camping

cabins are my fave

recently i came upon this site... not sure how it happened, but then, there i was. dangerous stuff we have here - dangerous to my wanderlust. i have never been more tempted to run out into the middle of a forest, build a cabin, and live there forever. these spaces may be speaking to the part of me that currently wants nothing more than to pick up, move away, and start again. but even if that's the case, it does not take away from the fact that sometimes we all need a space that we can relax in - a wooden haven.
a quiet wonderland. a small piece of heaven.
whether it be the inside of a cabin (like this beauty above), or the sheer magnificence of a small space that simply exists within a huge outdoor playground. either way, i want all of them.
it's as though we all need to remove our minds, bodies, hearts, limbs, and brains from the rush we encounter daily. to submit ourselves wholly to a space where we need to be with ourselves - and only ourselves - takes a huge leap. a lot of comfort in oneself, a lot of comfort in silence, and in the magnitude of solitude. and yet, this - to me - is a requirement of humanity. if you cannot be alone, what can you be?
perhaps that's what it is about these stunningly beautiful spaces that i ogle over - nose to computer screen, eyes wide, drool falling from mouth ogle. perhaps it is not just the environment and the structures themselves, but the idea of lonliness and solitude (in the best way) that comes along with these spaces. the alone time i crave - i have always craved.
to breathe fresh air. to walk uninhibited through rocks, trees, water - without the rush of the traffic, the people around you and the ticking hands of a clock to guide you. to simply walk - with no intention. to gather with your vision the landscape. to ride, swim or transcend the earth's space surrounding you....
.... all of these things speak to me like porn. straight up, weirdo, wilderness loving porn.
CABIN PORN. this is not a joke people. cabin porn is no more a joke than other weird fetish porn (ok... for record, that is sort of a joke, and i'm NOT into weird porn. not that weird porn is bad, i'm just not into it... oh gosh). whether it be on a mountain, on a lake, in a forest, through a rock cliff... all spaces devoid of the rush of our common current lifestyles - and what a spot of silence wouldr do for you - if not refresh your mind, body and soul.

ultramontane and their outdoor adventures

I’ve recently had the oppourtunity to become more immersed in the downhill mountain biking culture and freeride, through spending time with people who eat/live/breathe the sport. I find myself being captured by everything about it… unfortunately, due to my back, it’s not something I’ll probably ever be able to participate in. however, the strong nostalgia of my trail running is brought to life in walking through half built bike trails, and climbing up and down berms and drops. it's my belief that regardless of your vehicle (feet, bike, all else), once you've fallen in love with a trail sport, you can find appreciation and aptitude in anything involving trails, a forest, and trees. if you have not yet trail run – please. stop what you’re doing (once you’ve finished reading my blog, of course) and put on a pair of running shoes, and go run 3k through roots and trees, and rocks and grass. I promise you it’s the best thing you’ll ever experience.
when a friend of mine showed me ultramontane, it didn’t take long for me to become obsessed. the series of videos are sheer perfection – and regardless of your feelings towards biking (which I’ve explained I don’t have much of a current investment in - i don't even have a bike after it's theft a couple of years ago), you can’t help but become enamoured with the setting – the stunning shots of the spaces they ride through, and so obviously have complete and utter respect for, are enough to make me want to quit my job and move to washington state. the simple shots of them doing things like making coffee, and sitting against logs with a drink. even the sheer perspective of some of the shots while they’re riding – the trees looming predictably large above them. it gives perspective to the world they're living and riding in. it’s so wonderfully beautiful. breathtaking even.
it’s the collaborative effort of connor macleod and derek dix. these guys are genius. their love for ‘off-season’ riding in south western BC, and their insistence to highlight the embracing of all weather riding. as they say, there’s no such thing as bad weather. just soft people.no. 3 . they try to convey that free-riding can happen anywhere, anytime. no need for big budget trips to warmer climate, or even huge trips to mountains – instead, using where you are, and enjoying the space around you… which I think is fair to say that we could all take a cue from. 
“Since the last release it’s been two weeks. As the crow flies…14 days. That one is for a measure of distance not time.Think about it. There have been wet days, snowy days, and dry days none of which have been exceptionally cold. All of which we have been out riding and shooting.no 2. 
this will be an image heavy post… as that’s the nature of ultramontane. and I think to do it justice, I need to let the photos call out to everyone’s (or perhaps simply my own) inner nature junkie.
    
    
not many people know this about me, but in high school I took as many ‘shop’ related classes I could – I took 5 years of auto shop (I have a small obsessions with motors, cars, and anything I can build with my hands and make move independent of me), I took shop class, and often took to our garage to build things with my dad. Still now, my dad and I make weekends out of working on the septic tank, building framing for decks, and other construction projects that we can get our hands on (my dad was a brick layer in a previous life – perhaps where I get my need to work with my hands from). In no. 3 they work on the building of the courses, and what goes into prepping a space to ride through. that.... to me... is amazing. and as someone who loves the feeling of building materials in her hands, i can put myself in that place in which you can use a space you've helped build. 
the shot at 1:15 in this video is pure. Perfection.
the one in which he fastens a hacksaw and a tripod to the front of his camera backpack. That could not be a more perfect symbol of the person who appreciates art and nature, along with a need to work with their hands, and understand the work that goes into these trails.
    
“The whole idea of him riding a hand built hard tail can be fairly well romanticised. The whole ‘feel of the bike’ thing connecting with the ‘feel of materials’ in your hands. That’s heavy stuff. Real talk.
    
There’s something so epic about this video.
“Hearing trees come down in the distance however was one of the most surreal things I heard in a while, at first we all thought it was either a nearby shotgun going off, which would be incredibly odd for where we were, or to kick up the weird factor, somebody playing with homemade explosives. Through the night there were about five trees falling that woke me up, each fairly frightening to hear the shattering crack of the trunk followed by the earth shaking thump of the tree hitting the ground. Good thing we checked the weather forecast and noted everything except wind speeds before we set out.
the video that began my love. the perfect summary of the whole series. the canada flag at 7 seconds. the ferry. the snow. the sun. the companionship. the music... oh the music. the sheer expansive space that they get to be part of. and then, the camping. oh the camping. there is literally much better than cooking over a fire.
6 releases. started in Jan. now they’re done. check out their entire season’s chronicle here. there’s way more than what I posted… and I promise – whether you’re a rider or not – you won’t be disappointed. and be sure to check them out everywhere they are (below):
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