).

But the real kick in the face was when that four year old boy passed by with his father in tow cheering him on - as he demonstrated various swimming strokes. I think that's when i looked at brent and wanted to cry. Seriously? i'm excited cause i can almost coordinate my legs and arms at 26, and this kid is a swimming champion in the making at age 4?

Somewhere, 22 years ago, I missed the boat.

I failed yellow my first time in swimming lessons at age 8 because I didn't want to open my eyes under water in chlorine. Hmmmm. Why weren't goggles an option?

Oh - and Brent was a champion swimmer. I suggested we race back to the edge of the pool, because I'm so proud that i sort of know how to do a slew of swimming strokes, and because i totally forgot that he used to swim. He starts to break through the water - with like perfect form with his strokes.

Yeah - i tend to bite off more than i can chew...always. Needless to say, there was no way that I could win any swimming races with him.

Give me the summer - i'll be a pro by the end.

Hike number 2 - inner city

Date: February 17th, 2007

Hiking Partners: Brent and Claude (he travelled in my waist belt the whole duration of the hike...he is seen in the picture giving you all the thumb's up -- he was comfortable)

Start time - can't remember - it was either 8.30am or sometime around 9.00am

End time - 3 hours 11mins and 31 seconds later

Amount of hiking clocked - 3hours 11mins and 31secs

Distance - still unknown. Although, I bumped into Rob S on my way home from MEC (i was walking, and bumped into him 2/3rds of the way home) and he mentioned this website that might help me track down my distance for walks. I really have to check it out.

Timing method - cell phone stop watch. My real stop watch's battery died on me - oops. It's dumb though - cause you can't turn it off, so the moment the battery is connected, it doesn't stop until it's dead.

Shoes - nothing fancy. Just my thinsulate boots. I haven't bought my hiking boots yet. I will be testing out my KEEN sandals this summer though.

Pack contents - again, nothing impressive - just my fluffed up sleeping bag

The Urban Hike

Not my favorite hike. Brent and I took Mt Pleasant from my house all the way down the Union Station (where he was meeting up with some friends to go to the auto show) and then I walked back home. On my way home, it was snowing a bit. Which was nice. Just fluffy snow - nothing challenging.

I don't recall having any knee problems from this hike...mind you it was over a month ago.

Hmmm - which makes this post far too outdated.

I really did put hiking on hold over the winter months. It's great to hike in the snow - as it is really challenging with trudging through snow drifts. I guess I just decided that since I won't be hiking in the winter months in NZ (due to safety concerns), i would just take it easy through to the spring. I think I'll start up after I get home from Easter. :)

I guess that's it.

PS - who's Claude?

I don't know if I ever mentioned him before - Claude is the beanie baby crab that belongs to my family. We have had him since the beginning of my mom's collection (i think i was in grade 10 or 11). He has become the travelling beanie baby. He goes on all the trips with whoever in the family. He's been to the arctic with my dad, Las Vegas with my parents, Montreal with me, all my road trips - he attends (sadly, he was even in my car accident when i ditched my car on the hwy driving home for Xmas), and he joined my father and I on our skydiving adventure last summer. He's been other places too - but i can't remember them. He lives with me most of the time - I think cause I've tried to claim him as my own. He will be going back to North Bay at Easter so that he can join my parents on their trip to Rome.

quite possibly six months and 4 days away...

update to come

- about alternate hikes through injuries and getting back on track.
- about my tramping* plans.
- about 'what's in my backpack'.
- about how i'm feeling about the trip.
- about the exact date - which depending on if our show runs another 13 episodes for this season, may have to be extended a few short weeks.
- about my hiking buddies.
- about my 'swimming lessons'.
- about vaccinations.
- about my financial goals.
- about my family and friends.

* tramping is the word used in NZ to describe 'backpacking/hiking' in the back country.

Hobble, hobble

So, I have no idea what happened to my left heel?

The pain started yesterday early in the day, and got progressively worse throughout the day. Foiled hiking plans for earlier today - i'm hoping things clear up by tomorrow for an early morning stroll.

Last weekend, the cold snap and a warm bed deterred me from early morning hikes. Terrible. Even for me. I made up for it by walking home from work this week, amidst the cold. Good times.

To tomorrow.

Hike number 1 - the test

Date: Sunday, January 28th, 2007
Hiking Partner: Brent

Start time - just after 9.00am
End time - somewhere around 1.51pm
Amount of hiking clocked - 4hours 5mins and 22secs
Distance - unknown
Timing method - stop watch, controlled by Brent (and it was paused when we would stop to discuss route information - so the timing is pretty much in sync with our actual hiking)

Shoes - nothing fancy. Just my thinsulate boots.

Pack contents - my fluffed up sleeping bag and a water bottle. :o) And if you want to count it - my rain cover on my bag (to shelter from winter elements). I was not interested so much in weight today, as I was with an engulfed backpack. Weight will come with time.

Welcome to test day one. I have dubbed it the "hike that did me in".

Although we started an hour later than expected, it was a lovely day. It was snowing (lightly-ish) off and on through the hike.

Obstacle number one was the whole idea of hiking Bayview Avenue. Just south of Moore Avenue, it doned on me - there really isn't a sidewalk on the Bayview Avenue extension. This is a street with a 70km/hr speed limit - and in all honesty, most drivers range between 85-95kms/hr on this stretch. In the summer, I would hike it - as there is a fair sized shoulder along the entire road. But in the winter, with another walking partner, it just isn't worth the risk. The shoulder has become a hilly pile of snow, sand, salt and ice.

So, I have since decided to focus more on time, rather than distance. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to log the distance I walk on side trails, so I'm at a loss. If i follow streets on mapquest, I can log how many miles I might be up against.

Anyway.

So the initial plan was aborted near the beginning, and we decided to trail off onto some paths along the Don River instead. Quite frankly - this is a better option for me - as these are the types of trails that i will be tramping in NZ (at least the idea of 'off road' - not so much walking along pavement).

It was a nice day. Not too cold - cold enough to be winter - but i was layered for it. Which was probably the first thing i did not enjoy with my backpack. The bunching of a thick winter coat. I have to try hiking with my Gore-tex coat and layers from now on I think - to see how this coat will sit with the bag.

First thing I learned - is that it is almost impossible to carry more than your pack on your body while you are trecking. The idea of something else hanging from your neck or on your side, tends to interfere with the way the bag sits on you - or in my case, made it uncomfortable or simply annoying.

The beauty associated with the rain cover - it fits tight to your pack - so you can easily just slip something between your pack and cover and keep on trecking. I wouldn't advise it for long term tramps - but for easy output it works.

So - basically we hiked straight through and my first mistake was not removing my pack to rest my body at any one point. Maybe not the worst thing - but around hour 3 I started feeling pain in my back. By hour 3.5, my shoulders were restless. Holding the shoulder straps relieved any pain, but on an 8-9 hour treck, this type of restlessness is not good. I had random spurts of knee pains throughout the hike, as well as pain in my left hip joint.

Knee and hip problems are my biggest concern - as they are ongoing life problems. The way they are affected by hiking is something I want to discover with these hikes. Unfortunately, we went skating the day before (my first time since high school?) - so i don't know exactly what muscle pain was associated with something from the night before's rink adventures - and what was directly related to the hiking conditions.

Upon our return - we ate a hearty lunch of gardenay soup, and pizza style grilled cheese a la sandwhich maker, along with tall glasses of Tropicana Apple Juice (a staple in my fridge).

The Aftermath of my first hike.

I was feeling pretty good after the hike. I really enjoyed being on the trails. It kind of sucked when we hit the pavement again - because realizing you still have to walk through a cement city to get back home, when you just spent 3 hours in the forest is discouraging. When i go through NZ, every day's hiking has purpose to attain your destination - a new hut, a new location. There is not much back-tracking.

After lunch, I heated up a magic bag to relieve tension in my shoulders and my lower back. And then I fell asleep. I guess i was wiped. Maybe because I only had like a bite out of a banana before the hike. Don't ask me why I ate so little, cause I don't really know. And also cause, it was my first time tredging through trails for that long (walking for hours through the city is different then breaking through icy snow layers on trails).

When I woke up, I had the worst headache and vertigo attack that i've had in a long time. My body was very unappreciative of it's condition. I was nauseous. I barely made it from my bed to my dresser to grab an advil, before collapsing on my side. It took about an hour for my body to settle down enough to let me lie down once again to try and sleep it off. Which i did, until about midnight that night.

Why was it so bad this time? Well, my vertigo has been medically described as how my body reacts to a migraine. Severe migraines seem to run genetically in my family. Generally, I don't get migraines. I react with vertigo attacks instead - ranging for several minutes to several hours in length. This wonderful vertigo attack was accompanied by a severe headache. Generally, I get one or the other - never have I had both at the same time. It was very trippy and discouraging.

Yuck much?

So - I don't really know if this is directly related to the hike or something else going on in my life right now - but this first hike did not bode well for me physically. I won't know too much about how my knees and hips are reacting to the hiking until I get more time in. Also, I might purchase my trecking poles this coming weekend to try them out - in order to relieve any unnecessary pressure from my joints.

Backpack review after hike one.

Can't say for sure just yet. Sadly, finding a pack to fit my body turned out to be a bigger task than originally expected. I am petite to a fault it would seem. The women's belts and straps are made for more curvaceous people. And the smallest men's belt/straps i could try on - were also too large. They would shift the hip belt enough to make it very difficult for my body and quite possibly damaging in the long run.

The MEC Brio bag, which is the pack I am currently working with, sits well in the belt/hips (even with the thinnest cotton tshirt on). Unfortunately, I seem to be having a problem with the way the second shoulder brace is working. Basically, I'm at the maximum of every level of strap. To fit me properly, my hip belt, when i'm not wearing a coat, is at it's maximum provision of minimizing. The back and shoulder brace are at the lowest strap on the bag possible. And the upper shoulder straps at full extension do not help to bring my upper load to the proper level. I don't know if that makes much sense to many of you out there - but logging this will help me track to see if i find progress in the way the bag performs as weight continues to be added to the pack.

So far, it's not bad. I really am curious about how the upper shoulder straps will assist me in the future. Also, I want to see how my body reacts to the pack if i were to remove it for minimum of 5 minutes, every hour.

We'll find out next Saturday I guess. :p

P.S. - if you look at my picture close enough, you can see my poor man's black eye over my right eye. I can't even bruise properly. There is no chance for war wounds on my body - I'm too tough and well healed. What a silly thing to be bothered by.