Max Titov

The Icelandic Pledge

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I PLEDGE TO BE A RESPONSIBLE TOURIST

When I explore new places. I will leave them as I found them.

I will take photos to die for.  Without dying for them.

I will follow the road into the unknown.  But never venture off the road.

And I will only park where I am supposed to.

When I sleep out under the stars.  I’ll stay within a campsite.

And when nature calls.  I won’t answer the call on nature.

I will be prepared for all weathers.  All possibilities and all adventures.

 

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Max Titov

Iceland: Journal Entry: The Traveling Gnome

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Anyone, and by that, I mean everyone: who has attempted to complete a multi-day backpacking trip knows that the weight of your backpack is an intricate ratio that will determine the success of your expedition:

  • The weight and size of your backpack will regulate the extent of your sanity during a long hiking excursion. 

    First river crossing on our Landamannalaugar hike. This was our honorary warm-up.

    The weight amount is inversely proportional to the speed with which your shoulders/hips will turn in to mush causing discomfort and annoyance.  Note: once the aching starts it will only get worse, breaks and rest will not alleviate the pain.  Through learned personal experience, we recommend to take a moment, collect your self, find a spot somewhere in the mountains [a location where only god and your partner can hear you], take a deep breath and belch out all your frustrations in one agonizing howl [hand gesticulation is encouraged for infused effect].  One will be sufficient.  Please be aware that excessive belching of this kind may lead to cynicism and degradation of spirit.
  • Similarly, the weight and size of your backpack will determine the functional-diversity of your gear.  As an example: do you bring a tripod?  A bulky sturdy tripod is perfect when you want to take a glorified selfie together.  And despite some smartphone advertisement campaigns, no self-respecting photographer would be caught dead using a selfie stick in Iceland.  So, do you bring one, and jeopardize the sanctity of your body parts [as is outlined in the previous bullet] or do you leave the tripod behind and rely on your zany imagination [hoping for a relatively stable rock that can be supported by a backpack to offset gale winds that threaten to shatter your expensive camera equipment].  We opted for the stable rock with a backpack during some gnarly patches of furious gusts – the camera survived and we got the shot.
  • The cost: anything lightweight will double the price tag of your equipment.  I swear, slapping the phrase ultra lightweight on a piece of backpacking gear escalates the squeeze on your wallet just like the word organic or probiotic would on a grocery store item.

So, what do you do when you want to document your adventure and you need a token that could be used as a touch-point [like a traveling gnome].  I looked it up and turns out an average weight of a Traveling Gnome [depending on the location of your purchase] would roughly be 308.29g.  Should your shoulders and hips be sacrificed for the extra weight? Will you “accidentally” destroy the damn sucker during one of your spirited howls?

I forgot to add this to the earlier post: Iceland: Journal Entry: how did Max talk Iris into this? – leave the damn gnome at home, your girlfriend’s sanity and specifically the sanctity of her hips far outweigh the cliche memorabilia.  Instead, use something you can’t live without, something that will accompany you through all the hardships and challenges.  In our case, we could not live without a fresh/hot cup of coffee, gently mixed with a whisp of delicious chocolate.  Obviously, the basic requirement for a soothing/sweet/refreshing beverage is boiling water, and that leads us to our basic requirement and something we could not live without.

Drumm roll…….. a portable stove cooking set, which, from now on I will refer to as “Our Backpacking Traveling Gnome” or “OBTG”.

Skaftefel campsite: our first night under the stars. The journey begins!!!
Romantic dinner at a black beach in Vik. Who needs a fancy restaurant when you can make your own table?
Traðir campsite: a North/West section of Iceland known for beautiful coastal hikes.
Day one of the Landamannalagar hike. Shortly after pitching our tent in the rain we hid in a bustling common area tent.
Early morning at the Landamannalaugar campsite: no time for a relaxing breakfast in a common area. Work with what you’ve got: take down the tent and cook at the same time. Rocks helped with wind and fuel economy.
The first day of the 4-day hike: we stop at the Hrafntinnusker campsite to take a break and get our spirits recharged with a hot lunch.
A long day of hiking: we put down our tent at the Alftavatn campsite. The bugs are everywhere so we decide to have an indoor dinner party.
Brutal hike to the Emstrur campsite. Drenched from walking in the rain for most of the day. Must find a way to dry our clothes: we cook, dry, rest and revitalize our morale.
Stormy night, early morning and some clear skies at the Emstrur campsite. We pack up in record time: clearly we’re learning fast. Another multi-tasking breakfast.
We made it: civilization, access to internet and power, we even have an electric kettle to boil water. OMG!!! Drooling with pleasure. Chilling at the Thorsmork campsite.
A lovely dinner at the Reykjavik campsite. Fresh tomatoes mixed with a hint of metropolitan-flare!

We didn’t set out on our adventure knowing the identity of OBTG but rather discovered it midway.  The how will become evident from the below mentioned references:

  • Every morning, after a night of semi-restful sleep: groggy, confused, and not in the mood to start the day, we reached for our OBTG in order to create the chocolate/coffee infused ambrosia
  • Through rain, through sunshine, through mist and wind, our OBTG kept us warm and nourished, endlessly providing the source of fuel and warmth to cook our meals
  • The OBTG was a constant reminder that even in the darkest hour when our best was at an all-time low, we had something warm and comfortable awaiting us

Our OBTG brought us joy, happiness and gave us a sense of gratitude that carried us forward.

Some practical tips:

  • A cooking stove requires a propane canister: DO NOT take one with you on a plane, not even in your checked-in baggage.  I have to admit that I was naive enough to believe that the FAA didn’t care about propane canisters [even though they CLEARLY plaster the warnings throughout your boarding process], thankfully Iris and a helpful salesman at our local outdoors shop confirmed my ineptitude; and for that I am grateful
  • When you are in Iceland you have 3 options to pick up a portable propane canister:
    • Go to a gas station.  That is the advice that we’ve received before embarking on our journey.  This option works but is quite expensive.
    • One way or another you will find your way to a grocery store called Bonus [the deals are simply amazing].  Some, not all, actually sell propane canisters.  Keeping looking and ignore statements [from the staff]: “we do not sell that, try a gas station”.  Simply go to the next local Bonus shop.
    • Check out a campsite and a free trade bin: often times campers will leave their semi-filled canisters at a designated trading spot in a local campsite. These are free.  People simply have no use for them and leave them in hope that someone else could benefit.
  • Bring a lighter/matches
  • Be present in the current moment 😉

 

Max Titov

Iceland: Journal Entry: how did Max talk Iris into this?

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Upon our inevitable return home, I’ve been contemplating a response to an expected question: how did you convince Iris to join you on this adventure?  Surprisingly, once we returned, and comfortably eased back into our chaotic routines the opportunity to answer this inquiry lie dormant in my subconscious, no one asked and as we re-told our stories I considered that perhaps no one would.  However, eventually, and as expected someone dared to make an appropriate inquiry.

In this entry, I would like to answer this question.

To illustrate the reason why I expected this question and to fill in some details about the parties who were involved: let me give a brief introduction to Iris, and her backpacking/camping career.

Iris a youthful and energetic woman who lives in Toronto and enjoys a structured/ambitious lifestyle:

  • Raised in humble origins she came into her prime when she embarked on a journey to conquer the big city of Toronto and eventually evolved into a genuine big city girl
  • Although she shares a deep love for the metropolitan lifestyle a special spot in her heart belongs to those wonderful simple beginnings: riding a bike through an open field, enjoying the fresh country air, sampling locally grown delicacies, etc…
  • Her camping experience was limited: prior to the trip to Iceland she had a single serious camping excursion; this included a guided tour through the Peruvian Andes; the trip was an arduous ordeal both from the mental and physical perspective.  In addition to challenging terrain, uncomfortable weather conditions, and crippling altitudes, Iris faced motivational psychological trials [standard rights of passage that appear when a person is thrown in a completely foreign environment].  Struggling along, with friends by her side she triumphantly scaled the mountains and came home with an invigorated sense of achievement.  Another bucket list item has been crossed off successfully.

In summary: Iris is not known for her backpacking prowess and in a stereotypical fashion, it was likely that I would be held responsible for luring this young maiden into grueling mountain passes of Icelandic wilderness.

So, given the before mentioned introduction: how did I talk Iris into this?

Simple, Iris wanted to go herself.

Some plausible reasons why [in my humble opinion]:

  • There are two types of people who you will find in Iceland: photographers and those who enjoy nature; we love hiking [averaging close to 300K steps a week between the two of us – in Iceland, we averaged 400K] and we love journalistic photography.  To us, it seemed like visiting Iceland would equate to killing two puffins with one stone
  • Iceland is a perfect place to visit if you want to advance your outdoor experience following Peru
    • It is safe: low crime, lack of dangerous animals – in Peru we were warned to be careful and stay close to safe areas [Hotels or in presence of our guides]
    • It is gorgeous – OMG, beyond amazing
    • This was my second visit so I had some experience
    • The country promotes the backpacking way of life: the capital of Iceland holds a popular campsite in the core of the city

This image was taken at the Reykjavik. We had a lovely dinner enjoying some freshly bought tomatoes.

  • We wanted to make use of our growing inventory of camping equipment
  • I am sure, a part of her wanted to spend time with me, participating in activities that I hold dear to my heart [even though those activities involved a reduction in scheduled shower sessions]

And finally, for any man who might find himself in a similar situation and wonder, how?  Be honest, be ready, be patient, prepare, and above all consider that the whole point of spending time together is: to be together.  An amazing view, a warm cup of hot chocolate after a long chilly day, a soothing humming of an ancient waterfall as you wish your partner “good night” – each aspect of the adventure is an icing on the cake – the filling is that you’re together.

 

Max Titov

Iceland: Journal Entry 1

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We’re off to an adventure of a lifetime.  Iceland: the land of ice and fire.

To plan a trip of this kind requires some degree of preparation.  We, or perhaps mainly I, with a supportive front from my love decided to go through the experience with minimal reliance on usual comforts that one will find in a major metropolitan city.  By this, I mean we decided to explore Iceland through backpacking/tenting.  Some reasoning behind our choice:

  • The cost – everyone told us “Iceland is very expensive”
  • The experience and adventure – our lives and how we choose to live them are subjective; we often have a choice in the matter of how we view our circumstances.  Previously, when we’ve embarked on a new travel adventure we relied on accommodations, guides, transportation, food, etc…  Hoping to take the matters into our own hands we wanted to create our own experience.  Success or failure, we wanted to make the choice

Taking our reasoning into account we started preparing for the departure a few months ahead of schedule.

We brought our own food:

  • Canned Salmon
  • Instant Mashed Potatoes
  • Oatmeal
  • Instant Soup in a Cup
  • Hot chocolate & Coffee
  • Protein & Granola Bars

We packed a few essential supplies to survive in the wild:

  • Tent
  • Sleeping Pads
  • Sleeping Bags [rated to 20 F; July was chosen as the desired month for our visit due to warmth, lack of rain and extended daylight hours]
  • Cooking equipment: stove and cooking set
  • Collapsible water containers – this, although silly was extremely useful
  • Dry packs
  • Backpacks – 2x40L and an 85L for a multiple day hike
  • Our photography equipment – we both understood how impractical our camera equipment will be on this trip, however, when pushed came to shove we both decided to opt-in and drag our heavy gear with us – WE LOVE OUR PICTURES – 40 reasons to date a photographer
  • etc….

In essence, we tried to maximize the functionality of our gear while minimizing the weight of our luggage.

The days rolled on and as months turned in to week, days and then hours we were still scrambling to finalize the final touches.  The preparation became slightly overwhelming and although we managed to complete our packing/organizing efforts I maintained a compulsive attitude that we could have done more.  There was so much to do, so much to remember and know that the efforts [although great and progressively better than our past adventures] did not seem to hit that elusive mark of excellence.

I simply didn’t think that I did enough.

Only time would tell if our efforts would yield satisfactory results.

Max Titov

Squeaky clean traveling

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This is my second post that involves a particularly unusual dilemma.  I am not yet concerned and I hope that this blog won’t become a chronological reference guide of what to do in questionable situations.

Last week I returned from a 7 day vacation at the beautiful Turks and Caicos.  It was the best of times.  Looking back I have to attribute the success of the trip as a partial reason that lead to the concluding calamity.

After my return; on the following Sunday I was scheduled to go on a business trip.

 

This Sunday while packing the new dilemma elegantly stood up and introduced itself:

What do you do after you come back from a long vacation: throw all your clothes in to the washer.

What do you need to travel cross border: a passport and associated business identification.

What happens when you find a pair of squeaky clean pair of shorts and [although equivalently clean] mangled passport in one of the pockets: the usual: momentary sense of anger, disbelief, frustration, and agony typically expressed in some form of blame or verbal foulness.

 

That’s right, in that particular moment there’s no better way to define my state of existence as: over hyped uncertainty.

Yes, I was packed: all my belongings were patiently waiting by the side of the door.

Yes, I wasn’t sure how bad the situation was.

Yes, I had mixed feeling of worry and relief.  This could either be devastating for my business and my ability to travel or this can be an excellent excuse to avoid another trip.  A part of me was even excited that I didn’t have to go anywhere and could run down to the gym.  I know talk about my actual priorities!

 

So, what happened next.  I took a few deep breaths.  Analyzed the situation and acted accordingly:

  • The passport was still readable; just mangled
  • I called the border crossing patrol and explained the situation; the gentleman was quite nice and suggested that if the document was still legible it’s worth going through with the trip
  • I’ve considered the possible outcomes, pros, cons and decided on a direct coarse of action

The analysis took at most 15 minutes. I was calm, collected and actually excited to discover if moving forward with the trip would yield a positive outcome.

I was confident that if I am honest, sincere and can explain my situation to the border patrol; then the officer would be able to pull up my digital information and let me through.

I’ve told myself that in the worst case scenario I would be turned back and would have wasted some travel time.

 

So, that is exactly what I did.

And yes, this story does have a happy ending.

I’ve made it through with flying colors.

 

So, what do I want you to take away from my experience?

  1. That I had an amazingly relaxing vacation in Turks and Caicos – I strongly recommend the place if you’re looking to get away from reality [just make sure you keep an eye on your personal belongings and check all your pockets before throwing things in to the washer]
  2. Don’t blame yourself: accept that things happen and move forward
  3. It’s important to stay calm, rational and think things through carefully in great moments of stress – yes, the future can seem bleak; but if you take your time, think things through, understand your situation and what is in your control then a possibly disastrous moment can turn in to a new adventure

 

Until next time,

Max