Amtrekker

I’m an unemployed vagrant. All I have is a backpack full of technology, a shoestring budget and a very important list. When everything is crossed off my list I get to go home! Let me know if you want to trade one of those shoestrings for help. brett@amtrekker.com

I travel. I share my adventures. I meet TONS of incredibly kind strangers. And I have not wet the bed in over twenty years. What else needs to be said?

#15 Arkansas Crater of Diamonds [podcast]

Dec-21-2007
Comments

NYE in NYC

Jan-1-2008
Comments

Good Morning Amtrekker

Apr-26-2008
Comments

#22 Be a guest on a talk show BONUS #5 Enter a hotdog eating contest! [podcast]

Jan-10-2008
Comments

Archive for March, 2008

Amtrekker Spirituality

Posted by Brett On March - 31 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

My short time here in Idaho Falls has been chock full of action. In fact, yesterday was taken up by being a volunteer at a Spirituality and Wellness fair.

I’ll just let you think about what that might mean for a few minutes…

Done? Cause, yes. It’s probably just what you imagined. There was plenty of aura cleansing, some crystal healing and a sea of disillusioned middle-aged women. I learned a lot about why some people put so much of their effort into Spirituality and I learned even more about why I don’t.

This is skirting dangerously close to one of those topics I usually avoid here but suffice it to say, I’m not a very spiritual dude. It was interesting to watch other people watch with rapt attention, constantly nodding in pseudo-understanding, as someone shilling a book and CD combo explains to them that they have to find what they love in life and follow that passion.

I hate to use such a technical term but…duh. What does that have to do with spirituality?!

Also, I learned about how important it is to clear the problems of your forefathers from your energy so that you can attain a higher vibration. I thought that sounded pretty interesting but upon further inspection it sounded like an awful lot of work and money. So I decided that next time I attend a Spirituality and Wellness Fair I’ll be the guy in the corner selling industrial paint shaker rides so these poor people can attain a higher vibration without all that unnecessary concentrating.

What else was there…

Oh! I learned all about meditating on the go! It turns out it’s even more important to respect your teeth than I thought! And “while you’re brushing your teeth is the perfect time to meditate on how amazing they are.” Just don’t tell your teeth how amazing they are out loud…I wasn’t even meditating and I spit all over myself this morning just trying to explain that I wasn’t picky about what was for breakfast.

I shouldn’t joke so much, there are a lot of people out there that couldn’t live their lives without their daily aura fluffing and it was honestly interesting to meet a few of them. Just another little look into one of those fascinating subcultures we couldn’t be our country without.

In other news (literally): If you’re in the Eastern Idaho area tonight I just finished up with an interview for CBS news that airs tonight at six. Be there or be…people shaped, I guess.

Okay, team. Thanks for listening.

I’m done.

Brett.

Happy to listen but want to take an even MORE proactive part in the adventure? Well then! Allow me to point out that little yellow button right down there!


Thanks!


Idaho

Microwave Potatoes

Posted by Brett On March - 30 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

I think a little piece of me dies inside every time I find out a stereotype is true. Not that it happens all that often but when you travel as much as I do with only your preconceived notions to base your potential surroundings on…it happens.

I decided that instead of trying to work on one specific task this week I’d work on trying to knock off a few states in the area on the geocaching list while I organize a few others. Since I found a quick ride up to Idaho I thought, “Why not?”

But here’s the thing about driving to Idaho Falls from Salt Lake City…

Eventually you pass a Potato Museum.

Sad.

In other news: I have a TON of respect for people that don’t own microwaves. Even when I had a home I never cooked. Period. In fact, at 27 I’ve still never gotten around to buying raw meat. In the immortal words of Quigley, “I never had much use for ‘em”

As a result I’ve lived most of my life, outside of my parents home, capable of preparing my meals without soiling much more than a bowl, a spoon and maybe a can opener if I’m not careful. I NEED a microwave to survive.

But apparently there are people (MUCH better people than I) in Idaho capable of doing without. Just think about what that means. (I suppose this is more telling of how lazy I can be when it comes to food over than anything else.) Not only do meals take longer to prepare but worse…all those dishes! AND, what if you want to reheat something later?!

The mind boggles.

I’m done.

Brett.

Enjoy living vacariously? Good, cause I enjoy surviving. Feel free to help make that happen.


Thanks!


Idaho

Where This Man Has Never Gone Before

Posted by Brett On March - 28 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

Looks like I’m headed to Idaho Falls, Idaho! Why?

Never been.

I figured since I’m in this region anyway I should probably get to visiting some of those states I missed out on or that geocaching objective is going to be an even bigger pain later. So I’ve lined up a craigslister that’s taking me North where I’ll probably just stick around for a day or so to have a geocaching good time before deciding which direction to move in next.

Also, I’m trying to line up a way for people to get their hands on some Amtrekker t-shirts and whatnot. I’ve looked at Cafe Press and Zazzle but I’m not a huge fan of either. I’d prefer to have them screen printed and not just ironed on like a high schooler would at three in the morning the day of the big dance to show their undying love for…well, themselves probably.

So if anyone has any suggestions or connections let me know!

Okay,

I’m done.

Brett.

Enjoy living vacariously? Good, cause I enjoy living. Feel free to help make that happen.


Thanks!


Idaho

Angel’s Landing

Posted by Brett On March - 27 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

Okay, where did I leave off?

The hike. Right. Thanks.

We decided to go do the Angel’s Landing hike, which is a pretty beefy little walk for the average Joe. Shortly after we started walking Adam and Zach decided to run off ahead and ditch Jesse and I. No big deal right?

But it was just a little bit after that when Jesse decided her back was hurting a little too much for such a long hike…which left me in the weird position of potentially going on a four hour walk all by my lonesome. How do I fix this? Duh. Run to catch up with Adam and Zach.

However, in my excitement I managed to run past the place where the guys were standing off to the side waiting for us and, thinking I was always just a little bit behind them, pushed myself to the top as fast as possible. Like an idiot. So not only did I managed to go on the bulk of the hike by myself anyway but I was putting so much effort into getting to the top as fast as possible I didn’t spend much time enjoying the surroundings.

Luckily there was plenty of time to sit around at the top wondering where everyone was and enjoying the view.

Eventually the guys made it up to the top also and we hung out for a bit relaxing before trail running all the way down dodging slow moving hikers and jumping down switchbacks. Fun times. Exhausting fun times.

I still don’t have pictures but they should exist by this weekend. So for now…

I’m done.

Brett.

Enjoy living vacariously? Good, cause I enjoy living. Feel free to help make that happen.


Thanks!


Utah

#45 Swamp Boat Ride With Gators!

Posted by Brett On March - 26 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

Amtrekker travels to Lafayette, LA and takes part in a swamp tous sponsored by The Atchafalaya Experience!

Pretty pictures and no cohesive narrative ensues!

Sorry for the delay, kids. For once it wasn’t my fault. The company that usually hosts my podcasts was having issues. But now, here it is!

Enjoy!

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

Thanks!

I’m done.

Brett.

If you like these podcast then why not donate?


Thanks!


Completed Objectives, Louisiana, Swamp boat ride with gators, Video

Those Missing Days

Posted by Brett On March - 25 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

I was hoping to have some pictures of Zion up for you guys today but it looks like it will have to wait. You’ll just have to settle for a little bit of story time instead.

Jesse and I got kind of a late start heading towards Zion after double and triple checking that we had packed everything we would need for some comfy camping. (It’s amazing how much more stuff it takes to be comfortable in nature than it does to be an Amtrekker. We brought a LOT more than a backpack full of stuff.) Sadly, we still managed to leave behind some “important” stuff. And of course by “important” I mean pillows and hash browns.

By the time we made it to the park all of the campsites had already been taken. That’s why we were driving around outside the park looking for a new place to throw down a tent when karma finally caught up with me. Apparently it’s much easier to get out of going to jail for going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit in Ohio than it is to get out of a ticket for going five over in Utah.

After narrowly dodging a great campsite next to the river we landed a slightly lamer spot on the other side of the campground and set up the tent just in time for a Bill Bryson induced nap.

That evening we were joined by Adam, my fly-fishing teacher, and Zack who took over the fire starting duties. It was comforting to learn that it wasn’t just starting a fire with sticks that I suck at. Turns out I would have had just as much trouble starting a fire during my survival skills lessons if I had a stack of matches at hand. Good to know.

I’ll hold off on talking about the hike until tomorrow…hopefully I’ll have pictures and a little more time to put into the story.

Oh SHOOT! Tomorrow is Wednesday!

…okay…so, tomorrow will be the podcast about the Swamp Tour, THEN Zion.

Okay, that’s settled. I’m done.

Brett.

Want to help pay for a speeding ticket?


Thanks!


Utah

Fishing for Donations

Posted by Brett On March - 24 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

I’m finally back in the real world after an amazing trip to Zion National Park. My camera was dead while I was there but as soon as I get the pics from another camera I’ll post them here with some Zion story time. But for now, there’s something even more exciting to talk about!

Guess who learned to fly-fish!

I’m going to go ahead and assume you said, “BRETT!” and I’ll say, “Good guess!”

I was in the rustic world of Mapleton, UT this week where (thanks to Jesse and Adam) I was able to learn the basics from the safety and warmth of the edge of a pond.

The Teacher

It may not have been “A River Runs Through It” but it was probably exactly what I needed for a first try. PLUS, I’m a broke dude and free is always better than having to buy a fishing permit.

The experience as a whole went pretty well. I DID manage to catch a tree…twice. So that was fun. It was a little bit tougher to get the hang of a cast than I thought it would be.

My second big catch of the day.

Eventually though, after some practice I managed to catch a GIANT Bluegill! It was HUGE. At least a quarter pound (maybe even half a pound). And that’s when I realized I hadn’t quite gotten over those feelings of being an ass when you hook a fish.

Got one!

FLASHBACK

I was fishing in Avalon Harbor at Catalina Island off the coast of California once upon a time not too long ago when I managed to hook a little fishy through the gill (or in some other awkward way…that part is kind of fuzzy). I pulled him up and obviously he was too small but he was also kind of injured so I felt pretty bad when I threw him back in the water.

But not nearly as bad as I felt when I got to watch through the clear water as a swarm of other fish took advantage of his injuries and began to eat him alive. That was a few years ago and I haven’t been fishing since.

Fly-fishing did have some really cool advantages over “typical” fishing though. I really liked that you had to work a little bit harder for it and it was cool that for the most part you get to see everything that’s happening. So, suddenly it’s more about whether or not you can trick a fish into thinking you’re a fly instead of just waiting for a schmuck to grab the worm you hid your hook inside of.

At least that’s a LITTLE closer to a fair Man Vs. Beast match-up. (Sadly, the beast in question was still a half-pound fish that’s lived its entire life in a pond.)

But I was assure that Bluegill can take a hook to the lip like a champ and still come away smiling…so to speak. How my teacher for the day knew this I’m not sure, but as long as I believe it I get to feel like less of a jerk.

I’m done.

Brett.

#44…GONE! That brings me to within 20 of going home! What can you guys do to help make that happen?


Lots!


Completed Objectives, Fly fishing, Utah

A Beach By Any Other Name…Sucks

Posted by Brett On March - 21 - 2008
Expand All

Hey Team,

There’s so much I didn’t get to write about last week that I would have loved to share but thanks to a near 72-hour driving stint I feel so far behind. I guess just one quick story and then we’ll have to pretend we’re caught up.

I made a pit stop in Pensacola, FL last week after that amazingly difficult trek to the lowest highest point in a state. (This may sound a little bit nerdy or lame but…) I was especially excited because of a peninsula that served as Pensacola Beach. Here’s the thing: a peninsula coming from a Northern Gulf coast city meant that I could pop on over to the beach and watch the sunset over the water like it’s supposed to.

I thought maybe I could just pretend I was back home for a couple minutes and go on about my business of being a homeless vagrant of an adventurer. But everything was just a little bit wrong. The sky was so overcast that I literally couldn’t even tell which way was west by the time the sun was going down.

Eventually darkness set in and I was wandering along the beach by myself in the pitch darkness. Which is something I would be inclined to do in California except thanks to light pollution it’s never all that dark around the LA and Orange County beaches (good or bad it’s just what I’m used to).

Even with the lack of light I could still tell there was even more wrong with the picture than I realized. Just walking on the sand felt wrong. Even blind I could tell I wasn’t on a California beach just from the density of the sand beneath my feet.

There were no piers and no seabirds.

No sound from passing cars.

All in all, the whole situation just felt wrong. And if ever there was a time I felt like I wanted to be back home that was it. Not because I’m not loving this amazing adventure just because it’s natural to want to escape the twilight zone.

If it were a COMPLETELY different setting it wouldn’t have bothered me at all. But it kind of felt like I was trapped in The Truman Show where someone had tried to build a beach just for me from nothing more than a vague description of what makes a beach a beach. It didn’t work.

In other news: I’m on my way to Zion National Park for a couple days. It’s too bad it’s right on the heels of my last cross country drive induced disappearing act but it looks like I may be incommunicado for a couple days. I’ll do what I can to ensure that doesn’t happen but that’s the skinny.

Thanks for sticking around, Team!

I’m done.

Brett.

I’m not sure how true it is but I hear homesickness has a very expensive cure…at least you can help out by clicking that button so you don’t have to feel so bad.


Thanks!


Florida
« Previous Entries

Paypal

Latest Episode

Posted by Brett