Travel Bug
If it’s not yet apparent, I have an intense travel bug. What ever you might call it: wanderlust, fernweh, restlessness, sense of adventure, escapism. I am it or I have it. Actually, lately my travel bug seems to have a very specific appetite for mountains. It is not particular on type of mountain, size of mountain, not even placement. They can be anywhere in the world, and I want to be with them.
Once an Australian man chatting me up in a coffee shop, much to the amusement of the friend sitting across from me, told me my accent was cosmopolitan. It felt complementary but I didn’t completely understand what he meant by it, synonyms to compilation or mixture I figured. Today I looked up cosmopolitan only to find that this Australian man had gotten it spot on:
Cosmopolitan - at home all over the world, as a noun, a citizen of the world.
I feel of the world, a nomad at home everywhere and nowhere, driven by a sense of adventure and the fear of stagnancy. In these times of restriction on everyday movements, let alone global migrations like travel, I like many have felt a little stuck, unable to exercise my greatest privilege and my way of life, travel.
I wanted to share some sources of adventure inspiration that have helped entertain and stave off my travel bug. Most of these sources are research relevant to my ever growing list of travel goals, expedition dreams. Currently my goals include: Northwest India, The Himalaya, all of Central and Eastern Russia, Alaska, Greenland, and more generally cool hiking trails around the world.
Side Tracked Magazine
publish in the uk
The majority of expeditions I follow are completed by professional athletes, technical feats and literal heights I cannot emulate. Projects supported by The North Face and National Geographic are exhilarating to follow but out of my realm and reach. John Summerton, editor of Side Tracked, explained the magazine to be a “broad collection of extreme and extraordinary stories of travel, adventure, expedition and cultural discovery”. This range is what I appreciate most about this source, a collection of varied objectives and skill sets some I hope to emulate and others solely inspiration to keep adventuring and telling stories.
The most powerful facet of this site is the unique and powerful photography at the center of every story told. I cannot quite put my finger on what makes it different, but every image is dimensional and perhaps because they are taken by those living and enduring these adventures, these images communicate a sense of authenticity.
All in all, Side Tracked is a well of inspiration feeding my personal day dreaming, future endeavors and my personal field journal (aka this blog).
One of my favorite stories so far is titled, Tyndyk.
A story of Mountaineering in Kyrgyzstan and a film by Franz Walter. Lately I have been particularly fascinated by this area of the world.
Images From Side Tracked Magazine
Tyndyk - Title Image
India In Motion
A Youtube channel by Saravana kumar
Kumar’s videos document his time in the mountains, valleys and high altitude planes of Northwest India. The landscape of the Jammu and Kashmiri region is a continuation of the Himalayan range, a remote and wild place it is generally untraveled with the exception of a few very famous spots: Leh and Ladakh.
It is an interesting, intriguing and complicated area of the world. Dotted borders represent years of dispute and conflict, not only between India and Pakistan as we saw last year but also between India and China. Just last week it was reported that Chinese troops crossed 3 - 4 km across a shared border destroying Indian posts and bridges on their way. Yikes.
Perhaps what I find most refreshing about this channel is its producer and creator, a person exploring their own country, and a not another young, white dude with all the latest gear. Kumar’s videos are stunning and I geek out over his stunning anthropological profiles on the native peoples of these lands - The Chaungtha.
Google Earth!
A favorite pass time
I love putzing around a good map, paper and physical is best but more likely it’s Google Earth: looking up places I’ve been, finding the house my family live in when I was ten and living outside Bangkok, or getting oriented with a new project I have in mind - Russia!
A few nights ago I looked up some of the highest mountains in the world, just so that I know exactly where they are. K2 for example, is in Pakistan but I had no idea it lies on the border with China, just like Everest. The line is a bit confusing, disputed even, but then I went way off on a tangent looking into Western China, following the Himalayan range as it runs into the Sarikol Range of Tajikistan and the Tian Shan of Northwestern China.
Another area of the world I often peruse on Google Earth are all the islands stretching along the Pacific continental shelf, the ring of fire. The Aleutian Islands stretching out from Alaska towards Kamchatka, a Russia Peninsula. Then from the Kamchatka Peninsula another chain of volcanic islands called the Kuril Islands scattering towards Japan. How epic would it be to sail between them?
Google Earth Image - Nordskot, where I lived in Norway!
emelie forsberg
Runner / mountain athlete & Cool mother
I am always excited to discover a new bad ass woman adventurer, athlete, explorer, inspiration to fawn over and learn from. Emelie Forsberg is my new crush.
Not only is she an epic cross country runner, all around alpine athlete, but she lives in the Nordic way I aspire to. She lives in a traditional and modest red cabin by the sea, surrounded by mountains and her garden. She owns some heritage sheep and in the short summer season grows food for her family, the dream.