So...Now what?

The videos are up, the gear is put away, the thank yous are sent, and the pain of the experience is fading as the stories grow.  The time has come to put away Expedition 2013 and look to the future.

So, what do I want out of the next year of Nerds in the Wild?  Where will we go from here?  It's a question I've been giving some thought, and I'd like to share some ideas.

First off, there will be an Expedition 2014.  A major outdoors event that culminates a year of planning and training.  It may be bigger or smaller than 2013.  The goal is to do something interesting and somewhat epic, but not necessarily grueling.  It will probably be grueling, mind you, but that's not the point of the endeavor. (Exactly what the point of the endeavor is, I'm still working on.) I have several ideas regarding the expedition's route and destination, but nothing far enough along to share.

Secondly, the team may change.  George has committed for a second year, but I'm considering adding some additional members to our team this year.  Again, it's too early to announce anything, but Team Lentement might be replaced by a new team, name TBD.

Thirdly, we need to amp up the nerd. George and I are hardcore nerds, who work in software companies, play a lot of video games, and discuss whether Rytlock Brimstone could beat Urdnot Wrex in a fight. (If you don't get this reference, don't worry.  It just means you haven't discovered Mass Effect and/or Guild Wars 2)  While our focus last year was to show the amazing epic of the West Coast Trail, our nerdiness was somewhat in the background.  I'm working on several things that will highlight this a bit more without boring those more interested in the "wild" part of "Nerds in the Wild".

Urdnot Wrex

Rytlock Brimstone

Finally, I plan to improve the videos.  This is ongoing obviously, but there are some things that I'm planning specifically.  I'll be playing with new video editing software, possibly investing in an HD camcorder, and working on new graphics.  While I can't promise epic improvements, hopefully there will be a gradual improvement in my filming and editing skills.

Thank you to all who followed me over the last year, and welcome to those who are newly joined.  I'll try to keep things interesting.

West Coast Trail: Thank Yous

I'm home.  The pack is hung up.  The boots are scrubbed and airing out.  The gear is cleaned at stored for the winter.  My feet are slowly becoming less tender. The vids are edited and posted. It was the biggest and most challenging adventure of my life so far.

And so, it's time to send out the thank yous notes to those people and organizations that made this expedition a success.

To George: For saying "we're doing this" consistently, thank you.

To Owl Magazine:  For running an article on the West Coast Trail that I read when I was 12 and thought "I want to do that", thank you.

To Uncle John:  For both having done the trail when I was a teenager, thus proving that it was real and possible, and for loaning me your pack for as long as I want/need it, thank you.

To Rick McCall: For proving that that a desk job is not a valid obstacle to fitness, and for the use of the Gators (which saved me about a million times), thank you.

To Darren Carlyle:  For agreeing to drive us to the trailhead, despite the excessive wear and tear on your van, thank you.

To Marcos Bernal:  For tirelessly encouraging me to video everything, thank you.

And finally, to Cascade Designs, makers of MSR gear:

Dear Sir/Madame,

I have just completed Canada's West Coast Trail as the first major expedition for the Geek/Outdoor blog "Nerds in the Wild" (http://nerdsinthewild.blogspot.com).  Partly as a coincidence, and partly due to availability through the local MEC store here in Victoria BC, our team was equipped with MSR Hubba tents, MSR PocketRocket stoves, and a MSR Sweetwater water filter for our expedition.

I'm writing to you today to thank you profusely for the quality of this equipment.  The tents were light, warm, rugged, waterproof, easy to assemble and disassemble, and the easily fit back in the provided tent bag day after day on the trail.  The stoves were simplicity and durability in a whisperlight package, and cooked our meals quickly and evenly.  And the water filter proved up to our video-game-weakened digestive systems' rather high standards for water quality.

All in all, our gear worked flawlessly, and when we realized it was all MSR gear, we knew we had found a quality line of products.  We will be using MSR gear whenever possible in the future.

Thank you again for helping to make our expedition such a success,
James Wilson
Nerds In the Wild.

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 6

Team Lentement sprints to the finish!

Here's the exciting finale!

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 5

Team Lentement is beginning to really live up to its name as fatigue continues to build.

View on!

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 4

By day 4, fatigue was beginning to show. But we got to eat breakfast at this amazing little restaurant right on the beach:  Chez Monique's!

Enjoy!

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 3

Our journey continues!  This was our longest day, beginning at Tsusiat Falls (km 25) and ending at Cribs Creek (km 42)

And on with the tale!

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 2

Team Lentement continues its journey along the West Coast Trail, beginning at Darling River (km 14) and ending at Tsusiat Falls (km 25)

Here is our tale:

Adventure Report: West Coast Trail Day 1

Here begins my tale:

We christened our team of intrepid hikers "Team Lentement" after the blistering pace we intended to achieve across the muddy, lush, muddy, remote, muddy, inaccessible, and muddy terrain.

Here is the video of the expedition's day 1.

Wild Nerds - The Astronauts are Wrong

I have always wanted to be an astronaut.  I have applied to be one in Canada, the US, and Europe, as well as three private companies and four contests.  There is very little I would not give up to become an astronaut, and they are my heroes.

Scott McCloud: Space Angel. Back when losing an eye didn't mean a flight surgeon downcheck

There is, however, one line that they always seem to use in their public speaking that I have come to disagree with.  The exact wording differs a little, but there is almost always some mention of how

"Mankind is driven to explore.  It is in the very nature of humans to stand upon a hill only to look beyond it to the next one."

Baloney.  If that was true, there would be no need for that speech.  It would be a given.  Also, we would have long since explored the moon, mars, and most of the rest of the planets and moons of our solar system, along with the bottom of the ocean, and every square centimeter of the planet.

In my experience, most people have no such drive.  They are content to live a comfortable life, stay reasonably safe, and have a little fun now and then.  While they might admire explorers, and watch their exploits on Discovery Channel or Nat Geo, they have no desire to go out into the wild themselves and experience those exploits firsthand.

The new 100inch 3d HD tv.  Feel like you're there, without being cold, wet, tired, or hungry

I do feel however, that there is a small but important percentage of the human population that is driven to explore.  Most, I think, stare wistfully at maps, looking for blank spots and dreaming of of a time when iron men commanded wooden ships on journeys beyond the horizon.  Some, like myself, have found some satisfaction in travelling to the edges, where only a small number of people have been before.  A very, very, lucky few get to be astronauts, cave explorers, and National GeoGraphic photographers. Real explorers, in other words.

It's important for the explorers to realize that the majority of people do not share their strange compulsion.  I know that most people can't understand why I would want to trek the West Coast Trail, and that's just a week of backpacking through rough and wild country, with the coast guard never more than a few hours away.  Some people think I'm crazy.  Some admire the journey, but would never join me. And some just want to watch the video on YouTube.

Astronauts are surrounded by the exploration elite, and I think that they forget that most people would rather do just about anything to avoid being strapped to a ten-storey tall tank of rocket fuel which is then exposed to open flame, all to travel to a place that will kill you a hundred different ways in an instant, and seems to filled with absolutely nothing of interest. If they remembered, I think their speeches would be better. Not to mention their fundraising.  The history of government funded exploration can be summed up with "Find the (insert X trade route, Y new land, or Z border) before our enemies do"  Nearly all true blue exploration has been privately funded. Even Columbus had to sweet talk Isabella into providing venture capital.

Next Week on Dragon's Den:  Chris convinces the Dragons to go west to look for the east

So if you want to be an explorer, don't listen to the astronauts.  Instead remember these two basic truths:
1. Most people will think you're crazy, and
2. don't expect taxpayers to foot the bill.

Expedition Update: Sept 3 2013. Ready to Go

Last post before the trip.