Chipmunk Photo Op July 18 2007

Going back in time a couple of years. I took these pics while in the beginning stages of building this shelter. According to the information on the digital shots, I followed him around for 40 minutes. Heh.

Chris McCandless

Here is a collection of photos of and relating to Christopher J. McCandless. I found most of these on the web the last couple of years, and recently a number of previously unavailable pictures surfaced. Quite an interesting look into his past. The defining characteristic of the photos is the elation in his expression.. Even when he was facing death.

McCandless as a young child.



Family.


A young Chris hiking. Likely from the yearly trips with his father referenced in the book.





Grinning, teenage McCandless.


High school photo.





Eerie shot.





Chris circa 1990.





Chris with the Datsun.



Denali, AK & the Stampede Trail

Self portrait at Bus 142.


Satellite view of Bus 142.

A big game kill. Possibly a caribou, definitely not the moose referred to in the book and pictured below.











Teklanika River.







Aerial view of bus.











Stampede trail.


The thin, ragged mattress in which McCandless spent his last moments.


Last photo taken on Chris' camera. Disturbingly thin and weak, resigned to his fate but smiling as clear as ever.


The suitcase of emergency supplies left by McCandless' parents in the bus.


Memorial plaque installed by his parents in Bus 142.


Chris' mother, during their visit to the bus a year after his death.

7 Day Fast - Preparation

Tomorrow, September 4 2007, I'll start a 7 day fast, consuming water only throughout week. A brief synopsis of fasting: Fasting is the process of abstaining from food, whether for a single meal or over a month. In history, fasting was a religious practice used by many cultures to bring themselves closer to God. Today, it's also seen as a detoxification of the digestive system and the body as a whole. As your body looks for sustenance, dead cells and toxins are purged from the system. It's a time of headaches, moments of euphoria, and pain.

I decided that I'd make a little log here on my experience, mainly for my own benefit and future reference.

Over the past two days I've been on a 100% fruit diet: apples, pears, peaches, plums, oranges, grapes and juices. Tonight I had a meal of straight pasta with garlic and seasonings for carbohydrates, and 2 litres of water. Tomorrow morning I'll have bacon & eggs, toast and orange juice, then the fast will begin. wish me luck.

Blueberry Syrup

Here's a recipe for blueberry syrup, I made some tonight and it tastes great.

1 & 1/2 cup of blueberries
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
1.5 teaspoon cornstarch
1.5 teaspoon cold water

In small saucepan, combine blueberries, corn syrup, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. Place over medium heat. Mix cornstarch with water. Add to blueberry mixture. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm. May be made ahead, refrigerated and reheated.

Blueberry Pickin July 25 2007

I went over to the mossy rocky area and picked a couple of cups of lowbush blueberries. Two tablespoons of frozen bloobs & a teaspoon of sugar into a glass of milk.. Mmmmm..

Possible Future Home?

My dad bought this Ford Club Wagon a couple years ago off a friend for a mere $500. I think it's a '95 model, and is in relatively good shape, though it needs a lot of body work, the fuel pump needs replacing, and a few other small repairs. We got it to convert it into a camping van, for weekend trips. It's going to take a couple grand to repair, hopefully it will be outiftted for camping by next spring.



Spacious interior. The two back seats will be removed.

The interior of the van, from behind the driver and passenger seats is 9' long, 5'6" wide, and 4'5" tall. This equals a 226 square feet of space. I've been reading up on the "contemporary nomadic" lifestyle, by outfitting vans, campers, trucks and sometimes box vans to contain all the necessities of living. Depending on your gas consumption and luxury spending, it's not hard to live on $300-$500 per month. It's neat looking at the ways people organize and outfit their vans, gas stoves, sinks, bunks, storage space and even a porta-potty can easily fit in a space the ford has.

Propane burners, microwave, sink, oven and water in a compact space.

Some even outfit their vehicles with electricity, a large deep cycle marine battery, AC inverter and charging from solar panels or/and from the motor when driving. Some unique things I have in mind if I were to convert the Ford: Custom, small wood stove for heating and cooking for the cold, small butane burner for convenience, roof rack for the canoe, mount a black five gallon container on the rack, running water and bathing, one of the 14"x14" roof vents with fan for venting, drop down bunk from the side, and storage to support it.

When I graduate high school I've always had my mind set on traveling for a year or two, then college, and get into forestry. So far it's just a dream, but I can definitely see it being a good, cheap way to live when I'm out of school and broke. My sister shares a house with 4 other friends down in Ottawa for her schooling, and has to pay thousands per year to rent. I've spent many nights out in the woods with the truck camper, and I prefer it greatly to rotting away in my comfortable house. Gives you a sense of independence and self worth.

These website gave me a few good ideas. A lot of good information.
http://cheaprvliving.com/howtoconvertavan.html
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Van_Dwelling

Alot of Snow, and Plenty More Coming.

This is my view from my doorway. April 6th, 9pm. We've had about three feet of snow dumped on us in the past three days, gone from summer conditions and clear dry streets to this. Amazing for this time of the year.

Edible Berries of Northern Canada

I compiled this little ID guide for myself, after a few hours of research through various databases, the most helpful were Plants for a Future and Wikipedia's List of Wild Foods. I chose the ones that I believe to grow in my area and passed through my criteria of usefulness. Some were old friends, like the raspberry and blueberry, but others like the Cloudberry and Crabapple are ones I will be enjoying safely in the future. I would like to make a similar list for edible greens, but I don't have the knowledge required to ID them properly, I think I would be waiting to die when I tried a new leaf. Going to have to wait for personal guidance on the salad material.

Canada Buffaloberry

· A Low shrub growing in the undergrowth of taller species, growing up to 3 m tall
· Green, oval leaves with silvery, hairy underside
· Yellow flowers and reddish berries with a bad taste
· Berries are high in vitamin C, Can brew to make tea to remedy nausea
· Grows near Shores, riverbanks, dry slopes, moist north slopes, open rocky woods, and occasionally in calcareous marshes
· Useful for making a flavouring paste similar to cranberry sauce- Crush, remove pits, add water

Cloudberry

· Berries grow in solitary, very low lying
· Flowers in June and July, fruits in August
· Berries are high in Vitamin C, Can brew the leaf into a healing tea
· Grows near bogs, marshes, wet meadows and requires sun exposure
· Makes excellent jam or jelly, or as an addition to wild salads or fish dishes

Saskatoon Berry / Juneberry

· Ripen in late June/Early July
· Oval leaves, grow in clusters
· Grows near woodland gardens, sunny edges, dappled shade
· Eaten raw, can be dried, tea can be brewed from leaves

American Elderberry

· Poisonous leaves, stems and unripe fruit. Ripe fruit can be cooked as a precaution to remove toxins
· Grows in Rich moist soils along streams and rivers & woodland margins
· Flower in July, ripen in September
· Ripe berries can be eaten raw, cooked in bread, pie, jelly, or dried

Blackberry

· Grows near dry thickets, clearings and woodland margins
· Ripens in August and September
· Berries can be eaten raw, dried or cooked. Spring shoots can be peeled and eaten

Blueberry

· Grows in Dry open barrens, peats and rocks
· Berries ripen in July
· Berries can be dried, cooked, raw. Tea can be · brewed from dried berries and leaves

Raspberry

· Grows near moist neglected land, hedge rows, depressions and woodland edges
· Berries ripen July to September
· Tea can be brewed from leaves

Crabapple

· Grow in thickets, usually 4-12' in height
· Tart taste, best in combination with other berries for juices or jams