Psychs in Guinea, West Africa.

Greeting Active Brits readers.. Its Psychs ere reporting from West Africa.

Well its more adventure work than adventure travel but either way, its one hell of an experience.. I'm currently writing this email from the depths of darkest Africa in a place called Simandou in the Republic of Guinea. I've been here working now for the last 6 weeks in the centre of a remote mountain area in the far SE of the country (hence the other blogs not being maintained). The place is excellent and the locals absolutely top notch friendly. Its the first time i've ever been to the 'developing world', i cant speak a word of french, but i'll definately come back again one day when my need for a 'cultural experience' is surpassed by my current need for 'adventure sports'... Lets just say its been one hell of an eye opener.

Before i left, my friends said 'Africa will either make you or break you' and all i can say is that its provided me with an extra incentive to get out there live, travel and spread a little joy.. Before leaving i had aprehensions about safety, corruption etc, and yes, going through the airport and in Conakry itself is hellishly daunting to begin with, but what you get is a reward far greater than you could ever imagine and far too difficult to put into words.. When you are out in the country areas it all changes, its a totally surreal contrast to inner city living. What i've been totally amazed by is the local populations strive to exist and take care of those who are close to them. Its made me realise that what we miss in the UK, or in western developed countries as a whole, a total lack of humanity and community spirit which seems to be of a higher priority here than any kind of wealth or status. The whole place has given me a one hell of a positive wake up call and my confidence has increased 10 fold.

Planned Active Brits trip, USA, 2007

I'm soon going to be off to Guinea Africa to work for a couple of months so i'm going to pass the reigns to another active brits member to help maintain the site while i'm away.. meanwhile.. i was wondering if fellow adventures out there could read below and see if they can provide some advice..

The active brits crew have already booked the ritual yearly overseas vacation and are yet again going to the USA for an adventurous 3 weeks of outdoor activities. We are flying into Vegas again then driving north to Yellowstone, Teton and Great Basin National Parks. We've already climbed Wheeler peak in Great Basin (see our archives) but would like your advice please on any cool hikes, backcountry hikes and accessible peaks to climb in both Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. We'd also like to hear of any campgrounds away from stacks of tourists. We will be there bewteen July 30th and Augst the 12th (approx 2 weeks in total) before calling back in at Great Basin for a couple of days on route to 2 days of partying in Vegas .. (we like to go out with a bang and a total shock to the system.. its the only way.. then back to reality)..

Thanks.. the active brits..

Adventure Travel Tips - Wilderness Camping & Backpacking

1) Dont forget to turn your underwear inside out.. saves washing them every day..
2) Gravel from the bed of a stream is excellent for getting rid of tough ground in food stains in saucepans and on plates.
3) If you are planning on making a quick exit from your site in the morning, think about tent positioning.. think early morning sun and slight wind movement (the correct location can do wonders to remove/ limit condensation on the inside the tent.. nothing worse than wrapping a wet flysheet).
4) If you are staying in the same area for a few days, remember to fill an old container with water before venturing out and leave it in a secure position in the sunlight (out of the way of inquisitice creatures). Not only will you have luke warm water for doing the dishes, but it will also save you some gas/ fuel (tends to boil 20% faster).
5) Remember there is a difference between adventure travel and survival. If you are doing a backpacking route or a few days wilderness camping, it is not necessary to carry everything 'dehydrated' as you are likely to develop 'home from home food cravings' and probaly want to kill someone in your party. Aim for a combination of hearty meals and dried alternatives. We often take rice and powdered milk (double up as main course ingredients, supper or breakfast), tinned meats and dried 'bulking' foods. At the end of the day, providing your dont bust a gut and get completely exhausted, your pack only gets lighter.. Just remember to crush any tins. pack them in a sealable bag and place them in the base of your pack away from direct sunlight.
6) Need a wee in the night!!.. dont do it next to the tent.. its not hygenic and if in a 'wild animal zone' you may as well just put a flashing beacon on the top of your tent with the sign 'eat me, i'm in here'. The same goes for daily toilet duties.. dig toilets out well away from living areas and watercourses..
7) Keep food/ scented products away from tent.. e.g. in elevated positions in trees.. haul packs up on ropes (notably in bear/ mountain lion zones)
8) Remember to consider water purification in Giardia infested areas.. we normally boil water at least 3 times unless carrying purification tablets.
9) Carry in and carry out.. you want an adventure, so do the people following in your footsteps.
10) Use biodegradable soaps.. keep the toxins out of the wilderness..
11) Streams often double up as great refrigerators.. securely fix and item you neeed to cool in a sealed bag.. you dont want to contaminate a watercourse if it leaks.
12) If you light a fire.. think nice hot rocks.. You may be able to find a natural hole or create one yourself, heat up a few rocks, knock them into the hole, place a few cool rocks on top then place inside any wet items such as boots, socks etc.. you can then leave them all night if need be to dry out. Remember to leave the site as you found it though..

I'll add stacks more to the list at some point...

Thanks to everyone for sending the active brits posse emails.. we really appreciate it..

psychs..

Grand Canyon Photos - Our Favourites

Here are just a few of our favourite pictures from our few days at the Grand Canyon. Dont forget to click them to make them full size..

1) Weemans Panoramic of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim

2) Looking down from off the South Kaibab Trail

3) Mid way down the canyon

4) After the storm.. Rainbow in the Grand Canyon

5) Never thought a toilet block could make a good picture!

6) Psychs being a crazy nutter.. again.. that was a long way down!!

You can check out more pics like this in our

Extreme Global Balancing Blog

Hope you enjoyed looking at some of our Grand Canyon pictures.. Feel free to use them, just give us a mention if you do.. thats all we ask..

En Route from Death Valley to Las Vegas 2006

An awesome sunset en route to Vegas

It was late afternoon when we departed from Death Valley. None of us wanted to leave, the place was freakin awesome. With the euphoric tunes on, we kicked in the cruise control and headed off into the sunset. Psychs, in one of his mentalistic moods decided to lean out the window of the Jeep and take some breathtaking footage of the mountains along the way backlit by one of the most impressive sunsets ever.. .... then all of a sudden...... the sky just turned black, day had become night and we were on our way to Vegas for a proper mad'n!

After a short drive of a couple of hours we reached the city limits and could see the legendary beam of light from the top of the Luxor Pyramid Casino, our resting place for the next few days... It was very strange to enter a big city after all we had been in the wilderness for just over 2 weeks with hardly any contact with civilization. I think it was quite creepy in a way for all of us but we had to do it, if only to have a bath... god we reaked... This is just one of the many reasons the active brits posse likes to get away from it all once in a while.. its important to explore every angle of ya life instead of living a cybernetic 9-5 boring existence... It sounds crazy, but we were going to miss cooking on a single camp stove, sleeping on a thin thermorest, crapping in a drop toilet, hiking in the wilderness, considering bears and other critters and staying unclean for a week.. its so hard to get a true wilderness experience in the UK, although our National Parks are totally amazing.

The entrance to the Luxor Casino

We entered Las Vegas and it hit us with a massive welcome. To get to the Luxor we decided to cruise ‘The Strip’ and that was an experience I will never forget. It was complete madness! Made London look tame. There were turns after turns, mental traffic lights, flashing signs that confuse the senses and it appears to be a complete free-for-all although I am sure that there must be rules somewhere. After about 4 miles, we had to turn left to get to the Luxor, easier said than done in Vegas, especially near the weekend when half the population is out on a mission to lose the weeks wages, pull a few ladies of the night or just get down and boogie. We had no choice but to go into mad englishman mode, much to the panic of the others, and swerve across every lane in a true active brits agressive stylee – telling ya, it was a close one! Psychs and i dropped Weeman and Rico off near to the check-in entrance while we decided to brave the traffic once more, play chicken and go and drop off the hire car. Suddenly the place was gridlocked.. a plane had overshot the runway, gone through a perimeter fence and was parked on the pavement next to the airport.. what an adrenalin rush that must have been.. luckily no-one was hurt..

Vegas skyline

We got to the room and the first thing to do was to clean up then get some grub.. You dont half take showers for granted, I got into the shower and the water was running brown. It took 3 washes to get my hair clean and a massive body wash that made the water run like the Colorado River, what a shower, best ever... The room was amazing and the view from the balcony above the reception and gambling area just totally freaky.. slot machines all over the shop.. freakin thousands of them. On the way to the restaurant, we passed 100's of people literally sitting there frozen in a state of gambling limbo, little old ladies putting in $100 at a time into the slots, hardcore ganster looking dudes betting with $1000's and $1000's.. It was surreal... really made us all appreciate our few weeks of wilderness experience..... it was going to be a crazy few days with some manic nights out...

Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park 2006

When we arrived at Kings Canyon it was basically deserted. The main tourist season had ended and all that reamained were a few die hard travellers, notably in expensive RV's. We decided to stay at Porcupine Flats campground, nestled amidst pines and scrub at the base of the valley adjacent to rattlesnake Creek. Like the majority of sites we had stayed at during our trip, each pitch had its own 'anti-bear' storage unit to house all food and fragrant items. You would be surprised by some of the bear stories you hear and read about, doors getting ripped straight off their hinges, glass being removed and tents ripped to pieces. As you travel through the parks you constantly hear the phrase 'a fed bear is a dead bear' or a 'fed cougar is a dead tourist' so you try to do your best to preserve the 'natural' and reduce the contact between man and wild animal.


We only planned to spend a couple of nights in Kings Canyon so after a quick look at the guide books etc, we decided to do a short but stunning hike which and went on the Hotel Creek Trail via the Lewis Canyon Trail. We got to the trail head and there were notices warning us of the following: Mountain Lions; Bears; Rattlesnakes and Fires!

After a couple of miles of winding singletrack, we reached the first viewpoint and could see some controlled fires in the distance on the other side of the valley. It was time to sit and take in the amazing yet hazy view. Psychs decided he would climb down the cliff edge and go on the hunt for rattle snakes while i weighed up the options for some global balancing on a nearby boulder that jutted out from the edge. After the obligitory pictures we set off again once again further into the forest, it was amazing, like something off the Blair Witch Project. Not a single person about, almost deathly silence. It was fantastic. We jsut dont get those moments very often in the UK. You almost felt like someone or something was watching your every move.... maybe they were!!


En route to Sequoia, we stopped off at several viepoints to look for some great photo opportunies. Adjacent to one carpark psychs spotted a narrow 30ft long ridge that headed to a small pinnancle and... yes you've guessed it.. an opportunity for a serious bit of global balancing. The rock was also quite crumbly so we gave the ground a good check over before making the move to the edge. It was awesome, the view was outstanding and the drop on 3 sides must have been close to 1000ft.

From Kings Canyon, we made our way to Sequoia National Park. God those trees are freaking enormous and are estimated to be about 2,000+ years old in some cases. It was a momentous experience, being around some of the oldest living things on the face of the earth. Definately worth a visit, makes you really appreciate life.