Monthly Archives: February 2014

Great Big Walk: Visit to Kopan

Posted on February 28, 2014 by TA Loeffler

We had an awesome day yesterday settling into Kathmandu life. We visited Raj and saw how his new trekking office renos we’re going. Lunch at Nargila with fresh lemon soda and the adventure of buying a Nepali SIM card for … Continue reading →

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We made it to Kathmandu

Posted on February 27, 2014 by TA Loeffler

This is our view from breakfast. We arrived in Kathmandu late last night (the evaporation of flight from Delhi to KTM meant we were moved to the evening flight). With power load shedding, the portion of the city from the … Continue reading →

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5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO! For a Great Big Walk

Posted on February 25, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Bags are packed. No sleeps left. No hockey games left. A few more things on the to-do list left to do and then 34 hours of travel. We fly St. John’s to Halifax to London to Delhi to Kathmandu. We … Continue reading →

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Packing for The Great Big Walk: Stage Five

Posted on February 24, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Stage Five: Close and weigh bags. Breathe sigh of relief. Go attend to the 50 other things still on the to do list. Try to get some sleep.

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Packing for The Great Big Walk:Stage Four

Posted on February 24, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Stage Four: Tame the Chaos All the decisions have been made and clothing and sleeping systems tamed into bags. Next step, bag the bags.

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Packing for the Great Big Walk: Stage Three

Posted on February 23, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Stage Three: Now that all gear has been pulled, it’s time for final decisions and grouping supplies into categories for bagging. This is our mini repair kit. It will allow us to patch our thermarests, resole our boots, and fix … Continue reading →

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Packing for The Great Big Walk: Stage Two

Posted on February 22, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Stage Two: it gets worse before it gets better!

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Let The Serious Packing Begin for The Great Big Walk

Posted on February 22, 2014 by TA Loeffler

And so it begins… Step One: Start pulling all the gear on the list.

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Visual Soliloquy #950 Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect…

Posted on February 20, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. ― Mark Twain

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Great Big Walk SPOT Testing #1

Posted on February 19, 2014 by TA Loeffler

TA Latitude:47.57008 Longitude:-52.70300 GPS location Date/Time:02/19/2014 20:06:00 NST Message:Great Big Walk: This is TA & Marian’s location on the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal. Thanks for walking along. Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/Ffe2x/47.57008N/52.70300W If … Continue reading →

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Audio Post Testing from St. John’s

Posted on February 19, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Great Big Walk acknowledges the support of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Quick Start Fund for Public Engagement in making these updates from the field possible.

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Visual Soliloquy #949 Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing…

Posted on February 19, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.–Oscar Wilde

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Visual Soliloquy #948 Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to live…

Posted on February 18, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to live. ― Adele Brookman

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Kathmandu Things I’m Looking Forward to on the Great Big Walk

Posted on February 17, 2014 by TA Loeffler

These are a few of my favourite things about Kathamndu…we’ll be there in ten days! 1) Landing in Kathamndu and heading down to the Nargila for a fresh lemon soda and a plate of hummus! (Fresh lemon soda is fresh … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #947 Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them…

Posted on February 16, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them. ― Lemony Snicket

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Great Big Walk: Not Quite There, Not Quite Here

Posted on February 16, 2014 by TA Loeffler

It’s an awkward place. Not quite there. Not quite here. In between. Here. And. There. Preparations coming fast and furious while concluding and finishing happens simultaneously. How much yogurt do we need to finish off? Will we eat that big … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #946 If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one…

Posted on February 16, 2014 by TA Loeffler

If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one. – Dolly Parton

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Visual Soliloquy #945 Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation…

Posted on February 15, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation. ― Robert H. Schuller

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Visual Soliloquy #944 We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed…

Posted on February 14, 2014 by TA Loeffler

We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #943 A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by TA Loeffler

A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking. ― Dan Chaon

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Visual Soliloquy #942 Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads…

Posted on February 12, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads. ~Author Unknown

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Visual Soliloquy #941 I love you because no two snowflakes are alike, and it is possible, if you stand tippy-toe, to walk between the raindrops…

Posted on February 11, 2014 by TA Loeffler

I love you because no two snowflakes are alike, and it is possible, if you stand tippy-toe, to walk between the raindrops. ― Nikki Giovanni

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Visual Soliloquy #940 To try is to invite uncertainty. Where confidence goes, success usually follows…

Posted on February 10, 2014 by TA Loeffler

To try is to invite uncertainty. Where confidence goes, success usually follows. ― Wayne Gerard Trotman

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Visual Soliloquy #939 When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels…

Posted on February 9, 2014 by TA Loeffler

When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels. – Unknown

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Visual Soliloquy #938 A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end – and if you put several circles over each other, then you get a spiral…

Posted on February 9, 2014 by TA Loeffler

A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end – and if you put several circles over each other, then you get a spiral. –Maynard James Keenan A circle is the reflection of … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #937 We love the things we love for what they are…

Posted on February 7, 2014 by TA Loeffler

We love the things we love for what they are. ― Robert Frost

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Five Things I’m Looking Forward To on The Great Big Walk

Posted on February 6, 2014 by TA Loeffler

1) Seeing lots and lots of prayer flags. Prayer flags are flown on high passes, on summits and around stupas and other holy places in Nepal. The different colours represent the different elements. The flags have prayers/intentions printed on them … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #936 Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world through the body and the body through the world…

Posted on February 6, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world through the body and the body through the world. ― Rebecca Solnit

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Visual Soliloquy #935 Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls…

Posted on February 5, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. ― Kahlil Gibran

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21 Sleeps, 16 Hockey Games, and 6 Home-cooked Meals…the Countdowns Have Begin

Posted on February 4, 2014 by TA Loeffler

As is the case with most expeditions, there comes a time where the countdowns begin. My injured finger has finally allowed me to return to hockey and so I decided to count how many games remain in this season…16! Of … Continue reading →

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Visual Soliloquy #934 I have woven a parachute out of everything broken…

Posted on February 4, 2014 by TA Loeffler

I have woven a parachute out of everything broken. ~William Stafford

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Visual Soliloquy #933 If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride…

Posted on February 3, 2014 by TA Loeffler

If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride. ― Karen Horney

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Visual Soliloquy #932 Winter is the time for stories, staying fast by the glow of fire. And outside, in the darkness, the stars are brighter than you can possibly imagine…

Posted on February 2, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Winter is the time for stories, staying fast by the glow of fire. And outside, in the darkness, the stars are brighter than you can possibly imagine. ― Isabel Greenberg

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Visual Soliloquy #931 Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering…

Posted on February 2, 2014 by TA Loeffler

Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering. ― Haruki Murakami

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