Overland Journal Winter 2013

Gladly Accepted While travelling in Northern America we received an out-of-the-blue invitation from an Expedition Portal member to stay at his house. We gladly accepted and were introduced to the Overland Journal. When we left Sacramento we had no less than 20 editions in our pockets and the thought of a small contribution to the magazine was formed. It took us a while to finally get the picture we wanted, but here it is. This is Ursi and me with our overland canines chasing Mayan ruins in the Petén, Guatemala. Michel and Ursi Buchs 1993 Toyota HZJ75 Thanks I just wanted to say thanks for the magazines and swag you gave me before I headed overseas in April. I’m a Prescott police officer and currently deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, with the Arizona Air National Guard.…

Åsa Björklund Swedish born and raised, Åsa has roamed the globe working as a waitress, a factory employee, and at a dozen other odd jobs “that made life more interesting.” As a human rights lawyer, she worked with development aid organizations in Central America, reporting on sensitive issues of the region and exploring the remote areas of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras in a Land Rover when she was able to escape the office. Desiring to write full-time, she switched careers to journalism. Her work includes articles for a variety of Swedish and English language magazines, covering topics such as overland travel, wildlife, and social issues. Åsa has a passion for animals and a particularly soft spot for horses. Whenever she can, she hikes the backcountry in her new home…

I first met Pablo Rey and his wife, Anna, at the 2011 Overland Expo in Amado, Arizona. They’d parked their Mitsubishi 300 four-wheel drive van, La Cucaracha, on the outskirts of the camp area, where Anna was crafting decorative necklaces and wristbands from twine. I joined them for tea, and within a few minutes we were lost in conversation. Pablo, an Argentinian, rattled on in his curiously sarcastic way, sharing detailed and colorful accounts of their travels and his philosophies on people, governments, and life on the road. The 5 square meters of space behind La Cucaracha’ windscreen had been their bedroom, kitchen, and living room for the past 10 years. They traveled on the cheap; Anna sold her crafts and Pablo did some freelance writing and had recently published…

EPIC Bars $34 (box of 12) Traditional food bars are often little more than flavorless bricks of compressed seeds, grains, and chalky whey isolates. Now there is a savory alternative hailing from the meat-loving state of Texas. EPIC Bars, available in three flavors (bison, beef, and turkey), use the same base fuel that has kept humans going for more than 250,000 years: meat. Blended with spices, nuts, and other seasonings, these gourmet bars pack as much as 14 grams of protein, 190 calories, and essential supplies of folic acid, potassium, vitamin B12, antioxidants, and other vital nutrients. Founders Taylor and Katie have not just created a delicious food bar, they’ve developed a company ethos that balances equal respect for the land, animals, and the people they feed. The bison are 100%…

The Arkiv R6 Field Pack is one of the best packs we’ve had the pleasure to test and use. Mission Workshop of San Francisco is quickly emerging as one of the best pack and apparel companies in today’s ever-evolving marketplace. Their designs, inspired by travel and built for everyday utility, are masterfully crafted and appointed with unique features. Made in the USA to exacting standards using the best materials available, these are premium products. Their Arkiv R6 Field Pack is one of the best packs we’ve had the pleasure to test and use. Part of Mission Workshop’s series of modular Arkiv packs, the R6, thanks to the elegantly simple shape and rugged waxed canvas exterior, has a classic appearance. Timeless on the outside, the R6 uses high-tech four-layer sailcloth in the interior…

The pride Cameron puts into every axe is marked, as if each were crafted to be his own. There’s something about holding a well-crafted tool in your hand. Feeling its weight, its balance, the texture of its finish—attributes which all impart a “feeling” of quality. I first picked up a Base Camp X Pathfinder while on a ranch in Southern Utah. It was early November, early winter winds were blowing out of the north, and the only source of heat was a wood stove in the kitchen. We stepped outside to whittle down the pile of wood that was gathered. The 24-inch Tennessee hickory handle, shaped with a minimum of two sessions of wet sanding, felt like porcelain in my cold hands. I quickly found myself torn; the axe was so perfectly…