New Cedar Wand

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It has been a while since I have taken up my carving knife to create a new wand. I find that carving is rarely something which I can do without the right attitude. Still, when the spirit of inspiration strikes I must be ready. I started this wand more than a month ago and bit by bit I completed it.

I used a new finish this time around. Normally I use walnut oil, but I wanted to try linseed oil for a change. I really enjoy the smell and texture which linseed oil has on wood. I’m not quite sure which I prefer so I may simply mix and match the two from now on. We’ll see.

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Pulpit Rock Day Hike

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Perhaps the most well known hike near Nelson BC is Pulpit Rock. Pulpit can be seen from almost anywhere in town on the side of Elephant Mountain (real name Mt Nelson). The climb is short but steep and results in a panoramic view of the city of Nelson.

It has been a long time since I have gone on this particular hike. The trailhead used to be on private property and the trail was poorly maintained. Now it seems that great improvements have been made. There is a new trail head on the side of a public road and stairs have been installed along some of the steeper parts of the trail. I was a little overwhelmed by the steepness of the trail, something which had lessened in my recollections. Nevertheless, the trail was very enjoyable, if a little short. The view alone is certainly worth the effort.

On my way back down, the need for new footwear became readily apparent. I am trying to avoid buying new things as a part of my experimentation with minimalism. So I have been putting off purchasing new hiking shoes for a while and the tread on my current pare is rapidly deteriorating. I slipped and scraped up my hand while stopping myself from sliding all the way off the trail. Before I go on anymore hikes, I will have to buy a new pare of hiking shoes.

More Book Covers

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Yesterday I completed three more book covers. For each cover, I used a different technique. For each cover, I used a slightly different technique. For my copy of Animals as Teachers and Healers by Susan Chernak McElroy, I decided to try to create the cover on top of the existing soft cover. Visually, the book turned out well, but the binding is very stiff. For the other two projects, I fully removed the covers. I used paper with ribbon trim for the finish material as opposed to using just fabric as with my first project. For the third book; The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, I covered the spine in a grey/silver velvet and the rest in paper. Finally, I have an old copy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Howard Pyle. This is the very first ‘novel’ that I ever read and I have held onto it ever since. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to this book and the cover was ripped and falling off. I chose to cover the book in a plain deep purple velvet. This binding technique varies from my first in a few minor ways. First, the text block is held to the cover by paper, not cloth, and second, the first and last pages are not sacrificed by gluing them to the leaves connected to the cover.

Animals as Teachers and Healers: True Stories and Reflections by Susan Chernak McElroy
The Crystal Bible: A Definitive Guide to Crystals by Judy Hall
King Arthur and the knights of the round table: Om Illustrated Classics by Howard Pyle
All four books completed books.

Creating Hardcovers For My Books

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A few months ago I donated most of my books in an effort to live minimally. Those books that I did keep are the ones which I reread or that I have a special attachment to. Even though some of these books are old or falling apart after years of reading, I still want to hold on to them. I have made a notebook from scratch before and when I was ten, created a hardcover for my copy of Eragon with some success. I have decided to relearn that skill, improve upon it and to make new hardcovers for all of my books which are not already beautiful. This is an art project perfect for minimalism as you do not end up with more things than you started out with, only more beautiful ones. For my first attempt, I decided to start simple and create a cover for my copy of The Fifth Sacred Thing in black cloth with a patterned paper for the lining. I mostly followed this instructables tutorial though I did make a few changes most notably the addition of faux headbands created by folding two pieces of cloth in half (see image 2 below). I find their addition to greatly add to the complete look of the book. The entire process of creating a hardcover is easier than one might think, though it is important to pay attention to every minor detail especially early on. One thing which I have yet to do is mark the title and author on the outside of the book. I am currently looking for a set of alphabet stamps that will allow every book to have a uniform feel when viewed together. I plan on creating more covers and on trying new techniques. Hopefully, my library will only expand in quality, not quantity.

Hiking The Gimli Ridge Trail

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Today, I ascended the Gimli Ridge Trail with three others; two family friends Tim and Gary, and my grade school teacher Phil. We left early and spent an hour ascending a logging road in Tim’s 4×4. The trail itself starts of tamely. A thin track cuts straight through the trees and Mount Gimli can be seen high in the distance through the gap of the trail itself. The air in the forest was muggy, but the sky was full of clouds so the temperature was relatively low. After crossing a small creek by way of a new bridge, the trail’s incline increases. Spruce and fir trees line the switchbacks which make up the first part of the trail. We took the first half of the climb slowly which gave us the opportunity to fully take in each new vista that came into view. The Valhalla Mountains are some of the most beautiful and un-adulterated mountains in the area and they are truly wondrous to behold.

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Bear, Deer, and Dogs On The Slocan-Kootenay Lookout

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There is a website trailpeak.com that I use to search out trails in my area. Often, the trails posted to the site work out wonderfully. Sometimes not. The Slocan-Kootenay Lookout is a trail near the Playmor Junction between Nelson and Castlegar. Or so the website claims anyways.

I left town mid-morning and drove around near where the instructions said to find the red flagging which marks the trail head. I eventually found it across the street from an auto wreckers. The next piece of flagging was across a fast flowing creek, but there were plenty of rock by which I made my way across. The post which led me to this trail claims that is well flagged. That may have been true once, but it is certainly the case no longer. The remaining flags are few and far between with only bush between. It has clearly been some time since the trail was flagged as many pieces of flagging tape were no longer visible, haven fallen to the ground some time ago. So, leaning on a stick for balance, I made my way up the steep slope towards the next flag, and the next, until there were no more flags to be seen in any direction. I bush-wacked my way up the side of the mountain when I could no longer view the trail until I came upon a well trod game trail. I followed the trail until the trail level off. Continue reading →

Bicycle Camping & Meeting A Bear

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Two weeks ago I went for a short ride along the Nelson Salmo Great Northern Trail. The ride was beautiful and it left me wanting more, so yesterday morning, I rode to the top of mountain station road with my panniers full of camping equipment and a tent tenuously strapped on top. The plan was to bike along the trail all the way to Salmo, a distance of over 40 km, pitch my tent and stay the night before returning the next day.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I arrived at the trail head and I was already out of breath from riding my now heavy bike up the mountain. After stopping for a quick snack, I swung myself onto the bike and started peddling away. The first 4 km went by quickly enough. This part of the trail continued arrow straight for several more kilometres until the path crossed the highway and opened out next to Cottonwood Lake. Cottonwood’s waters are not exactly warm, but my feet were baking in my hiking boots so I took the opportunity to dip my toes in the lake.

Here is where I made my first mistake. Instead of following the trail directly to the lake, I had taken the shaded road next to it instead. Thus, I had missed the sign which marked this stretch of trail as being closed due to bear activity.

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Trail Riding in Nelson BC

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One month ago, I mentioned that I would be moving away from Vancouver, a decision which prompted me to declutter and to aim for a more minimalist lifestyle. The move has come and gone. Thanks to a generous offer of aid from my childhood teacher, I once again find myself in my beautiful hometown of Nelson, British Columbia.

Life is slower here than the bustle of the big city. I have had to re-adjust to life in the slow lane. In Vancouver, there was always something to do, a place to go, or a person to see. In Nelson, not so much. These things which require no effort in the city, require motivation and the willingness to get off one’s ass and head outdoors in a city of 10,000 people.

After spending the first week and a half indoors job hunting, I decided to see just how well my city bike could cope with the easiest of Nelson’s many mountain trails. The Nelson Salmo Great Northern Trail runs between the two cities for a complete distance of approximately 48 kilometres. Growing up, our house was directly beneath a section of this trail which quickly became a familiar haunt for my brother and I. This morning, I decided to revisit this stretch of trail which runs south for approximately 4 kilometres, the end of which is marked by two old railway trestles. I threw my bicycle in the back of the car and drove to an access point in Uphill Nelson.

Nelson from Mountain Station

The trail if very flat, though the entire stretch of trail slopes gently upwards. There were a few hikers whom I passed in the first few minutes though after that, I had the trail to myself. Along the sides of the trail, previous travellers have left behind inukshuks and round rings of piled stones, even an old volkswagen which I recall being there ever since I can remember. The first three kilometres were spent peddling steadily, shaded from the sun by the spruce and cedar trees which grow on either side of the trail. Continue reading →

How I Define Minimalism

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The other day, I mentioned how I have begun to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle. It is not just my decor which feels over cluttered, but also everything else in my life. I have decided to use the opportunity of moving to make some dramatic changes in my life. I have spent a good deal of time introspectively recently trying to discover what I truly draw happiness from in life. Surprise, surprise, it isn’t stuff. I have come to feel that the things in my life have become a burden which often distracts me from the activities which grant me the most contentment.

I believe that it is a mistake to define minimalism as living with less; that would imply that ones life is somehow incomplete. Rather, becoming a minimalist, is about living with less; less than what one currently owns. How then, to define minimalism as a lifestyle? There are many forms of minimalism and the word, no doubt, means something different to each of us. Some narrow the number of objects they own down to 100 items, others go without a bed or other furniture, others may live entirely out of a backpack while traveling the world. These are purposefully extreme examples. Minimalism is not defined by the amount of things which one owns. A minimalist may own 100 items or 1,000. Perhaps they do not feel the need even to count. Any person who is content to live with enough, without excess, can be a minimalist. It up to each of us to define what qualifies as enough for ourselves. One should not have look outside of oneself to make this definition. It is not for one person to define the lifestyle of another, nor reject that others definition. What is important, when it comes to minimalism, is that one is content with the amount of things which one owns, but also that one does not look to those things to define that contentment.

Moving on. I would like to create a working definition for my minimalist journey. My goal is to live an uncomplicated, simpler life, to spend less money and time on physical things, and to focus on rewarding activities instead. In short, to seek contentment. I aim to realize this goal partially though minimalist living. How then shall I create a working definition? By taking to heart these immortal words:

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann

Minimalist Wardrobe Purge

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I currently work for a major fashion retailer in downtown Vancouver. As one might expect, I quickly acquired more and more articles of clothing soon after taking the position. I enjoy buying new clothes and when I am surrounded by new and interesting pieces each day, I find it hard not buy at least a few of the items which catch my eye. Aside from the clothes which I wear regularly, I also have my clothes for work, mostly dress shirts and ties. The result was to very different wardrobes, both of which slowly grew larger and larger with time until I ran out of hangers and space in my wardrobe.In the last few years, my sense of style evolved and changed many times, yet I still held on to items which no longer fit my current look. I like to think that I never slid quite so far down the fashion slope as some, I did spend far to much money on new clothes. While I am by no means a follower of current trends, it would seem that the current trend is not to do so.

I decided to make decluttering my wardrobe the next step in operation clean-shit-up. Choosing which items to keep and which to release turned out to be a bit of a challenge.I tried to keep only those items which I loved and thought to be beautiful, or which had no alternatives. I figured that having more than a weeks worth of any given article was unnecessary. Deciding to get rid of items which I actually wore and were in good condition was especially difficult for me to rationalize, yet having twenty t-shirts is unnecessary, so away they went. I started by taking all my t-shirts and sorting them into two piles; one to keep and one to be gotten rid of. I then folded each shirt that I wanted to keep. I repeated this with each clothing type, creating an ever growing pile of rejects. If an item was in disrepair which could be mended, out came the mending kit, then I re-evaluated the piece. Eventually, all of my clothes lay in neat, folded piles on my bed. It still seemed like an awfully large amount despite the large rejection pile. To help pare down the remainder, I tried each piece on and if it no longer fit, or was in anyway uncomfortable, into the pile it went. This is now my entire wardrobe minus 3 jackets, 1 bike poncho, 4 sets of shoes, 1 scarf, 2 pairs of gloves, my ski apparel, and my undergarments which I made no attempt reduce in number, though I did remove any out worn articles: Continue reading →