Tales of a Wannabe Nomad
// November 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
Here’s a video from Outside Magazine about starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. Yes, Virginia, it really does work. It’s hard work, takes a long time, expends a lot of energy, and you’ll probably end up rubbing the skin off your hands, but it works. Take a look at this not-so-well-produced-but-at-least-it’s-informative video and try it yourself on your next adventure.
// November 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Feature
Yes, I know, I haven’t posted anything in awhile. I assure you, I’m working on some good stuff. I’m arranging to interview some great local bikers, hikers, travelers, and outdoor outfitters in the coming weeks, and will have some cool videos as a result. And new posts are on the way. I have about 20 drafts of articles I’m going to write!
Stay plugged in to Part Time Vagabond. Good stuff is on the way.
// November 19th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Feature, VIDEO
A group of high school students from North Carolina set out to hike more than 200 miles over 16 days on the John Muir Trail, rated the #1 trail in the world by Backpacker Magazine (according to one of the people in the video. I can’t seem to find that fact on Backpacker’s website). I think I may need to hike this trail within the next few seasons!
// November 17th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // VIDEO
National Geographic puts out some amazing videos. Here is a timelapse of the Northern Lights!
// November 17th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
I stumbled onto Trailsauce.com the other day that has some really good backpacking and outdoors content, and as I was looking through some older posts, I found this video. It’s the trailer to TREK – A Journey on the Appalachian Trail, a movie about 4 friends who set out to hike the famed trail. I don’t think there’s much in the way of uniqueness to their tale; thousands of people attempt the through hike each year. But few people document the entire hike on video. TREK seems like a cool film. You can buy it on Amazon if you’re so inclined.
// November 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Feature
When you actually reside in a tourist hot spot, it is very easy to become so jaded as to look down with derision upon the wandering hordes who clog your sidewalks like cholesterol in an artery. We know that their tourist dollars keep our local business afloat and our city from decaying into a ghost town. Yet their stupidity, ignorance, and occasional downright rudeness makes us dread the day that first cruise ship pulls into port.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We just need to embrace our inner tourist.
Tourist by Ch. Khawar on Flickr
We spend most of our days walking or riding or driving from point A to point B, making sure we’re getting there in the least amount of time possible. We live here, we’ve seen it all, we don’t need to stop and smell the roses. Holy hell, how many times do I have to see that damn lighthouse? I have a thousand pictures of it already! Yes, the outlet store is on the main drag. Yes, there are plenty of art galleries up there too. No, I will not take a picture of you in front of the statue of the lobsterman. Please get out of the way, you’re blocking THE ENTIRE sidewalk.
I’ve only been in the tourist hotspot of Portland, Maine for 8 months at the time of this writing, but I’ve already found myself muttering these very phrases. How quickly I’ve become a jaded local astounds even me! But I’m also new to Portland, and because of that, I can still look at this place with fresh eyes. I still look for new places to visit, new things to do, and I am constantly surprised by what I find. I can actually put off my malcontent for a bit and embrace my inner tourist. It’s a lesson all locals — and even seasoned travelers — should adopt. Why? It’s simple: the more you deride others about their lack of knowledge of your town, the less likely you are to do your own exploration, and the more likely they are to find something you had no idea existed. How lame would you feel if a tourist came up to you and showed you something that you didn’t know was there? Yeah, I thought so.
Next time you find yourself being short with a tourist, take a step back and think about being in their shoes. Be a good ambassador of your city by being helpful to that person. And take a day off to go exploring. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you — and your inner tourist — find.
// November 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
Here’s a heart pounding POV (point-of-view) video shot for National Geographic using theV.I.O. POV.1.5 video camera. Take a look at how high those rapids are! The best part is when the cameraman rolls his kayak and everything goes black. So cool!
// November 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Feature
Photo by Dan Cavallari
I know you’re wondering, why the title “Part Time Vagabond?” How can one be a vagabond only part of the time? Doesn’t the word “vagabond” in itself mean to be a full-time traveler, on the road, pretty much nomadic? For me, the answer is not all that simple.
I’ve had a special affinity for travel since I was a young boy growing up in Connecticut. I loved my home, and I loved my family, but I constantly daydreamed of being somewhere else. Family vacations were a treat for me, not really because of the destination (though that was always fun too) but because the idea of packing up the car the night before a trip, getting up before the break of dawn, and driving down the road when the only other vehicles on the road were truckers and other travelers made me giddy with excitement. I never slept on those nights. I’d stare at the ceiling of my bedroom or gaze out the window and imagine the fun I’d have on this trip, dream about the things I’d see whiz by the car window on the way down to Florida or upstate New York or Maine. I’d groan about the cheesy songs we’d sing on one of Mom’s road trips, or the oldies rock stations my brothers and I would have to suffer through on one of Dad’s trips (my parents were divorced, so separate trips with each parent). In any case, I loved those trips, mostly for the laughter I knew we’d share, either due to a goofy joke or lack of oxygen in the car.
Now, according to Dictionary.com, a Vagabond is “a person, usually without a permanent home, who wanders from place to place; nomad.” It’s that “without a permanent home” part that puts me in the part time category. For the most part. Maybe I could call myself a really slow part time vagabond. In the last 6 years, I’ve moved my place of residence four times. I’ve traveled out of the U.S. four times. I’ve gone all over the States. I just can’t seem to sit still. So in that sense, I think I’m a vagabond. But in the sense that I’m not perpetually traveling, I think the “part time” moniker is appropriate.
I’d love to be location independent, to be sure. I don’t think my career skills and talents require me to be in one spot. I’m at a crossroads in my life and my career, and I’m trying to figure out how to combine my love of video production, of nature and outdoors activities, and the web into something that can pay my bills, help me to live somewhat comfortably, and to see the world. Now I just need to find someone willing to pay me to do that. Then I can become a Full Time Vagabond. Wow. If that happens, I may have to change the name of this blog.
For now, I’ll keep traveling on a part time basis, and searching for the job that will make me happy, keep the bill collectors at bay, and help me stay sane for the rest of my days.
// November 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // TRIP REPORT
Chris Cavs at the Presumpscot River Preserve.
Big cities always have something to hide. And when you think of the secrets of a big city, you usually imagine them to be bad secrets. But when it comes to Portland – Maine’s largest city – those secrets are more like hidden treasures. Not many people know about them, but those who do are among a very special group. And so it is with Portland Trails, a network of multi-use trails all tucked away within the borders of Maine’s metropolis. My friend Bryan and I count ourselves among the special group of outdoors enthusiasts who know about these trails. And one day last week, we set out to find some of Portland’s amazing treasures.
We set out from my apartment in downtown Portland at around ten in the morning, plugged some coordinates into my compadre’s GPS unit, and headed toward the Presumpscot River Sanctuary. Most of the Portland Trails trailheads lie at the end of dead-end residential streets, most times only marked with a small but colorful sign. We really didn’t need the GPS, as the directions are fairly simple, but to be safe, we used it anyway. Plus, we’re geeks, and we like techy gadgets. The Presumpscot River Sanctuary trails feature a canoe and kayak portage around Presumpscot Falls, a short section of rapids that breaks the relative tranquility of the surrounding river. I assume that due to this portage, a small parking area was built at the trailhead.
Walking less than a quarter of a mile, we came upon a break in the treeline. The glistening water drew us closer as we headed to a T-junction in the trail. We took a right down the trail that follows the beautiful Presumpscot River, stopping every few hundred yards at small outcroppings or breaks in the foliage to admire the view over the river. The trails are well used, but they’re also well maintained and obviously well loved. Man-made staircases lead down some of the steeper sections of the river bank to the water below, where I could imagine sitting for hours casting a line.
As Bryan and I walked further downstream, we happened upon signs for the river’s portage, where kayakers and canoeists can hop out of the river before they inadvertently shoot down what looks to be class 3 or 4 rapids. You can’t really see or hear Presumpscot Falls until you’re nearly on top of them. A slight bend in the river combined with a short uphill keeps the falls out of sight for much of the hike. But when you do finally happen upon them, the roar of the crashing water and sight of foaming curls makes for an intense and exciting experience.
Stomping down a quick downhill nearby, I noticed an interpretive sign posted by the Portland Trails organization. Apparently in the 1700s, early settlers to the area had built a dam just downstream from the falls in order to capture some of the power of the river. Mills were built, and the falls were covered by the high waterline. Later, what was known as the Smelt Hill Dam was turned into a hydroelectric facility that helped power the nearby community. Flooding and storm damage eventually shut down the facility, and in 2006, the State of Maine deconstructed the dam, finally revealing Presumpscot Falls after more than 260 years.
We spent a few minutes exploring the area around the falls, and just past them, you come to the end of the Portland Trails owned land. You can head onto private property beyond, but beware because at that point, you’re trespassing and that information is posted. A few hundred feet past the end of the trail is the recovered land where the Smelt Hill Dam used to reside. I don’t recommend you go down there, but if you do, be prepared to talk to unhappy landowners. I, for one, am prone to exploring reclaimed and/or abandoned areas, so take that as you will.
After spending a good amount of time at the falls, we headed back upstream and hiked past the approach trail we had taken to the river walk. The trail winds its way NorthWest following the contour of the river. At several points we noticed small offshoot trails, marked “Loop,” which take you up into the woods and back down to the trail. We continued our hike over a few trail bridges and made our way towards the area where Interstate 95 passes over the trail. We stopped at a tree whose boughs overhang the river. The tree is perfect for a tree swing, and I’m sure that’s exactly what hangs there during the summer months. As the mid-Autumn daylight began to fade, Bryan and I took one last look at the beautiful Presumpscot River, then set off for the trailhead. It was time for a late lunch.
The entire Presumpscot River Sanctuary trail system only covers approximately 2.5 miles overall, but it feels like an oasis in the middle of the brick and concrete of Portland and its suburbs. The main attraction is, of course, the river itself, but the rest of the sanctuary offers a richness of flora and fauna that will make you forget that you’re still within Portland’s borders. Spend a few hours wandering the trails, staring at the rapids, or dropping a fishing line into the river. It’s a great local refuge from the busy-ness of city life.
For more info on the Presumpscot River Sanctuary, or to learn about the rest of the Portland Trails system, visit www.trails.org.
To view more images from the trip to Presumpscot River Preserve, Go HERE!
// November 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Feature
Since moving to Portland, Maine, I’ve learned a lot about the history and culture of the area. One of the things that has most impressed me about the Greater Portland area is its system of multi-use trails, operated and maintained by Portland Trails, an organization whose simple mission has the potential to affect a huge number of people while encouraging green transportation and recreation. Right up my alley.
Despite the threat of rain and snow in the forecast today, Friday here in Portland looks to be a beautiful, albeit chilly day, just right for a late fall hike on one of the Portland Trails. My friend Bryan and I have decided to explore the Presumpscott River Sanctuary and Trail. We’ll strike out sometime tomorrow and see what this area is all about. Check back Monday for a short Trip Report.
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