CURRENT MISSION

GivE BacK

ABOUT ME

WHAT HAPPENED....?

One day hippie trekking to California, then next thing you know, whisked far away North to the industrial corporate capital of Canada, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Don’t know where that is? Just google “dirty oil” or “greenpeace’s latest favourite scapegoat” (unless you like efficiency... then you should just google “fort mcmurray”).

Yes, this summer I was a self-proclaimed modern day hippie. My goal: Seattle to San Francisco, on foot. My reason was two-fold. The first was socio-political. I wanted to say, “ef you, internal combustion engine! I’m better than you!... or at least as good as you... or at least I don’t need YOU to go to California!” How did I do? Not... bad. I did have to adjust my mantra to “ef you, 'personal vehicel'...etc etc” (the grip of the IC engine is just too tight), but I managed to make it to Arcata fairly sustainably (mostly walking, pubic transit, and biking), at which point I said screw it and jumped on a greyhound (a decision I will never regret).

The second reason-fold was *Meditative*. I wanted to quiet my tumultuous mind and get in touch with the peace and wisdom within me (somewhere... I'm pretty sure). How did I do on that one? Freakin terribly! My excuses are as follows: 1) the foot injuries hit me HARD. From incredible swelling to blisters to stress fractures, not a day, or even a footstep, went by, during which I did not reflect on the pain in my lowest extremities. The other daily excuses I made for not meditating can be summed up as planning challenges. Of course the real reason is that I didn’t know how to meditate or didn’t try hard enough... either that, or meditation was an ill-suited goal and I shouldn’t worry about it! Because I grew in so many other ways that CAN’T be accomplished in a quiet dark room, alone.

So what DID happen to the modern day hippie inside me...? Did I get a “reality check”??? HELL NO! And, kind of... I did run out of money, which, it turns out, I rely on quite frequently. But anyone who’s been given as much opportunity as me, that considers working in a boring, uninspiring job “reality” is actually just lazy and too linear. That is not me! Plus I kind of love my job. What actually happened was that I found on my trek that there are some keys to happiness, and one of them is digging your hands into what you care about. Not complaining about it. Not sitting around smoking pot and talking about how much you hate the government... getting your fingernails dirty with what you hate the most, for what you love the most. That, among other things, is where happiness comes from.

The other keys to happiness, in my opinion, are 1) Physical health and connection with your body, 2) Inspiring, exciting and challenging goals, 3) A sense of independence and pride in yourself, and 4) Connection with other people... quality connection. Not garbage scandal use-and-abuse connection. Trust, loyalty, love, and the genuine intention for the best for each other.

So I came to Fort McMurray, in part, to figure out this oil sands business. Believe me, there is nothing that I care more about than this beautiful planet, so I couldn’t turn my back on it, by being too self-righteous to sell my soul to the oil industry... how ironic.

Much to my surprise, Fort McMurray is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been! I’ve gotten more lost in a forest valley that separates my community from another, than I did in my entire 44 day trek in America (on which I was never too far from a Chevron).

Couch surfing in Fort McMurray sounds ridiculous, I know. But this place is a global city! It’s on the map; a boomtown in the middle of a world recession. It’s an interesting place to see and feel. There's an interesting mix of people here... they may not all be idealistic (although the rumors about this place are mostly exaggerations), but I've felt more welcomed here than any other place I've ever been. If you decided to come up here, I welcome you! And I'd love to show you around... a fine reason to explore it more myself:)

PHILOSOPHY

1) Take care of your body
2) Think up goals that make you lose sleep at night
3) Do things for yourself... the harder the challenge, the sweeter the reward.
4) Connect with people, love people, and try to find ways to give to people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Send me a message on when you'll be up here! It could be anywhere from coffee to couch!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed on almost 20 different couches (every single host was amazing, I kid you not), and had a few wicked good times through the "travellers in your area" notifier. One of my more memorable hosts actually accompanied me for a week and a half, and helped me on my way for 70 miles.

Interests

I'm a Bikram fiend. I like kids. Audio books are pretty sweet. I care about the environment. Mechanical things fascinate me. I like people... a lot. It's a teeny bit lonely up here. And we're a little starved for the idealiest people that tend to roam CS... I'm a health lover... and kind of a party lover. My favorite place is outside.

• books
• environment
• coffee
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• walking
• partying
• cycling
• hunting
• surfing
• business

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Moose, deer, bears, shooting stars... the sun rise, then (not too long later) set in Fort McMurray...

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell you about my trek, or teach you a bit about yoga...

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