… yesterday. Yepp. Some months ago I wrote here about a documentary “Finding Farley” made by husband-and-wife team Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison (remember their documentary “Being Caribou”?), along with their two-year old son Zev and dog Willow. You can watch this documentary on NFB’s website or here:

Two months ago Jeanette Kozlowski sent me an email asking about guest blogging.  I didn’t have time to respond because of our long holiday in Europe, so here comes a funny article she wrote for Hiking Boots Blog about different types of people we meet on the trail:

PS: A version of this article originally appeared on Hiking Boots Blog.

11 Types of People You Meet on a Hike

Trail time means different things to different people. There are those who take hiking as seriously as a standardized test; others float across the forest as if they left their mind back at the trailhead.

Maybe for you, it’s all about something else completely.

Whether you’re new to the outdoors, returning from a long sabbatical or just an average trail junkie, there’s a good chance you’ll run into the following hikers at some point. Some are friendly; some not so much.

Subscribe to proper trail etiquette and greet each one with a warm smile or head nod, no matter how menacing they appear. Looks are deceiving, and someone with a ugly mug could give you vital advice like, “hey, there’s a giant bolder blocking the trail ahead” or “we just ran into a great grizzly a half mile ago—watch out!”

1. The Boy Scouts – These little trouble makers look like the kids from Stand by Me. Maybe they have no business being on the trail, but chances are their parents aren’t far behind.

2. The Awkward Couple – Are they brother and sister? Are they married? Did they just meet in the parking lot? Let these questions swirl while you bypass them with a friendly wave.

3. The Crazy College Kids – They tend to roam in large packs and participate in questionable and potentially even illegal activities. Aside from those attributes, they’re also the most friendly and welcoming.

4. The Mysterious Lady + Cute Puppy – Much like some mystical apparition, she glides across the leafy ground and acknowledges you just enough to make you wonder if she actually did. Then a baby dog pokes his head from her carrier, and you wonder if she even knows it’s there. You start to say something, and just like that, she’s gone.

5. The Hardcore Hikers – Much like that mysterious lady, they appear out of nowhere and immediately leave you in the dust. However, during your five-second encounter, they make you feel completely inferior on every level—from your clothes, to your hiking gear, to your floundering athletic ability.

6. The Drunk Guy – Yep, that’s a Budweiser and a cigarette. This guy either really knows how to have a good time, or you’ll see him further up the trail passed out.

7. The Prison Escapee – Nobody knows if he just busted out of jail in Shawshank fashion. But you’re on the trail alone with him now. Best to buck up, break into a cold sweat, say “hello” and an even faster “goodbye.”

8. The Sweet Older Couple – Proof that you can be active at any age. Older hikers inspire the younger, out-of-breath chaps to strive for a life of health and fitness.

9. The Out-of-Shape Dude – As he shuffles along the pathway, you cross your fingers and hope he doesn’t straight up collapse in front of you. Hurry up and pass him unless he is in really bad shape. If that’s the case, just offer the poor guy some water.

10. The Slow-Walking Family – They take up the entire trail and they don’t move out of the way even if they see you quickly approaching. The nerve!

11. The Benchwarmers – The harder the trail, the less likely it will be lined with cozy benches. For these folks, it’s like lazy moths to a couch-shaped flame.

After today’s Grouse Grind walk, I think I fit the number 9 category.

One adventure leads to another. In 2003 husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) spent their five-month honeymoon  migrating with a herd of 120,000 caribou because the calving grounds are threatened by major oil and gas development. The result of this adventure is a documentary Being Caribou. In 2007, after an invitation from Farley Mowat of one of Canada’s most famous writers, they decided to retrace the iconic writer’s literary footsteps from Owls in the Family to People of the Deer. Rather than fly or drive the thousands of kilometers to see this ageing Canadian icon, Leanne Allison, Karsten Heuer and their two-and-a-half-year-old toddler, Zev, paddled, walked and sailed across the prairies, barrenlands and Maritimes, stringing together the settings of many of Mowat’s stories, along the way. Looking forward to watching it.

PS: It is really good to know that adventures are still possible for parents of young children.

Impossible2Possible (i2P) is a US and Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring, educating and equipping a generation of global problem solvers committed to sustainable living. In 2007, Adventure Runner and i2P founder, Ray Zahab and two other runners made history by running 4300 miles across the entire Sahara Desert, and in the process of raising the bar of what we think possible, also raised awareness for clean-water initiatives in Africa. The success of the Sahara run inspired Ray to found i2P, an organization dedicated to using adventure to inspire and equip a generation of young sustainability leaders:

The mission of impossible2Possible (i2P) is to encourage youth to reach beyond their perceived limits, and to use adventure as a medium to educate, inspire and empower our global community to make positive change in the world. i2P aims to equip today’s youth with the understanding and belief that they have the power to change the world. We envision a world of achievers that believe in their hearts that nothing is out of the realm of possibility!