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THE VIEW FROM HERE:

SPECTACULAR BRYCE CANYON

HIGH AND MIGHTY IN

CHILE’S ATACAMA

RED PLANET

MISSION NOT SO IMPOSSIBLE

COLOMBIAPART2: MYSTIC JUNGLE &

MANGROVE CULTURE

+ Mexico City’s Island of the Dolls + How To: Do The Fundy Footpath & Mind Your Travel Manners + An Aviation Survival Story + Our 2015 PHOTO CONTEST—More Prizes, More Fun! N105-Outpost_Covers_v02.indd 1

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ISSUE•105

The Fringe 10 On More under-reported,

quirky-human, natural-world stories:

where human waste is keeping the lights on, did this owl see The Birds?, around the world by solar flight, and finally—an aviation survival story

Knowledge 13 Local By Simon Vaughan

Do manners really maketh man?—our senior correspondent delves into his adventure archives to deconstruct the trials and tribulations of travel etiquette

Chile, I So Love 21 Oh Your Altitude!

Everything is high and dry in the mighty Atacama, even the bottom of its deepest canyon

27 Where Dolls Go to Die

Hitchhiking to Mexico may be daunting but a visit to Isla de las Muῆecas is just downright scary

Travel Center 76 Outpost Deals, Discounts & Adventures—just click, save and go!

Trekking Bryce Canyon National Park Spectacular. Mind-blowing. Dramatic and astonishing—we head to the American Southwest for the rim-high views of a rock formation forest

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TRIP SHOWCASE

IN THIS ISSUE

If life is something you do, is it time to get going?

PLAN, WHAT PLAN?!

Sometimes—like on the Bay of Fundy Footpath or the Confederation Trail—your destination should command all your attention

LAS AMAZONAS AND THE MANGROVE COAST In part 2 of our opXpeditions Colombia, SCOTT WILSON revisits the magic and the mystery of the world’s biggest rainforest and the charm of life along the Caribbean Coast

Story and Photos by Paul Sokoloff

THE REAL LIFE MISSION

TO BOLDLY GO

There’s no reality TV show, no voting off contestants, no scrappy cat fights and certainly no nudity. Instead, the Mars Society makes a serious case for a Red Planet presence—starting with a group of experts in a Marslike desert and a year-long trial on the Canadian tundra

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Team Outpost enjoying the spectacular views of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

SEE PAGE 50

CONTRIBUTOR

Scott Wilson

RYAN EDWARDSON

CONTRIBUTOR

raveller, T producer, diver, pilot, photographer, motorcycle enthusiast— cott ilson wears many hats A willing victim of family road trips, his love affair with travel began when he was only five years old nown for his ability to adapt to new challenges or evolving circumstances, cott co created and hosted both the award winning travel T series Departures, as well as its follow up Descending He spent the last decade solidifying his role as a professional traveller and journalist, and continues to add to what he describes as a sadistic collection of plane tickets, travel stubs and souvenirs with each new notch in his travel belt n his first assignment for utpost, cott joined op peditions olombia—and in olombia art writes about being da led by the Ama on jungle and the country’s coastal mangroves

Paul Sokoloff

spiring space botanist aul okoloff is pursuing an earthbound career at the anadian Museum of ature, doing both in the field and in the lab research of Arctic plants Though born in t ohn’s, ewfoundland, his nomadic upbringing inspired a love of adventure and a curiosity about the planet, which led to stints in Indonesia, ietnam, northern B , central Alberta and rural ova cotia As a graduate student, aul has had his clothes accidentally stolen by a fisherman in abrador and managed to flip a canoe full of fossil samples in ew Brunswick’s acquet iver After a mind blowing trip to ictoria Island in the anadian Arctic, he sought any and every opportunity to return, and is now a veteran of four northern expeditions The only interest that could eclipse his love of the Arctic is space exploration He was thrilled to have been chosen to participate in the Mars Arctic Mission, and gives us the inside exclusive in this issue of utpost

ISSUE•105 ublisher Editorial Director MATT ROBINSON matt outpostmaga ine com Editor DEBORAH SANBORN deborah outpostmaga ine com reative Art Director SERGIO DAVID SPADAVECCHIA david outpostmaga ine com enior Editor riter pecial Travel Advisor SIMON VAUGHAN simon outpostmaga ine com Associate nline Editor DANIEL PUIATTI dan outpostmaga ine com ear Editor PAUL AUERBACH Editor at arge Asia JEFF FUCHS Editor at arge Europe RYAN MURDOCK ontributors This Issue S. BEDFORD, PAUL SOKOLOFF, SCOTT WILSON, ROBERT J. BRODEY, RYAN EDWARDSON, JOE SANBORN Editorial Intern REBECCA BOWSLAUGH ontributing Editors BILL ROBERTS, FINA SCROPPO, EVAN SOLOMON, IAN WRIGHT

ales Manager GREG DAVIS greg outpostmaga ine com Outpost I is published six times a year by Outpost Incorporated at Augusta Ave , uite Toronto, M T Editorial and Business Advertising info outpostmaga ine com www outpostmaga ine com Individual Subscriptions anada ear Issues A ear Issues Intl ear Issues

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has taught me many lessons or example carry tissues in your daypack as most public facilities are not equipped with toilet paper hen travelling in Asia, wear pants that are conducive to squat toilets And if somebody on your overnight bus is suffering from tumultuous digestion, ensure that the little blue tablet you offer them is in fact an antidiarrheal, and not a sleeping pill My sincerest apologies to that girl I met in olca anyon, wherever she may be avatory wisdom aside, I have also learned about life, the world, and myself ife only happens to you in a biological sense in terms of the experience of living, it is something you do hile we all must cope with circumstances beyond our control, we also have the ability to infuse our lives with whatever elements matter most or backpackers, these include adventure, discovery, challenge and excitement, and are obtained by saying yes to alternative or daunting opportunities like radical sabbaticals Travelling has taught me that by being engaged and proactive, and by going for it even when I’m terrified, I can enjoy a wholly enriched existence The world is not what you expect it to be—and the sooner you relinquish your preconceptions about a certain region or society, the more you will understand it There is no country that can be summari ed by a few pages in onely lanet

or a top list on Bu eed history, complexity and nuance can only be absorbed through primary experience And the more you uncover, the more you grow aware of your own ignorance n the road, I learned to keep my eyes, ears and mind open I was a year old suburban kid who could neither cook a steak nor ride a bicycle when I first travelled independently Ten years and countries later, I still can’t cook a steak or ride a bicycle—but I can trek the Himalayas, hitchhike through Mexico, dive with sharks and dodge a lion That isn’t to say that I performed any of those with grace or stoicism mistakes and meltdowns abounded evertheless, backpacking repeatedly challenged my definition of myself and showed me that my capabilities extend beyond my expectations As every moment of travel is the experience of something new, so too can a new lesson be obtained from it ccasionally, these contradict the teachings of other lessons and serve to remind you of how impossible it is to ever wholly comprehend life, the world or even yourself ot a day passes on the road where I don’t exclaim, hat the heck? or a more potent explicative as I am rendered bewildered, astonished and humbled And these are the very moments I travel for S. Bedford is a longtime nomad with a relentless curiosity who lives to pack and go. You can read her new online Outpost column “The Indie Traveller” at www.outpostmagazine.com

T RIP P I NG

By S. Bedford

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TOILETRICITY

e have grown into a society that has an insatiable need for electronics hether it’s our mobile phones, tablets or inch screens, we need power And when the monthly electricity bill comes in it’s a constant reminder that leaving lights on in an empty room is like flushing money down the toilet How ironic, then, that new technology will generate electricity by using the toilet According to sciencedaily com, a partnership between researchers at xfam and the niversity of the est of England E Bristol has developed a prototype for exactly that, which uses what’s referred to as a microbial fuel cell to generate electricity Microbial fuel cells work by employing live microbes which feed on urine the fuel for their own growth and maintenance, Ioannis Ieropoulos, team leader and Director of Bristol BioEnergy, which is located at E Bristol, told cience Daily The M is in effect a system which taps a portion of the biochemical energy used for microbial growth and converts that directly into electricity The goal is to use the technology in refugee camps around the world to provide light in dark areas that

are prime locations where women are victimi ed In a similar story, an engineering firm based in ashington, D , has developed a machine called the mni rocessor that will make it possible to create drinkable water and electricity from human waste According to livescience com, anicki Bioenergy received funding from the Bill and Melinda ates oundation to help find solutions to two major problems facing the underdeveloped world the lack of clean drinking water and the sanitary disposal of human by products Here’s how it works the human waste is boiled and all its moisture is extracted, captured, processed and saniti ed—this produces drinkable water, says the science news site The solid waste remaining is used as fuel to fire a steam engine that powers a generator, producing electricity ome of this electricity is then used to power the mni rocessor, making it se self su sufficient, fic en wh whilee the he res rest can be sent sen to o the he grid machine omni process eelectric ec r c gr d The mach ne can omn the he was waste e o of a commun community y o of abou about , peoplee per day A p peop pilot o pro project ec iss schedu scheduled ed to o launch in in Dakar, enegal I think it’s fair to conclude that on the forefront of bio technology, these developments are up there as umber and umber

» PILOTS BORSCHBERG AND PICCARD

ECLIPSING THE RECORD ne cold day this past winter I stood outside and turned my head to the sky just to feel the sun wash warmth across my face It always astounds me how the life and energy of this planet flourishes from that giant ball of plasma in the sky or people of my generation, I can safely say that our first experience with solar power came with those little crappy calculators we had in grade school How ama ing it was to push the button and see the little black appear—only to place your finger over the solar panel and watch it disappear olar technology has manifested in so many applications since those early days And to highlight the movement toward clean renewable energy that it represents, a mission is now underway to be the first solar powered plane to circumnavigate the globe According to the outh hina Morning ost, the olar Impulse , which began its quest from Abu Dhabi in the nited Arab Emirates, will make scheduled stops along a journey that is MAY/JUNE • 20 5

expected to last for five months The leg flight took off on March , and according to its website, solarimpulse com, was piloted by Andr Borschberg at an altitude of , feet The other pilot on the mission, Bertrand iccard, told euters that Miracles can be achieved with renewables such as solar power, and that we want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel The plane’s design makes night flight possible, even though it’s solar powered According to its website, the aircraft only weighs , kilograms—the same as a car—but has a wing span greater than a Boeing and is complemented with an astounding , solar cells The cells charge the batteries that make up approximately percent of the aircraft’s weight , which is the reason night flight is possible rom grade school calculator to lightweight, long haul plane—all in my little lifetime www

More Under-reported, quirky-human, natural-world stories

SOMETIMES, LUCK IS ON YOUR SIDE Incredibly, billions of people fly every year ith that many people taking to the skies, it’s no surprise that safety is becoming paramount Though statistically it’s still one of the safest ways to travel, sometimes circumstances dictate outcomes that cause loss or tragedy And this can force us to reflect on our own mortality, especially while sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off on one of life’s journeys ccasionally, however, we hear of an accident without tragedy, a good news story—which was the case recently for a group of adventurists in ew ealand According to The ew ealand Herald, the group was forced to jump out of their plane when it became clear a crash was imminent The plane just made a big bang and then it stopped, said oy lements, who addressed the press The pilot told them to get out He didn’t have to tell them twice

Apparently, the passengers were at , feet when told to exit the plane fortunately, everybody on board had practised the safety drill and remained calm during the incident They all exited, with the pilot leaving last—then hit the beach before returning to the airfield As it turns out, the passengers were on a skydiving expedi tion and were able to get quickly hooked to a tandem crew member before jumping They steered their parachutes over the water and were able to land safely on a beach lements, who is the chief executive of kydive Taupo, said he was just happy to see the six passengers and seven crew walk safely back to the hangar I would say these people should buy a group lottery ticket—if you’re in the rare situation where your plane is crashing and you already have a parachute on, luck is definitely on your side

T hey a r e t hou g ht t o be t h e w ise species i n the k i n g d o m . Nob l e a n d m y s t e r iou s, watch i n g f r om the t r e e s , lu rk i n g i n t he n i g ht —i f y ou a r e H a r r y P ot t e r, t he o wl w a s y ou r me s s en ger a nd t r u s t e d c omp a n ion .

Joe Knight-Owl Sanborn Captures "HOO-HOO" after a long Stake out

Who's the

Culprit www.outpostmagazine.com

One owl in Purm eren d, Denm ark, howe ver, was eithe r not ver y w ise when he man aged to get hims elf pinc hed for a serie s of assa ults, or very wise in that he got away with it for a year. Acco rdin g to Sky news .com , the Eura sian eagle owl— nick nam ed “the terro r owl”—had been terro rizin g the tow n by plun ging dow n and attac k ing unsu spec ting resid ents. As man y as 50 peop le have been injur ed, w ith some need ing medi cal atten tion— one pers on requ ired stitc hes to close si x head woun ds. At one poin t the tow n coun cil recom mend ed that the town sfolk carry umbr ellas to thwa rt off the attac ks. A lthou gh it’s uncl ear what caus ed the owl to act in such a way, expe rts thin k it migh t have been beca use the owl was eithe r raise d in capt iv ity or is horm onal due to the bree ding seas on. Mari o Hegg er, one local coun cillo r, told Sky News he felt conf licte d abou t what to do. “On the one hand , you woul d of cour se rath er leave such a magn if icent beas t alon e. But on the othe r hand , the situa tion cou ld not cont i nue.” Even tua l l y it was decid ed to br i ng i n a falco ner to capt ure “the v illain” and set the tow n at ease . T he ser ial atta cker is said to be in good heal th, and a per man ent hom e is bei ng fou nd for it. A nd wh i le we man y neve r k now why the owl turn ed to a life of crim e, at lea st they cau g ht HOO, HOO, HOO wa s r espo nsib le.

2015 • MAY/JUNE

KNOWLEDGE

Vaug n o im S By

h an

Manners Maketh Man Our very senior correspondent on the perils of not minding the Ps and Qs of travel etiquette

he old saying of “manners maketh man” was politely drummed into me from an early age. To this day I open doors, give up seats, doff my cap, use cutlery correctly and refrain from starting food fights in posh restaurants (cheap restaurants are fine). But while manners are important at home, I believe they’re of even greater significance when travelling. There’s a veritable encyclopedia of diverse customs scattered across the globe ome may seem odd or quaint to out of towners, while others are simply good manners that should be respected and practised by everyone, everywhere, at all times However, regardless of whether they’re holdovers from eras past or just common decency, it’s only right to be aware of local etiquette to respect it and observe it ome customs and traditions are quite well known, like only eating with your right hand in the Middle East, dressing appropriately for your surroundings or not taking photographs www.outpostmagazine.com

of people without first asking permission But others are more complex and it’s always advisable to do a bit of research just to ensure you are respectful of those you meet, and don’t embarrass yourself In many countries, the sharing of food or drink is of the utmost social importance and to decline a proffered bite or sip would be highly rude and deeply offensive, especially when the person offering it has very little of their own to begin with This can sometimes be a problem for experienced travellers caught between a desire to be polite and try new things, and an understandable reluctance to falling ill Manners aside, simply trying exotic foods and drinks in unique surroundings is an exciting part of travelling anyway e all know the basic rules regarding unpeeled fruits, ice cubes and poorly washed vegetables, and most of us do our best to observe them But culinary experiences can sometimes be among the greatest memories we take home and a great bonding opportunity hether the food itself or the company,

2015 • MAY/JUNE

occasionally it’s just necessary to throw caution to the wind and have something either out of necessity, politeness or sheer adventurousness And even if we know it may not be the most sensible of decisions, well, that’s what a backpack full of ravol, Imodium, rehydration salts and antibiotics is all about As someone who is obsessed with politeness and also a sucker for exotic eats and drinks, I’m at double risk I’ve tried far too many species to ever be respected by any animal welfare group, even though I care deeply for all animals rom worms and grubs to eyeballs and other organs been there, eaten that I also genuinely like people although rarely eat them , and some of my favourite travel memories have come from interactions ood aside, there’s also alcohol give me a marsupial morsel and a flagon of moonshine and I’m a happy boy I am well aware that pure alcohol can make you blind, but I’m also too polite and alcoholically inquisitive to say no to a quick cheers when generously offered In deepest, darkest aire now the Democratic epublic of ongo , I was offered a cloudy swig of homebrew from an old rimus beer bottle I wasn’t sure which was worse, the bootleg liquor or the old bottle, but my host was earnest in his wishes that I join him for a toast asiksi, he exclaimed Banana beer, he added in halting English I later discovered it’s made from fer mented banana everything pulp, skins, leaves and, judging by the texture, twigs, sticks and dirt It was potent, I’ll give it that much, and I found myself in a happy place rather quickly More remarkably, I was also soon speaking fluent wahili r at least I thought I was In Honduras, I was equally touched when an expat amaican offered me some of his own homebrew He produced a huge, well used and battle scarred plastic keg and unscrewed the lid Inside sloshed and swirled all sorts of things Sheesha, he said—or something roughly sounding like that—in a amaican accent thick enough to foil a chainsaw e make from all the bits of the pineapple that we don’t eat kin, husk, leaves and stuff ill with water, add sugar and leave in the sun for a good while so it get good and hot and ferment Try it I made sure he poured himself some first, which he did, and then I accepted the small cup He watched me with wide eyes and undisguised anticipation I don’t give dis to just everybody, he added with a big smile intended to encourage me I sank it in one, felt a wicked after bite, and was soon speaking perfect patois hile hospitality may be universal, it’s not always about alcohol or much of the world the most important beverage is tea sed in ceremonies, rituals, civili ed celebrations or just as a welcome for thousands of years, it’s still integral to many cultures including much of the Middle East And don’t even think of trying to buy a ersian rug without first partaking in a little tea sipping in some small shop tucked in the back of a busy market As a born and bred Englishman you would imagine that tea runs through my veins, but alas I am the exception that disproves

“

the rule I do not drink tea ot so much as a sip Hate the stuff ould rather quaff an eyeball than an Earl rey I did drink tea once, as a small child, but a scalding experience at a tender age left me so adverse to the beverage on which the Empire was built that the mere smell of it makes me wince At home it’s not a problem, beyond being the source of ridicule for friends But when travelling it can become an issue, especially when I don’t wish to be rude hile exploring the desert in ordan, our Bedouin guide Mohammed sat down to brew some tea I knew what was coming next and I feared it like a saner person fears pickled entrails As the blackened kettle heated up on the fire, he took out small tea glasses into which he spooned spoonful upon spoonful of sugar the more the merrier, as far as I was concerned inally, and almost as an afterthought, he added a spot of tea and handed me the glass It’s more of a tea flavoured sugar drink than actual tea, laughed our host abil, unaware that his words were actually music to my ears I thanked Mohammed and downed the tea Thankfully, abil’s description was accurate and it was very, very sweet I heaved a sigh of relief A few months later, I wasn’t so lucky in atar Arriving at my hotel in Doha I was welcomed by a staff member holding a tray of tea Being a commercial environment rather than someone’s home, I thought I might get away with a gracious o thanks, but one glance at my greeter’s face and I reali ed I was wrong I was handed a small, steaming glass argely unaccustomed to hot drinks, I pos sess rather a delicate mouth and fragile lips and even lukewarm liquids tend to be a bit of a trial for my precious tongue ishing to pre empt the blossoming of a minefield of small blisters, I held the hot glass between my fingers and raised it to my pursed lips As I blew to cool the contents, the radiating heat of the tea burned my fingertips and I looked around furtively for a potted plant into which I could surreptitiously dispose of the drink ith each directed exhalation, the smell of the tea tickled my nostrils and then shot up my nose to trigger sheer panic in my brain This was no tea flavoured sugar drink This was pure, unadulterated real deal tea o milk or cream to lessen its potency, and if there was any sweetener amid its transparent brownery, I couldn’t detect it with my eagle eye erspiration beaded on my forehead, whether caused by the rising heat from the glass or by my intense trepidation of what was to come, I’d rather not say I gave a weak smile to my expectant host who eyed me eagerly, his head tilted slightly to one side anting to get the ordeal over with quickly, I knocked it back in one go, grimacing as the taste buds in my mouth detected my age old nemesis The bitterness lingered on my tongue long after the last of the liquid had disappeared down my throat Thankfully there was no chance of a refill, as I had taken the last glass from the tray hokran, I thanked my new friend erhaps with a little too much enthusiastic relief ou like it a lot he exclaimed, joyously delighted with the speed with which I had downed his offering ait here I will get you lots more

As someone who is obsessed with politeness and also a sucker for exotic eats and drinks, I'm at double risk

MAY/JUNE • 2015

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I So Love

Your Altitude! In Chile’s spectacular Atacama Desert everything is high, even the bottom of the deepest canyon Story and Photos by Simon Vaughan

» CHILE’S TATIO GEYSER, ONE OF THE HIGHEST AND LARGEST GEYSER FIELDS IN THE WORLD www.outpostmagazine.com

Are you feeling ? Macarena asked, turning around from the front seat eah, fine, I replied, somewhat pu led Maybe a bit jet lagged e’re at , metres now, she added, glancing at the altimeter on her wristwatch That’s pretty high, when you’ve only just arrived utside the van swept the spectacular vista of the Atacama Desert in northern hile, the driest highest coldest desert on Earth The highway reached the peak of a rolling rise and before us spread the vast Atacama salt pan against a backdrop of jagged conical mountains It was a lunar landscape with sky high altitude ust shy of the town of an edro de Atacama, we turned down a winding dirt track towards a narrow canyon That’s the ukar de uitor, Macarena said, pointing upwards at a ragged stone terrace The fortress was built by the atacame o people over years ago ou can borrow a mountain bike and cycle here from the lodge to explore it if you like The Alto Atacama Desert odge was almost invisible, with its low roofs and earthy tones blending perfectly into the valley urrounded by unpretentious landscaped grounds and an air of genteel serenity, it was as though the lodge had sprouted up from the arid ground rather than been manmade Beside the lobby, ohana beckoned me to a small desk and presented a long list of included activities, from hiking and biking to mountain climbing and starga ing e’ll start you slowly, she explained It will likely take you two to three days to get used to the altitude Then we can take you up even higher, over , metres, to the high lakes and geysers e’ll begin with a few shorter hikes though My only previous experience with altitude had been trekking for gorillas in the irunga Mountains of East Africa I’d had no problems then, but I was now considerably higher and had arrived straight from sea level instead of building up slowly to the higher elevation How common is altitude sickness here? I asked It depends on the individual, ohana replied ome people feel nothing at all, even over , metres

2015 • MAY/JUNE

“

In the shadowed depths of a narrow crevasse, I felt as though I was at the bottom of the world

„

» THE HIGH ANDES LAGOON OF MISCANTI, WATCHED OVER BY THE MIÑIQUES VOLCANO

» THE TOWN OF MACHUCA. ALTITUDE: 4,100 METRES. POPULATION: 6!

» OUR AUTHOR SAMPLES A SKEWER OF LLAMA MEAT, HIGH IN THE ANDES

thers feel it the moment they arrive at the lodge, which at more than , metres is the same height as Machu icchu It’s got little to do with fitness or age e’ve had people who’ve trekked in the Himalayas and they’ve had a problem walking to their rooms, while others have never been above sea level before and they’ve been fine Drink lots of liquids, take it slowly and you should be If you have any problems, we have coca tea That usually helps After dinner I sat by a crackling fire on the patio verhead a billion stars twinkled, serenaded by complete, total and utter silence The next morning I awoke to brilliant blue skies and bright red canyon walls After filling my water bottle, I boarded a minivan to os ardones avine, which is located in os ardones ational ark, for my first hike ome of these cacti are hundreds of years old, explained our guide oel, as we trekked past the towering spiky shrubs and down into the canyon, the beautiful scent of rica rica shrubs filling our nostrils i ards scampered into tall swaying grasses, and as the sun rose higher the temperature began to soar e stuck as closely to the shade as possible as we rock hopped deeper into the ravine, sidestepping a raging torrent of water that came from the snowcapped Andes e’re at , metres now How are you feeling? oel asked ay and Ignacio, two travellers from os Angeles who had reached the Atacama on this trip by way of Easter Island MAY/JUNE • 2015

» THE CHURCH OF SAN LUCAS IN TOCONAO, BUILT IN THE 1740s WITH A ROOF OF CACTUS WOOD

and Machu icchu A little breathless, ay conceded But pretty good, really Make sure you drink lots of water The altitude, dry air and sun can be quite dangerous In the shadowed depths of a narrow crevasse with encroach ing cliffs obscuring everything except a thin slice of blue sky, I felt as though I was at the bottom of the world After several hours of trekking we began a steep ascent several hundred metres out of the canyon As I reached the surrounding altiplano, I noticed that I was curiously short of breath Although nothing dramatic, it was a reminder that everything in the Atacama is high, even the bottom of a deep canyon ate that afternoon we headed for the haxa agoon in the eserva acional os lamencos Hundreds of flamingos elegantly strode across the lagoon, their submerged beaks filtering mouthfuls of brine shrimp while smaller wading birds raced around grabbing their own share As the sun began to dip and the gentle whoosh of low flying flamingos became the only challenge to the silence, the lagoon and distant Andes changed colour—from blues to yellows, oranges to pinks, reds to deep purples That perfect cone is icancabur, oel said, gesturing to a triangular peak It’s a , metre volcano where the Inca performed sacrifices Inside the caldera is a lake that was first explored a few years ago, possibly the highest scuba dive ever omeone found a perfect crystal ball but as they sat www.outpostmagazine.com

» ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS AT HIERBAS BUENAS

» SOCAIRE’S SAN BARTOLOME CHURCH, LIKELY THE OLDEST IN ALL OF THE ATACAMA

» THE TOWERING CACTI OF LOS CARDONES RAVINE

» DESCENDING DEEP INTO LOS CARDONES RAVINE, ITS WATERS FED BY THE SNOWS OF SURROUNDING VOLCANIC PEAKS

examining it, the glass magnified the sun’s rays and it burned the diver’s hand He dropped it into the lake and no one has found it again ome on, we’ll catch the rest of the sunset overlooking the alle de la una As we stood on a rise watching darkness slowly engulf the sprawling ridges and canyons that comprised the otherworldly alle de la una below, I asked if there were many stories in the Atacama like the crystal ball h yes, lots This is a very mystical place, look over there oel pointed to a soft glow on a dark, distant mountain slope That’s the entrance to the Atacama arge Millimeter Array observatory, or A MA, one of the most important astronomical observatories in the world rom a secure site even higher in the mountains, radio telescopes are used to scour the night sky There are some who say that s land there, too Do you believe that? I asked o, no But there are lots of stories of strange lights descending into icancabur, hovering or flying in formation Even ones of air force jets disappearing and the pilots re appearing looking much older ots of strange things Even claims of the chupacabra I climbed back into the van and slammed the door shut quickly before atin America’s infamous half dog, half vampire beast got me The next day I headed higher into the Andes e began by crossing the Tropic of apricorn on an ancient www.outpostmagazine.com

Inca Trail The route was marked by apacheta, small rock piles that like Inukshuks were used to mark routes and share information e stopped in the cobblestoned town of Toconao, whose buildings, unlike the adobe structures of an edro, were built from volcanic stone assing terraces of quinoa and dodging an Andean fox relaxing on the warm road, we arrived at a high lake The blue and green hues of the water contrasted against the pristine white salt shoreline every bit as spectacularly as the deep colours of the previous evening’s sunset, and as if on cue, a few vicu a—the wild version of the domesticated alpaca—trotted past ee that grass? our guide Mattias, asked That only grows above , metres o even without an altimeter you’d know we’re at least that high e’re actually at about , metres, and it’s only at this altitude that you might see pumas, so keep your eyes open After a hike around the lake, we had lunch in the lee of the van, as brisk winds howled through us There was an impressive spread of salads and cheeses, cold cuts, cakes and of course, hilean wine Alcohol’s not the best thing for altitude sickness, said Mattias, as he poured a few glasses of vino tinto But you all seem to be doing well, he smiled It really doesn’t take too long to acclimati e as long as you are sensible

2015 • MAY/JUNE

» LOS CARDONES RAVINE, ONE OF ATACAMA’S BEST SPOTS FOR A DAY HIKE

the van had frosted over and we scratched at the layer of ice with our fingernails to peer vainly into the pitch darkness ith the sun barely over the hori on, we arrived at the geyser field and marvelled at an almost post apocalyptic world of bubbling water, dark sands, towering pillars of steam and abandoned machinery once used in an effort to harvest the area’s thermal energy The temperature was degrees elsius, and the altitude was , metres Although still more than , metres shy of Everest Base amp or Mount ilimanjaro, this level blew away my gorilla trekking and was easily my highest mark so far I walked through billowing clouds of steam, wary to stay within the marked paths lest a foot or worse break through the fragile crust and plunge into the boiling waters below At the centre of the field of more than active geysers was a large thermal pool where brave souls were doffing their layers of clothing to take the plunge As the sky lightened and enormous Andean gulls wheeled overhead, the warming air overwhelmed the spectacular display of steam and the early morning visitors began to make their long drives home It was great, I replied to oel’s enquiry back at the lodge o problems at all ood, he replied with a smile ext we’ll climb icancabur and look for that crystal ball

PHOTO / DAN HOLZ

n the way back down we passed a small lagoon gla ed over by ice, while an active volcano smouldered in the distance ver the coming days I widened my explorations I discovered some of Atacama’s small towns and endless dramatic views, and sampled a skewer of grilled llama I hiked up metre sand dunes and climbed to rocky outlooks I visited th century churches protected by cactus wood roofs and explored , year old petroglyphs I saw more vicu a, guanaco and herds of llamas with identifying tufts of coloured wool on their ears like humane cattle brands In the alle Arcoiris, or ainbow alley, we hiked steep hillsides to survey even more vibrant colours, this time reds, browns, greens and blues caused by copper oxide, sulphur, iron and other minerals in the streaked rocks inally, with ohana satisfied that I was fully acclimati ed to the altitude, I was cleared to head for El Tatio, which is one of the highest geyser fields in the world and third largest after ellowstone and amchatka, iberia e’ll leave very early, she explained as I was heading to my room one evening The geysers are at their most spectacular in the cold air of dawn Make sure you dress warmly, it’s really cold up there e drove for several hours, the first few in the dark It was impossible to know just where we were, but every time the road roller coasted down, our ears popped The windows in

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2015 â&#x20AC;˘ MAY/JUNE

Where Dolls Go to Die Story and Photos by S. Bedford

In Mexico City there’s an eerie little island that some believe is haunted by a lost girl’s ghost

he cobalt sky was patchy with cirrus clouds that looked as though they’d been painted on with a dry roller tanding on the soft shoulder with an outstretched thumb and a trust me I’m friendly smile, I felt my exposed skin flushing opsicle pink beneath the Mexican sun which is also the anadian sun, the amibian sun and even the enusian sun hen the ord eries pickup trundled to a stop, Matt and I swung first our backpacks, then ourselves, into the truck bed and tapped the side of the vehicle amos uddenly the heat was abandoned alongside the dusty emex station, swapped for the cool rush of highway air that accompanied us the rest of the way to Mexico ity It was a terrific morning by hitchhiking standards, and on any other day I would have reclined against the wheel hump with my feet propped up on the spare tire, basking in the joy of life But that day, anxiety turned my stomach like a bad burrito I had backpacked through atin America before and while I’d eagerly snorkelled with sharks in Beli e and tobogganed down a volcano in icaragua they clocked me going kilometres per hour , I had vetoed a trip to Mexico ity on the grounds of it being much too frightening a place Hugging my knees as I leaned against the hatch, I now imagined cartel members on every corner, shooting at one another from behind tethered burros and taco vendors I wondered what it would feel like to have the barrel of a handgun pressed against my spine as I was shoved into an www.outpostmagazine.com

unmarked van, and whether gangbangers knew how much ransom a desperate anadian family could afford Despite having hitchhiked across southern Mexico for the past month with no more than a rudimentary knowledge of panish and whatever fighting skills I’d osmosed through playing Mortal ombat, the idea of visiting the country’s Distrito ederal filled me with dread et when the pickup dropped us off a couple hours later, it wasn’t in the inner city but an upscale, residential neighbour hood Matt and I meandered ambrosially canopied avenues to our ouchsurfing host’s abode, passing handsome colonial architecture, vibrant wall murals, cascading purple bougainvil lea, aromatic coffee shops and more indie bookstores than I’d ever encountered in one city block In the distance, contemporary glass skyscrapers gleamed in the sunlight There wasn’t a cartel member or tethered burro to be seen After we arrived and settled in, I confessed my preconceived notions—which now seemed rather ridiculous—to our host, os Mar a I don’t know, I thought I’d be, like, scared or something I blushed as os Mar a guffawed into his coffee I can give you something to be scared of, he said crypti cally hen Matt and I exchanged apprehensive glances, the Mexican quickly clarified ot me I’m talking about a Isla de las Muῆecas—The Island of the Dolls Tell me, do you believe in ghosts?

2015 • MAY/JUNE

» DUST, LEAVES AND COBWEBS GATHER ON THE DOLLS THAT ARE PINNED TO TREES AND HANG ON CLOTHESLINES AROUND THE ISLAND

The following morning, my travel mate and I ventured to ochimilco, a quaintly unassuming borough and E orld Heritage site famed for its chinampas artificial islands and canals These are the remnants of an extensive lake and waterway system that connected many of the pre olumbian communities in the alley of Mexico The ancient ochimilca people were farmers whose leader, Acatonallo, engineered the chinampas as a means of boosting agricultural production more than a millennium ago In what was once a shallow lake, rafts were affixed to juniper trees and laden with mud and soil to create floating gardens hen the gardens ultimately sank, they were replaced with new ones Eventually, the submerged rafts stacked to form islands that were in part held together by the trees themselves As the chinampas proliferated, the surrounding lake was gradually manipulated into a network of canals ew of these islands survive today as authentic floating gardens—the rest have been annexed onto solid ground, have become urbani ed or lost their adjacent canals due to dropping water levels After copious haggling, Matt and I hired a trajinera a estfully painted vessel used to navigate the waterways in a manner akin to a enetian gondola, though actually fashioned after a pre olumbian boat called an acallis Beneath a churning sky the colour of heavy smoke, our conductor piloted the lock system and transported us to what felt like not only a different place but another era The narrow canal was so thickly blanketed with water lilies it was as if we were gliding through a spring meadow The ice cream vendors and shops Mexico’s big convenience store chain of the mainland were replaced by shy cottages and tiny fields messy with flourishing vegetation ow branches scraped the roof of the tajinera while puddle ducks bobbed for minnows MAY/JUNE • 2015

and white egrets stood poised in tableau The ubiquitous dissonance of traffic was abruptly silenced, exchanged for the trills and whoops of migratory birds and the gentle splash of the conductor’s pole This is so whimsical, I sighed blithely I take it you haven’t yet noticed the heads, replied Matt oticed the what? I looked to where the American was pointing ure enough, littered among the trees like birds’ nests or wasps’ hives or windblown grocery bags were the severed heads of plastic dolls—as well as fragmented limbs and rotting torsos The conductor guided our tajinera to the banks of the chinampa and we disembarked beneath the vacuous ga e of hundreds of cracked eyes and bare sockets A light bree e tickled the nape of my neck like an exhaled breath, and I shuddered This was the notoriously haunted Island of the Dolls The chinampa had once belonged to the hermit Don ulian antana Barrera In the s, Barrera allegedly discovered a drowned girl in the muddy waters near his property ocals debate whether he had attempted to save her and failed or whether there had never even been a victim—none was ever publicly identified—and the ordeal was simply chalked up to the fanciful imaginings of an unhinged recluse The event real or fantasi ed shattered Barrera, and he came to believe that the child’s ghost roamed the island ot long afterwards, Barrera encountered a broken doll submerged in the canals and nailed it to a tree as an offering to the lonesome spirit This initiated a frantic mania that lasted the next half century The tortured loner foraged through waterways and rubbish heaps, obsessively seeking discarded dolls or chunks of dolls with which to bequeath the insatiable phantom After stockpiling hundreds of abandoned toys, he www.outpostmagazine.com

was found drowned in in the precise location that he’d supposedly discovered the little girl It was never determined whether his death was an accident or suicide urrently, neighbours believe that the chinampa is haunted by Barrera and the child, if she had indeed existed They insist the dolls whisper and scuttle during night’s adumbral hours, and have supposedly witnessed blinking eyes and oscillating heads Matt and I diffidently explored the island, gobsmacked by the omnipresence of the decaying dolls They were hanging between the trees on rusted clotheslines impaled against the branches with crooked nails sheathing the walls of Barrera’s hut like a voracious ivy Their matted hair was rife with leaves and their plush bodies were veined with mold Insects had woven cocoons in their hollow skulls and gaping sockets Exposure had faded their pigmented skin—some to a mucus yellow, others to a corpse white—which was soiled with grime Evidently Barrera hadn’t thought it crucial to clean them before gifting the morose spirit orget aris’s catacombs or Edinburgh’s underground vaults this was by far the eeriest place I had ever visited p until an hour ago, I had been adamant regarding my disbelief in ghosts ow, however, I was significantly less certain as that rustling noise really just a restless wind tousling the verdant leaves? r was it the hissing whispers of inanimate creatures whose sightless eyes lingered on my clammy flesh? And was that pattering sound the placid drumming of distant rain or the skulking footfalls of— ue? ahhhhh I leaped with fright, nearly dropping my camera into a baby carriage that teemed with doll body parts Matt held his palms up in defense hoa, easy I was just

going to say that we should get going I may be wrong, but I think I hear rain e scampered back to the tajinera with an eagerness we’d later deny The temperature had fallen with the increase in precipitation and I rubbed my arms to keep warm ou know, my preconceptions about Mexico ity being a wholly dangerous place might’ve been inaccurate, but that was definitely terrifying, I said, as the conductor used his pole to launch us from shore If the gangbangers don’t get you, the creepy dolls will, Matt joked, although there was a trepid squeak in his voice I hadn’t heard before As we drifted away from a Isla de las Muῆecas and its disturbing inhabitants, I turned around for one last glance— almost expecting to see the dolls staring straight back at me But they continued to ga e in whatever direction they had faced for the last five decades, their idle fingers remaining static—for the time being, at least As a new columnist for Outpost online, go to Tripping this issue to read what drives S. Bedford to roam the planet

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TRIP SHOWCASE

“

The smell of great Canadian wilderness— that kind you only get deep in the woods, a sort of crisp, piney freedom—permeates the air. I am overcome with a powerful feeling of humility, of being at the mercy of nature and my own capabilities

„

» ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE HYDROGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE BAY OF FUNDY. TIDAL PULSES OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS HAVE ERODED THE BASE OF THIS ENORMOUS ROCK. SOME LOCATIONS ALONG THE BAY EVEN EXPERIENCE TIDES THAT MEASURE UP TO 5 STORIES MAY/JUNE • 2015

www.outpostmagazine.com

PLAN, WHAT PLAN Story and Photos by Daniel Puiatti

SOMETIMES—LIKE ON THE BAY OF FUNDY FOOTPATH OR THE CONFEDERATION TRAIL—YOUR DESTINATION DESERVES YOUR FULL ATTENTION. THAT’S WHEN YOU WANT TO LEAVE THE ORGANIZING TO EXPERTS

intensely dislike planning. Logistics, budgets, accommodations. Planning before and organization during (a trip) has never been my thing. Don’t get me wrong, if I have to I most certainly will; but more often than not I find myself the sort to pick a place, shove my gear in a sack and go. I tend to prefer focusing on the aesthetics, physical demands and social interactions of a trip, and when possible I like to forgo thinking about how many litres of water I should bring, or how much granola I will need in the bush. When word came down that I was off to trek New Brunswick’s Fundy Footpath and cycle across Prince Edward Island and the Confederation Trail, my immediate reaction was one of concern. How many litres of water would I have to bring—how many varieties of granola? Who would I be travelling with? How will I navigate without my phone’s GPS? Do any of these questions matter?! Fortunately, in regards to the planning aspect, no, as everything would be managed by World Expeditions as part of their Great Canadian Trail series trips. Bonus! My journey begins in the seaside village of St. Martins, New Brunswick, a place that looks like it’s straight out of a gift shop postcard. A small, sleepy coastal community with a front-row seat to the natural masterpiece that is the Bay of Fundy. Experiencing the Bay of Fundy is something every Canadian, and perhaps every human being, should consider doing at least once in their lifetime. The Bay is an absolutely epic display of nature’s raw power. Estimated to have more than 100 billion tons of water flow in and out of it each day (an amount thought equal to all the water that flows in all the rivers on the planet—with tides that famously shift about a mile both ways, twice a day)—every six hours the moored boats of St. Martins harbour transform from idle, bottom-dwelling wrecks to proudly bobbing fishing vessels, and back again. St. Martins has the tides in its soul, like much of the Maritimes, and it was the perfect place to begin my journey across New Brunswick and P.E.I. Over the next several days my trip mates and I would be travelling the northern perimeter of the Bay, along a stunning near-coastal trail called the Fundy Footpath, and through a region steeped in Maritime—and Canadian—history. Our eclectic group is a whimsical combination of characters, the likes of which might only come together on a trip where your companions are chosen for you. There was Sabrina, a fiercely athletic girl from Ottawa whose appetite for challenge was nothing short of incredible. She is the only person aside from myself who asked for another lobster roll, after already having inhaled two enormous ones. Then there was Guy, an expat from England living in Australia who had literally travelled across the world to experience the Footpath and Confederation Trail. His love of movies—and his very impressive beard—made him an instant brother to me. Our journey across the 41-kilometre Fundy Footpath begins in an excited frenzy as we arrive at the trailhead among overgrown thickets. The smell of great Canadian wilderness—that kind you only get deep in the woods, a sort of crisp, piney freedom—permeates the air. I am overcome with a powerful feeling of humility, of being at the mercy of nature and my own capabilities.

“

And then, very suddenly, the chaos of branches gives way and I find myself standing face to face with a lush emerald paradise

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» THE FUNDY FOOTPATH MOVES THROUGH A BEAUTIFUL AND OFTEN MISSED AREA OF NEW BRUNSWICK

ithin moments of arriving our welcome party is upon us a mishmash of blackflies and mosquitoes begin their assault uy, who opted for shorts, seemed the favourite flavour for the swarm and is forced back into the transport and into a pair of pants I manage to crush a few of our assailants with my right eye by blinking, and abrina, untouched by the swarm, disappears into the overgrowth following our guides Mike arpenter and ick Brennan of ed ock Adventure A smart move, and perhaps the only way to escape The bush swallows each of us in turn as we make our way deeper into the claustrophobic ma e of branches and overgrowth oom to move is minimal and I navigate through touch and sound, following the rustling of my group ahead and feeling the natural pathways in the mud My anxiety skyrockets as I envision doing battle with the land every step along the path There’s no way I can manage if the whole trail is like this Thoughts of quitting race through my mind I’m not prepared for this And then, very suddenly, the chaos of branches gives way and I find myself standing face to face with a lush emerald paradise ichen sprawls forth, covering every inch of the ground and the trees clear to a natural pathway I manage to distil the moment into the only word that seems fitting wow The landscape shifts slowly and dramatically as we move further along the path, and each day offers new challenges and breathtaking scenery from intense, degree vertical inclines that push us up metre switchbacks, to rocky seaweed covered ocean floor when the tide is out and dirt paths that slice through the sprawling green carpets of lichen and moss All of this, amid a landscape where the weather shifts almost as dramatically as the undulating topography Every bit of progress along the path is hard earned, but as we MAY/JUNE • 2015

continue a natural symbiosis begins to develop as our comfort with the terrain grows And with comfort comes conversation hat’s your favourite movie? uy calls to me as we make our way down a nearly degree switchback covered in soft mud Tough question, but Aliens, I reply That’s a good one, have you ever And then, just as the last syllable leaves his mouth, my body begins to move in a very strange way I feel the bit of ground which my right leg is resting on start to tremble, while the ground my left leg is on remains in place This precarious footing causes me to instinctively fling myself on my arse, and as I begin sliding down the loose mud my pants fill with a combination of dirt and rocks though they could have been filled with something worse After coming to a rest I nod and smile at uy in response to his question, which I was no longer sure he even remembered asking As night falls over us and we make camp along the ootpath, the sky fills with the blackest, inkiest sort of darkness The view of the stars is unbelievable undy ational ark is actually a designated Dark ky reserve, meaning it’s one of the best places to explore the night sky in anada amp becomes at once a place to be completely enveloped in the celestial beauty of the Maritimes, and a place for each of us to come to know each other e discuss our jobs, ideas and inspirations, and how difficult it would normally be to plan such a multi day trek in this region I can say without doubt that we all shared a feeling of gratitude toward our guides Mike and ick, who had done all the planning and prep work Mike and ick are fully certified ed ross ilderness and emote irst esponders, as well as logistics wi ards, fantastic field cooks and all around awesome people www.outpostmagazine.com

“

The landscape begins to wash away all introspection and need for conversation, and replaces them with a silent sort of awe and appreciation

„

» WINDING THROUGH LUSH FARMLAND, BACKCOUNTRY ROADS AND ALONG RIVERS AND CREEKS, THE TRAIL LETS YOU EXPERIENCE SOME REALLY INCREDIBLE ATLANTIC COAST SCENERY

TRIP SHOWCASE » OUR AUTHOR AND HIS TRAVELLING COMPANIONS GET READY TO HEAD OUT ACROSS CONFEDERATION TRAIL

nowing they would be guiding us through the ootpath helped eliminate some of the anxiety that can come with a multiday trek over unfamiliar terrain ick can also manually disassemble a lobster with the finesse of a surgeon Travelling with a group of strangers on a trip that requires intense physical effort for a sustained period has an uncanny ability to melt away differences and bring people together very quickly It’s a wonderful addition to the experience to come away feeling as if you’ve made some incredibly deep connections in such a short time ur hike along the undy ootpath ends with aching legs and sore backs e have, together, managed to complete the trek • • • The second part of my Maritime adventure takes us even further east—to harlottetown, the heart of rince Edward

Island e arrived on the sesquicentennial of the harlottetown onference and the city is alive and crackling with a ferocious energy The whole place pulses with life as people everywhere prepare for an epic celebration of the moment when anada took those first steps from concept to nationhood Everywhere was glorious, and the Maple eaf was in no shortage of reverence But we were here to cycle elebration would have to wait After spending the night in harlottetown, we were off at the crack of noon to pick up our gear and start our journey along the onfederation Trail, a former railroad line that was abandoned in and is now a kilometre shared use walking cycling trail that spans most of the province inding through lush farmland, backcountry roads and along rivers and creeks, the trail lets you experience some really incredible Atlantic oast scenery

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Confederation Trail

NEW BRUNSWICK

Charlottetown 

Moncton

 Houlton

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Fredericton 

Amherst 

The Fundy Foothpath

New Glasgow 

Truro Saint John 

MAY/JUNE • 2015

y Ba

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NOVA SCOTIA www.outpostmagazine.com

Again we were off in an excited fren y, pedalling in ever shifting formations and chattering away about our favourite movies abrina leads our group most of the time, her fitness and technique are no doubt the result of her varied long distance cycling experiences I’m by no means a professional cyclist or very fit yet not unfit either , but cycling in tow behind someone who is really good has the interesting effect of pushing me to pedal harder and faster I want, if even for a few moments, to be at the head of the group I decide to try and push myself ahead of abrina, and muster everything in me to pedal with a fury the likes of which I had no idea I was capable of ith raw power and determination as my allies I narrow the gap between her and myself, and for a moment feel as if this is it, my time to pull ahead—until my near victory fades as abrina effortlessly glides past me into the distance he is a machine As we continue to cycle I start to notice an interesting pattern among the group, as bouts of chatter give way to absolute silence Then more chatter Then more silence The scenery is slowly overwhelming our senses, creating a sort of hypnoti ing effect The landscape begins to wash away all introspection and need for conversation, and replaces them with a silent sort of awe and appreciation nly the sudden click of shifting gears snaps me from my trance here was I? How long had I been cycling? Turns out, you can easily lose track of your place which I did , so much so that sometimes you also get lost which we did But this was a self guided tour, and so I like to consider our getting lost as an added opportunity to explore the onfederation Trail for kilometres in the wrong direction egardless, there’s something truly unique about the pace of travel by bike At once, it allows you to go great distances without going so fast that you feel as if you’ve missed some thing hat’s more, our route was researched by orld Expeditions and so we had countless opportunities to explore

without truly feeling lost ur cycling trip ended in a similar fashion to our undy trek with a fierce smelling car ride back to our accommodations for a quick shower and well deserved bottle of chooner There is an undeniable beauty to anada’s Maritimes, and portions of it need you to go deep into its most remote and difficult to access regions, to travel long distances across very diverse terrain to find some of its hidden wonders that can be easily missed The thought of planning a physically demanding trip in a remote area can sometimes be an anxiety inducing thought for beginners ometimes anxiety can be felt even by experienced adventure travellers But there are ways to do it without having to worry about planning or organi ing And while some people relish the organi ational aspects of travel, I am oft times inclined to let those matters be in the hands of others so I might focus on enjoying the aesthetics, the physical demands and social interactions of travel, which is what really matters to me Daniel Puiatti is Outpost’s Online Editor and a novice lobster aficionado who travels regularly (and gratefully) for his job.

BAY OF FUNDY TREK

The first of its kind, this comprehensive hiking itinerary takes in the incredible highlights of one of the last remaining stretches of coastal wilderness on the east coast of orth America reat anadian Trails eliminates the burden of a full pack trek so you can hike along with only a daypack in tow A local team sets up your campsite every day before your group arrives, and expert wilderness guides cook you dinner with only the freshest local products How about a lobster dinner on the beach? WORLD EXPEDITIONS irst Depart uly , see website for more dates Duration days rice , per person www worldexpeditions com ca

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BY BIKE Port Antigonish Hawkesbury 

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ou can cycle anada’s entle Island via the onfederation Trail, rural backroads and the scenic ulf hore ays on this reat anadian Trails’ self guided trip Everything is organi ed for you—you will be provided with comprehensive maps and route notes, luggage transfers, bike rentals and accommodation orry free, but mostly the luxury of going at your own pace WORLD EXPEDITIONS Departs Every Tuesday from une to ept , Duration days rice , per person www worldexpeditions com ca

2015 • MAY/JUNE

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Spectacular Places, Fascinating Cultures, Thrilling Adventuresâ&#x20AC;ŚFantastic Stories to Tell!

Nobody Writes It Like Outpost

Las and

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Am mazonas zonas

Mangrove Coast

In the second part of our opXpeditions Colombia, Scott Wilson relives the magic and the mystery of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest rainforest and the secret life along Colombiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coast Story by Scott Wilson, Photos by Ryan Edwardson, Robert J. Brodey, Scott Wilson

t’s not much of a secret anymore that Colombia’s infamous reputation during the 1980s and 90s has long since changed. The new millennium has seen Colombia embrace its new glowing future and make the most of its incredible potential. It is no longer depicted through the images of a Tom Clancy novel; no more Escobar, and you will certainly not see Juan Valdez and his trusty donkey walking the foothills of the Andes. Colombia now is one of Latin America’s most promising markets. Foreign investment is starting to flood in. And it’s no longer being described with words like tumultuous and dangerous, but instead with stable and secure. My experience here might best be described as eye opening and inspirational. The Andes divide the country diagonally, almost top to bottom, and are a huge factor in why this place is so diverse geographically. These mountains alter and influence weather and climate, and are a key reason why a trip around Colombia can feel like visiting three or more countries in one. Like most countries on the forefront of new growth, the heartbeat seems to lie in its cities. Bogotá: the capital and international arrival and departure point. Medellin: the fashion and growing business centre. Cali: pulse of art, dance and culture. There is no denying that Colombia’s cities are a huge draw for visitors—but as I discovered, there is much more to this country than its cities, and so much more than its previous reputation might have led me to believe. Just north of Bogotá, the city sprawl ends abruptly into plateau pastures of rich soil for farming both crop and cattle. Fruit stands start to line Highway 55, and one of my trip mates indulges in the largest avocado I’ve ever seen. The pit alone could be a bocce ball, in a pinch. I have to go on his opinion because avocado is one of the few foods I never found myself able to stomach. (I rank it up there with raw tomato as a food conjured by witches to punish small children.) He told me it was delicious, and based on some of the other local fruits we tasted at this roadside stand (like granadilla and guanabana) I can believe it. Our guide and fixer Andrés tells us that about an hour up the road is one of Colombia’s most famed and unique steakhouses. I love meat. And this country is a red-meat fanatic’s paradise. A lot of pride is taken in steak quality and preparation here—thinking back on it now, the whole experience is best described as a sort of meat bender; an almost psychedelic steak experience that included a Spanish Elvis, crowns and sashes, beer, fire, meat and enough confetti to throw a New Year’s Eve party in Times Square. All I know is that nearly four hours after we entered we walked out bleary-eyed and gut-busted. It was certainly a delicious and unique start to a journey through Colombia. One that was filled with adventure sports, vistas and cities. Yet in the end, there are two regions of the country that left an indelible impression, one I just can’t seem to shake. They play over in my mind, even now, like that first song you hear on the radio in the morning. Trapped in your head and seductively leading you into a daydream when you should be focusing on other things—the Amazon, and the Caribbean Coast.

R.J.B.

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I find myself having to keep in mind that the Amazon is a river that is and always has been a highway. There are no roads past the city limits of Leticia so all transport within this vast region is still totally dependent on the river itself

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» TRANSPORTATION, FOOD, SUSTENANCE—THE AMAZON RIVER IS DEEPLY INGRAINED IN THE LIFE OF LOCALS

• • • The Amazon region of Colombia on a map seems like an awkward afterthought. This southern frontier of Colombia for the most part follows the Rio Putumayo until it’s about 30 kilometres from the Brazilian border, where it juts down, give or take a hundred kilometres, to meet a sliver of the Amazon River. As the plane begins its descent into Leticia (the capital of this region) it feels as though we are making an emergency landing into dense rainforest, rather than landing smoothly at an airport. There is no sign of civilization. No roads, no power lines, no buildings—just forest. And it’s not until the threshold of the runway that it becomes obvious we’ve arrived at the right place, Colombia’s southernmost city. Leticia is the hub of this region of the Amazon, nestled in a tight corner where Brazil, Colombia and Peru are all within earshot of each other. The Colombian navy still has a notable presence here due to the illicit drug trade, which was once very prevalent. Leticia used to be a Wild West gunslinger town, and while it still has a tangible frontier-town feel it’s also very safe: it bustles with activity like other key Amazon hub cities (such as Manaus or Santarem in Brazil). Every village and community along the river for thousands of square miles feeds off this oasis city to the outside world—for better or for worse. Many Amazon tours begin right here, whether heading downriver toward Manaus or upriver like ourselves for a brief taste of the Amazon experience in Colombia. Our plan is to head by boat from Leticia and explore a few of the smaller Colombian Amazon outposts accessible only by the river itself. One thing I find myself having to keep in mind is that the Amazon is a river that is and always has been a highway. There are no roads past the city limits of Leticia, so all transport within this vast region is still totally dependent on the river itself. Today, especially, you see a lot of boat traffic of both locals and tourists going up and down its length, ferrying people to the myriad of communities that dot its banks. So if you expect to get out on the river and feel like an early explorer carving a path into undiscovered territory you would be mistaken! That being said, there’s still a lot of territory, a lot of forest and river, to get lost in—even two to three days of transport and trekking will get you really into the deep so that the sounds of outboard motors start to fade. Of course, it’s also true that an hour’s trek into the bush will do the same. Before going anywhere it was mandatory for us to check in with the Colombian navy; from here, we can leave Colombian territory and be in Brazil or Peru in 10 minutes. It’s a bizarre sight to see navy ships nearly 3,000 kilometres from the ocean! Not far out of sight of Leticia the magic of this area starts setting in. Flocks of parrots and macaws fly along the treetops, the occasional pink dolphin is spotted playing in the current. We pass sporadic tiny indigenous villages, some marked only by a lone dock jutting out into the river and a waterlogged trail leading into the darkness of the Amazon canopy. Even by motorboat, the 40- to 50-kilometre upriver slog takes hours as the boatman dodges massive deadheads (logs) and brush in the chocolate-like river. R.J.B.

www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

R.J.B.

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Villages which lie right on the riverside (easily accessible by the masses) put on displays or interpretations of ceremonies, processes and daily life the way it used to be. And while it’s easy to turn your nose up at the act that’s being performed, for now it’s one of the few things keeping aspects of the culture alive

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» KEEPERS OF THE OLD WAYS, TRIBAL SHAMAN PROVIDE A PRESENT-DAY LINK TO VENERABLE WAYS OF LIFE IN THIS CORNER OF THE PLANET

R.E.

Some of the larger tourism boats stop at the same villages, so we try our luck at the quiet village of Mocagua. It’s an odd mix of old ways and new that clash in these places. Being right on this water highway, a connection to civilization and the outside world is now only a half-day boat ride away, meaning cellphones, satellite TV and Coca-Cola fridges have long since found their way here. It’s a hotly debated question: are the increasing tourism numbers bringing in the outside technology and influences erasing age-old traditions? Or to some extent, as we found by talking with the locals, are the tourists in some cases the newer generations who still have interest in the culture, and thus, helping to keep it alive? We sat and had a lovely lunch with a local Ticuna woman who cooked us a selection of local and Latin American delicacies. The only thing more memorable than the food was the conversation. She spoke passionately about how life has changed in recent years along the river, and it’s an eerily similar situation I’ve heard in so many other parts of the world. Her generation is one of the last to speak the local language at home, and in order for them and their children to get jobs, they must learn Spanish. Which, in remote parts like this, means (at least after age 10 or so) going to the big city to get a high school education. This is where they get introduced to a new way of life filled with TV, texting, hamburgers and name brand clothing. Fewer and fewer want to learn the language and ways of their ancestors, let alone even return home to the remote villages. A lot of these villages which lie right on the riverside (easily accessible by the masses) put on displays or interpretations of ceremonies, processes and daily life the way it used to be. And while it’s easy to turn your nose up at the act that’s being performed, for now it’s one of the few things keeping aspects of the culture alive—even if at times it seems like an almost taxidermied version of tribal life. It’s a delicate subject with locals, Colombians and travellers alike, and I’m certainly not professing to know the answer—I am simply an advocate of “see it now before it changes again, or for good.” Amazonas is Colombia’s largest department by area (109,000 square kilometres), and yet only 74,000 people live here, with 33,000 in Leticia alone. That number continues to grow every year, even as Amazon communities in South America shrink overall and in a number of cases disappear entirely. I don’t mean to talk about my time here as all doom and gloom—it certainly was not. We hiked out of the village along a forest path toward our accommodation for the night and my head was swirling with the conflicts and juxtaposition of two very different lifestyles, cultures and times. Yet it took only five minutes on the path to be absorbed back into nature’s reality. The staggering size of this Amazon area, the presence and depth of the ecosystem around us, humbles one very quickly. We arrived at our eco-lodge at sunset and watched the sun sink into the river in an explosion of warm light. While moving into our new digs for the night and deciding who gets which hammock, a slightly unsure voice yelled out from the cabin next door. www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

ALL IMAGES THIS SPREAD: SCOTT WILSON

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Upstairs in Ryan’s cabin, there in the middle of the floor, was a beautiful specimen. A juvenile Peruvian pinktoe tarantula

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» DEEP IN THE RAINFOREST, NATURE’S PENCHANT FOR EXTREME DIVERSITY IS ON DISPLAY WITH EVERY STEP

“Guys?” said Ryan. “Yeah?” “Anyone want to see a tarantula?” Andrew and I looked at each other with wide eyes, and ran out the door like two kids hearing an ice cream truck. Upstairs in Ryan’s cabin, there in the middle of the floor, was a beautiful specimen. A juvenile Peruvian pinktoe tarantula. Without missing a beat, Andrew found a large fruit bowl and we began trying to corral the critter inside. There was a temporary pause of pride as he ambled inside it. We gave each other a smirk of satisfaction with our spider-wrangling skills, until the arachnid decided he didn’t like his new ceramic home and made haste for the top of the bowl. Our smirks dropped instantly and we started downstairs as if the bowl was on fire. Andrew’s knee-jerk reaction was a beauty: he started spinning the bowl like he was trying to create a maelstrom inside. The tarantula’s grip, as impressive as it was on the given surface, must have failed around 2.5 Gs (as in the g-force), as he fell back down into the depths of the bowl, just as we reached the door and flung him into the overgrowth. Unharmed, though perhaps a bit dizzy, the spider made his way back into the forest. The event charged me with renewed passion for the reason I had wanted to come to the Amazon in the first place: to see its exotic animals, its incredible wildlife. Keep in mind this is an ecosystem with more than 2.5 million species of insects alone! So, when invited on a night hike through the bush with a local guide I jumped at the opportunity—though as it turned out, I would go it alone. I was paired with a guide who had, somewhat comically to me, made his own headlamp by attaching a full-sized Maglite to a headband. I may have scoffed and chuckled at his crude invention, but five minutes into the hike I was convinced he could’ve done it without any light, blindfolded and bound. His incredible sixth sense went into instant overdrive and he immediately pointed out his first find for me. A plucky tree frog, hanging on for dear life to a small plant. Blinded by fear, or maybe the gigantic Maglite headlamp, he stuck around long enough for me to snap a few photos. Only steps later, another tarantula. Minutes after that a giant cicada. Then a scorpion, more species of tarantulas, and finally a striped poison dart frog. This continued for nearly two hours! I still can’t decide what impressed me more—the amphibians, insects and snakes, or the guide himself. It’s remarkable when a human can rank up there with the most astounding of species I witnessed that night. Reality can set in quickly on a jungle night hike by simply switching off your torchlights. The darkness takes over and leaves you spellbound and lost in an endless black world of insect and amphibian noises. Eventually we were spit out from the foliage and onto a small tributary of the Amazon River in the pitch black. I would’ve walked right into it if my guide (with his trusty, scoliosis-inducing mega-light) hadn’t cautioned me on my step. Out of the blackness of the jungle chugged a tiny carved out canoe with a small motor on the back. Right on time, and what was seemingly a completely arbitrary spot in the middle of the river, our ride awaited. www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

ALL IMAGES THIS SPREAD: RYAN EDWARDSON

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To put an exclamation mark on the evening, as we turned the winding bend of the tributary, the canopy opened to reveal one of the most brilliant starry-night skies I have ever seen

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» THE NIGHT SKIES ABOVE THE AMAZON OFFERS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE VIEWS OF THE INFINITE STARSCAPE ABOVE

This skillset of the locals is certainly one of the most impressive remaining aspects of a way of life here that does not exist in the so-called advanced world. GPS can fail, batteries die, but the Ticuna’s mastery of the big dark scary Amazon is astounding. To put an exclamation mark on the evening, as we turned the last winding bend of the tributary to meet the mighty Amazon again, the canopy opened to reveal one of the most brilliant starry-night skies I have ever seen. It was a final realization that the Amazon is a completely different beast after the sun goes down. The river flows on, but now without any noise of other motorboats or tourist flocks. A slight distant glow of light pollution from Leticia was the only reminder that others still existed on the planet, and that tomorrow we’d be leaving to rejoin them. • • • It’s funny how even a few days in the jungle can change you a bit. Sitting and waiting for our plane at the Leticia airport I started to clue into some things I really hadn’t given a damn about until being surrounded by the judging eyes of society. Until now I hadn’t cared that I hadn’t shaved in several days. I didn’t care that my socks, hiking boots and mud-covered shorts weren’t exactly Milan runway material. And I certainly hadn’t cared about that pimple. Thank you bathroom mirror, for reminding me of the gift of vanity. To end our trip to Colombia we’d be exploring the northern Caribbean Coast, starting in the popular city of Cartagena. This coastal hub is a beautiful example of the Spanish colonial history of the region. The architecture of the old town makes you feel like an ancient mariner on leave. Fortress walls still envelop the old town’s centre, erected to keep out invasive pirates and other undesirables of yore, though now it only keeps out the ever-expanding Boca Grande—the neighbouring “new city,” which looks like a Colombian Miami Beach. Once again, a harsh contrast of old and new worlds colliding. The old town bustles night and day within these city walls; tourists and locals mill about in restaurants and bars, and hang out in the parks to the sounds and smells of street vendors selling fresh arepas . Or climb the walls and catch views of the sun on the crashing waves of the Caribbean. On this day, however, we were off to the east end of the city to a low-income suburb called La Boquilla. This has been a fisherman’s village for generations, and so far, the spread of condos and highrise hotels falls just short of this pristine line of beach and mangrove. It’s the mangrove that is this region’s real gem. Not only from a scenic perspective but also for the locals as a haven for sustainable fishing. Of Colombia’s total mangrove area only 30 percent lies on the Caribbean Coast, the rest residing on its wild Pacific coastline. The newest brilliant idea that has sprung up is to offer visitors a chance to see this hidden paradise at the hands of local fishermen themselves. Who better to guide and explain the workings of the area than those who’ve been living here their whole lives—and who surely could use an increased and stabilized income? Our guide showed great pride in his “backyard” mangrove heaven, telling us about the magic of the mangrove as a natural water filter, storm-break wall and erosion preventer. www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

S.W.

R.J.B.

» A FISHERMAN AND CHILDREN ALONG COLOMBIA’S COASTLINE, WITH LUSH MANGROVES IN BACKGROUND. BELOW, A CAIMAN COMMON TO THE AMAZON

R.E.

This is the perfect home for many brackish water fish and crabs that provide sustenance and income for locals, who seem to have perfected a sense of fairness with the ecosystem. They use only motorless boats, and instead push themselves along in the water by pole. They also fish sustainably using throw-nets, not hook and line, and certainly no drag netting (crabs are trapped with small crab pots). Trying it myself, I realized (as you might expect) that this kind of fishing is a skill learned over time. I managed to catch a healthy amount of silt and tangles, while our guide luckily had just a tad more success. Perhaps a bit annoyed that he was spending more time untying me from my own net, I was relegated to baiting crab pots, which I didn’t completely suck at. In the end we went home with enough fish and crab that his family wouldn’t chase us out of town for interfering with the day’s work, which was good enough for me. Back in La Boquilla, the family had started to work in the outdoor kitchen and plenty of rice, vegetables, steaming pots of water and open flames were awaiting our catch. It’s great to see new ideas like these cropping up and providing not only a wonderfully insightful, unique and hands-on travel experience, but also being championed and benefitted by the locals themselves. And it’s this kind of thinking that’s just one of the many inspiring signs of the new Colombia of today. Progressive, forward-thinking, thought-provoking, breathtaking experiences: a great reason to leave home and explore! As I said, the cities of Bogotá, Medellin and Cali may be Colombia’s heartbeat—but the rest of the country is its mind, body and soul. And its extreme ends—its northern coastlines, its southern rainforest—offer jaw-dropping and mind-opening adventures and perspectives, even as they are polarized from each other and everything in between. Now my visions of Colombia are defined by dramatic landscapes filled with almost indescribable creatures and inspirational people. I think its time to sit down and have a coffee, Juan Valdez, time to get a new image of Colombia out there. R.J.B.

Scott Wilson travelled to Colombia as part of Team Outpost. You can read all his in-country dispatches at opXpeditions.com/Colombia. www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

The VIEW FROM HERE: TREKKING IN BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

FROM ITS ODDLY SHAPED HOODOOS TO ITS PUMPKIN-HUED WALLS, TEAM OUTPOST HEADS TO A SOUTHWEST GEM TO SUSS OUT THE SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF A ROCK FORMATION FOREST

STORY BY S. BEDFORD PHOTOS BY JIMMY MARTINELLO

www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 â&#x20AC;˘ MAY/JUNE

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Setting up camp near the edge of the canyon guarantees an incredible view of the hoodoo horizon, especially at sunset

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The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon ignite the imagination— soldiers, spires, settlers, stakes: what do you see?

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The

wind did not howl but roar—an unbridled beast ripping through the void beyond the pumpkin hued cliffs It clawed and gnawed at our tents as we fought back determinedly, wrangling the flapping wings into submission and tethering it to the gravelly soil Below us and upon the adjacent plateau, bristly ponderosa pines and charred tree carcasses textured the panorama, while swatches of pristine snow lay like fallen clouds The escaping sun cast its magnolia tinted glow as we set up camp on the precipice, battling the untamed wind in its own domain as baleful clouds prowled the hori on I hammered down the tent peg with a chunk of sandstone as my dreadlocks writhed like Medusa’s serpents in the fero cious gale, then ga ed out at the vista In the miles that stretched before me, I saw not a building nor a highway, nor any other sign of human activity I was suddenly and overwhelmingly minified by my sur roundings a sensation that was humbling, terrifying and electrifying all at the same time uch is the awesome power of the views of tah’s Bryce anyon In addition to alt ake ity and the legend of Butch assidy, tah is actually renowned for its national parks Exquisite photos of ion, anyonlands and Arches of ten grace the covers of outdoors maga ines, yet frequently and unjustly overlooked is Bryce anyon, whose surreal landscape resembles something between a foreign planet and a orschach test Bryce anyon is composed of horseshoe shaped amphitheatres cut into the aunsaugunt lateau’s eastern wall Its name is a misnomer canyons are fash ioned through erosion caused by a central stream, whereas Bryce is expanding via a process known as headward erosion Its rim is receding one and a half feet every

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years, and it is theori ed that the entire plateau will crumble into oblivion in the next one million years so be sure to snag those visitor passes now Additionally, the exposed rocks are only million years old, making Bryce anyon a mere babe in arms when compared to the rand anyon’s billion year old outcrops The national park’s scenery is predomi nantly defined by its unusual rock spires called hoodoos, which are formed through a combination of mechanical and chemical weathering Mechanical weathering occurs as a result of the temperature ascending above and descending below ero degrees on more than days per year ater trickles into crannies, fractures and rifts, where it then free es and expands by nine percent, exerting between , and , lbs of pressure per square inch nown as frost wedging, this process shat ters and separates the rock, creating slender, hori ontally elongated shapes dubbed fins ynchronously, chemical weathering takes place when acid rain slowly erodes the minerals with softer rock dissolving faster than harder rock , breaking the fins into hoodoo pinnacles and smoothing the skin of the limestone ield guide Delano avigne, and team mates immy Martinello, Bowen Mei and I rende voused in as egas, then drove for four hours through three states to Bryce anyon evada, Ari ona and tah urprisingly, the shift in altitude hit us harder than we had expected, and during our inaugural hike black spots squirted across my line of vision like octopus ink, and even outdoor gurus Delano and immy felt winded uckily, a good night’s sleep and a lot of water wholly remedied our malaise by the following morning Team utpost’s first encounter with the notorious and weirdly fascinating hoodoos was at the unrise oint lookout

2015 • MAY/JUNE

e staggered toward the crag of the amphi theatre, agog over what looked like hundreds of yearning fingers reaching up from unseen palms—or sand castles dissolving beneath the waxing tide, or chess pieces awaiting the first move, or stone skyscrapers comprising an archaic metropolis—in seashell shades of pink and orange The hoodoos immediately sparked a creative debate Delano interpreted their silhouettes as mosque like minarets that recalled his time in Turkey I insisted they were Hindu temples akin to those I visited in India and Bowen thought they were like the decaying towers of the Angkor region that he fancied to someday explore in ambodia immy, meanwhile, saw termite mounds e finally all agreed that they looked like people, and as the shadows between them began to slink and stretch, it seemed more and more as though there was in deed a shuffling crowd peering back up at us The indigenous aiutes—a largely nomadic tribe that inhabited the region in the th century—had apparently reached the same conclusion They believed that Bryce anyon was once populated by the To when an ung wa—creatures that visually mimicked humans but were in actuality animals egend has it that one day their society disobeyed and enraged the great oyote spirit The deity sought vengeance on the creatures by transform ing them into the rock steeples that, in a certain light, hauntingly resemble huddled individuals cowering in duress The flushed pigment of the hoodoos is attributed to the To when an ung wa donning face paint at the moment of their smiting olklore remains conspicuously vague regarding precisely what misdeed the To when an ung wa committed, and I couldn’t help but wonder if opportunistic aiute parents ever manipulated the story

MAY/JUNE • 2015

as needed when coaxing their wayward offspring into compliance The To when an ung wa didn’t want to go to sleep at bedtime either, and look what happened to them Alas, we shall never know Temperatures plunged to an unsea sonal toe blanching, ear stinging - degrees elsius during our maiden night of camp ing I bundled up in all of my clothing plus Bowen’s jacket and immy’s mittens as we returned to unrise oint to admire the nocturnal view that lures innumerable starga ers to partake in Bryce anyon’s famed astronomy program The fortuitous combination of high altitude and low light pollution means that, on a clear night, up to , winking stars and the ethereal arm of the Milky ay can be glimpsed—but only by those undaunted by the sight of their own breath illuminated in the starlight Even though it was after a m when we at last squirmed into our mummy bags, we were up again at a m to catch the sunrise It was still dark when we arrived at the lookout, and I refused to part with the sleeping bag liner that I draped over my shoulders—namely because it would remind Bowen and immy where their extra garments had sneaked off to, and I was worried that they would demand their stuff back sorry, guys Morning slipped in with an esoteric hush Initially, we tried to stave off the cold with silly photos and nonsensical jokes But as the periwinkle light embraced us along with the hoodoos, we fell into an introspective silence as impenetrable as that of the natural structures below e embarked that day on the airyland oop trail, which guided us from yet another gob smacking outlook to the base of the formations A path of rose coloured dust meandered around the enormous stones, allowing us to engage with them from a new perspective

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Never overstate the importance of reliable field gear—a proper backpack can quickly become your best friend

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Perched atop a perfect Bryce vantage point, with the expanse of the canyon spread out below

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The canyon’s breathtaking geography is the result of thousands of years of unpredictable erosion

ow, they looked less like towers and more like giant, blushing raisins balanc ing on end The temperature seesawed dramatically due to the elevation, the midday sun roasted our pallid cheeks to a colour not unlike that of our surroundings, and the shadowed passes commanded the hairs on our forearms to stand at attention Delano had advised us to bring layers and it seemed as though we changed our wardrobes every minutes or so Time cantered past at a discordant rhythm—hours whisked away from us as we gaped at our surroundings, lost in the absence of thought The next morning, we packed our gear into our backpacks and set out on the nder the im trail ike the airyland oop, it began at the rim and languidly unfurled into the valley below As the view shrunk to whatever could be contained between the vermilion walls, nuanced elements of Bryce anyon shyly revealed themselves ap from the ubiquitous ponderosa pines released a scent not unlike butterscotch when warmed in the sun, while antiquated junipers gradually twisted over upon themselves like strips of plastic melting on a hearth keletal trees bore piceous burns from either lightning strikes or forest fires brittle protrusions amid the soft conifers Evening came early in the shade of the valley and we banked just enough time to pitch our tents at ellow reek before the sun darted out of view e were the only people at the campsite and, mindful of the still squishy mountain lion scat we had warily navigated around during our descent, the distance I ventured into the bush to relieve myself bore an invert relationship to how late it was That night, immy and I were both awakened by the padded footfalls of a lurking mammal investigating our interim settlement, although we were unable to

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discern track marks in the morning lambering back up to the rim the following day was a gruelling undertak ing—so much so that Delano barely prevented Bowen from launching himself off the cliffside, presumably so that he could be medevac’d the rest of the way up He insists he merely stumbled while film ing our hike, but I remain unconvinced However, that equated to a jaunt across the lawn when compared to our next excursion a roundtrip between ainbow oint and ovimpa oint At more than , feet , me tres , this is the highest area in Bryce anyon—which we were reminded of by the flurry of tiny snowflakes that swirled around our shoulders like balls of packing tyrofoam caught in a vacuum cleaner Douglas fir, white fir and blue spruce shaded the wet snow that lingered in the muddy depressions, while tangled man anita and felled trees grasped at our hiking boots n one particularly gravity mocking, quadriceps igniting de cline, I was ambushed by a thicket of impudent foliage and face planted into the undergrowth Auspiciously for me though probably disappointingly for the utpost staff back in the office , Bowen’s camera was pointed elsewhere at the time The path was coyly illusive, and there were moments where we found ourselves bushwhacking through vegetation that oc casionally whacked back okey branches prodded at our backpacks like conspicuous pickpockets, while steep planes thieved the breath out of our lungs It wasn’t long before I was sweating despite the cool air and shedding my multiple layers like a moulting insect The last ascension was especially arduous, and I uttered a slew of curse words that utpost editors would not approve of me recanting here as I crawled toward the summit

2015 • MAY/JUNE

When we at last lurched out of the trees, we were rewarded by a view that rendered us even more jelly-kneed than the walk up. This was where the wind was roaring over the reddish-orangehued cliffs. We stood captivated by everything we saw and heard, until Delano finally reminded us that we didn’t have much daylight left, and that it would be prudent to pitch our tents hastily. The winds were so violent that the four of us ate our freeze-dried pad thai inside the tent that Bowen and I shared, the headlamp we affixed to the ceiling reverberating against the shimmying walls. That night, we were all robbed of sleep by the rioting weather that rattled our shelters with such brutality that we each privately wondered if we would be hurled over the edge, and inched a little closer to our respective tent mate during the worst of it. We awoke to a predawn light that delicately enveloped us like grey cashmere. The morning chill nipped and snapped at our cheeks as per usual, but it did not deter us from scrambling out of our tents to take in the spectacular view. Despite being one of the less famed national parks in the state, Bryce Canyon offers a mystically-infused landscape with hoodoos that tickle the imagination and panoramas that rattle the senses. And while our fingertips did occasionally sting from the unexpected cold front, any discomfort Team Outpost experienced was easily nullified with one glance at the exotic beauty that encompassed us. From its sunset-coloured geology to its butterscotch-scented forests, the sweeping views of Bryce Canyon are overwhelmingly worth whatever it takes to experience them.

» DELANO LAVIGNE, FIELD GUIDE

» S. BEDFORD, WRITER

» BOWEN MEI, VIDEOGRAPHER

» JIMMY MARTINELLO, PHOTOGRAPHER

IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

DN’T L U O C WE T HE VIE WS SNAGHOU T YOU. WI T T HANKS

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Team Outpost rests in happy silence, overwhelmed by the magnificent scenery

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At night Bryce Canyon transforms into a fantastically surreal landscape

To experience the entire View From Here expedition, including daily dispatches and photos from the field, head to www.outpostmagazine.com

THE REAL LIFE MISSION

TO BOLDLY GO There’s no reality TV show, no voting off contestants, no scrappy cat fights, and certainly no nudity. Instead the Mars Society makes a serious case for a Red Planet presence—starting with a group of experts in a Mars-like desert and a year-long trial on the Canadian tundra

hen the first person steps foot on Mars, there’s no doubt that they’ll say something deeply inspiring to the rest of humanity eagerly awaiting 22 minutes (by radio) away. What these Martian astronauts will really be thinking though is: “Gee, I’m really glad my helmet isn’t fogging up right now.” I know this because while I was tromping around the simulated Martian deserts of southern Utah, my helmet wouldn’t stop fogging up. Helmet visibility issues are just one of the so-many-little-things that analogue Mars missions seek to test and fix before people ever step foot on the Red Planet. Firstly: yes, I really was pretending to be an astronaut, exploring the surface of Mars. No, it wasn’t cosplay or a sci-fi convention. Yes, we have to wear the suit, every single time we leave the station. No, you cannot break the simulation and scratch your nose, because removing your helmet would mean certain death on another world. Welcome to Mars—sort of. Dress rehearsals are nothing new to space science. For instance, NASA built a simulated lunar surface in Florida to train the Apollo astronauts heading to the Moon. Given the expensive and risky nature of manned spaceflight, it’s completely rational to try new technologies and techniques on Earth first. That’s where these analogue MAY/JUNE • 2015

missions come in—by simulating off-world exploration in some of Earth’s most extreme environments (the Polar Regions, deserts, under the ocean, the list goes on) we gain valuable data about just what it will take for humanity to expand off-world. And if the end goal of all this effort is to boldly go across the stars, Mars is set to be our first step along the way. I’ve always been fascinated by space. I mean, I think I had read my way through half of my local library’s sci-fi section by the time I was 15, including the good, the bad, and the really pulpy stuff. Likewise, it probably goes without saying that I was utterly obsessed with all things Star Trek from an early age. I never really identified with the fearless captains or the daredevil pilots though; it was the scientists—the logical and competent Mr. Spock, for example—who I thought were the coolest. This fascination with exploration and science spurred me to pursue a career in biology. Nowadays I still voraciously consume sci-fi, but as a botanist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa I get most of my reading done during downtime on expeditions charting the plants of the Canadian Arctic. Collecting and cataloguing plant species on tundra steppes, hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest human settlement, can certainly feel like exploring a new world. www.outpostmagazine.com

Story and Photos by

PAUL SOKOLOFF

» EXPEDITION COMMANDER PAUL KNIGHTLY WALKING TO THE MARS DESERT RESEARCH STATION

till, I suspect there will always be a small part of me that will want to strap into a rocket, yearning for adventure in outer space o when I read about the Mars ociety’s Mars Arctic MA project—a simulated year long mission to Mars that is scheduled to take place this coming summer on Devon Island, unavut—I knew I had found a way to marry my two loves Arctic adventure and space exploration And so, after getting my husband’s approval to be honest, I think he’s just happy I didn’t apply to Mars ne—the private effort looking to send colonists on a one way trip to Mars that you’ve likely heard so much about no, we are not that Mars project , I applied to the program alongside other international candidates I don’t think I’ve ever replied to an email so fast as when I was informed that I was one of the finalists for the mission Two months later I found myself waiting at the baggage carousel of rand unction, olorado’s small airport, collect ing my sampling gear and my regular clothes My spacesuit would only be issued once I arrived at the Mars Desert esearch tation MD just outside of Hanksville, tah As the closest airport to MD , rand unction would serve as the staging ground for expeditions Each MA finalist was placed on one of three crews crewmates were matched up based on skills and personality types urs, rew , was slotted right in between the other two finalist crews, and we were all about to meet each other for the very first time ever the kind to leave one of his crew behind, I met aul nightly our commander and the crew’s only American first when he pulled up at the airport, saving me from dragging plus lbs of duffel bags to my motel aul the crew tried using nicknames to differentiate us, but we eventually fell back on last initials is a geologist based out of ansas ity His love of astronautics while in college he founded a local chapter of ED — tudents for the Exploration and Development of pace is only rivalled by his devotion to his alma mater’s varsity teams ur team’s executive officer , Alexandre Mangeot, had already settled into his motel room, trying to shoulder through his jetlag after flying in from Bordeaux the day before An engineer who worked on spacecraft propulsion for his hD he’s literally a rocket scientist , Alexandre was the only member of our crew who had served a rotation at MD before, and was looking forward to sharing his know how with the crew That, and the awesome burgers at a greasy spoon in Hanksville he kept raving about A fellow anadian arrived next Ian ilversides, an aerospace engineer from Montreal, who would serve as Mr ix It during our rotation, keeping the Hab’s systems running That’s Hab as in Habitat, the main living space at MD —nothing to do with the Montreal anadiens An avid climber, cyclist, baker and traveller, Ian’s infectious enthusiasm for our rotation would serve us well over the coming weeks e finally met up with our crew journalist, Anastasiya tepanova, at dinner, where she had a big surprise waiting for the rest of us I’ll tell you more about that later By day a manager in Moscow, Anastasiya has long dreamed of travelling to space, and earned a degree in space journalism there’s a cool major , under the tutelage of a former cosmonaut he was also one of two Mars ne candidates on our crew The other Mars ne hopeful, and final member of our crew, was laude Michel aroche, another Montrealer, and a reservist with the anadian orces laude Michel was in charge of the reenHab, the experimental greenhouse attached to the primary Hab MAY/JUNE • 2015

» KNIGHTLY MAKES FIRST CONTACT WITH THE “MARTIAN” FLORA www.outpostmagazine.com

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Crewmates were matched on skills and personality types. Ours, Crew 143, was slotted right in between the other two finalist crews, and we were all about to meet each other for the very first time

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» A CREW FROM THE EUROPEAN TV CHANNEL ARTE INTERVIEWS CREW MEMBERS OUT ON AN EVA

» THE BEAVERTAIL CACTUS (OPUNTIA BASILARIS) IS A COMMON SIGHT IN THE DESERTS AROUND MDRS

» GREENHAB OFFICER CLAUDE-MICHEL LAROCHE TENDS TO THE WHEATGRASS CROP IN THE STATION’S GREENHOUSE

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2015 • MAY/JUNE

ou might think that as a botanist, I might have been a logical choice for that role, but as rew ’s biologist and health and safety officer, I would have my hands full with research and keeping everybody safe lus I kill plants for a living anyways laude Michel did a much better job in the reenHab than I would have ith our international crew of millennial space nuts fully assembled, we could finally head onto the Mars Desert esearch tation, and the first phase of Mars Arctic • • • In a nutshell, the MA mission is meant to be a com prehensive dress rehearsal for a manned mission to Mars hile few other initiatives have looked at the psychological impact that the confinement of long duration spaceflight would have on a crew most notably, the MA mission, which locked six cosmonauts in a simulated spacecraft for days , MA will be the first dry run of a full year of surface operations on Earth’s most Mars like environment the dry, cold and barren polar deserts of Devon Island This ambitious mission will be the longest expedition ever undertaken by the Mars ociety, an international devoted to developing the capacity and the political will needed to mount a manned mission to Mars The society has been hosting simulated astronaut crews at its Mars Desert esearch tation since its inauguration in Interestingly, this more accessible station, situated along ow Dung oad seriously , is the second habitat their lashline Mars Arctic esearch tation the site of MA in the anadian High Arctic was their first This intense go big or go home philosophy is best embodied by the society’s founder, Dr obert ubrin Before his reinvention as one of America’s foremost space lobbyists, ubrin was an engineer at ockheed Martin tasked with developing mission plans for, among other targets, manned missions to Mars His conceptuali ed Mars Direct plan was never fully adopted by A A, but forms the basis for the society’s analogue missions—their weeklong to four month long Mars mission simulations, where every aspect of life on Mars is approximated as closely as possible Everything from the analogue spacesuits, to the white cylindrical habitats designed as if they were to fit under the cowling of a rocket , embodies the Mars Direct assertions that getting humans to the ed lanet could happen with today’s technology ubrin wants to get us there as soon as possible, and asserts that unnecessary frills would only hold us back This comes up as I’m listening to ubrin describing, of all things, a washing machine, gesticulating about how A A would feel the need to reinvent the damn thing In a dim microbrewery in rand unction, he is explaining his simple solution to dirty clothes in outer space using a vacuum chamber to suck the dirt right out of fabric I suppose this is the space equivalent of sticking your beer outside during the winter to keep it cold inding ubrin at our first crew dinner was a surprise for most of us—Anastasiya didn’t tell us that the man himself would be driving her down from Denver uietly intense, ubrin comes alive when describing the technologies that will one day pave the road to the stars, even pulling out some cocktail napkin math when trying to calculate the thrust power of A A’s rion spacecraft final verdict was ca percent humanity’s total energy output As for our chances of making the MA mission, ubrin, not wanting to comment until the data from all three teams was in, left us with a smile and a your team definitely has a shot MAY/JUNE • 2015

» EXECUTIVE OFFICER ALEXANDRE MANGEOT REWIRES SENSORS FOR THE EVA SUITS IN THE HABITAT’S LAB

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Zubrin comes alive when describing the technologies that will one day pave the road to the stars, even pulling out some cocktailnapkin math when trying to calculate the thrust power of NASA’s Orion spacecraft

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» AN EVA TEAM DEPARTS MDRS ON “UNPRESSURIZED LIGHT ROVERS.” THAT’S SIM-SPEAK FOR ATVS www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

By late afternoon the next day I was driving our team the last couple of miles down the twisty dirt road that led to MD It’s easy to see why this region was picked to fill in for Mars the tapering red hills, undulating sandy plains, and wind smoothed sandstone formations all harken back to some of the earliest photos sent back by A A’s iking landers in the s If you don’t look too closely at the plants, and especially at sundown when the desert is flooded with warm amber light, the illusion is almost perfect This rugged landscape adds scientific rigor to the simulated Mars mission many of the constraints imposed by the des ert—the arid climate, cold winters and sandy traverses—are the same as on Mars This means that innovations made at MD are often directly applicable to life on Mars The station’s isolated location enforces the mind game crucial to what we came to call sim hen we do send the first crews to Mars, whoever we send will be each other’s only company for years at a time iguring out how to keep a team of highly motivated, A type individuals when’s the last time you saw an underachieving astronaut? cohesive over the long term is essential to space exploration The isolation is mostly complete out here in the tah desert, with only the occasional curious tourist stopping by—life on Mars was a lot quieter before MD was marked on oogle Maps ounding one last red layered hill, the bright white Hab comes into view It looks bigger than the photos online ood thing too, this eight metre diameter, two storey cylinder will be our home during the next two weeks The main airlock door is wide open, so either rew , our competition, has rolled out the welcome mat, or they’re simulating a blown hatch Taking our first steps into the hab, we call out, hoping to make first contact with the Martians rew is upstairs, gathered around the kitchen conference table in the upstairs wardroom This table inevitably becomes the social hub of the Hab for each crew ours would prove no different in the weeks to come rew is led by Digby Tarvin, an affable Australian with some of the finest mutton chops I have ever seen, no doubt cultivated on one of the several Mars ociety missions under his belt Their whole crew is giving the Hab a deep clean before the hand off to us, and they quickly set down to showing us around our new digs It’s a bit like any other house inside—if your house has airlocks and a well equipped lab seriously, what aspiring young scientist doesn’t dream of their own secret home lab? The kitchen is stocked with all the free e dried staples we would need, including the most important provision for a crew of scientists and engineers coffee The staterooms are no more than a desk and a wooden bunk in a five foot wide room, but at least they’re private imulated spacesuits are stacked high on their charging racks behind the main airlock—bubble helmets with scuffed erspex domes and backpacks that ventilate with computer fans They certainly aren’t airtight, but they simulate the encumbrance of the real thing well enough Adjacent to the Hab module is the reenHab, where a healthy crop of wheatgrass is nearly ready to harvest, and a squat white building housing the Musk bservatory Elon Musk, E of pace , has long been vocal in his support of Mars coloni ation At the time, there was no physical tunnel connecting the three Hab components, but to save us from having to suit up every time we want to go to the garden, we’re authori ed to walk between them in our shirtsleeves e just have to pretend there’s a pressuri ed tunnel there using the power of imagination, which I guess is the whole point of MD MAY/JUNE • 2015

» CREW 143 PROUDLY POSING IN FRONT OF THE “HAB,” THE MAIN LIVING AND WORKING SPACE AT MDRS www.outpostmagazine.com

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The bright-white Hab comes into view. It looks bigger than the photos online. Good thing too, this eight-metre diameter, twostorey cylinder will be our home during the next two weeks

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» KNIGHTLY CALIBRATES HIS SUIT’S BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR UNDER MANGEOT’S GUIDANCE

» LAROCHE, IAN SILVERSIDES, ANASTASIYA STEPANOVA AND KNIGHTLY (CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT) STEP INTO THE MAIN AIRLOCK PRIOR TO EXITING THE HAB

» THE MARS DESERT RESEARCH STATION HAB (RIGHT) AND GREENHAB (LEFT) www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

ith our tour of the Hab and the various hand off briefings complete, and following a feast of pi a from the only pi a place in Hanksville, the two crews turned in for the night ith the station only designed for six, rew ends up bedding down wherever there is extra space—most of us end up in the loft overlooking the kitchen e’re only roused once during the night by the loud snap of a rat trap, followed by rew ’s biologist exclaiming, e caught Mrs ingles It seems our rocket has stowaways ur competition takes their leave of the Hab mid next morning, and as they seal the airlock behind them, we are officially alone on Mars • • • ur first order of business was the same as a real space mis sion planning, planning, and planning some more Astronauts on the International pace tation have their days planned down to the minute e have a bit more flexibility than that, but mission control still wanted to vet everyone’s research proposals, to know the who what when where why for each extravehicular activity E A , and required a report from each crew member on their day’s activities, submitted during a two hour window each evening—simulating the narrow communication windows that astronauts on Mars would have with the home planet Balancing the demands of mission control with each crew member’s research responsibilities gave us a pretty full two weeks The very next day we entered sim, the full simulation or the following days we lived like we were on Mars f course, there’s still air and full gravity, but there were no more trips into town for supplies and food—there are no pi a joints on Mars yet Even on another planet, humans are creatures of habit, and we quickly fell into a routine or me, each of my mornings was spent coffee in hand, watching the sunrise through the porthole in the upper deck kitchen The highlight of each day was the E A, when four crew members would get the chance to go outside two crew members are compelled to stay inside for safety reasons Mission control would only approve one four hour E A per day on Mars surface radiation is much higher than here at home, so actual E As would be similarly constrained to prevent explorers from sucking up too much radiation pace suit up was Ian’s enthusiastic call to action whenever it was time to get our gear on It’s a cumbersome process coveralls, boots, gaiters, helmet radio, backpack, helmet and thick gloves, all in that order n day one it took us minutes and three people per suit to gear up—fortunately, we were dressing ourselves in by the end of the mission ur spacesuited team would then huddle together in the tight airlock to wait out a simulated five minute decompression—mandatory each time someone enters or exits the Hab After five minutes of jokes, last minute planning or contemplative science, the radio would crackle E A team, you are clear to exit the Hab, and we were able to crack the main door and take our first steps onto this brave new world These E As encapsulated the adventure and romance of our expedition After all, nobody’s going to go to Mars just to stay inside the whole time They were also critical to our research goals As a botanist, I proposed to collect and identify all the plants, lichens and cyanobacteria photosyn thetic organisms that live inside rock to build a reference collection for future astrobiology work at the station This resulted in me spending a lot of time tromping around in my spacesuit boots, searching every nook and cranny for MAY/JUNE • 2015

» HELPING SILVERSIDES SUIT UP www.outpostmagazine.com

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It’s a cumbersome process: coveralls, boots, gaiters, helmet radio, backpack, helmet and thick gloves, all in that order

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» IN ADDITION TO COMMANDING CREW 143, KNIGHTLY ACTS AS TEAM GEOLOGIST, FREQUENTLY COLLECTING ROCK SAMPLES ON EVAS www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

photosynthetic life o that, alongside aul ’s geological prospecting, Alexandre’s research into learning and stress, and even a Hab construction project building the actual tunnel between the Hab and the observatory meant we spent a great deal of time outside If our preplanned research target was nearby we would hoof it, boots slipping in bentonite clay It was much more fun to visit further waypoints then we could take our unpressuri ed light rovers or AT s out for a spin These trips were really where you could suspend your disbelief it almost felt like we were actually on Mars The most important tool that future astronauts will bring to Mars is not a spacesuit or sampling gear, but a sense of humour I’m not suggesting that a smashed helmet faceplate is anything to be laughed at although Arnold chwar enegger’s face explosion scene in Total ecall is laughably ridiculous , but rather that space travel and life inside a small habitat on—or pretending to be on—another planet can be cramped, tedious and full of frustrating setbacks Those without the ability to laugh at themselves, or who can’t handle minor annoyances, are not going to fare well trapped in a tin can for a few years As the rotation wore on and our crew gradually got to know each other better, we were happy to discover that we all could indeed take a joke e certainly lived up to our reputation as the millennial crew we were all friends on acebook by day three, and there was palpable excitement in the Hab when I got retweeted by the anadian pace Agency e also got a lot goofier as the days wore on custom soundtracks were piped into crews waiting in the airlock ife n Mars by David Bowie was my favourite , and evening rounds of ards Against Humanity frequently involved Anastasiya exclaiming, ou have a word for that? e did keep a lid on the cra y when two rench media crews came to visit us out at the Hab utreach is one of the main goals at MD without popular support for a mission to Mars, the political will to do so simply won’t appear ur mostly rancophone crew was eager to show them the work we were doing, and how deeply each one of us desired to one day visit the ed lanet The journalists seemed to agree, but one group was under the impression that the pace huttle travelled faster than the speed of light—it seems that we have a lot more reaching out to do In general, Hab life was a microcosm of our lives on the outside, with work and chores balanced by yoga classes, discussions about philosophy and the enthusiastic fans fol lowing us on the official acebook page, baby wipe showers water is scarce on Mars , and of course cheesy movie nights ne evening, like many during the second week of the simulation, found rew huddled over laptops at the kitchen table This late in the simulation most of us are writing up our final mission reports, dispatching blog posts or trawling scientific literature for anything that might give us an edge in the competition Ian, reading a study on water use and rationing conducted at the Devon Island field station a few years ago, peers over his laptop screen and grins at the group They brewed beer on Devon Island If we’re chosen for MA , I’m totally brewing beer up there Then assuming a sincere, professional expression, he adds It’s a safe way of storing water for long periods, the alcohol keeps the water sterile I’m pretty sure he’s completely serious or safety rea sons, alcohol is strictly forbidden at MD ood food, however, is absolutely essential to the success of the mis sion After all, happy scientists are productive scientists MAY/JUNE • 2015

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We lived up to our reputation as the millennial crew: all friends on Facebook by day three, and a palpable excitement in the Hab when I got retweeted by the Canadian Space Agency

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» DROUGHT-TOLERANT AND RADIATION-RESISTANT, LICHENS, LIKE THE ORANGE SPECIES COVERING THIS BOULDER, ARE MUCH STUDIED BY ASTROBIOLOGISTS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO THRIVE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS

» THE RED DESERTS SURROUNDING MDRS ADD THE REALISM ESSENTIAL TO A SUCCESSFUL SIMULATION—THIS REGION LOOKS SO MARS-LIKE THAT SCI-FI MOVIES ARE OFTEN SHOT HERE www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

In fact, some rotations at MD exclusively focus on food research—we might go to the stars one day, but we’ll still need to eat Dinner was the social event of the day, so some of us got really good at improvising with the shelf stable food available in the Hab Ian baked hearty bread nearly every day, I made a pi a from scratch for the first time I can remember, and we even pulled out all the stops for Thanksgiving e had a pam turkey Time certainly seemed to speed up on sim Mars as opposed to real Mars, where a day is minutes longer than here on Earth The end of the simulation was on us way sooner than anyone would have liked—although I was looking forward to showering without baby wipes again n the day that rew was due to arrive we woke up to a life where we’d have to get used to going outside without a spacesuit again aul climbed the stairs up to the crew deck with a grin on his face I just broke up with the airlock I went downstairs and said, Airlock, I don’t need you anymore ’ ater on in the afternoon rew pulls their white uburban up to the Hab This group of MA competitors was formidable a group including an MD, a A A scientist, an army officer and an Antarctic survival specialist The one thing that they lacked was the same thing our group was missing at the beginning of our rotation the camaraderie borne of this unique, intense experience e instantly noticed this when we went to take a group shot just outside the Hab rew upright, professional, excited rew dirty, all hugs and huddles, with tired, happy grins They’ll get there, I thought The next morning, with the crew hand off complete, we departed MD , entrusting this little slice of space to our successors There was no dramatic watching the Hab recede into the distance of the rear view mirror as soon as we rounded the corner the station was gone And we were alone in the immensity of the red tah desert, lost as easily as in the immensity of Mars itself ur group of new friends gradually went our separate ways from there, with more than a few tears, hugs and handshakes along the way till no word on which crew has made the cut for MA , but Anastasiya did make the cut for the top candidates for Mars ne—that other aspiring mission to Mars —so at least one of our crewmate’s Martian dreams may yet become a reality However MA works out, I know that my two weeks on Mars will stay with me for the rest of my life I’m sure I’ll be reminiscing about the mission with aul , Alexandre, Ian, laude Michel and Anastasiya for years to come Maybe when we visit each other in our respective home lands r maybe when we undertake a year long mission on Devon Island together r maybe, just maybe, when we’re visiting each other under the dome of the first colony on Mars I have every hope that people will get to Mars in our lifetime, and if by some twist of fate I were given the chance to go, I know that all of us would be ready and willing to join humanity’s next giant leap

For the hundredth time, yes—Paul Sokoloff has read The Martian , Andy Weir’s strangely familiar novel about a botanist stranded on Mars. If he ever makes it to the Red Planet he’s promised his family to try to be on the return flight home—if there is one, that is. MAY/JUNE • 2015

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» ANASTASIYA STEPANOVA, IAN SILVERSIDES, AND ALEXANDRE MANGEOT (LEFT TO RIGHT) ENJOY A PANCAKE BREAKFAST IN THE HAB

» NO SERVICES FOR 230,000,000 KILOMETRES: THE HOLLOW MOUNTAIN GAS STATION IN HANKSVILLE, UTAH, IS A LAST CHANCE TO SHOP BEFORE LIFTOFF AT MDRS www.outpostmagazine.com

2015 • MAY/JUNE

By On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before the U.S. Congress and challenged his country to “commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11, with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins aboard, fulfilled the late president’s goal with just months to spare. More than half a century later, we are again considering extraterrestrial landing, this time on Mars. Though no U.S. president, or in fact any world leader, has gone so far as Kennedy, there’s no shortage of brilliant minds working on heading to the Red Planet. Some say it can be achieved with current technology in little more than a decade (though subscribers to that plan, Mars One, know it’s a one-way trip, making it literally the winner in the “things to do before you die” sweepstakes); others suggest we’re still a century away. Yet when that first Mars expedition becomes a reality, what can those pioneers really expect?

Simon Vaughan

••• DOCUMENTATION: Canadian travellers do not require visas to visit the Red Planet. Yet. ••• NATIONAL ANTHEM: Gustav Holst’s “Mars, Bringer of War” ••• TIME DIFFERENCE: Mars takes approximately 24 hours to complete one full rotation on its own axis (a Martian day is just 39:35:244 minutes longer than an Earth day), and makes one complete orbit around the Sun (a typical year) in 687 Earth days.

••• LOCATION: Blissfully free of the perils of mass tourism, the Red Planet is the fourth planet in our Solar System. Located approximately 228 million km from the Sun and between 54.6 million and 401 million km from Earth (depending on the positions of the two planets), it can usually be found by turning left at Venus.

••• GEOGRAPHY/CLIMATE: Due to the tilt of its poles Mars has seasons not unlike ours on Earth, though they last longer. Mars is approximately half the size of Planet Earth, but has only 38 percent of our surface gravity—thus making it both a great place to go for a bouncy-walk and sufficient for long-term settlers to grow accustomed to over time. According to NASA, Mars has a cooler desert environment, with no liquid surface water but vast polar ice caps and possible underground storehouses from which water could be extracted. These facts, combined with the presence of a thin atmosphere to help screen radiation, make Mars an alluring destination for exploration. Given that Mars’s spectacular scenery includes vast canyons and towering volcanoes, the planet just might be the ideal getaway for intergalactic travellers—not to mention the best adventure destination in the universe, after Earth. Breathing: With Mars’s atmosphere comprised of 96 percent carbon dioxide, visitors are advised to either bring their own oxygen supply or air-purification system—or to simply try holding their breath.

••• GETTING AROUND: ATV-like rovers—similar to the lunar rover or moon buggy used during the Apollo missions—are still the most popular mode of transport on Mars. (Keen hikers can take advantage of the lower gravity for less taxing extended trekking excursions.)

••• HEALTH RISKS: Due to the thin atmosphere the effects of the Sun’s rays are more pronounced than on Earth, and the reduced gravity can bring about osteoporosis and muscle deterioration for long-term visitors. High levels of surface radiation will limit the amount of time you can spend outside, even in a spacesuit; anyone with respiratory problems is advised to seek shelter during dust storms. On the bright side, Mars is great for people trying to lose weight: the effect of gravity on mass means anyone weighing 100 kgs on Earth would only weigh 38 kgs on Mars! ••• GETTING THERE: While periodically the closest planet to Earth, Mars is a long-haul destination. Depending on the technology used and the alignment of the planets, a lightning-fast roundtrip journey could conceivably be completed in as few as 245 days—though a more common timeline to get a spacecraft from Earth to Mars would be six months, making a roundtrip mission likely to take about 15 months. ••• WHEN TO GO: A Martian summer lasts twice as long as one on Earth, so it’s a great destination for snowbirds. The planet’s highs often reach 35°C near its equator (yes it has one too) during summer, while dipping to a nippy –143°C at its poles during winter. It’s worth planning any trip around the Martian solar calendar as the planet’s infamous dust storms—which sometimes consume the entire planet for a month or more—are more common when Mars is closest to the Sun.

VALLES MARINERIS: Though not as impressive as our own Great Rift Valley, Mars’s Valles Marineris ranks among the biggest valleys and canyons in the Solar System. More than 4,000 km long, up to 200 km in width and with a depth as great as seven kilometres, the rim of the valley is a great place to watch a sunset, or better yet start a paragliding business. VIKING 1 LANDER: The first successful Martian lander, The Viking 1, touched down on the Red Planet on July 20, 1976. It sent data back to Earth, until a faulty command from Mission Control severed communication on November 11, 1982. Visitors to Mars can see the lander, now known as the Thomas Mutch Memorial Station, in the equatorial region of the Chryse Planitia. ••• PHOBOS AND DEIMOS: Mars boasts not one but two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Both irregularly shaped orbiting rocks are well worth a side trip, if time permits.

ILLUSTRATION ISTOCKPHOTO

••• FOOD: While some scientists believe Mars is capable of supporting the growth of Earth lichens, unless you plan on living on the moss-like shrub for the duration of your visit, freeze-dried astronaut food or climate-controlled greenhouses are recommended. Failing that, Mars Bars are always an option.

••• THINGS TO SEE AND DO: OLYMPUS MONS: Located in the western hemisphere of the planet near the Tharsis bulge, and at approximately 25 km in height, Olympus Mons is not only almost three times the height of Mount Everest but is both the largest volcano and the second-highest known mountain within our Solar System. It’s not necessary to obtain a climbing permit if wishing to summit, and since it has a gradual incline no Martian mountaineering experience is required.

NASAJPL-CALTECHMSSS

••• ATMOSPHERE: Mars boasts an average atmospheric pressure of 600 pascals (Pa). Not as hearty as Earth’s, with an average of 101,325 Pa, but it certainly puts jealous Mercury (at approximately one nanopascal) to shame!

••• ACCOMMODATION: If only dropping down to the planet for a night or two, the cramped lander itself might be sufficient—but longer stays might require semipermanent modular bases. Such colonies would likely be launched from Earth in advance and assembled by the first arrivals. The bases would likely include living quarters, work areas, laboratories and greenhouses to grow food. Although solar energy could be harnessed, the inevitability of massive dust storms that block at least some of the sunlight would necessitate backup energy sources. Depending on the distance between the planets at the time, a radio signal from Mars to Earth takes anywhere from four to 22 minutes to reach Earth, making voice communication subject to awkward silences. (Satellite-relayed Internet connections are also slow and expensive—don’t expect to be able to Twitter, Instagram or update your Facebook page easily.)

Note: see the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website for more info on all things Mars: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov » AT MORE THAN 225,300,000 KM FROM OUR TERRESTRIAL HOME, CURIOSITY REPRESENTS HUMANITY'S UNQUENCHABLE NEED TO BOLDLY GO

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