Every once in a while, while reading any random newspaper, one stumbles across a story about an expedition to the North Pole or some other extremely remote location. The stories usually make the international news treshold if a) an expedition has just started or b) they have just succesfully made it to the destination or c) someone gets lost or dies in the process. I just spotted a story in Helsingin Sanomat about a solo expedition to the North Pole. After a quick look at the website of Hannah McKeand it became obvious that she is one of the professional adventurers who make a living by planning, organizing and realizing expeditions. When she is not on the road, so to speak, she is available for motivational and public speaking engagements.
Adventurers like this usually have an extensive roster of corporate sponsors. On this particular expedition she has a separate shotgun sponsor and even a chocolate sponsor!
There is at least one professional adventurer, or “explorer” in Finland. The profession has a relatively high fatality rate. A highly controversial incident that many people still remember is the North Pole attempt by Dominick Arduin. She died while pursuing her dream. I tend to agree with the people who say it was mostly due to arrogance and lack of preparation. In the words of Benjamin Franklin: “Failing to Prepare is preparing to fail”.
If you are interested in the subject of people who venture out to the wilderness to find fulfillment in life, I highly recommend two films: Walking alone across Australia and the Oscar nominated film adaptation of Jon Kraukauer’s Into The Wild by Sean Penn. Into the Wild is not really about a professional explorer, but about a student who just wanted to get away from it all and find his inner self.
For a more technical overview of the field of adventuring around in the modern world, browse Explorersweb.com.
I wish fair weather and all the best to Hannah with her expedition. It is always inspiring to see people who have the guts, dedication and energy to get up and actually do this sort of stuff. I have nothing but utmost respect for people like her.
Posted by api at 10:35 - No Comments »
Switchback is a rather appealing product if your work involves performing tasks with a computer in adverse weather conditions. It’s water and dust resistant and can operate at -10 degrees celsius with the solid state hard drive option. You can also get an optional wireless package that includes a civilian GPS module. The display is a touchscreen enable 5.6″ LCD screen which is sunlight viewable.
The processor is a 1 Ghz Intel Celeron© M and if I understand correctly, the device can run multiple operating systems such as Windows XP and Linux simultaniously.
I have no idea how much it costs, but my estimate would be somewhere between 4000-6000 euros per unit.
If you already own a Hummer H2, this is the computer to get further enhance your ruggerized look and feel 
Posted by api at 10:27 - No Comments »
I was seriously considering to build a charger like this myself. After googling around a bit, I found a company (Thermo-Gen) that has already designed a commercial product that allows you to keep low power mobile electronics charged up in the wilderness. It works with water, a heat source and the Peltier effect to generate electricity.
The mobile Thermoelectric Generator / charger (TEG) is based on a Trangia stormproof stove. The TEG can be used with all types of heat sources: LPG, alcohol, kerosene, open log fire, log fired stoves…
- Electric power output: 9W with cool water and 4W with boiling water in the
kettle.
- Kettle diameter: 160mm
- The “all in one” packs into a compact unit
- Electric connection: DC plug connector
- Optional adapter: DC-plug to car cigarette lighter socket
- Cellular phones and other units are charged via a cigarette lighter charger
adapter connected to the TEG output
As long as you have firewood and water, you could easily keep a GPS, a digital camera and a Nokia communicator infinitely charged with this ingenious device. I wrote about portable power sources some time ago, but unfortunately solar power is not a realistic option here in Finland.
Posted by api at 08:02 - 7 Comments »
During my last hike in Lappland I realized what a difference a little bonfire can make to a camp site. It immediately increases the general comfort level of a wilderness camp. You can cook food, dry your gear and stay warm much more easily when you are staying next to a fire. Unfortunately modern ultralight tent and clothing materials are usually very sensitive to heat. When placed next to fire, a typical tent or synthetic clothing can catch fire in no time.
Many Finnish hikers use a traditional lean-to shelter made of aluminium coated nylon such as the one pictured above. What I cannot understand is why hasn’t anyone made one out of Nomex. Nomex is a type of aramid fibre that is used in textile products used by the military, fire fighters and car racers. It is patented by DuPont and various fabrics based on it seem to be readily available from manufacturers such as Warwick.
A company called Massif even produces fire-resistant, waterproof, breathable outdoor clothing. I’d be interested in sewing a traditional lean-to shelter out of waterproof Nomex derivative. Please drop me a line on the comment section of this post if you know of a supplier that could sell a short roll or a leftover piece of suitable fabric.
EDIT: I’ve learned that Nomex is also used in hot air balloons in the part that is closest to the burner. I’ll contact a balloon pilot tomorrow to ask for more details. All I really need is an approximately 2 x 5 meter piece or 10 square meters… I can’t afford to buy a 500 meter roll.
Posted by api at 09:20 - No Comments »
Treetents
Originally developed by Dutch designer Dré Wapenaar—who was commissioned by a non-profit to make the lives of tree-sitting activists a little easier—these tear-shaped tents hang suspended several feet off the ground. Though never actually used to stop chainsaws, since 1998 they’ve been in use at the Hertshoorn campsite, sleeping up to a family of four on the interior platform, which has about a nine foot diameter. More recently Wapenaar’s also added a bivouac for mourning the dead and an orb-shaped birthing tent (featuring a central pool) to his repertoire.
I’ve slept in a hammock out in the woods a few times just to test it out, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not all that practical for most environments. For some unknown reason, all these different variations of tree based shelters really fascinate me. It must some sort of primal instinct of getting up there on a tree for safety during the night.
On a totally different note, I remember reading a detailed description of a radically different kind of tree shelter. I think it was in a Vietnam war related book (perhaps the sniper autobiography One Shot, One Kill which Reko borrowed to me?). Anyways, it was a square metal platform that was secretly placed to the upper foliage of a jungle by a transport helicopter. It acted as a base for a group of commando soldiers who lowered themselves to the ground every now and then to fight behind the enemy lines. The only safety it provided was that you couldn’t see it from the ground unless you knew what to look for. Somehow, metal doesn’t seem like the right kind of material to build a stealth base like that. One would think that every little trinket you drop on the platform would make a loud noise like a church bell.
Stealth camping is a concept that is closely linked to hammock camping in general.
camping overnight on land that is unmarked or signed, unimproved, unfenced and away from habitation without anyone’s consent or knowledge using the Leave No Trace principles.
Posted by api at 08:16 - 4 Comments »
Well, I’m back from the wilderness. The bogs proved to be way too deep for my Scarpa alpine hiking shoes. I spent quite a few nights by the campfire drying my feet, shoes & socks. I also spent two nights at one of the most scenic wilderness huts in Lappland, the Vaskolompolo hut. Two other outdoor enthusiasts joined me to spend the night at the safety and comfort of the hut. One of them was Reijo, a retired border guard and the other one was Ivalo-Joe, a friendly gold miner who was hunting for bears in the area. He had a superb hunting dog with him called K.A. Lotti. I spotted a few bear droppings myself.. and half a dozen moose who chose to run away with great commotion and noise when I approached them.
We spoke about the habits of the animals, gold mining legends and other interesting and very non-urban subjects. During the first night there were some nice Aurora Borealis on the sky and we took the opportunity to take a few long exposure shots of them. (The new Aurea models by Philips remind me of them, by the way)
Once again, I was completely enchanted by the nature and the people of the North. I plan to return over there again and perhaps even do some gold panning one day. I heard that many men have panned the gold for their own wedding rings in the old days.
After I’ve returned to Helsinki, I’ve been a bit busy with work and real estate deals, so I haven’t had time to upload photograhs from the trip, but I’ll try to do it later. We’ll be moving to a new address next week.
Posted by api at 10:01 - 1 Comment »
Great Worldwide Star Count
Bright outdoor lighting at night is a growing problem for astronomical observing programs around the world. By searching for the same constellations, participants in the Great World Wide Star Count will be able to compare their observations with what others see, giving them a sense of how star visibility varies from place to place. The observers will also learn more about the economic and geographic factors that control the light pollution in their communities and around the world.
“Without even being aware of it, many of us have lost the ability to see many stars at night,” Ward says. “The Great World Wide Star Count will help raise awareness of the importance and the beauty of the night skies.”
My father’s father was a bit of an eccentric. Among his other achievements (of being the director of an aeroplane factory and a fire station) he painted stars on the ceiling of his sauna. The exact reasons for this remain a bit unclear to me.
Light and sound pollution are an increasingly serious problem, especially in densely populated areas. In this year’s Banff Mountain Film festival I saw a collage-style animated film called Conversing with Aotearoa. In an interview segment, various outdoor enthusiasts were asked “When do you feel that you are out in the wilderness?”. I couldn’t agree more with the person who said “When I can no longer hear the sounds of the civilization.”
On Monday, I’m off to the most remote village in Finland. The village of Lisma is located deep within Lemmenjoki national park in the parish of Inari. It is my departure point for a 10 day solo expedition to the Øvre Anarjóhka area in Norway.
Posted by api at 09:53 - No Comments »
Suunto Lumi
The Suunto Lumi helps you navigate mountain trails and city streets with ease. This sleek outdoor instrument is designed with smart, strong, passionate and active women in mind – women like you.
It’s a cloudy morning, but the barometer on your Suunto Lumi says blue skies ahead, so leave your raincoat at home. The day counter reminds you that a special event is coming up – you still have time to make plans. The weather trend indicator and day counter are a few of Suunto Lumi’s intuitive features that you can use to navigate through life.
Props for a good idea and what appears to be a technically great execution. Suunto’s reputation for high quality products especially in the diving instruments product line is impressive.
For quite some time there has been a specific type of consumer that has been a prime target for market segment researchers… the “active yet trendy outdoor person”. Nokia, Nike, Apple, Sony and many others have been trying to come up with products that appeal to people who enjoy both the urban and outdoor lifestyles. New women specific products are popping up left and right every month. Suunto has finally entered the game as well with their Lumi “instruments”.
In their advertising they refer to the menstrual cycle with the same kind of discretion (“Special event”) as the tampon advertisers with their mysterious blue liquids. I like the way Suunto does their brand building. It is very logical and persevering.
The consumers who are interested in these type of products are usually very fashion conscious. The replaceable wriststrap is actually a rather clever innovation in this industry. I doubt that many women have bought or even considered buying the previous “wrist-top computers” that have been double the size of a typical gentlemen’s wrist watch.
Posted by api at 11:17 - 1 Comment »
“Polar madness” grips many people working at poles
“Say there’s somebody you go to lunch with and you don’t notice the way that they eat. But if you ate with that same person day in and day out for six months, suddenly the way they chew their food is enough to drive you crazy,” added Palinkas, who has ventured to the Antarctic seven times.
The Lancet paper detailed past cases of polar expeditions gone wrong, including an Arctic scientific expedition in the 1880s that descended into mutiny, lunacy, suicide and cannibalism, leaving only six survivors from a crew of 25 men.
Palinkas cited more recent examples of “polar madness” at research stations, including one staffer clubbing another with a claw hammer and another beating a co-worker with a pipe.
“There was a saying at the station for the remainder of the winter that ‘If you’ve got a gripe, use a pipe,”‘ he said.
The researchers mentioned several other symptoms among people on polar expeditions such as memory impairment, anxiety, reduced alertness, headaches, boredom, fatigue, inattention to personal hygiene, intellectual inertia and over-eating.
Intellectual inertia? I wonder what that means.
I have tremendous respect for people who can live in confined spaces with anyone for half a year or more. Some people can’t even manage to stay married for that long.
One can only imagine what the atmosphere is like at a place like the Halley research station, when one looks at Snow Girl’s collection of photographs from over there. It seems like most of the staff has lost their mind in one way or another, but for some it is a positive experience. Most seem to pursue all kinds of crazy activities just to keep sane. They even have a bar in a mysterious “building number 5″.
Recently polar and arctic regions have started to increasingly interest me. While researching the Kola peninsula as a potential hiking destination, I found out about Varanger in the most Northern part of Norway. It seems like a beautiful, yet easily accessible place. Kola might be a bit too demanding for a solo expedition for someone with my level of experience of arctic regions.
Posted by api at 12:21 - 4 Comments »
I am having real troubles trying to resume the previous, more or less regular update schedule of this blog. I’m finally back in Finland. In July everything closes down around here and people head to their precious little summer cabins to relax and enjoy the sunsets and mosquitos.
Anyway, our last leg in the long trip around the Balkan countries was a cycling trip down the Danube river. There are many companies that arrange such trips and we chose the “economical option” of one of the bigger companies. They take your luggage from hotel to hotel and all you have to do is to hop on a bike every morning and ride 50-80 kilometers to the next pitstop.
All in all, it worked like a charm. The overnight stops had been chosen very carefully to offer a delightful variety of different styles of accommodation. In Linz we stayed at Hotel Kolping, which is run by a christian social organization. In many other cities we stayed at smaller gasthauses and guest rooms run by Weinguts & Heurigens (vineyards & wineries, that is). They were often run by a single family and the staff was always very friendly and hospitable, yet completely professional in the way they handled the business.
Every now and then we would see the some of our trip companions, but you could easily enjoy the nature and the steady, satisfying downhill speed of the route all by yourself if you wanted to. The scenery was beautiful and the river made it easy to find the right way. We had a little well written guide book with us. It was provided by the company that organized the trip and contained detailed maps of the entire route. Sometimes it was a little hard to find the exact spot of the accommodation, but we didn’t have to ask for directions at any time.
I highly recommend this option for anyone who is interested in starting multi-day cycling trips, but isn’t keen on spending a lot of time finding out about accommodation options or carrying a lot of stuff with them. It is the most popular bike route in all of Europe and for a very good reason. The bike lane quality is excellent and there are plenty of choices for a quick snack or a lunch along the way.
I’ll upload some photographs once I’m back from my own personal summer cabin trip after a week or so. Until then… Peace out, brothers and sisters!
Posted by api at 09:39 - No Comments »
Astronautix – Rescue Ball
Before the Challenger disaster, shuttle crews wore no space suits. This presented the problem of how to move them from one shuttle to another – if – it was possible to launch a rescue mission before the supplies aboard the stranded shuttle ran out.
To address this problem, Johnson Spaceflight Center devised the most minimal spacecraft of all time – the Personal Rescue Enclosure (PRE) Rescue Ball. The rescue ball was an 86 cm diameter high-tech beach ball with three layers: urethane inner enclosure, Kevlar middle layer, and a white outer thermal protective cover. Crew members were to climb into the ball, assume a fetal position, and be zipped inside by a space suited crew member. They donned an oxygen mask and cradled in their arms a carbon dioxide scrubber/oxygen supply box with one hour worth of oxygen. The ball would be connected by an umbilical to the shuttle to supply air until the airlock depressurized. The crew member would then be floated over to the rescue shuttle by the suited astronaut. The process would be repeated until the entire crew was moved from one spacecraft to another.
Can you imagine yourself floating in outer space inside a little insulated plastic ball with a tiny window? Astronautix has a page describing dozens of different space rescue vehicles, but this has to be the smallest one ever. It was also apparently used to test the astronaut candidates for claustrophobia.
I have had a special interest in emergency and minimal shelters for a long time. Check out my earlier entries about hammocks, foam homes and kammi shelters.
Steve Roberts, the original technomad, has pioneered a lifestyle that combines outdoor life with electronics and engineering. The problem with going off the grid for a month or two is that you might not a have job when you return. Perhaps innovations in shelter design and other miniaturization techniques will provide a way to carry your own both your office and home tucked away in your backpack in the future. That is a concept worth pursuing, in my opinion.
Posted by api at 10:36 - No Comments »
I spent the weekend in the Imst valley area with my friend Armin and his girlfriend Sandra. He is designing and building avalanche control devices over there. I was originally planning to make a little hiking trip to the finding site of Oetzi the Iceman, but it turned out that snowshoeing at high altitudes is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It has also started snowing, so I’ll give it another go in April. Nevertheless we had a great time hiking up one of the local mountains and running down the ski slopes back to the valley floor. Here is an album of pictures from the trip.
The Austrian railways have a weekend ticket that lets you travel as much as you like on any given Saturday for only 11 euros. It’s a great deal, but unfortunately the offer expires at the end of March.
I’m back in Vienna now. The pit stop for next weekend is Bratislava, Slovakia.
Posted by api at 13:49 - No Comments »
What is tick-borne encephalitis?
Tick-borne encephalitis, or TBE, is a human viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system. The disease is most often manifest as meningitis (inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or meningoencephalitis (inflammation of both the brain and meninges). Although TBE is most commonly recognized as a neurologic disease, mild febrile illnesses can also occur. Long-lasting or permanent neuropsychiatric sequelae are observed in 10-20% of infected patients.
Check out the map of the endemic areas. Yup, it’s Austria right there in the center of it. I got my second shot of TBE vaccination today. It’s about 45 euros a pop and I highly recommend it to anyone who plans to spend extended periods of time in any outdoor environment in Central Europe. A friend of mine who works at a health centre that specializes in tropical diseases told me a graphic story about an aeroplane pilot who had caught the disease. He was just shaking all over. TBE can cause all kinds of neurological symptoms and it can be difficult to diagnose because it can mimic several other diseases.
Austria is the only country where the number of cases is dropping yearly. I think that they have adopted a rigorous vaccination program and practically everyone is vaccinated at 6 years of age. The vaccine also happens to be austrian.
I’m not sure if I’m a bit over-cautious here, but in my opinion it’s not a big price to pay for some extra peace of mind. Then again, pharmaceutics must be one of the most profitable industries in the world. It thrives on pathophobia – the fear of diseases.
Posted by api at 18:33 - No Comments »
Everest : The Highest Traffic Jam in the World : Discovery Channel
There have been much-publicized cases over the years of people on their way to the summit walking past dying climbers, and it happened again this year. A young Briton collapsed next to the summit route. Many climbers passed him on their way to the top.
Sir Edmund Hillary has been very vocal about this in the past and he had this to say this year: “I think the whole attitude toward climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don’t give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn’t impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die.”
I agree with his view that the attitude of climbing Everest has changed. In his day mountaineers had a code of conduct, and only real mountaineers would attempt the big mountains. You didn’t boast, you didn’t lie about your achievements, and you helped those in trouble. These were the values held dear by climbers like Mallory.
But there is more to it than that. I listened to one of our team members on the radio weeping as he tried to administer oxygen to the casualty. It was one of the most harrowing things I have ever heard. He did his very best to help.
Everyday Rescues
In fact, it was completely ignored by the press that our expedition had already rescued a fellow climber this season lower down the mountain. An Indian climber had lost consciousness on the descent from the North Col and had the luck to do this right in front of our group on the way up.
Far from climbing past him, our doctor, Terry O’Connor, started treatment while guides Shaun Hutson, Bill Crouse and Mark Wynton improvised a stretcher and organized the team to carry him down the mountain. He spent the night in Russell’s tent on our oxygen supplies and the next day he was on his way home. He was seriously ill from cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) and he certainly would have died without our intervention The last I heard from the Indian expedition leader, the climber was “95 percent OK.”
I have seen Russell’s guides perform this kind of rescue every season that I’ve been with them, with no mention in the press. Russell Brice never gets paid for the oxygen ($400 a bottle) and rarely gets any thanks. But when a dying climber is encountered high on the mountain there is a storm of criticism.
The simple truth is that it is very hard to rescue someone from near the summit. Everyone is very near their personal limit, everyone is self-absorbed, and it takes a huge effort of will to organize a dozen other people to carry the casualty, prepare tents and safeguard the route down.
And let’s be blunt, when people have paid $40,000 for a package holiday they are reluctant to turn away from their goal. In my experience, most climbers are decent people only too willing to help. But near the summit of Mount Everest, up in the death zone, your moral being is stripped away to a self-preserving core.
Money has perverted the spirit of mountaineering as it has perverted so many other things. Real climbers follow their passion well away from Mount Everest. I’m only sad that my boyhood dream of an impossibly remote Himalayan peak has evaporated like the clouds that embraced George Mallory.
Everest: Beyond the limit is an excellent documentary about the 70-day $40000 (per person) expedition that has lost a lot of it’s magic. Graham Hoyland has completed an unbelievably demanding project by directing a documentary at a location where a surprisingly big number of people get killed every year trying to survive in the ultra-harsh environment of the high camps. The local sherpas are superstious about touching or approaching the dead bodies. There must be about 200 bodies just lying there.
Posted by api at 23:53 - 3 Comments »
Christopher Molloy has kindly published The 10 Bushcraft books by Richard Graves on the web. They are a collection of excellent tips for camping and survival using primitive technology. Although Mr. Graves is australian, a lot of the tips can be adapted to various other climates and natural environments.
As you may or may not know, I’m one of those “couch survival experts” or “textile outdoorspeople” who like to spend a considerable time reading and preparing for all kinds of outdoor adventures. Sadly, I’m living in a big city and I seldom get a chance to actually go to the wilderness and spend longer periods of time with the nature. I’ve done it a few times over the past couple of years and I intend to go out and actually do it a lot more frequently in the coming years. I just ordered Mountain Walking in Austria to prepare for our trip to Austria next Spring.
I’ve also been keenly watching the various wilderness tv shows… Ray Mears Bushcraft, Survivorman and a more recent find, the glitzy Man Vs. Wild. Especially Survivorman is highly recommended.
Posted by api at 18:22 - No Comments »
