Author Archives: TA Loeffler

TA’s Guide to the Winter Wonderverse: Episode One

Posted on January 8, 2022 by TA Loeffler

I’m on a mission to help people fall in love with winter. Tall order. I know winter makes so many folks’ lives so much more difficult and filled with barriers, so I continue to advocate for sidewalk snow clearing, winter … Continue reading →

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How Living With/Through the COVID-19 Pandemic is Like Climbing Everest

Posted on February 10, 2021 by TA Loeffler

With the spike in COVID-19 cases here in my region after months of doing fantastic keeping the virus at bay, I was thinking about our collective grief, sadness, anger, and sense of overwhelm at feeling like we are back at … Continue reading →

Posted in Aconcagua, COVID-19, Everest 2010, Everest 2015, Everest 3.0, Everest-007, Life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Hints for Hiking the East Coast Trail in Winter

Posted on January 31, 2021 by TA Loeffler

The East Coast Trail can be enjoyed in all seasons but winter can be especially magical with the interaction of snow, ice, and water. The trail is not groomed nor maintained in winter so you have to be prepared to … Continue reading →

Posted in hiking, Life, Loca-venturing | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Right Nice Paddle: Ocean Pond to Markland Bridge

Posted on August 30, 2020 by TA Loeffler

In July, we paddled a route that was new to all three of us. We began in Ocean Pond and then used the Hodges River to transition over to the Whitborne pond Circuit and then we finished by taking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe, Newfoundland | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exploring a Forgotten Trail: Hiking the Avondale River

Posted on August 23, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Since March, Marian and I have been exploring and adventuring closer to home. We’ve been pushing ourselves to find and fall in love with new outdoor places rather than stick to all the places we already adore. We skied until … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19, hiking, Loca-venturing, Newfoundland | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Paddling Chance Cove

Posted on July 30, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Mike, Marian, and I had another fabulous paddling day recently. We set out from Chance Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador and paddled to Rantem and then returned to Chance Cove. We departed from the government wharf, along with many folks headed out to catch cod during the food fishery. We looked across the bay to the popular Chance Cove hike, know for its stunning beauty. Unbeknownst to most hikers, is that the coastline opposite them is equally beauteous-but only accessible via boat, kayak, or bushwhack. Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19, Loca-venturing, Newfoundland, Sea Kayak | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Beauty Day Out: Paddling from Chapels Cove to Harbour Main

Posted on June 30, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Marian, Mike, and I spend a lovely day paddling from Chapels Cove to Harbour Main, NL and back. We wanted to share the beauty we saw and experienced with you.

Posted in COVID-19, Loca-venturing, Newfoundland, Sea Kayak | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

World Premiere: OMD and the School of Drag

Posted on May 6, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Welcome. Thanks for joining me as I premiere my short film about OMD and the joys of portaging on our “River with Two Names” expedition in August of 2019. The film is called OMD and The School of Drag. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe, Labrador, River With Two Names | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Almost Everything I Needed to Know about Getting Through Tough Times, I Learned on Aconcagua (and other mountains)

Posted on March 26, 2020 by TA Loeffler

It feels like I’m on an expedition and I don’t know when this expedition will end. That’s new, because most of my expeditions have an end date when the float plane comes, when the climbing season ends due to monsoon, … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19, Everest 3.0, Life, Loca-venturing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Get Away to the Mountains, the Deserts and the Deepest Recesses of the Earth-A Found Piece of Writing

Posted on February 20, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Here on 2-20-20, another fine odometer moment, I delved into a little Finder clean-up/re-org and found this piece I’d written some time ago. Given all the skiing we’ve been doing this winter and given our soon to be departure to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Ski | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Making the List: 90 Great Canadian Explorers

Posted on February 10, 2020 by TA Loeffler

I am humbled once again to be recognized by the Royal Canadian Geographic Society by my inclusion in their 90 Greatest Canadian Explorers List. Of course, whenever a list is made, many noteworthy, awesome, & deserving folks are left off … Continue reading →

Posted in Aconcagua, Ama Dablam, Canoe, Elbrus, Everest 2010, Everest 2015, Everest 3.0, Everest-007, Fire&Ice17, Great Big Walk, Great Himalaya Trail, Gunnbjørn Fjeld, Kanairiktok River, Kilimanjaro, Labrador, Life, Lungta Livyers, Mountaineering, Nepal, Newfoundland, Ojos, Orizaba, Paddle 2 Peaks, Paddling North, Pumori, River With Two Names, Sea Kayak, Ski, Tajumulco, Tibet Bike, Toubkal, Trekking, Vinson, Volcanopalooza | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2019: Pretty Big Walk and River with Two Names

Posted on January 2, 2020 by TA Loeffler

To finish off this countdown, (which has been pretty darn fun to do–thanks for coming along), I’ll leave you with two expeditions from the past year. Our climb of Yala Peak, occurred during our Pretty Big Walk expedition in April … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe, Labrador, Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2018: How Paddling North is Like Climbing Everest and 2.5 Million Paddle Strokes

Posted on January 1, 2020 by TA Loeffler

Happy New Year! Since I didn’t quite manage to get the countdown completed before the new year dawned (oh well-it was more fun to ski than stare at my laptop), here is 2018’s entry. With a 90-day expedition that year, … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year 2020! Every Moment is New

Posted on January 1, 2020 by TA Loeffler

The year has just turned to 2020…what a lovely odometer year! Those who have followed me for awhile know that I am a fan of odometer moments. Turns out that I have several posts that explain this love of mine. … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2017: Lungta Livyers #14 Tigers, Lions, Garudas, and Dragons Oh My: First Day in Bhutan and Helicopters and Hands.

Posted on December 28, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Today is a two-fer…one entry looking back just after 2017 began and one entry from when we first landed in Bhutan. Enjoy! Originally Posted on September 27, 2017  “But wait,” you doth protest. “Where is update number 13?” It’s in the … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2016: Everest 3.0: Out of the Fog, Flights to Nowhere, and Seeing the Mountain Blush

Posted on December 27, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Originally Posted on November 2, 2016  It’s been a foggy day here. Reminiscent of many other foggy days. One in particular, where I had a flight to Halifax. We took off in fog and flew almost all the way to Halifax … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2015: Three for the Price of One!

Posted on December 23, 2019 by TA Loeffler

I couldn’t decide on only one post from 2015 so I’ve included three: one from our expedition to El Salvador to climb the country’s highest volcanoes–that expedition was called Volcanopalooza. The second one is the wrap-up from my short, but … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2014: GHT and L is for Lessons, Lots of Lessons: Ama Dablam Wrap-Up

Posted on December 22, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Two expeditions to invite you to today…the first isn’t a specific post but over a hundred-in 2014, Marian and I spent 2.5 months trekking and climbing on the Great Himalayan Trail from the Eastern border with India to the Bigu … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2013: Aoraki/Mount Cook: Reflections on a Rich Week

Posted on December 21, 2019 by TA Loeffler

This was originally posted on December 5, 2013. I’d just finished my attempt at Aoraki/Mount Cook. Enjoy! When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Mountaineering | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2012: What Comes, Comes… Orizaba for Oma and Beyond

Posted on December 20, 2019 by TA Loeffler

This post comes on the heels of our attempt on Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It was originally posted on October 29, 2012. Three words. One comma. A philosophy of life. Oma’s … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2011: Vinson Vignette #1: Lost for Words

Posted on December 19, 2019 by TA Loeffler

This adventurous decade countdown post comes from when I recently returned from climbing the highest peak in Antarctica in December 2011 and was trying to find words to describe the vast white place I had just experienced. It was originally … Continue reading →

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Revisiting an Adventurous Decade Countdown 2010: Motorcycle Satori

Posted on December 18, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Happy Holidays Season to you and yours. I thought I would jump on the bandwagon on decade count-downs and share some posts from the past over the days to the New Year and Decade. I’ll choose a post from each … Continue reading →

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WaterLily Turbine on the River with Two Names

Posted on November 5, 2019 by TA Loeffler

On our River with Two Names expedition, we had many many things that were power-hungry such as our sat phone, Inreach, drone, cameras, GPS, and phones. Along with a few battery packs, we took our solar panel and the new … Continue reading →

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River with Two Names Expedition Photo Gallery

Posted on November 4, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Day Two dawned fine and still. Harp Lake was forgotten. We spent our first day exploring the southern end of Shapio Lake. The mirror surface of the lake produced a landscape-size kaleidoscope of rock and sky.   Journeying together in … Continue reading →

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River with Two Names: The Rest of the Story

Posted on November 3, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Eight years after completing our epic descent of the Notakwanon River, four of us (Mark Dykeman, Darren McDonald, Marian Wissink and I) returned to Labrador for two weeks to tackle another river, Mark and Darren in sea kayaks, Marion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe, Labrador, Life, River With Two Names | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pretty Big Walk Expedition Photo Gallery

Posted on November 3, 2019 by TA Loeffler

We rested and prepared for the rest of the day. Wake up call came at 5 am the next day and we choked down some porridge and tried to breathe away our small altitude headaches. We decided to proceed and … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Himalaya Trail, Photo Gallery, Pretty Big Walk | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

River with Two Names: My Canoe Got Bigger

Posted on August 30, 2019 by TA Loeffler

Looking over the bow of our canoe, it is much bigger now. We traded our smaller boats for a ride on the Kamutik W from Hopedale to Goose Bay. We traded the calm solitude of the wilderness for the intense … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe, Labrador, Life, River With Two Names | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 28, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D14 Paddling portion finished 2day in Hopedale. Foggy cold morning gave ephemeral views. Last night in tents. Ferry south 2morrow. Lovely to explore Hopedale. View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=aa5249be-d68b-4d5e-b6cc-387e936854c5&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this message … Continue reading →

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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 27, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D13 Hilltop view of islands South reveal shades & hues of blue that we could only imagine B4 2day. High perch beats heat & bugs. Coastal rock swirls & layers. View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: … Continue reading →

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Audio Post

Posted on August 26, 2019 by TA Loeffler
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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 26, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D12 Loons sing us asleep. Magnificent day. Heat was wearing. We visited snow & 30 degrees C in 2day. Rocks we will never forget were our handrail today. View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=06061cb3-92f0-48b0-a86e-052bab4e0fa6&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA … Continue reading →

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Audio Post

Posted on August 25, 2019 by TA Loeffler
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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 25, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D11 Island. Crow & partridge berries. Camping perfect. Oh, there’s a bear. A big bear. A black bear. We leave. It swims. We stay. View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=6e7e85e4-e43c-4722-a8c7-88ce19f91ee7&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this message … Continue reading →

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Audio Post

Posted on August 24, 2019 by TA Loeffler
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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 24, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D10 Spectacular day on the Labrador Sea. Headed out of Adlatok Bay on an oily sea. Headwind in the aft. Sun all day. Campfire. Yum View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=e07d7235-2d75-4fa6-b839-b65a52dca7ab&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this … Continue reading →

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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 23, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D9 Rest, explore, McGyver, bake brownies kind of day. All weather 2day Prepping 4 ocean phase. No audio update conserving sat batt View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=c0958b4f-ca23-4e6d-90f1-f1189526cf07&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this message from: Lat … Continue reading →

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Audio Post

Posted on August 22, 2019 by TA Loeffler
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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 22, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D8 Off the Adlatok & camped at the head of Adlatok Bay. Big headwind. Too late to make headway after portage. Weather is cold Brrr View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=cc0aba31-745b-4ae9-8fcf-84edb96f0657&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this … Continue reading →

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inReach message from TA Loeffler

Posted on August 21, 2019 by TA Loeffler

D7 Almost 2 the Labrador Sea. Halfway over last portage. River w/ two names became river with one name today: Adlatok. Black flies View the location or send a reply to TA Loeffler: https://us0.inreach.garmin.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=710d5668-7d00-4533-8e4a-58c88d2a2e2d&adr=miyu735rowe%40post.wordpress.com TA Loeffler sent this message from: … Continue reading →

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Audio Post

Posted on August 20, 2019 by TA Loeffler
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