Travel Pocket Guide Autumn/Winter 2019

TRAVEL POCKET GUIDE

AUTUMN / WINTER 2019

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LVIV, UKRAINE :: HIKING IN USA :: PARIS AUSTRALIA :: FLAT EARTH THEORY AND MORE

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AVEL URE TR ADVENT

E D I T O R ’ S

L E T T E R

Firstly, hello and welcome to our Autumn/Winter edition of Travel Pocket Guide! As we wave goodbye to the longer days and warmer weather here in the UK, we look optimistically towards, and embrace the colder months ahead. This means more soup, mulled wine, baths, wearing cosy winter jackets, TV binging, less gym (because cold mornings are a perfect excuse not to go), and it's also the ideal time to plan your next holiday to a warmer destination!

Australia is an excellent place to visit if you worship the sun, because every day is a beach day over in Oz! Check out our 6 incredible experiences you can't miss in Australia for some inspiration!

We also spent some time in the magical and mysterious Ukraine.

Venturing into the hidden gems of the beautiful city Lviv, we explore and review the best places to eat and drink in this amazing medieval yet modern place.

Staying quite close to home, we share with you our experience of spending 3 days in Paris. Giving you the lowdown on travel and accommodation tips, and provide suggestions on places not to be missed whilst in the 'City of Love'.

Star of the (Nettix and Nat Geo) series 'Life Below Zero', Sue Aikens takes a moment to talk to us about her life living in the wild, miles away from and why she loves it. Despite facing life threatening challenges civilisation civilis on a daily basis, she reminds us just how much of an inspiration she is, not only as an iconic female gure, but as a human being.

Ben Farrin Founder and Editor www.TheTravelPocketGuide.com

SUE AIKENS

EXPLORE LVIV

HIKING TRAILS

UKRANIAN FOOD ART

NATHAN THOMPSON

AUSTRALIA

CONTRIBUTE

3 DAYS IN PARIS

All Rights Reserved © Pocket Media Group 2019. The entire contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any of the views or opinions expressed in this guide, errors or omissions which may have occurred, or accept liability for any services or facilities featured. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that all information is correct, changes may and can occur.

Lviv is just 2 and a half hours from London, a city in Ukraine, which is situated east of Poland and north of Romania. It’s a large country full of amazing architecture and beautiful mountains and forests.

It’s people are kind, hard-working and the Ukrainian culture is historic and traditional.

This is my second time visiting Lviv, and it certainly won’t be my last.

The city is stunning and many of its buildings date back hundreds of years with incredible well-kept architecture still standing loud-and-proud. Known for its many national landmarks, key areas to visit include Rynok Market Square, Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and Mountain High Castle.

Lviv streets are built with the original, individually laid cobblestones which lead you through lanes full of boutique shops, restaurants and bars.

No matter where you look there’s something impressive to see. The sounds of people laughing, birds singing, faint music from a close by violinist, the Town Hall bells and ringing of trams add to the almost unreal, dreamy and romantic setting.

Beyond every door, is a surprise and in many cases it’s not obvious as to what’s behind it (because they don’t always have clear signs – I guess because buildings are protected due to their age). Lviv appears mysterious with lots of little gems and surprises hidden away behind secret doors and tucked-away corridors. You’ve just got to find them, or know where to go.

It’s hospitality staff are always ready to be at your service, ensuring their guests are happy. Tourism is a big part of Lviv and it is a city within a poor country, albeit a fast growing place. You can really sense the purity of Lviv and the community feeling it’s people share, all working hard, together, trying to develop their country, for themselves.

I’d thoroughly recommend travelling by one of the old buses.

People squeeze in, old and young, shoulders touching, as the vehicle bounces along dodging large holes in the road and stopping at the verbal request of passengers.

People pass money from the back of the vehicle, person-to-person, until it reaches the driver, who has a pile of notes beside him. It’s easy to assume everyone in Lviv is nice, but do be careful because pickpockets are around.

Ukraine is known for its extreme weather changes, and you might find yourself soaking up the sunshine one minute, and needing an umbrella the next (but not for long because the rain doesn’t last long in the summer).

This weather keeps the place vibrantly green and bright with its many trees and flowers dotted around Lviv city centre as well as having large city parks, with places to walk and relax, play areas for children, and huge trees full of birds singing (it’s like being in a rain forest).

If you’re an Instagram geek, there’s plenty of places to get brilliant pictures!

There’s so much to do in Lviv and compared to UK, it’s very cheap.

A beer in the city centre of Lviv will cost about £1.30. You can easily eat out in a very nice restaurant for around £10 per person. Remember to tip!

Ukrainian business owners want their guests to experience something beyond the taste of its food and drinks. The places we visited really did blow us away with the settings and will never be forgotten.

One restaurant we ate in called Baczewski Restaurant was full of plants in a large open space with a glass roof.

The rain pitter-pattered on the glass ceiling whilst sunshine beamed into the room as we enjoyed delicious food and drink. They have a massive selection of liquors which are served in tiny bottles and cost just 70 pence each. With 3 pages on the menu full of different flavours to choose from including mint, elder-flower, cherry, orange and my personal favourite blackcurrent. A lovely touch is that you can bring the taste home because they have a delightful gift shop. The restaurant decor is vintage, and live music is performed as you relax and indulge on the many flavours they have to offer. On the occasion we visited, a young lady played a large harp delicately and this sound was accompanied by the restaurant pet birds chirping. Whilst I’m yet to experience it, their champagne breakfast is apparently superb!

Another place we visited for food was an old torture room called The First Lviv Restaurant of Meat and Justice! Sounds strange, well it is, but Ukrainian people want to offer an experience and they do exactly that. The grilled meat and potato tastes incredible and for the those that want to, you can be caged up and sent underground, or stretched out and lightly whipped and tickled on a torture table outside the restaurant. To top it off, this bizarre entertainment is carried out by a guy wearing a scary red and black outfit with chains and keys, in the medieval, gothic, eery and yet beautiful grounds surrounding the restaurant. I didn’t opt for the additional “extras” on the menu but no matter if you like the sound of this place or not, they serve delicious food and it’s a place you’ll never forget.

There’s plenty of “normal” places to drink, cocktail bars, and recently a surge in shisha lounges being opened. We popped into Filin (near the main Lviv university) to try Hookah (shisha), and a cocktail.

The place was cool, vibrant, the shisha was smooth and it was a very enjoyable experience. If you like gaming, it also has a PS4 area for guests to relax and play in a funky private area with chilled sofas and screens on the walls. The design of the venue is vibrant, unique and relaxing.

So far though, of all the places I’ve visited in Lviv, Ukraine, 36Po is my favourite venue of all. It simply oozes style. From the minute you walk in you’re amazed at every detail, from the cave like bricked walls with ornaments tucked away in crevices, to its illusionary tiled floor, modern yet vintage decor and friendly staff – this place is just WOW! As you walk through the tunnel-like entrance, you enter the first main bar area to see a massive aquarium with beautiful marine fish swimming around!

The aquarium is huge and stands two floors tall, so you can sit back, listen to some cool relaxing music, drink a beer and enjoy the stylish decor whilst watching fish and sharks, swimming beside you.

Also, surrounded by live plants growing up the walls, lights dotted around and bright mushroom/pod shaped lamps, you feel almost like you’re sitting in the movie set of Avatar.

Take the glass lift to the top floor and overlook the Old City from great heights. I really did not expect so much energy, vibrancy, and passion from walking into a restaurant/bar. The venue is stunning and it’s another place you will never forget, behind a modest door in the street which could easily go unnoticed.

As well as these superb bars and restaurants I’d recommend shopping in the small gift shops and especially the markets, appreciating the interesting antiques, handmade clothing, garments, ornaments, and admiring lots of beautiful paintings!

To summarise, Lviv in Ukraine is a must-see city, full of culture, history and interesting places to visit. Being so close to the UK, you can easily go for either a short break, or a longer trip, and neither will cost a lot of money. It’s an unforgettable experience and I highly recommended you visit Lviv.

Everything you could possibly imagine a five-storey restaurant to be; 36.

Have you ever visited a restaurant where your WILDEST dreams come true?

It’s possible, and is situated in the heart of the great city of Lviv, western Ukraine.

There are three open air terraces - one with a roof that opens by itself! They have one of only three gold slayer coffee machines in the world, and the biggest restaurant garden in Ukraine containing thousands of flowers and plants!

There is also a kid’s cinema room, a cigar room, a hall with

piano (which plays more than 5,000 melodies by itself), a twostorey shark aquarium, private craft brewery (with Schulz technology), a tapas-bar and so many other attractions for guests. Relax and feel pure comfort and cosiness.

Order your favourite meal from the new Ukrainian cuisine menu: black Varenyky (dumplings) with pike, original beetroot soup Borscht on wild rose broth, Tenderloin, Ribeye, cheesecakes with nuts, or crumble and caramelized orange. You will fall in love with this diverse menu!

So, don’t miss the opportunity to feel like a VIP and become the guest of New Ukrainian Restaurant House in Lviv! 36Po

Ukraine, Lviv, Rynok Square, 36 36po.com.ua +380983363636

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If you’re being dragged against your will into the long and miserable winter ahead, here’s a hot tip – book a flight to Australia; the land where the sun always shines, every day’s a beach day, and you can have a kangaroo as a pet (actually no you can’t, that Kangaroo would totally own you).

Even better, the Australian Government has started relaxing laws around Working Holiday Visas, making it easy to go on a long-term adventure, and maybe even get an actual tan.

If sailing around tropical islands, snorkelling coral reefs and sipping on cold beers sounds like a bit of you, you’re already vibing the Whitsundays. Whitehaven Beach is one of the most iconic spots in this magic part of the Great Barrier Reef. Looking like an ice cream swirl, with white sand and sparkling blue water, the sheer beauty of it might make you shed a wee tear.

Of all the adorable animals in Australia, koalas are the cutest of the lot! These sleepy little marsupials are tough to spot in the wild, but here’s a hot tip: Just off the coast of Queensland, there is a charming little island that is full of them. On Magnetic Island you’ve got a pretty good chance of spotting one of the 800 koala-ty residents snoozing in a tree! Half of Magnetic Island is National Park, with loads of hiking trails and half beautiful palm-fringed beaches and cute cafes. You might never want to head back to the mainland!

Speaking of amazing wildlife and beautiful islands, here’s another one you can’t miss. Great Keppel Island is one of the best kept secrets on the East Coast. Sitting at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, you can expect to find loads of marine life chilling out here.

Turtles are a common occurrence, but also look out for sting rays, tropical fish and of course, keep an eye on Nemo.

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is full of surprises; from freshwater lakes and purebred dingoes, to the curious shipwreck on the shores of 75 Mile Beach. It’s not every day you get to see the remains of a 115-year-old ship, without having to go through the hassle of learning to breathe underwater. As for the story of how the Maheno came to her final resting place, you’ll just have to come and see for yourself.

The Blue Mountains are a must see in New South Wales.

The impressive Wentworth Falls is certainly a highlight.

See it from above, and then venture down on a beautiful walk to the bottom. Dip your toes into the icy water at the base, while mentally preparing yourself for the hike back up!

Head inland a little and discover the beauty of the Australian hinterland. Nestled on the hillside of this World Heritage Listed National Park, is a hostel with a massive outdoor spa pool, cold beers and the perfect sunset view. What more could you want?

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HI SUE, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US YOUR VALUABLE TIME. HOW ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS FROM?

I am at Kavik at the moment, waiting for spring to finally arrive. 24 hour daylight is here so the thaw can’t be far behind.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU ENDED UP LIVING ON YOUR OWN, IN SUCH A REMOTE PART OF THE WORLD?

The former owner has been a friend of mine for decades and asked me to manage the camp for him, as he knew I preferred (and was at that time living) a very remote lifestyle.

HOW LONG DO YOU GO WITHOUT INTERACTING WITH OTHER HUMANS, AND WHAT IS THAT LIKE?

Around the time we started filming the show, it was common for me to wave goodbye to the last person around the end of August or early September. Then, see the next person late May or early June of the following year. I love this solitary time and enjoy filling it with crafts or projects, like fixing broken motors, or creative things like painting, carving, camping, playing with my fox friends... or simply exploring my big back yard.

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF MORE DISCONNECTED FROM HUMAN SOCIETY AFTER ALL THAT TIME, AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ADAPT TO SOCIETY?

By nature of my lifestyle and choices, I am admittedly somewhat disconnected from what most would call standard human societal interactions. You are also assuming I care to re-adapt. I am very good at social skills when needed, but I fail to see where I need to acclimatize to a social world that I do not live in and standards that long ago I felt were substandard to ethical behavior.

WHAT WOULD BE A TYPICAL DAY LIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARCTIC FROM THE POINT OF WAKING UP TO GOING TO SLEEP?

There really is no “standard” day from waking to sleeping here. I don’t set an alarm and have to chase schedules and please people like in other places. I take each day and moment as it comes.

Weather and situations arise and dictate what kind of day I will have. Tragedy and comedy turn on a dime, and I react and act accordingly. So... there is absolutely no typical day here.

HOW DO THE SUMMER MONTHS AND WINTER MONTHS COMPARE AT KAVIK RIVER CAMP?

Summer months are very short as it does not thaw until June typically, and freezes up again late August to September. It is a mad rush in the state to get ready for the Winter season for us all. Winter is a time of deep cold, but also of continued work and play with a separate set of dangers and thrills.

We all look forward to the Northern lights and the unique challenges the cold weather brings. Summertime at Kavik is also when I am challenged to make my revenue stream. It’s 24 hours of work, fixing things and with planes and helicopters coming in and out. I remain solvent and keep my lease so I can stay and explore the region. Winter is my quieter time where I can explore and ignite my personal fires for being a five year old child in my frozen sandbox.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN THE WILD?

Perhaps that I don’t have a lot of peer pressure tying my hands back from exploring, playing, and being myself. I never had a fox tell me that my Carhartts made my ass look fat. I get to be myself; chunky, skinny, old or young... and it works.

HOW DID YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SERIES LIFE BELOW ZERO COME ABOUT?

I had been in a few episodes of another production which highlighted the airplanes I used in my logistics, and the same executive producers came up with the premise for this show. They asked me if I would be interested in appearing and the rest is history.

HOW HAS APPEARING IN THE PROGRAMME AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?

There are times when my coveted absolute solitude is now interrupted, but it does not follow that the interruption has not been interesting. I have had a bunch of new experiences and learned many things which I would not have otherwise, and met new people. Life puts us exactly where we are supposed to be, but seldom where we would have foreseen.

HAVE YOU SEEN ALL OF THE EPISODES YOURSELF, AND WHEN YOU LOOK UPON YOURSELF, HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL? YOU MUST BE EXTREMELY PROUD.

No, I have not seen all of the episodes myself. I do not get the Nat Geo channel where I am at nor do I always run the generator. I have seen some and find the lives of the other talent very interesting. While we may all do very similar things, we all go about the tasks in such vastly different ways and from our unique perspectives and guidelines.

YOU LUCKILY SURVIVED AN ATTACK BY A GRIZZLY BEAR AND SAID YOU HAD TO SEW YOUR OWN HEAD TOGETHER. THAT REALLY IS BONE CHILLING! DO YOU REMEMBER THE INCIDENT, AND IF SO CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED?

I think that even by your own description, being through such an event would in and of itself make it a rather unforgettable one. Yes, I remember it very well, and I tend not to go into grand detail on it.

This area is most definitely inhabited by animal residents thus the law of beast not man rules. This bear was a juvenile male that wanted to climb the social ladder and gain some alpha status, and chose the camp and myself to do that. Had it been an older bear or a sow, I would not be here today. What do I remember is every sound... every moment... but I keep it deep inside. I can talk about it almost in a third person or a formatted response. To bring it all forward means a long while of nightmares... replays... smells sweats and sounds I don’t need to see. I can’t live in the past. I am here... I made it, I laid ten days before the pilot found me and then I was flown to the lower world for surgery (hips spine, etc...), and I am back. People ask me all the time about it, no it isn’t my favorite topic, but I do concede it is fascinating to everyone else. Do I hurt now... every day. Do I look over my shoulders... not in a paranoid way... but my eyes are on the horizon and I am highly situationally aware.

HOW OFTEN ARE YOU UP AGAINST SERIOUS THREATS LIKE THIS?

There are threats in one form or fashion all the time here. I suspect there are in any location although they will differ. I had two bears circling camp the past few days and trying to break into the tents. One attacked the other... now one is gone, the other is full... threat is less than it was. Life has unexpected endings, no?

DO THESE RISKS EVER MAKE YOU QUESTION WHY YOU ARE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, ALONE?

Image Credit: Nat Geo

Never... I am here because I love the challenge. I am comfortable with my own death. I don’t seek it, but it comes for us all. I accept mine might be at the hands of an animal.... cold... or choking on a pancake...

YOU ARE AN EXTREMELY STRONG-WILLED AND DEDICATED PERSON. WHERE DO YOU FIND SUCH DETERMINATION AND WILL-POWER TO LIVE IN SUCH HARSH CONDITIONS?

It is just who I am. I didn’t know that I could do the extraordinary... But I didn’t know that I couldn’t either.

LIVING IN THE ARCTIC FOR ALL THIS TIME, HAVE YOU NOTICED THE EFFECTS GLOBAL WARMING IS HAVING ON OUR PLANET, AND WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU SEND TO OUR READERS TO HELP MAKE A CHANGE?

First... we live on a molten ball covered by a thin breakable crust spinning around in a vast explosive universe... (a bit volatile, no?) We have heated and frozen many, many times before. Let’s stop with the polluting indiscriminately; the all you can eat buffets, the cruelty to each other... Let’s clean this big blue ball up, support each other, grow, and shop according to need not want...

Stop basing our economies on the dollar and go on covering our booties first... profiteering second. Wind and sun is free.... make power and share it. Don’t pee in the pool... you may have to drink it. Keep it clean. Be kind, be the solution not the problem. Sounds trite... but it is the truth. We cannot continue to be so offended by everything that we forget to be the guardians of this planet. We only get one. Let’s treat it right.

Image Credit: Nat Geo

WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT LIFE, IN YOUR OPINION?

Good question... I haven’t seen the most beautiful thing, but... maybe it is not a thing but a feeling of calm... of... Yeah... Hell yeah... It is clicking... You see that baby seal and it smiles before it swims off... You CHOOSE not to take the good shot and kill the caribou.... Let it go... Eat more potatoes... You help the grandma into her car with her groceries... That perfect moment when you don’t make fun of the person who chooses to go to a meeting than a drink... there are a million CHOICES that are true beauty.... the choice to SEE....... to BE.... Whether it is in the High Arctic... or a city. Be a solution not a savage. Now THAT is beautiful and I can get behind that.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

I have no idea... but its coming... It always does... Wheee!

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Paris is the heart and capital of France.

Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine.

Paris is the most densely populated European Union city, with an estimated population of 2.141 million (1 Jan 2019) and especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks.

We spent 3 days in the ‘City of Love’, and here’s our top tips on travel, accommodation, and site-seeing…

It’s less than 300 miles from London to Paris yet so many people living in England haven’t visited the beautiful capital of France.

Due to it being so close, transportation options to get there are aplenty.

The cheapest option is to drive, but I wouldn’t recommend this because it’s very busy and the French drive in a different manner, so it’s probably not worth the stress getting used to the road rules! You can also take the Eurostar, which is advertised from £29, but it’s very unlikely you’ll actually pay this amount unless you book really far in advance and travel at off-peak times. Finally you can fly, which is what we did, from Heathrow straight to Paris.

On the way there we flew with Air France and returned via British Airways.

The trip was around £100 each for a return.

Air France were amazing – they provided free drinks and a cake on the flight (this includes wine as an option so you can get in the French spirit before even arriving).

The seats were extremely comfy with lots of leg room and a large selection of games and movies – just not enough time to watch them as the flight time is just 40 minutes!

We took a taxi straight to our hotel called Istria Montparnasse, which was conveniently located in the centre of Paris and right on the corner to the Metro station Raspail. A continental breakfast is served from 7am which was nice, and the standard double rooms whilst small, are clean and the bed was extremely comfy. The taxi airport transfer is around a 40 minute trip each way and cost £70 both ways – we used Groupon to get a cheaper deal, as the cost is usually around £100. With the help of colours and numbers, the Paris Metro line was very easy to understand and quite cheap!

A single journey ticket was just €1.90 or a book of 10 tickets cost €14.

The Eiffel Tower is a must – don’t just look at it, go up it!

Lifts take you to the bottom, middle and top sections, which offer amazing views, assuming the weather is ok. We checked the weather before going so we could book the Eiffel Tower tickets in advance, and not just rely on luck! It was worth it too because the sky and views were very clear.

Because of this we decided it wasn’t worth going right to the top (upgrade costs just €6 per person), which we later regretted because friends told us you can feel the tower wobble if it’s windy (which it was) and that sounded exciting. The Eiffel Tower visit was a tour trip costing £62 per person, and amazing value for money as it included an hour’s guided coach trip around the city, tickets up The Eiffel Tower, plus a 2 hour guided boat trip through the city. I thoroughly recommend this tour.

The world’s largest art museum, is home to many world famous paintings, statues and architecture including Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo – obviously there are some of the worlds most famous art at Louvre, however, the visit was slightly disappointing in my opinion.

You’ll spend about an hour and a half walking around and whilst there’s a lot of art to see, it gets very busy and the main attraction for me was Mona Lisa, which is a lot smaller than I had expected with a huge amount of people trying to get close to the painting. It’s constantly guarded and roped off so you can only get within around 5 metres.

There’s of course so much more to see though, and for people who have a strong love for art, it’s a must and costs €14 per person.

Ending at the Arc de Triomphe, Avenue des Champs-Élysées runs for just under 2km (1.2 miles) and is 70 metres wide.

It’s a very popular stretch, known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops. If you’re taking a partner, it’s the perfect place to treat him/her to a special gift. This area of Paris is an iconic landmark, often referred to as “the world’s most beautiful avenue”.

Most shops remain open until 8pm, some a little later on Fridays and Saturdays, until 10pm.

There’s so much more to see in Paris, including the Arc de Triomphe, Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur, Army Museum – Les Invalides, Centre Pompidou, Palais Garnier, Place Vendôme and many more fascinating buildings, museums and landmarks. It’s a beautiful place, and no wonder is known for being called the ‘City of love’.

If you’re heading there soon, why not check out our top spots for taking pictures! I would definitely recommend visiting Paris if you haven’t already.

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Hiking since the age of 13, Paul Weber quickly developed an appreciation and passion for the beauty and solitude Mother Nature has to offer. He’s hiked across some of the most rugged and beautiful trails, and seen about every animal the United States is home to, including snakes, bears, and a mountain lion!

We caught up with Paul to talk about his hiking experiences, tips for hikers, and how a map and compass saved his life!

HI PAUL, THANKS FOR SPEAKING WITH US! HOW ABOUT YOU START BY TELLING US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? Good evening! First of all, I would like to say thanks for taking the time to speak to me, and for giving people from around the world a chance to see places they may never have had the opportunity to see.

I come from the very small town of Highlandville, Missouri, which is pretty much in the center of the USA and has a population of 900 people. It’s a place where you know just about everyone; American flags fly with pride, God and guns are good, and neighbours helping neighbours is still common place. Some people may describe my state (and other countless small towns scattered across the US) as “Fly over country”, but I’m proud to call it home.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HIKING? I’ve been hitting the trail and hiking since the age of thirteen, when I would head out into the woods with my dad and a 410 shotgun looking for squirrels. As I grew older, my appreciation for the beauty and solitude Mother Nature had to offer only intensified.

WHAT GOT YOU INTO IT? Upon my return in 2004 from a 14 month deployment with the US Army to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, there were times I needed to be alone, and the one place I felt at home was in nature.

But instead of heading out with a firearm, as I did when I was younger, (I’m now 50) I headed out with a daypack, a trekking pole, some water, a camera, and a renewed appreciation for the natural beauty only the trail could provide. I will disclose I still carry a 9mm handgun while out on the trail, but only for self-defense purposes.

So I guess what really got me into hiking was my dad, as well as my love of the outdoors.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE PLACES TO GO HIKING? I would say my top three places to hike would be the Hercules Glade Wilderness Area (12,500 acres of pristine wilderness) in Southwest Missouri, the Buffalo River Wilderness (36,000 acres), and the Ozark Wilderness Areas (23,000 acres) of North West Arkansas.

Northwest Arkansas provides hikers with an opportunity to hike (1.2 million acres, and hundreds of miles of hiking trails) with some of the most rugged and beautiful trails this part of the United States has to offer, which is why Arkansas is known as the “Natural State.”

HAVE YOU HAD ANY DANGEROUS CROSSINGS WITH WILDLIFE? While out on the trail I’ve seen just about every type of animal this part of the United States has to offer, including various snakes, black bears, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, and a mountain lion. The day I saw the mountain lion, I cut my hike short and headed back to the trail head and my vehicle as I did not want to be seen as a potential meal for the large kitty cat. About the only thing I haven’t seen while hiking is a Sasquatch, or a Dogman, but you never know; maybe someday.

WHAT WAS THE SCARIEST THING WHICH HAPPENED TO YOU WHILST HIKING? Probably the scariest thing that has happened while hiking was getting lost. A momentary fear came over me as I realized I had no idea where I was, and the trail disappeared in front of me as I crossed a creek about five miles down a trail. As I headed back from the direction I came from, other trails appeared and I had not the foggiest idea of which trail led back to the trail head, or which would lead me further into the wilderness. I sat down, calmed myself, broke out my map and compass and said to myself “Paul, the Army gave you the knowledge and skills to navigate out of here, now use them.” So I oriented my map and compass together and navigated myself out of the 13,000 acres I was hiking.

Lesson learned: I now carry a GPS, mark my vehicle, and carry extra batteries. Just because you have never been lost, doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen. Hikers get lost all the time in the United States, and sadly, many never make it back to the trail head, or are never seen again – leaving loved ones with the eternal question of what happened to them, or why can’t they be found.

DO YOU RETURN TO THE SAME ROUTES, OR DO YOU FIND YOURSELF CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR NEW HIKING ADVENTURES? I really don’t have a preference about trail type, whether a trail is an “out and back” or “loop trail”, the thing I look for is the beauty a particular trail provides. Distance is also not too much of a concern, but I try to limit my day hike trails to about 10 miles or less, as this provides me an opportunity to take my time and enjoy the sights and sound of nature. I’m a picture junkie, so I like to take a lot of pictures while on the trail. I usually like to hike new trails, but I will occasionally return to trails I find particularly beautiful, or challenging.

The last couple of years I have logged roughly 100 miles of trail time each year. I almost always hike alone, but occasionally I will take a friend or two depending on the trail. Some trails do advise not hiking alone in a particular area due to the risks a particular trail poses.

WHAT DO YOU PACK? I pack the “10 essentials” along with a secondary means of navigation, making fire, a hammock with netting, and a Sawyer mini water filter. I don’t know about anyone else, but there are too many critters on the forest floor for me to sleep comfortably.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PARADISE? My idea of Heaven is a rustic home on the shore of a pristine mountain lake where the cares and worries of this world are non-existent. Where man and nature live in perfect harmony and the day is one long sunrise during an August morning.

WHAT’S YOUR TOP HIKING TIP? I’ve hiked dozens of trails, some short and some long, and the one piece of advice I would give is this: Take the time to enjoy your surroundings, because the wonders of nature are all around us if we only take the time to look. Remember, we weren’t born to just work, pay bills, and then die. Also, research the trail beforehand and always let someone know where you are going.

LOOKING BACK, WHAT IS YOUR STANDOUT MEMORY FROM ALL OF THE HIKES YOU’VE BEEN ON? On my most memorable hike, I was accompanied by two friends as we traveled to Kyles Landing on the Buffalo River in Northern Arkansas. At Kyle’s Landing we hiked to the end Indian Creek Trail, made a 150 foot rope climb, scaled the side of a cliff that was once an ancient cave system, and reached the “Eye of the Needle” – our final destination. The trail is only two miles to the “Eye”, but it is undoubtedly the most intense trail I have ever hiked.

The Flat Earth Theory is the ultimate conspiracy that is debated by two strongly opinionated, opposing sides. There is a belief in the Flat Earth Theory community that NASA is doctoring their images and that the agency is considered untrustworthy. For long-standing Flat Eathers, that is old news. NASA has been the punch-line of their jokes for years and have claimed their discoveries are a part of a governmental cover-up.

We spoke to Nathan Thompson who, for a long time, has been a part of the Flat Earthers.

WHAT’S THE PERCEPTION OF A FLAT EARTHER VERSUS THE REALITY?

In order to control the masses, the heliocentric model was introduced early and often so that it is a deeply ingrained belief. While at the same time “belief” in a flat earth is portrayed by the educational authorities as evidence of abject ignorance, or even insanity. Flat Earthers are not ignorant or insane. The definition of the word insane is the inability to perceive reality.

We perceive reality exactly how it is observed, flat and stationary.

EITHER SIDE HAS QUITE STRONG OPINIONS ON THE FLAT EARTH THEORY… DO FIND THAT YOUR VIEWS EFFECT YOUR SOCIAL LIFE AT ALL?

Well, running a scientific research group of 120,000 people doesn’t allow me much time for a social life, so I’d say so!

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT TO OTHER CONSPIRACY THEORIES?

Flat Earth is massively different than any other conspiracy in two ways: Anyone can prove it for themselves. We don’t need billion dollar rockets to test earths’ surface. We’ve been doing it for 3 years with lasers, infrared, site distances, mirror reflections tests, specular reflection observations, etc. You can’t lose the telemetry data to flat earth the way NASA lost telemetry data to the moon, or the way they cleaned up 9/11 in 2 weeks and shipped the evidence to China. You can’t do that with Flat Earth. The cat is always out of the bag on Flat Earth.

This is an ongoing conspiracy that is funneling tens of millions of dollars a day into the hands of NASA, and collectively over 100 billion dollars a year worldwide. No other conspiracy on earth can claim that.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT SCIENTISTS DON’T AGREE ON THE FLAT EARTH THEORY AND WITH FLAT EARTHERS?

Scientists do agree with Flat Earthers. Every real scientist can establish the earth is flat and stationary rather easily. It’s these pseudo-scientists that refuse to follow the scientific method, and hi-jack the definition to mean something else. When people think of science, they don’t think of the scientific method, formulating a hypothesis, establishing variables, conducting rigorous experiments, etc. They think the words of a man are science and that’s not the method established for empirically proving things. That’s a good way to end up in a cult. A cult of Scientism.

HAVE ANY ESTABLISHED PROFESSORS SWAYED TOWARDS THE THEORY?

It doesn’t matter what professors who work for the system believe.

I have videos of MIT professors teaching on thermodynamics and they admit you can’t have gas pressure next to a vacuum without a barrier.

Well, that creates a real problem for the heliocentric model because all the air around us, is allegedly attached to a vacuum, and not contained.

Space violates the second law of thermodynamics and professors are not scientists, they are professors. They profess things, like, stars are balls of gas in a vacuum despite all the evidence that can’t happen.

WHO’S BEHIND THE IDEA OF A ‘GLOBE’ EARTH AND WHY DOES THIS THEORY BENEFIT THEM, DO YOU THINK?

There are many names for the elite people who control the world.

Zionists, Freemasons, Illuminati, or my favourite “the Globalists.”

Have your pick. Why they would lie is obvious. It’s all about control.

If they mentally enslave your mind, they don’t need shackles around your arms and legs. It’s all about creating a society of unthinking submissive brutes waiting for things to be presented before their eyes before having an idea about them. It is the biggest psychological operation and deception in the history of mankind...so far.

WHO DO YOU THINK ARE THE REAL ‘CONTROLLERS’ AND WHY ARE THEY TEACHING LIES?

The real controllers are a group of people who run Hollywood, the media, the banks, and have every politician in their pockets.

If you’re not familiar with who I’m talking about, you’ve got some researching to do. They lie for the same reason everyone lies, to have some type of advantage or leverage.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENS WHEN YOU REACH THE EDGE OF THE WORLD?

The edge is assumed on both models. What do you think happens at the edge of space? These questions force speculations.

Nobody is observing an edge and independent travel to Antarctica is heavily restricted. Research the Antarctic Treaty established right before the fake moon race. We don’t claim to know everything.

Some things are still up for debate.

Editor: Ben Farrin Content Manager: Elliot Norman Graphic Design: Make North Special Thanks To: Sue Aikens, Madison Bell, Andy Ward, Nat Geo, Paul Weber and Nathan Thompson

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