into the strenuous briefness

pika research camp, hike to the kaskawulsh glacier

bouldering near Vulcan Creek, YT

Tomorrow morning Sylvie and I leave for a 3 day trek. we're heading up the Slims River to the toe of the Kaskawalsh Glacier. From there we hope to summit Observation Mountain in a day (which has a great view of the glacier and possibly the icefields, maybe even Logon) and hike back out to Kluane Lake on day 3. keep an eye open for new photos...

summitting sheep mountain 1950m

working in Kluane National Park, YT

working at 1600m, above the Slims River Valley. That's the Lowell Glacier in the distance.

Sylvie teaches us newbies how to catch an arctic ground squirrel.

Mine and Sylvie's cabin on Kluane Lake

Hammock camping at Emerald Lake on a day off

yukon paintings, hiking at 65 degrees N lat

hike near whitehorse

yukon pen drawings

yukon drawings

the Yukon part 2

the yukon

studio time

another new gallery page

Since the beginning of this blog I have been trying to find a satisfactory way to keep my artwork seperate, on it's own page, and dedicate this one solely the the happenings and thoughts of me. Here is another attempt. Hopefully I'll begin to learn HTML a little and make it a little more appealing.
http://www.freewebs.com/jonhowse/

new drawing, living in Sackville

Newfoundland Photography, silver gelatin prints

drawings

night photography, silver gelatin prints

C Prints

paintings by jon howse

more paintings

off road triathlon

cycling in the Codroy Valley/ Gros Morne National Park

Kings Point hike

mtn bike marathon photo

The lead pack!

that's me on the far left. my good friend Billy Newell in the Newfoundland jersey won the 50km race, I was second.

Blomidon hiking, Gros Morne Mtn. run

These pictures go with the last group from my hike in the Blomidon Mountians on the south side of the Bay of Islands.

Also, I went camping in Gros Morne National Park last night in my hammock and then ran Gros Morne Mtn trail this morning before work, a trail which starts at sea level and hits the 813m summit then loops back around the mountain and back down to the parking lot. This hike supposedly takes 8-12 hours, and my fastest time before now was 4.5 hours, but today, Pete (my friend and boss) and I decided to run the whole thing, wearing only running clothes and carrying one water bottle a camera and some cheese. 2 hours and 12 minutes was our final time. I was amazed. mostly at what the human body is capable of. we saw 5 caribou on the hike. Well, I'm at work right now with my legs still burning, so I best ge going and do my job - Making Coffee!!!

more hiking in the Blomidons

waterfall hike/ Newfoundland mtn.bike marathon

the view peeking through the trees from the top, an hour and forty five minute climb.

the reward, a swim at the top of the 200 meter falls.

some big trees along the way

Yesterday Cycle Solutions Cycling Group put off Newfoundland's first marathon mountain bike race, a 50km race through trails that took most of the competetors 3 and a half hours to complete in the 30 degree weather. Billy Newell was the undisputed champion, with myself a solid 16 minutes behind in second and the rest of the field another 50 minutes back. 21 racers competed in the race and all in all I would say it was a success. up next on my schedule is the short track mtn. bike race and an off road triathlon X-Terre Neuve. But tonight I go and climb the blomidon mountains. Many pictures are on their way.

fixy riding. coffee.

mocha!

being a barista

me being a barista in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Soon to come: pictures of my hiking trip in the Tablelands, my bike ride through Gros Morne, and yesterday's bike ride through the Codroy Valley, out to the Cape Anguille lighthouse and along the south coast.

new fixy bike!!!

notice my little additions: orange bar tape and a mountain bike front brake lever. This bike is incredibly fun and very solid, though quite a grind riding up the steep grades to my apartment. I'm going climbing again today, maybe I'll post a bunch of climbing pics soon, as well as those promised photos from my bike ride through Gros Morne National Park.

bouldering, hair cut

here is a little spot I've found with some small boulders on Corner Brook Stream, just before you enter the gorge. I was here practising a few power moves at dusk in the drizzle. It was beautiful. my crash pad should be here soon, so I hope to find some pretty big walls to climb somewhere in the forest. Also, my fixed gear/single speed bike got here today - I'm going to build it tonight when I get off work, at around 10:30pm. What I didn't realise is that one side of the rear hub is a single speed ring and the other side is a fixed gear. you can just take the wheel off and flip it to change the bike! I am so excited.
below is my new haircut, I lost about 8 inches of hair last night.

Tablelands day hike/snowshoe

After a month of work at Brewed Awakening in Corner Brook, I finally managed to get away from the city and up to Gros Morne National Park. Just an hour drive away the Tablelands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was our destination for a full day of hiking, snowshoeing and tele-skiing. a friend and I were to meet another friend in a little fishing community just below the mountains where he was renting an old saltbox house to use as a basecamp while exploring the mountains for 6 weeks and engaging in some "Zen time", so he called it. He had a beautiful little shack perched in a grove of white spruce, right where the mountains met the sea. Upon arrival we were immediately offered some coffee, and were told an outrageous story of how Scott (the guy renting the shack) was involved in a helicopter rescue operation on a cliff face on the mountains just a day and a half ago. Someone had went off a cliff on thier skis at dusk and had fallen only part way down the mountian, landing on a cliff ledge, resulting in a leg broken in two places. Our crazy mountain village living friend then scaled the cliff without climbing gear to get to the skier, provided what comfort he could too him and kept him warm until the radioed park rangers and military rescue team could make it - an 11 hour wait in total in the snowy mountains. Needless to say I was beginning to get a little nervous, especially with the recent avalanche warnings.

From the shack on the ocean we jumped in the car and headed up a windy road to the base of the mountian. I hadn't been to the Tablelands in years, and the view was breathtaking. 400 million year old rock was pushed up from way down deep in the earth to form these mountains - the oldest mantle in the world to be exact, the reason for the place being a world heritage site. On one side of the road was forest and on the other was barren rock with 8 inch high 200 year old trees, and many lichens and mosses and a huge slope heading up to the snowy plateau. We put on our packs and up we went.

it was a slow climb up the side of river valley, though you couldn't see the river, as it was 30 feet below the snow in a crevace. luckily I was with people who knew the mountain well, or I may have been one of the many climbers who've fallen down into the river. eventually, after scrambling over the ancient rocks we began our slow ascent up the snow of the mountainside. about 45 minutes later we reached the bottom of "the bowl", where my two friends would ski down and hike up for the next serveral hours. I took off my pack and turned around and took in the view - the open ocean of the Gulf of St. Lawerence to the West, the interior of Newfoundland to the East and Gros Morne Mountian and the muted peaks of the Long Range Mountains to the North. I was in heaven. Not wanting the wait for my buddies to get their ski stuff unpacked and ready, I headed up the final ascent and reached the top of the plateau. It looked up there as if you were on mars - nothing but red rocks the size of basketballs. I hiked on for an hour or so, carefully keeping note of where I was heading, as there is nothing to navigate yourself against once you reach the top of the mountain. After a short while of hiking I found a nice arrangement of rocks to sit among or curl up on. I stoppend an droped the pack and sat comfortably to eat and drink some water. I had brought along salmon, and avacados and some apple pie - no roughing it for me today! I ate a little and drank lots. Then I sat and thought for a long time. I thought about what life is all about, and how mountians are made, and about how I'd love to stay there, or come back and dissapear someday soon. Everything was silent. so quiet that all I could hear was the trickle of a stream probably 5 kilometers away. I tried to concentrate on the sound of that stream, and then on the sound of everything other than the stream, in an attempt to meditate. but soon I feel asleep. 2 hours later I awoke laying on that rock among large patches of snow. I got up and continued hiking. Everything was beautiful.

By and by I made it back to "the Bowl" and put on my snowshoes and played around a little and photographed my buddies yelling "yippee's" as they flew down the mountains side, coming a little closer to the huge crazy overhanging avalanche looking ice on the far east side of the bowl. after they had completed 10 runs or so we headed back down the mountain to the car, where we had left a couple beers in a snow bank. Nothing like a Newfounland Black Horse beer after a day in the mountains. On our drive back down to the shack we saw a massive humpback whale jump right out of the water and splash down with it's majestic magnitude. I was in heaven.

We got back to the shack, took off our big bulky boots and kicked our feet up and ate for a while, then, sadly, drove back to Corner Brook. But tomorrow I'm heading back up. This time to to cycle through the park. I needed the mountains, more than I knew.

These pics aren't mine, I'll post mine once they're developed.

Impact 07 stage race

well. yesterday morning I was up early and out to set up the time trial course with my buddy colin who manages Cycle Solutions. The conditions were perfect - 14 degrees or so, no wind, a little foggy. about 25 racers took part in stage one of the Impact Stage Race. These avid racers were sent out over the 15k course in 30 second intervals, myself starting about 8 riders ahead of the last guy. I had a good start, but didn't quite feel quick and strong until just before the turn around. I managed to pull it together and finish a mediocre 7th. although I've had decent results in time trials in the past, I was no match for a very intent group of half ironman triathletes on their time trial specific bikes. But that's alright, next up was my forte - the criterium.

3 hours later Colin and I were finished setting up the crit course and were doing registration and sign in. a smaller group showed for this event, maybe 18. But the core of fast guys were still there. a solo break went about 5 k into this 40k event and we let him go. however, not long after, the winner of the time trial attacked out group and bridged the gap solo. I attacked the group immediately after this and and got within 5 seconds of the lead two, but couldn't catch them. I fell back into the pack. coming up were four sprint laps for points. whoever gets the most points wins. the two guys up front were getting all the big points and the left overs were left for our pack to fight for. given my experience in bike racing, I knew exactly what position to take into the final turns and meters before the finish lines. I was first to grab the points out of our pack everytime. suprisingly, 4 laps before the finish, one of the two guys up front cramped up and dropped back to our pack, so, thinking of the second place points and double points that are awarded for the final finish line, I picked up the pace to burn the other riders before the sprint. with 750m to go I attacked, just before two quick turns and the final straight away. in the turns alone, at full speed, I gained about 6 seconds on the pack and at the line I was up to about 10. Though I was not fast enough to catch the first place rider, I celebrated with arms thrown into the air as I crossed the line with a successful and well planned sprint.

My second place crossing of the finish line was not enough to boost me up into second in the points - I finished 3rd, and was quite happy.

So then Colin, Andrea and Mark (two of our head mechanics at Cycle Solutions) and myselft took down the course and I went straight to my night shift at work. Next up was the road race, with myself in 5th place in the points standings.

Once again I was up early and out to help set up the course for our 80k road race. It was pouring rain and about 2 degrees with the wind chill. about 30 nervous racers took the line, shivering and grimacing.

18k in my legs locked up in the cold. I was out. no more points for me. Instead I made hot chocolate and drove around the course handing it out to volunteers and course marshals, as well as giving aid to numerous riders who dropped out with stage one hypothermia!

the race turned out great, with only about 40% of the racers finishing. there was a break away of the same two guy as in the crit that lasted right to the finish with the same guy winning, and then there were scattered riders crossing the line. I would like to send out a big congrats to Andrew Batstone, the winner of all three races and the overall points race. he did it with style, modesty, and respect. I would also like to congratulate David Gilliam who has turned out to be an incredible cyclist after not so many years on the scene. and another big conrats to Shawn Oxford, who came out of nowhere this year to grab 3rd in the GC and to Pete Ollerhead, the owner of Cycle Solutions, who pulled off a beautiful race, finishing 4th in teh road race, but was unable to compete for the GC due to missing the first two races with work commitments.

All in all it was a good weekend. I finished 6th in the GC thanks to my good crit result. I'm happy with were I am so far. It's still very early. I am aiming to peak for the Corner Brook Road Race and the annual Corner Brook Criterium in July. Tonight's the party and tommorrow is back to training and work.

new bike, racing

my new fixed gear/single speed messenger bike. should be here in 2 weeks

Also, I came 3rd in the first mtn bike race of Newfoundland's 2007 Mudslide series. I don't feel like I'm in race shape yet, but I feel fit enough to believe I can make it there. Tomorrow is the beginning of the IMPACT stage race in Pasedena, Newfoundland. I will be competing in all three stages: individual time trial and criterium on Saturday and then the 80km road race on Sunday. I expect to have a podium finish in either the time trial or criterium, but we'll see, like I said, I don't feel fast yet.

New Blog!!!

check out Brewed Awakening's new Blog: www.bawakening.wordpress.com

signature drink

Coming soon to Brewed Awakening: the Hot Shot.

The Hot Shot: double espresso poured over cayenne pepper with sliced thai chili peppers sprinkled on top. served with 2 ounces of iced coconut milk.

morning latte

customer's latte to go

settling in

Cappuccino, pretty much the standard that I'm pouring now

the shop, Brewed Awakening

the bar

the owner and nieghboring employee

goodbye Halifax

I've just returned to Newfoundland and now I'm in Corner Brook about to start work and searching for an apartment. Life is good, and I hope to keep everyone posted on the happenings of Brewed Awakening, my art making and the Newfoundland cycling and running scene. Summer is coming!

coffee culture in Newfoundland

I've just finished the 5th semester of my BFA here at NSCAD in Halifax and just recently worked my last shift at Steve-o-reno's Cappuccino. A week from now I'll be boarding a bus and heading back to Newfoundland. For the summer I will be working full time at Brewed Awakening (seen below), a high quality espresso bar with a lot of style in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

I have a couple of goals for the summer. First, I would like to raise the awareness of espresso as a superior alternative to the drip coffee from chain stores. This includes displaying for the customer, on a daily basis, how smooth and flavourful espresso and espresso based drinks can be. I intend to have weekly tastings at the cafe, as well as introducing two signature espresso drinks to the menu (a sweet and a spicy variation). Also, the cafe has been set up as to make open communication between barista and customer - the espresso machine is turned so the customer can see every move the barista makes, and there is a bar and stools that face the barista's work area. I hope this, combined with the staff's personality will make for great discussion and education about coffee and the customer's experience.

Secondly, I wish to enhance the overall experience of the customer by attempting to establish a unigue, fun and energetic, though light, atmosphere in the cafe; I wish to create coffee culture in Corner Brook Newfoundland. This will include special events at the cafe: hosting monthly art shows, acoustic open mic sessions, poetry readings, and said espresso tastings.

Lastly, I wish to train a solid group of barisas to work at our cafe, and other cafes, as an investment into the coffee industry.

Hopefully, before long, the people of Corner Brook will know about, want and be able to enjoy an exceptional cup of coffee, not unlike coffee drinkers is Vancouver or Seattle, and sit back and drink it in a comfortable, hip atmosphere.