When I came to Hokkaido for the first time for a wildlife tour in 2013, I fell in love with the place. It’s vast, wild, elegant, and her people live close to the land. I left with a longing to return, so when Martin Bailey asked me to come back and do this trip again, but with a landscape emphasis, …
Favourite Things
Between you and me, sometimes the whole Gear is Good, Vision is Better thing makes me worry that people think I don’t like toys, but if you know me at all, you know that’s just crazy talk. I like stuff. I’ve been accused of having champagne tastes, by no less an authority than my own mother. So this, not really …
A World of Stories
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” — Jawaharlal Nehru A couple months ago an incredibly enthusiastic team of storytellers approached me about getting on board with a new platform they were creating, a place to …
Hudson Bay Polar Bears
In a couple days I’ll be on a small plane heading towards Wapusk National Park on Hudson Bay, Cape Churchill to be exact, to live on the tundra buggies for 8 nights and spend my days with Polar Bears and Arctic Fox. I’m thrilled. It’s the first of several bear trips I’m doing over the coming year. I’ve also …
Back in (and from) Banff
I got back from two and a half months on the road just in time to get a last minute invitation from friends Dave Brosha and Paul Zizka to join them in Banff for a workshop. Emergency laundry. Flights booked – my first in over 8 months. And then 3 long days teaching in some of the most beautiful places …
Waiting, in Newfoundland.
I get nervous when things come too easily, which, as it turns out, is not remotely the case on this trip. Sadly, I also get nervous when things are tough and there are no guarantees that my work is going anywhere. That’s the tension I’ve been living in on this trip across Canada, now into its 6th week. I’ve been …
On The Road
The road has always called to me; perhaps it’s part of bearing the last name, duChemin, all my life, which means “of the road.” It’s in my blood too, born to a mother who was a nurse in the RAF when she met my father, a Canadian soldier, both stationed in Cyprus in the late 1960s. Here on the road …
I’m Outta Here!
Today we packed the Jeep and hit the road. We’re heading east, across Canada to Newfoundland and Labrador, and won’t head west again until the autumn leaves begin to turn, coming back to Vancouver around October 15. Time for an adventure, some silence, and a chance to play with the light while camping for two and a half months. I’m …
A Beautiful Way to Tell Stories
The first thing I noticed about Maptia was the manifesto, one I can buy into with my whole heart. I, David duChemin, want to see the world. Follow a map to its edges, and keep going. Forgo the plans. Trust my instincts. Let curiosity be my guide. I want to change hemispheres & sleep with unfamiliar stars and let the …
The Hunger & The Hype
I spent this morning with my coffee and Instagram, Facebook turned off for the sake of my spirit. More and more I wrestle with leaving Facebook. I’m not sure (m)any of us are wired for such a constant stream of hyperbole and hysteria. I know I’m not. It’s become so, so noisy and then I open Instagram, a social media …