Injury Alert: If you bang your head, don’t forget what to do!
TAN YOUR MIND. TRAVEL FOR REAL™
Venezuela THE DEVILISH TREK TO ANGEL
FALLS
Ireland
EXPLORING THE LAND OF GUINNESS, SPIRITS, SCHOLARS AND SAINTS
PLUS
OUR NEW BUILDING A BAMBOO FUTURE
Nicaragua
TRAVELLER’S
TRAIL RUNNING
SERIES FIRST STOP:
CANADA
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JULY/ AUGUST 2009
OUTPOSTMAGAZINE.COM $4.50 CAN. DISPLAY UNTIL AUG. 31, 2009
CUBA: OFF-THE-BEACHES PATH
REMEMBERING THE SOMME • MEAT PIES: SECRET INGREDIENT? TIPS FOR THE HUNGRY PHOTOGRAPHER • CANYONING IN COSTA RICA
Publications Mail Agreement #0040017920 Postage paid in Toronto
JULY/AUGUST 2009
contents
In Every Issue 4 Mail Stop Your letters answered
9 Tripping The lucky clover’s fourth (and fifth and sixth) leaf
10 On the Fringe Birds on ’roids, titan snakes and roughing it in the buff; plus NASA’s rubber duckies and Spain’s 1,000-mirror plant
12 Thrillseeker Canyoning in Costa Rica’s Lost Canyon
15 Going Hard SPECIAL The first of our three-part Traveller’s Trail Running Series. This time, Canada’s best
20 Healthpost When you bang your head, don’t push it to the back of your mind— the consequences could be fatal
23 Gourmet du Monde
Features 32 Fall of Grace Story and Photography: Mark Burgess Our writer’s rough journey to the gentle stream of Venezuela’s Angel Falls—the world’s highest waterfall
42 Spirited Journey Story: Ryan Murdock Photography: Colin O’Connor On the road in Ireland, our writer traces his roots back to medicinal Guinness, coastal cliffs and legendary storytelling
A meat pie baked with love— and Guinness
26 MEC’s The Traveller’s Edge Tips from and for world trekkers
28 Field Notes Unearthing some solemn history on the Somme
55 Shutter Stop Creating food photos to make your mouth water
56 Travel Cares Harnessing the power of bamboo in Nicaragua
58 Wright of Way Ian explores Cuba from Swan Lake to Guantánamo
60 Backpacker Buzz News from Hostelling International
PHOTOGRAPHY: COVER, CATHY BELOEIL - WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/25084562@N00/SETS; ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/GIBSONFF THIS PAGE, (TOP) MARK BURGESS; (BOTTOM) COLIN O’CONNOR
Outpost NO.70
Mail Stop Dear Outpost, I am a resident of Victoria, B.C., and an avid coastal hiker on Vancouver Island. I just wanted to point out a mistake on your map of the West Coast Trail in your May/June issue. The small village east of Port Renfrew (through which one passes when headed west to Port Renfrew from Victoria) is called Jordan River, not Gordon River (as printed). Just thought you should know. Jordan River is a hot spot for surfers and hikers...a “must stop” spot en route to the West Coast, and, as such, its correct name should be printed! Thanks. Kim Horn, via email EDITOR’S NOTE: Our apologies to Outpost readers and the residents of beautiful Jordan River—and thank you Kim for pointing out our typo. In fact, Jordan River is home to the West Coast Surfing Association. For more information on the best surf spots, log on to vancouverisland.com.
TAN YOUR MIND
TRAVEL FOR REAL™
Publisher/Editorial Director
MATT ROBINSON
matt@outpostmagazine.com Editor
LIZA FINLAY
editor@outpostmagazine.com Art Director
CRAIG SINCLAIR
production@outpostmagazine.com Managing Editor
FINA SCROPPO
Senior Editor
DEBORAH SANBORN
deborah@outpostmagazine.com Senior Project Manager
SARA CATION
sara@outpostmagazine.com Editor-at-Large
Outpost magazine’s annual salute to
th Global Volunteers is now in its 8 year!
Outpost magazine is now looking for a few fantastic people who are working at bringing positive change to the planet. To nominate a candidate who is doing exceptional volunteering outside of Canada—feeding the poor, healing the sick, educating the young, constructing communities—log onto outpostmagazine.com and fill out our volunteer candidate form. Or simply email globalvolunteer@outpostmagazine.com for more information. Nominations will be accepted until July 15, 2009.
KEVIN VALLELY
kevin@outpostmagazine.com Food Editors
EMMA WAVERMAN, ESHUN MOTT
food@outpostmagazine.com Contributing Editors
LAURA BOMBIER, ROBIN ESROCK, RYAN MURDOCK, KRISHNA RAU, IAN WRIGHT Contributors
BOB RAMSAY, EVAN SOLOMON, COLIN O’CONNOR, MARK BURGESS, GORDON LACO, PHOENIX TARAMPI, KARA BERTRAND Designer
ELIZABETH DISILVESTRE
design@outpostmagazine.com Explorers Club Co-Editor
JOSEPH FREY
Agency and Sponsorship Manager
JAY WALLACE
Fina Scroppo, Outpost’s managing editor, says her favourite part about the job is exploring the world vicariously through the eyes and experiences of the magazine’s talented feature writers. With her husband and two young sons, she also enjoys embarking on more local adventures closer to home. She’s also busy editing and writing for a number of Canadian publications, including Today’s Parent Toronto, Canadian Gardening and The Globe and Mail, as well as editing more than a dozen books. Starting next issue, look out for Fina on our Healthpost pages as she takes on that column!
Feedback? Comments? A travel tidbit to share? Outpost welcomes letters to the editor: editor@outpostmagazine.com If your letter is selected, we’ll send you a great summer hat. Trust us, you’ll be the envy of all your friends and family members. 4
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Outpost [ISSN: 1203-7125] is published six times a year by: Outpost Incorporated, 425 Queen St. W., Suite 210, Toronto, ON M5V 2A5 Editorial and Business Tel: 416-972-6635 Advertising Tel: 416-972-6527 Fax: 416-972-6645 info@outpostmagazine.com www.outpostmagazine.com Individual Subscriptions Canada: 1 Year [6 Issues] $20 CDN, 2 years $35 CDN USA: 1 Year [6 Issues] $30 US, 2 years $50 US Intl: 1 Year [6 Issues] $40 US, 2 years $60 US Subscriber Services: 416-972-6635. Although we rarely do, we may make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies and organizations whose products may be of interest to our readers. To be excluded from these mailings, email us at circ@outpostmagazine.com, or write to the above address. Subscriptions to Outpost are also available through memberships to Hostelling International in British Columbia and Alberta for $35 CDN. Publications Mail Agreement #0040017920 Postmaster send address changes & undeliverable copies to above address. PAP Registration No. 10626 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program and the Canada Magazine Fund toward our mailing and editorial costs. Copyright 2008 Outpost Incorporated. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Printed in Canada. Outpost is a member of Magazines Canada.
PHOTO: NAOMI FINLAY
contributor
jay@outpostmagazine.com
BY PHOENIX TARAMPI
Going Hard
the Outpost Traveller’s
l i a r T ning n u R Series GRAB YOUR RUNNING SHOES AND YOUR CAP AS WE DISCOVER THE BEST TRAILS TO RUN AROUND THE WORLD. IN THE FIRST OF OUR THREE-PART SERIES, WE’RE SPOTLIGHTING CANADA, WHERE THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK TERRAIN
PHOTO: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MATTNOMAD
POUNDING HEART, ACHING MUSCLES, TENDER SOLES, lost breath: any runner will tell you that they are worth the thrill of that endorphin boost known as the runner’s high. But when there’s uneven terrain and the chance that an exposed root or mossy rock could send you face first into the dirt, count on the rewards being even greater. Trail running takes joggers off the streets and onto gravel, dirt, rocks, boardwalks, train tracks and any other terrain that strays from the paved path. When you trail run you’re bringing a whole new meaning to off-the-beatenpath travel. “There’s nothing more fun than being in a new city and finding a little peak or trail—it’s the best way to be a tourist in a new town,” says Adam Campbell, two-time member of the Canadian Mountain Running Team. In particular, says Campbell,
he’ll go for a run in the early morning hours if he’s experiencing jetlag. “I can explore the sites, run in the middle of the road, or find a little alley or wooded area to run along.” Campbell is just one of many long-distance adventure runners to share their favourite Canadian trails for the launch of the Outpost Traveller’s Trail Running Series. Here, we feature more of the pros’ top picks. From snowy mountains to vast fields, through towering trees and along expansive coastlines, stay tuned for some of the best trail runs beyond the border in upcoming issues. You’ll be rewarded with stunning views, the solitude of wilderness, fresh air and a new perspective on the city you’re visiting, the kind you won’t find in guide books. After all, “if you’re going to suffer,” Campbell adds, “you might as well be suffering somewhere beautiful.”
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lly rea is ail tr e th d, ele all ar up is ty au be e th , ar ul “It ’s spectac s ou rge go get u yo d an l, ica hn tec d an ty roo d an ky roc s It ch allenging. ’ ve ha d an y cit r ajo m a to se clo so be to e iqu un lly rea s It s. view ’ s ain nt ou m e th ” to s ces ac of e typ e th d an ess ern ild w of e typ th at
Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run —Kelsy Trigg, race director for the 2009
The Baden-Powell Centennial Trail OVERVIEW: Stretching along Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains
Vancouver, B.C.
from Horseshoe Bay in the west to Deep Cove in the east, the Baden-Powell Trail rewards runners with spectacular scenery— from mountain to forest to city to shoreline. LENGTH: 48 kiloTERRAIN: Very metres DIFFICULTY: technical with lots of roots and rocks, incline and decline. Covering three mountains en route, you’ll ascend and descend about 5,000 metres. Follow trail markers closely as many routes intersect the Baden-Powell Trail and it can get confusing. STOP FOR A BREAK WHEN: You get to the top of Eagle Ridge. See if you can catch your breath while enjoying spectacular views of Vancouver and the Pacific coast. 360°: Trade your running shoes for sea legs when you arrive in Deep Cove. Rent a canoe or kayak and coast through Indian Arm, a 30-kilometre fjord flanked by steep forested slopes. Or, celebrate your physical feat at any of Van City’s many festivals: The Celebration of Light—the world’s largest offshore fireworks display—at English Bay, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival at Jericho Beach Park, and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival at Vanier Park, to name a few. NOTABLE: There are various entry points to the Baden-Powell Trail, such as Mount Seymour Provincial Park and Lynn Canyon or Grouse Mountain, so you can break the gruelling 48 kilometres down into shorter runs. The Baden-Powell Trail is also the site of the annual Knee Knacker race, known as one of the toughest in North America.
La Cloche Silhouette Trail, Silver Peak Section
Killarney Provincial Park, Ont.
RUNNING SHOE RATING SYSTEM: Easy but exhilarating 16
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Ambitious
Tough and taxing
Pushing your peak
OUR WRITER REDISCOVERS HIS ROOTS IN IRELAND— THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SCHOLARS. STORY BY RYAN MURDOCK PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN O’CONNOR
Spirited J
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UNTOUCHED, UNTARNISHED AND UNINHABITED, VENEZUELA’S ANGEL FALLS DEFINES NATURAL WONDER. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BURGESS
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