So the trip has commenced, and I am on the road, although only a few hours down it.
Im going to be using the other blog; "where in the world is nate?" to keep the updates of my trip, and use Thumbward Bound to post other stories, links and related hitching articles.

Thats all folks!

If I got to chose a new set of friends, it would be from these guys.
LINK

Didnt you get the memo?

Finally got to snowboard today, and it worked out well, as it was the last possible chance to do this while still in Canada. I was chatting with a friend on the chairlift, and we reminisced about the good old days of being eleventeen. Lego, Saturday morning cartoons, basement forts, crushes, recess all that jazz. Man sometimes I wish I was a kid, in my Umbro shorts, and tearaway pants, worrying about when the sun goes down, as that was the curfew. Life was alot simpler back then, not a single worry. I think the inspiration and enthusiasm of youth is our single greatest resource. It encompasses all that we should strive to be; happy and carefree. Yes, the Hydro bill is due, and the kitchen reno estimations were through the roof, but its these material factors in our life which we prioritize before our general happiness. Unless you are a heroin addicted nymphomaniac (how did you find blogger??) you will have a roof over your head and belly full. We think that if we don't work our behinds off for 'the man', rush home in commuter traffic to boring old spaghetti, watch Corner Gas while balancing the chequebook before bed and do it all over again tomorrow and the next day, we will end up on the streets. We cant take that vacation because we have so many things that don't matter to attend to first! Its nice to have nice things, I myself am a sucker for some new gear, whatever it may be, but I'm not going to go out and invest myself into a life of unhappiness to obtain these things. I'm doing it now for this trip, and its awful. I hate waking up in the mornings, dreading my day ahead. And so many among us are living this everyday, all day for their entire lives. Oui, sacrifices need to be made, but are we seriously happy after 25 years when we have that out-of-our-price-range bungalow, and nothing to talk about? Its like the movie Officespace.

I was staring at some kids who had just climbed off a bus from school to go shred the mountain. I thought about how cool it would be to have had that when I was that age; the chance to snowboard right after school all night, through the school board. They were all like puppies, so excited, running screaming, lacing the boots with more enthusiasm than a Texan cheerleader during the Final4. I was being all Mr Deep Intellect, and realized something; Youth is not an age, or generation. It is a lifestyle. 5 or 50, do what makes you happiest. We only live once, but if you did it right, once is enough.

Young hearts be free.

I think you can still do it in prison.....

Have you guys heard of this? Ive known about it for a while, it was in a book I got a few years ago called street cultures and I saw a thing about it again a while back in Vice magazine. I think its a cool concept, not really my cup of orange pekoe though...

Guerrilla Gardening.

I bookmarked this a while ago...its a link from a former travel editor at NBC. I don't think it compares to my article....Ill let you be the judge...
Robin Dalmas @ NBC "What killed hitchhiking?"
My early entry "Where did it all go wrong?"


So, who says it best? The travel exec in the big leagues, or moi?(not so big leaguer)

The Middle of Nowhere. LITERALLY.

The Most Remote Place on Earth....

LINK

I dont know about you, but I could hack it for a while....Pretty amazing isnt it? I wonder why they never teach us these things in school.....

Top Secret Level 3.

Ive delayed in posting some of my sites, for a few reasons. Some of these sites are primary resources in planning my trips and gathering info. Theyre also not exactly easy to find, or needing to be exploited...maybe Im just an arrtard, but I wanted to keep 'em a secret.

Heres a couple, but I dont think Im going to leave them up for very long.

FloatPlan.

DigiHitch

7Knots

Backpack Forum

Expedition Portal

You guys are so lucky Im nice...