Monthly Links - October

A number of factors outside of my control have conspired this week and led to me writing far less than I'd planned. I decided not to stress myself out trying frantically to finish the post I'm working on, but I also didn't want to leave a hole this week and find myself writing yet another apology next week.

A sneak preview of next week's blog post. Any guesses where this is?

Plus, this is a idea I'd been toying with for a while that I'm thinking of turning into a recurring series So, without further ado, here's a roundup of things I've enjoyed and/or found cool this past little while:

I've mentioned Swiss Mountain Huts multiple times on this blog, but I have relatively little understanding of how life in one would actually work. I also find it difficult to communicate what, exactly, these huts are like. So, when I stumbled across this photo series on Swiss huts by photographers Dan and Janine Patitucci, I was thrilled. The article is fantastic and well worth a look (and check out their website too, they're amazing photographers!).

My first mountain hut, Oberstockenalp on the Stockhorn.

A large group of Buddhist nuns is biking across the Himalayas (yes, you read that right) to raise awareness about human trafficking, bring help to isolated mountain villages, and (with the blessing of their religious higher-ups) smash traditional ideas of what nuns are and should be like. If that doesn't sound like a super cool movie pitch, I don't know what does. Also, these nuns are way more badass than 99% of us will ever be.

Where I want to be right now: Stockhorn.

As I'm currently stuck in Winnipeg, I'm dreaming of mountains and long hikes. I just found out about the Via Dinarica, a long-distance hiking trail through the Balkans. The Balkans are high on my travel list anyways, and this trail sounds stunningly beautiful.

If the Via Dinarica is too short for you, consider the Via Alpina, a set of very long-distance trails traversing the European countries along the Alps. If you've got a few years or so to spare, the Red Trail traverses all of the countries; the much shorter Green Trail looks to be very close to an itinerary I've been thinking and dreaming about prior to discovering the trail.

If both of the above sound too civilized, this video is breathtaking: a 19-day traverse of the extremely isolated Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. Far beyond any skill and experience I have at the moment, but a girl can dream, right?

Gates of the Arctic National Park. Photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Wikipedia. The original can be found here.

Slightly off-topic: we Canadians are going to be dealing with the consequences of the Residential School system and our general treatment of First Nations people for a looooong time. This article made me sad and furious that such an awful thing could happen in the first place, and that it's never been addressed until now, and also mildly pleased (if that's the right word?) to see it finally being brought to light.

A cute bike, photographed in Baden, Switzerland.

For Winnipeggers: there will be a forum on cycling in downtown with city councilor Janice Lukes on October 18th. Consider attending if you're interested in Active Transportation.

On a happier note: Lonely Planet is holding a competition for one of six "dream trips". I've already entered, maybe you shouldn't so I have a better chance ;).

Any links you think I should check out?