Friday 30 January 2015

Just finished a trip to South Georgia as Expedition Leader. The...





































Just finished a trip to South Georgia as Expedition Leader. The usual mix of 80 knot winds and intense wildlife experiences!


Thursday 8 January 2015

Photo




mapsontheweb: Ammassalik wooden maps: carved, tactile maps of...





mapsontheweb:



Ammassalik wooden maps: carved, tactile maps of the Greenlandic coastlines made by Inuit, 1884.


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Inuit/Eskimo knowledge of the shape of coastlines was of great help to European explorers and even today comparisons of maps they drew for captains like Crozier display an astonishing accuracy when compared to our own modern charts.


These wooden representations of the coast are an elegant solution to the often mobile lifestyle they lived and the difficult terrain and conditions they experienced.


As well as being an object of utility and of beauty, it represents a way of life and a way of thinking that for many of us appears attractive despite it being so dramatically removed from our own lives and even our own histories. It’s no wonder that this civilisation is so romanticised and admired today.


Finished a great month road-tripping in Patagonia and ski...

































Finished a great month road-tripping in Patagonia and ski touring in Scotland. Now I’m flying south again for the jewel that is South Georgia.


Sunday 4 January 2015

Scottish Highlands Skiing

Skiing on Ben Wyvis, Scottish Highlands, yesterday. The most beautiful spindrift ever!

Thursday 1 January 2015

The Secret Howff A four day tramp across the Cairngorms with the...









































The Secret Howff


A four day tramp across the Cairngorms with the aim of finding the legendary secret Slugain Howff of the Fairy Glen. Built in 1952 to hide climbers and walkers from the factors and gamekeepers of the estate on which it was hidden, it was described by Tom Patey as one of the wonders of the Cairngorms, while today it is considered one of its worst kept secrets!


Located only metres from a major path it is all but invisible unless you can climb above it. I managed to find it after a short search (I was pretty sure I knew where to look) and spent the night enjoying the historic ambience.


The walk there was the real highlight, crossing the Braeriach plateau in a whiteout and enduring snow, frost, freezing winds and one beautiful blue-sky day as I traversed the Lairig Ghru. Britain is a tiny country with plenty of adventures crammed into it!