Given that I am relatively new to the long distance hiking scene I feel that now would be a perfect time to express some of my partially informed yet surprisingly staunch opinions regarding the perceived debates surrounding the activity. On the spectrum of how much gear hikers decide to bring
Top 5 Rio de Janeiro Eats
Although it is difficult to narrow down the best of the caloric intake options Rio has to offer, the following will prove most excellent in your conquest of hunger: PORCÃO | For those who do not know, a churrascaria is a magical place where you may sit and gorge yourself on a delicious buffet of
The PCT-L (Listserv): Pacific Crest Trail Email You Don’t Want
Members of the Pacific Crest Trail hiking community have taken to using various forms of social media and electronic communication as a means of keeping in touch with one another. The PCT-L (or PCT-Listserv) relays emails from individual members to the entire group as a means of facilitating
The Pacific Crest Trail: Two Months Out
According to what can loosely be defined as my "plan", in precisely two months (that's May 15, 2013) I will begin a 2,660 mi / 4,281 km journey north from Campo, California (just over the border from Mexico) to a place called Manning Park in British Columbia (that's Canada for all you geography
Why You Should Never Ride A Camel
Living up to the tradition of reinforcing stereotypes you decide that you would like to ride a camel during your stint in the Middle East. Good for you. However, as the wide-eyed, camel-adventure hungry traveler you are, what you fail to realize is that your Lawrence of Arabia fantasy of
Prelude to The Holy Land
In the Middle of the East the Jews have settled a small piece of land the size of New Jersey, and this most holy of lands, known commonly as Israel, offers up a lot more than desert and hummus - supposedly. Reading about the country it would appear that what is said of most places in the world is
Why You Should NEVER Check a Bag
Long is the list of (rather compelling) reasons not to check your luggage at the airport, and compassionate am I in my convictions regarding this topic (been watching a lot of Star Wars recently). Right off the bat, it means you are probably bringing too much, and unless you are bringing equipment
How To Never Check a Bag Again
You are checking a bag at the airport. You have to pay fees. You travel plans become less flexible. You lack mobility. You have to wait at the dreaded baggage claim. You may suffer the even more dreaded lost or damaged luggage. You quite literally, have more baggage. Simply put: checking a bag
Nina the Shih Tzu
A monster lives inside of my apartment here in Rio de Janeiro. Something ferocious unlike anything I have ever encountered in all my years wandering the Earth. Its ear-piercing screech and home-wrecking attitude has driven me to near suicide on multiple occasions. This thing is called