ht

Tyler Kerr Set For Pro Fight In Thailand

[Written by Stephen Wright] Tyler Kerr will return to the ring for his second professional Muay Thai fight today [May 30] against an experienced Thai opponent at the Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium in Chang Mai, northern Thailand. Kerr, who has spent several months training in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, made his pro debut in March, […]




ht

Fight City Eye Titles At TBA Classic In US

[Written by Stephen Wright] Six Fight City Muay Thai and Fitness athletes will vie for glory at the TBA Classic Muay Thai World Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Tyler Kerr, Jay Astwood, Keron Lee, Jarryd Simmons, Phill Beach and his daughter Emily Beach headed to Des Moines yesterday [June 17], where they will compete from […]




ht

Video: Kaelyn Kastle Christmas Lights Song

Bermudian recording artist Kaelyn Kastle has released a music video for her song ‘Under The Christmas Lights.’ The video’s description says, “Dallas Austin releases Christmas album featuring Bermudian pop star Kaelyn Kastle – Under the Christmas Lights. Stream it here. Video produced by Rowdy Records. Distribution by Dallas Austin Distribution. Director Deshawn Hycinthe. Director Dallas Austin. […]




ht

Nakeno Creighton Memorial XC Results

The Bermuda National Athletics Association’s Cross Country season continued with the Nakeno Creighton Memorial Cross Country and the category winners included Nolan Horrobin, Khaleef Daley, Spencer Haldeman, Gianluca Bortoli, Jake Smith, Isaiah Creighton, John Thompson, Wentworth Tucker, Tony Riker, Giselle Reid-Rubaine, Naomi Macguinness, Zara Bule, Jaeda Grant, Carina Bortoli, Gayle Lindsay, Dem Salter, Vivienne Lochhead, […]




ht

Movie Nights At Parson’s Road Playground

A series of six free movie nights, designed to “uplift and empower” the community, started on Friday [June 14] at Parson’s Road Playground. The Jazzy Treats Free Movie Nights continue on June 28, July 12 and 26, and August 9 and 23, running from 6 pm to 10 pm, featuring live entertainment, fun castles, food […]




ht

Jazzy Treats Free Movie Night At Playground

Jazzy Treats is hosting a series of free Movie Night events at Parson’s Road Playground. Scheduled for 6 pm to 10 pm, these gatherings will occur on June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, and August 9 and 23. Attendees can enjoy an array of amenities including fun castles, various foods, popcorn, snowballs, and […]




ht

Metro UK Highlights Actor Earl Cameron

Metro UK has highlighted the late Bermudian actor Earl Cameron in an article titled “My friend Earl Cameron broke the British colour bar in TV and film.” The Metro UK story said, “On a beautiful summer’s day in August 2017, I felt excited and honoured to be among the family and friends celebrating the 100th […]




ht

Bermuda College Library Movie Night On Nov 21

The Bermuda College Library is set to host a Movie Night on Thursday, November 21st at 6.00pm, featuring a screening of Bob Marley: One Love, followed by a discussion on peace facilitated by Karim Creary. Trailer for Bob Marley: One Love This event aligns with the library’s annual theme, Cultivating a Culture of Peace, inspired […]




ht

Made In Bermuda Nights Set For July

Made in Bermuda Nights will take place on three Saturday nights in July, including July 6, July 13, and July 20. A spokesperson said, “Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport, Made in Bermuda Nights returns to the island’s summer entertainment calendar. This year the focus and emphasis on Bermuda, her talent, her […]




ht

Review: A Night Of Jazz With Tino Martinez

[Written by Dale Butler] Tino Martinez is now broadening his Bermuda music experience with a variety of guest artists. On Thursday, September 26 at 7:30pm at The Deep inside the Lido Complex [Elbow Beach], Tino pulled out all stops. Regulars in the band, Raymond George [piano] and Torey Tacklin [bass] had a joyous evening with […]




ht

How Did Supermassive Black Holes Get So Big, So Early? They Might Have Had a Head Start

Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) can have billions of solar masses, and observational evidence suggests that all large galaxies have one at their centres. However, the JWST has revealed a foundational cosmic mystery. The powerful space telescope, with its ability to observe ancient galaxies in the first billion years after the Big Bang, has shown us …

The post How Did Supermassive Black Holes Get So Big, So Early? They Might Have Had a Head Start appeared first on Universe Today.




ht

Premier & Family Highlight Local Designer

Premier David Burt and his family released their annual Cup Match photo, featuring clothing by Bermudian designer, business owner and creative Jordan Carey, founder and Creative Director of the Loquat brand. A spokesperson said, “Premier David Burt, JP, MP and his family have today shared their annual Cup Match photo. “This year’s official photoshoot is particularly […]




ht

Northlight Acquires Carrick Group Limited

Carrick Group Limited, a Bermuda-based international non-life legacy insurance business providing reinsurance and run-off solutions, announced that it has been acquired by Northlight QIAIF plc, an Irish regulated company managed by London-based investment manager Northlight Group LLP from Zimmer Financial Services Group.” “Northlight is thrilled to acquire a run-off insurance platform with a strong team […]




ht

BTA Highlights Bermuda Art Month’s Final Week

As Bermuda’s second annual Art Month draws to a close, the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] “encourages both locals and visitors to take advantage of the ongoing exhibitions and remaining events that have made this celebration of Bermuda’s vibrant culture and creativity such a success.” A spokesperson said, “While October is nearly over, the exhibits at […]




ht

Photos: MV Sixth Sense Superyacht Visits

The Sixth Sense super-yacht — a 242-foot long motor yacht launched by Amels in 2019 that can accommodate 12 guests and 19 crew members — recently visited the island, stopping in the east end. Related Stories Video: Superyachts Invited To Bermuda Bermuda Called A Superyacht “Playground” $100 Million Superyacht “Rock.It” Visits Island 295-Ft Superyacht “Nero” […]




ht

Hřib nahradil Bartoše v čele Pirátů. Porazil bývalého senátora Wagenknechta

Předsedou Pirátů se dnes stal bývalý pražský primátor a nynější primátorův náměstek Zdeněk Hřib. Chce stranu reformovat, bez čehož se jí podle něj nepodaří uspět ve sněmovních volbách v příštím roce. Hřib ve finále porazil bývalého senátora Lukáše Wagenknechta, který se o zvolení do čela strany neúspěšně pokoušel už před dvěma lety.




ht

Something Different Tonight, Pizza made with a Cauliflower Crust.

Make something special for dinner with this pizza made using cauliflower as the crust. Yes, cauliflower the vegetable.  Cauliflower and Mozzarella cheese are blended, then pre-baked into a crust. Then top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake. This pizza turns out very well and if no-one was watching you, they might not know that they were …




ht

Thoughts Of Love and Chocolate Brownies for St Valentines Day

With Valentines Day just around the corner … ones mind begins filling with thoughts of love, chocolate and chocolate lovers. If your someone special loves chocolate, think about making a batch of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies to share with them on St. Valentines Day. Ghirardelli Brownies are delicious when served with a scoop of ice …




ht

Chrome для iOS получает обновление: Google Lens, Shopping Insights и более удобные функции для пользователей

Google представила несколько нововведений для браузера Chrome на iPhone и iPad. В частности, функция Google Lens теперь позволяет одновременно искать по изображению и тексту.




ht

a distant light




ht

Foresight




ht

Midnight at the Crossroads




ht

Lightning Rod




ht

skin tight




ht

bight




ht

Chrome for iOS Gets Google Lens Update, Shopping Insights and More

Google today announced several new features for the Chrome browser that's available on the iPhone and the iPad, with the new additions aimed at providing users with more intuitive ways for finding information and completing tasks.


Google Lens now supports searching with images and text at the same time, rather than search being limited to just an image. Users can add words to a visual query to refine results and conduct more complex searches.

Google Drive and Google Photos users can now save content from the web directly to those services from Chrome, freeing up on-device storage space. To save a file to Google Drive from Chrome, tap on the Google Drive option. Saving an image to ‌Photos‌ from Chrome can be done by long pressing on the image and then selecting the Save in Google ‌Photos‌ option.

For U.S. users, Chrome on iOS is gaining Shopping Insights, which are designed to better surface deals. If Chrome has Shopping Insights for a product that a user is searching for, there will be a "Good Deal Now" notification in the address bar. The feature requires signing into Chrome and toggling on "Make Searches and Browsing Better."

When viewing a map of an address in Chrome, users will soon be able to tap an underlined address and see a more detailed mini-map of the location directly in the browser without having to swap over to Google Maps. Google says that it is experimenting with this feature and will roll it out globally over the coming months.

Tags: Chrome, Google

This article, "Chrome for iOS Gets Google Lens Update, Shopping Insights and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums




ht

Apple Might Make Smart Home Products Like Cameras

Apple has considered building its own line of smart home accessories, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple could manufacture smart home cameras and other devices that would connect to its HomeKit smart home platform and that would tie in with a planned smart home "command center" that could come out as soon as next year.


As one example, Gurman suggests Apple could create an indoor security camera that could also be used as a baby monitor, which is in line with a report we heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday.

Kuo claimed that Apple is designing a smart home camera that will be manufactured starting in 2026, with Apple planning to sell "tens of millions" of the devices over the long term. Kuo says that the cameras that Apple is working on will have wireless connectivity and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Gurman does not seem as sure that Apple will follow through on plans to create its own smart home products. He says that it's something Apple is "exploring" that could be prioritized should its upcoming smart home hub device turn out to be a success.

Apple would likely emphasize privacy with its smart home cameras, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. Ring has been derided for its privacy policies over the years, primarily because it had a "Request for Assistance" tool that allowed law enforcement officials to request video footage from Ring customers. Ring has provided police officers with Ring camera footage without notifying users, and reserves the right to do so in emergency situations. Google's Nest brand also says that it will provide police with smart home camera footage in emergency situations without a warrant.

Apple is known for having strong privacy protections, and it is possible that customers would trust a smart home camera from Apple more than a smart home camera from a company like Ring. Apple already designed a ‌HomeKit‌ protocol for cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which is end-to-end encrypted.

Prior to coming out with any smart home accessories, Apple plans to release an iPad-like smart home display that will serve as a home hub. The smart home device, which is set to come out as soon as March 2025, will run apps and will control ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter-based accessories.


This article, "Apple Might Make Smart Home Products Like Cameras" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums




ht

Новое видео NIGHT IN GALES

"Into The Evergrey", новое видео группы NIGHT IN GALES, доступно для просмотра ниже. Эта песня взята из альбома Shadowreaper, выходящего шестого декабря:

"Into The Evergrey"
"The Horrors Of Endlessness"
"Open The Sun"
"The Nihilist Delta"
"Spirals"
"Dead Inside"
"Window To The End"
"Sculptured And Defleshed"
"Walk Of Infinity"

#Night_in_Gales #NightinGales #DeathMetal #Death_Metal
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la9_k0HNo4U




ht

Новая песня NIGHTBORN

"Hammer Of The Heretic", новая песня группы NIGHTBORN, доступна для прослушивания ниже. Этот трек взят из Ер Hammer Of The Heretic, выход которого запланирован на 19 ноября.
#Nightborn
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAU3DPDYrNQ




ht

#54-Enlightenment – Waking Up from Our Dreamed Life

#54-Enlightenment - Waking Up from Our Dreamed Life

The post #54-Enlightenment – Waking Up from Our Dreamed Life appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

#55 Enlightenment – How to Let Go of Our Suffering & Live

#55 Enlightenment - How to Let Go of Our Suffering & Live

The post #55 Enlightenment – How to Let Go of Our Suffering & Live appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

#56 Enlightenment – The Effortless Living of an Enlightened Life

#56 Enlightenment - The Effortless Living of an Enlightened Life

The post #56 Enlightenment – The Effortless Living of an Enlightened Life appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Enlightenment: All the world’s a stage

When I was an undergraduate at university many years ago, my deep enjoyment and love for the works of William Shakespeare blossomed. I had the privilege of taking a Shakespearean class and then during one summer in my undergraduate years, I was able to travel through Europe inexpensively on a bike and a Europass to see the great sites. A memory I remember most is going to Stratford-upon-Avon and watching a William Shakespeare play. I don’t know where my passion and love for his plays comes from but it has been a deep part of my life. His writings have also taught me many things.

When I was in England many years ago for the first time, I was standing in the back of the audience watching the play ‘As You Like It’ that was performed not too far from the ... Read More »

The post What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Enlightenment: All the world’s a stage appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

The Paradoxical World of Spiritual Enlightenment: We are nothing but we are everything

When we wake up to who we are, something happens. We stop identifying with our egoic selves because we realize they are impermanent and only that which is permanent can be who we are.

We aren’t our bodies, we aren’t our memories, we aren’t our thoughts, we aren’t our feelings… We aren’t any of these things, so we stop identifying with them. What happens is that detachment develops. An aloofness or distancing from everything that occurs. We wake up to the fact that life is an extended dream and a relaxation is able to set in. It’s a sense of calm or a feeling that ‘all is well.’

We lose our identity with our lives, thoughts and feelings, so we witness them but we don’t engage with them. We notice them, but we don’t create stories with them. Since we don’t create ... Read More »

The post The Paradoxical World of Spiritual Enlightenment: We are nothing but we are everything appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

#57 Enlightenment – Ending Our Suffering through Witnessing Our Suffering

#57 Enlightenment - Ending Our Suffering through Witnessing Our Suffering

The post #57 Enlightenment – Ending Our Suffering through Witnessing Our Suffering appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.





ht

#59 Enlightenment – How to End the Suffering in Life

The post #59 Enlightenment – How to End the Suffering in Life appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.




ht

SLC-2L-12: Two-Light Bike for the Bucks

UODATE: The bike sold, quickly, for the full asking price to the first person who showed up. Which was cool. And even better, the guy was like, "Who did the pictures? They jumped out at me."

(Tiny speedlights FTW...)




Have you tried to buy a new bike lately? Or even a used bike?

The coronavirus pandemic has made them very tough to find. Between homebound people snapping them up and all of the various broken supply chains, most of the bike inventory — other than very pricey specialty bikes — has pretty much vanished.

Which means that if you have a functional bike in your garage that you don't need, it will likely never be worth more than it is right now.

My daughter Emily has an unneeded bike in the garage. It's a Trek 7100, which is decent hybrid. She rode it to middle school. But she's just graduated college and won't be bringing it to her new job.

But right now it should fetch a nice price in the Craigslist Bicycle Hunger Games. Especially if it is photographed and presented well.

So that's exactly what we are going to do today: photograph a bike with a basic two speedlight kit.Read more »




ht

SLC-0L-05: Lighting's Gateway Drug

















































Quick, guess the lighting.

If you said two lights, and use of high-speed sync to get the shallow depth of field, that's a pretty good guess.

If you said zero lights and a rigid high-efficiency reflector, that's an even better (and correct) guess.

When working with an inexperienced assistant — or looking to introduce someone to the world of off-camera lighting — a rigid/high-efficiency reflector is a fantastic and inexpensive place to start.

Read more »




ht

My Naughty Knee

For a while now I have been having behavior problems with my right knee. Sometimes I tell my right knee that it is time to jump down the back stairs and chase the squirrel up his tree, and my knee says “nooooooo, I will not participate in that craziness. I am a boring and old knee and I do not want to have fun with my owner, the fabulous Uba”. This makes me pretty annoyed, but I go about my important work of bouncing and running and chasing and having fun and just carry my naughty knee along with me. I even dragged that naughty knee along when I got into the kitchen sink the other day to look for my red rubber ball.
When it is time to relax my naughty knee punishes me for not agreeing with it, and I have to rest it on a soft pillow so it stops yelling at me.
My mom took me and my naughty knee to my regular doctor and then to another special doctor so they could take pictures of it and tell it that it is a naughty knee. After a lot of people talking and looking at me walking and more talking about how my naughty knee is bad, the people have decided that I am going to get a new knee. I am really happy about this. I will have a new knee that will say “woo hoo! Lets chase things and jump and run and have fun!” and I won’t have to carry it around with me and then get yelled at by it later and rest it on a soft pillow.
My mom says it will take a long time for me to heal, just like it did when Lolo and Daisy got their new knees. I will have to wear a donut thing around my neck and I will have an itchy zipper and maybe I’ll even have to wear pants like Audie. I will also have to walk slowly on the boring slow and noisy treadmill instead of running on my most beloved TREADMILL!! I won’t be able to go to nose work class or to circus class and I will have to sit around in my crate and be bored. But then, after a really long time, once the doctors look at my leg again and take more pictures, I will be bionic, just like Lolo and Audie and Daisy.

Boring Treadmill from Letti de Little on Vimeo.

I have been practicing on the boring treadmill so I know what to do when I have to use it while I’m “on drugs”. I don’t know how I could forget how to walk, but she says it might be hard for me to figure out after surgery because of the drugs, so I have to be all bored on the boring treadmill almost every day. My surgery is next Wednesday, but I am not nervous. I get to have all the fun I want now because she says it doesn’t matter if I hurt my naughty knee more. I’ll deal with the drugs and the boredom next week.
hugs,
Uba




ht

‘Mystery mollusk’ found in the ocean’s midnight zone is unlike anything researchers have seen before




ht

Surviving 2012 (5) -- Dancing Lightly On The Edge

Surviving the 2012 Transition involves dealing with loads of uncertainty and requires continuous adaptation.


There is no avoiding it. The only constant anymore is constant change.


This is something our forebears didn't have to worry about. For hundreds of generations, nothing much changed. They could mosey along with their noses to the agricultural grindstone, doing the same thing their parents and grandparents and greatgrandparents did. We have it in our genes to like things this way (mostly).


But that's not the reality any longer.


Surviving 2012 calls for a different approach, because life is different... even from 10 years ago!


Changes that took millennia in the beginning of time, half a millennium around the time of Christ, and decades in the 1900's are now occurring at 20 day intervals! We can't see anymore where we're going or what's coming next -- the only certainty is that it's coming fast.


And we have to change the way we live, to live with the change.


 


The more you hang on to what you already know, what you're comfortable with, the harder these times will feel and the more difficulty you'll have surviving the 2012 Transition. We are all being called to immense rapid change. It's natural to want things to slow down... but they won't.


And the more you resist it, the more suffering you create for yourself.


So let go of resistance.


Accept that this is the new reality.


Practice letting go easily and flowing with the tide of change.


I call this Dancing Lightly On The Edge. If you're standing on ground that keeps shifting underfoot, you just have to stay light on your feet.


It's kind of like levitation. 


I read one guidebook on levitation said it's a matter of switching your gravitational "pole" -- instead of being held by the gravity of Earth, you are held by the gravity of the Sun or Moon or stars. Then you naturally "fall" upward.


If you can shift your "polarity" from worldly-existence to Divine-process, you will be upheld by that energy.


What I mean is by worldly existence is holding onto ideas like... "I have to look out for myself first" "It's work work work that makes the world go 'round" "I must stay in control in order to survive" "I want things to go back to the way they were" "I already know who I am, and all I need is better stuff and a more obliging lover to make me happy" "All that spiritual mumbo-jumbo is pure fantasy; the world is made of dead rock, man is at the pinnacle of evolution, and the physical world is real enough for me!"

This is a recipe for not surviving the 2012 Transition! It's a recipe for a very hard, unpleasant life!


The more you can switch to Divine process, the more easily, successfully, and beautifully your life will flow.


That means working from ideas like... "The more I help others, the more I ultimately help myself." "It's love that will save me, and compassionate kindness that will save the Earth." "I rest my life in the hands of the Divine, and so I am perfectly safe." "I am part of the most wondrous evolution ever experienced, and I am thrilled to allow it to flow through me." "I am Divine Light; I am Divine Love; I need nothing else: I am One with everything." "The only real reality is Consciousness."

Surviving 2012 is do-able. It may even be easy, depending on how well you master this skill.


In fact, it could very well be the best thing ever, as the entire planet is uplifted to this more beautiful state of consciousness!



With Bright Blessings,




ht

SPERAS ARC Ti Titanium USB-C keychain flashlight review

REVIEW – I’ve been updating my EDC and talking about it on my YouTube channel for the past few months. My next category to discuss is flashlights and it turned out to be a good choice because I was recently offered the chance to review the SPERAS ARC Ti Titanium USB-C keychain flashlight. Let’s check […]




ht

FLSUN T1 Pro Ultra-High Speed 3D printer review – Breathtakingly fast, quiet, and outstanding print quality!

REVIEW – 3D printing is fun and challenging. You can download countless free files from sites like Thingiverse and Printables, Cults 3D, and Thangs, or create your own using Fusion 360 TinkerCAD. It takes time, patience, and a love of tinkering, but it can be great fun. Many 3D printing enthusiasts will agree that incessant […]




ht

As Someone Quite Rightly Points Out, Actually an Entirely Uncertain Number of Things - Things Eight and Nine


Alt Text: Two dog walkers, walking two dogs. (It looks as if I've whimsically made it look like one of the dogs is interested in a butcher's signboard advertising sausages, but actually it wasn't me who did that. It was the dog.)




ht

TIFF Day 5: If You Drop the Weights He Vituperates You, But If You Lift Them He Sings About Ducks

The Inconvenient Indian [Canada, Michelle Latimer, 4] Essay-format documentary examines the Indigenous struggle for sovereignty and cultural reclamation in North America, as hosted by novelist Thomas King and inspired by his nonfiction book of the same name. Makes its case through cinematic language, pushing the archival footage and talking heads format to the background.

Beginning [Georgia, Dea Kulumbegashvili, 4] Depressed wife of a pastor bears the brunt of a persecution campaign from a local man hostile to their minority Baptist faith. The camera acts as a pitiless eye in this harsh, austere drama of pervasive male oppression.

I Care a Lot [UK, J Blakeson, 3] Corrupt legal guardian (Rosamund Pike) who slaps unsuspecting seniors into care facilities to bleed them dry triggers a cat-and-mouse game when her latest prey (Dianne Wiest) turns out to be the mother of a wealthy gangster (Peter Dinklage.) Engaging thriller— until it betrays the contract it has established with the audience.

Concrete Cowboy [US, Ricky Staub, 3] After yet another expulsion from school, a troubled teen (Caleb McLaughlin) gets dumped for the summer with his father (Idris Elba), who belongs to Philadelphia’s threatened culture of inner city horse owners. A rich social milieu is the star of the show in this affirming drama, which could do with a stronger drive to activate its protagonist.

Lift Like a Girl [Egypt, Mayye Zayed, 4] From ages 13 to 18, under the tutelage of a volcanic, motormouth coach, with a rubble-strewn lot on a busy Alexandria street, weightlifter Zebiba trains to be a champion. Fly-on-the-wall documentary inhabits a hardscrabble community powered by loving verbal abuse.

The coach and his key athletes denigrate the skills of male lifters, while constantly referring to the girls as boys, urging them to man up, and telling them they need to grow balls if they want to win.


Capsule review boilerplate: Ratings are out of 5. I’ll be collecting these reviews in order of preference in a master post the Monday after the fest. Films shown on the festival circuit will appear in theaters, disc and/or streaming over the next year plus.




ht

Pre-Adventure Planning 101 :: with guest blogger Justin Lichter

Hi everybody! I was honored when I was asked to write a blog entry for National Geographic Maps so hopefully this is informative and entertaining.

For the first blog entry we thought it would be a good intro for me to talk about the planning stages, training, and of course map work that takes place prior to an expedition or adventure. If you want to find out more on my personal adventures you can check out my website at http://www.justinlichter.com/. A quick recap of a few of the main adventures would entail hiking unsupported 1800 miles through Africa, hiking across Iceland, hiking south to north across the South Island of New Zealand, swimming unsupported around Lake Tahoe, and hiking over 10,000 miles in one year.

All of these trips start with a dream and a desire to see these landscapes. I feel that you see and get to know the terrain, scenery, and culture on a personal level when you undertake a trip under your own power with no support and no aid from motorized equipment. Many of these trips followed my own route that I devised and made up trying to connect existing hiking trails, little used dirt roads and jeep roads, and cross country travel in order to stay off of paved roads and highly traveled roads as much as possible. Initially I research what areas I would like to see and what hiking trails are in the area. Then I try to get an overview atlas map or road map and a slightly more in depth overview map (like something in the range of 1:250,000 to 1:500,000). The overview maps help me locate potential places to connect and areas with few roads that I would want to go through. After I have a good idea of the route on those maps, I then put a number of potential routes down onto smaller scale maps (1:24000 to 1:100,000). I then tweak it from there, but in a few places I usually keep a number of route choices on the map in case I think certain areas need alternates in case of high water fords, technical spots, potential cliff areas, or anything else tricky the landscape may throw my way.

I’ll then go through the maps and figure out what roads I cross and towns that I come near. I’ll figure out distances between these points and use these towns to resupply from and get more food.

During these planning stages I am also training for the hike so that when I set out I am ready to do 25-30 miles per day from the start. Usually for training I end up doing a lot of cross training since it is usually the winter when I am training to set out on a hike starting in the spring. As a result I normally do a lot of skate skiing, classic skiing, backcountry touring, telemark skiing, snowshoeing, and some short walks on the road. After so many hikes I think that my body is pretty used to that type of work so if I can maintain my fitness level then that helps in the break in period on the hike. However, I usually try to carry a loaded backpack a little bit so that my shoulders and hips get used to the weight on them prior to the hike.

I think that is a little recap of the initial stages of the pre-adventure planning. Hope that helps and was interesting. I’ll be blogging more on the site about some adventures, tricks and tips, and many other things, so come back and check it out!


Blogger Bio
Meet our guest blogger, Justin Lichter

I grew up about an hour north of NewYork City and have since lived in Santa Barbara, CA, southern VT, Dillon, CO, and I am currently living in Truckee, CA. When not hiking, I am a ski patroller and enjoy backcountry skiing, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and pretty much anything else relaxing. Since 2002, I have hiked over 20,000 miles. In 2002 doing a cross-country map and compass trip through the canyon country of southern utah, in 2003 hiking from Georgia to Cap Gaspe, Quebec following the Appalachian Trail and International AT, 2004 hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and then the Pacific Northwest Trail to the Washington coast, 2005 the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada then continuing on the Great Divide Trail from the Canadian border up into northern Alberta, 11/1/05 to 10/23/06 completing the Eastern Continental Trail (cap gaspe, qc to key west, florida, incorporating the AT), Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail in under a year, a total of over 10,000 miles, and in 2007 a traverse of the Southern Alps and the south island of New Zealand. As well as amazing trips each year after. You can check out my website at http://www.justinlichter.com/ for more info.




ht

Adventure Planning :: with globe trekker, Justin Lichter

With summer starting to wind down, the mosquitoes and black flies are fading. Winter will come soon. It is a great time of year to get outside and also start dreaming of trips that you want to do for next summer. I mentioned in a previous blog post how I go about looking into the routes that I am going to embark on, so naturally I want to transition to how you all can set out on a long hike.

Here would be a few pointers that I would recommend.

1. Plan, Plan, Plan.
You haven’t planned enough if you haven’t thought about a lot of things for your trip. The route is one thing and the most obvious. However you should also be looking into how frequent and reliable the water sources are, how often you might be able to get more food or purchase food at a store, the weather for the area during that time of year, and fine tuning your gear. No doubt you will have some nerves at the start of a trip, but if you plan well and are comfortable with your gear going into the trip then that should ease the nerves a little.

2. Train
As your trip begins top take shape you will ideally start to train for the experience beforehand. This will help make your trip as enjoyable as possible as well as getting you used to your equipment. This will help your feet get ready, and if need be callused, for you shoes and to break in your shoes and help your hips and shoulders get used to wearing a backpack. If you prepare beforehand then you’ll be ready to hit the trail when the time comes and the mileage that you planned for the trip won’t be daunting. The training will also help in your planning because it will let you know what distances and terrain are obtainable for the trip in the time that you have.

3. Gear Up, But Not Too Much
Research the gear that you would like to use on the trip. Do as much research as possible looking online and asking questions of shop employees, but definitely do NOT just ask shop employees. Some store employees are great, but each has their own personal opinion and they might not even have done the activity or been to the terrain you are looking at doing. My typical gear list has many recurring pieces of gear, but there are also many things that change depending on location and time of year. This helps to keep your pack light by taking only what you will need. For example, there is no reason to carry a 3lb. -20 degree sleeping bag if you are heading out to the High Sierras in the summer. Chances are you can probably get away with a sub 2lb. 30 degree sleeping bag, especially if you plan on sleeping in a tent because that will add about 10 degrees to your sleep system. Get your system streamlined and dialed beforehand and then only take what you think you’ll need. If you don’t use it every day then generally you don’t need it. Also, try to make things have multiple uses. For example I use a half length sleeping pad and then use my backpack for the lower half of my sleeping pad. This saves about 8oz on my sleeping pad and makes it more packable since my backpack won’t be needed for anything else while I am sleeping.

4. GO!!!! And Have Fun!
Set off on the trip and have a blast. Remember that if you are setting out on a longer trip and you think you might need a piece of gear, want to swap out a piece of gear, or find out shortly into the hike that you aren’t using something that you are carrying then you can always mail something that you are carrying back home when you get to a town to resupply. On the other hand you could also mail something to yourself by General Delivery to the post office in a town. If you mail it priority and decide you don’t need the gear, then don’t open it and you can usually forward it elsewhere for no charge! This is also a great trick so that you only need to carry the maps that you need for each section and not add weight by carrying maps for the entire trip. Use these tools to keep your pack light.

For more info about Justin Lichter, follow him @ http://www.justinlichter.com/.