Bushwhacking

I'm getting everything prepared to send copies of my book, 'Friday on the Trail' to the Los Angeles Book Festival. There is estimated to be around 140,000 people visiting the venue (140,000 potential customers). I'm sending along about 40 bookmarks with my contact information on them for promo handouts. If nothing else my book will spur people to get off of the couch and get out in the bush... on the trail. Hell even off of the trail. We're planning to do a lot of our trek this spring the hard way. We're cutting across, through the bush to 2 different locations. We'll set up our base camp at one end, then trudge, (lightweight) along the trail for a good part of the day until we get to our secondary site, where we'll camp for the night under a lean-to. Pray for no rain during the night or we'll have to get really creative. On the second day we'll plow through the bush. The thickets shouldn't be too hard to get through as it will be early spring, but those viscous thorns can rip you apart if you aren't really careful.
Thare's just something about getting off of the trail that entices me. We should do it more often. You could be helplessly lost if you lose your concentration and become complacent. The GPS and Compass and Topos will be our best friend.

Jim Bondy
Author of "Friday on the Trail"
http://jimbondy.webs.com
effexus3@yahoo.com

Backpacking meeting with Super Bowl

Kim was over for the Super Bowl on the weekend. During the pre-game show we got out our Bruce Trail topo maps and planned our destination for the May 24 backpacking trip. We had a blast revisiting our backpacking checklist and making sure that we still had everything in them; made copies of the maps to leave with ur spouses; had a few beers and watched the great game. We are hoping that Jeff can come with us. He just got back from a work trip to Ottawa for a couple of weeks, so we need to give him some time at home with his loving family before we ask to take him away for another wekend...bu that won't be for about 3 months anyway. As crazy as it seems we are hoping for crappy weather. Lots more fun when we talk about the trip after we get back and it really makes you appreciate everything that you have...like a bed, shower, cushy chair.
Hiking on the escarpment is really a rush and we can't wait for the weather to break. We'll be there.
Jim Bondy
Author of: Friday on the Trail
http://jimbondy.webs.com
effexus3@yahoo.com

I'm about half way through my short story for the contest due by the end of February in Toronto. I really should be finishing my online accounting course but I still have about a year and a half to do that and I'm still setting up my social networking network and don't want to do it half baked. My book has all true stories, so I think that I'll also continue with creating the short story as true. I wa thinking of making it faiction but it's about our Spensors Gorge trip and i want to use it in the sequel to Friday on the Trail that will be out in 2011.

It sure would be nice to win the contest and the 5 grand would come in really handy, but hey...it's Toronto and there's only about a million published authors like myself that I'm up against. Hmmmm.

Jim Bondy

Author of Friday on the Trail

http://jimbondy.webs.com

effexus3@yahoo.com

Spring's here soon. Get your pack ready

Well I'm starting to put together my pack. Get everything cleaned up, and wasked (happens once every year). Need a new filter for my water purifier and replenish my emergency bag (put back the duct tape thatt I swipped from it). Kim and I went over the Bruce Trail topo maps to see if we could find just the right trek for the May 24 long weekend. We have it narrowed down to about 8 or 10 areas...Sheesh! It'll probably be really crappy weather but that's ok. It makes for more interesting stories when we get together between hikes. Maybe someday we'll have the time to do a 'through hike'. I hope that Jeff can get off of work to come along. We're just too busy with our lifestyles. It's hard for all of us to get on the trail together. When I finally retire it will help, as we'll have one less schedule to work around. Won't come soon enough

Jim Bondy

Author of Friday on the Trail

http://jimbondy.webs.com/

effexus3@yahoo.com