Elephant Poo and Arrogance

After 'cheese' the first word I learn in any new country is 'yes.' It's a survival thing.  You see, despite my red hair and funny looking face, it is not uncommon for someone to begin speaking to me, in their native tounge, as if I were their neighbour. And though I could find polite ways to stop them, I have found that it requires less effort if I just say 'yes' after each statement, occasionally throwing in a 'No!' for texture.  In

Searching for the Witch Doctor

With our laminated map and Canadian accents, we've been running around looking for mountains none has ever heard of, winding up on roads which haven't been used since the British occupation. We got lost in the Rhumpi district of Northern Malawi. Though people were kind, they were still speaking a dialect different than the one we'd learnt in the south.     As we drove towards an exciting ridge on our map, the rough ro

The Fisherman saw a Flying Banana

At about 5 km/h, I drifted patiently along the long, low ridge, relishing in the joy of the shouting villagers below. Smelling the sweet lake breeze, I imagined the experience of having spent an entire life in such a remote place only to, one day, look up from my fishing boat to find a giant banana swinging a foreigner to and fro. Just when I thought I knew a thing or two about this tiny country, it surprised me with a curveball I could have neve

Stuck in a Cloud with Americas Best.

When I signed up for my first paragliding lesson ten years ago, I felt that I was achieving some unsurmountable height simply by paying the deposit to do something so unbelievable. How then, is it possible that, after spending three days stuck on top of a remote mountain with three of North America's top-ranked paraglider pilots, today could just feel like another day at the office?  Not long ago, Nick Greece, Matt Beechinor and Gavin McClu

Flying a site with two lives.

Recently we found a flying site along Lake Malombe, beautiful as it was, it surprised us with it's two extremes. Life while soaring high above the lake was unspeakably amazing. It didn't take long for the stunning lake view to get me thinking that this place was a perfect location for The School of Dreams.  This thought vanished as we touched down and experienced life on the ground. As we packed our gliders, the youth, with endless energy,

The First Malawian XC

I never thought it could happen to me.  As I scoured Google Maps in search of Malawi's highest peak, my objective was to train the first Malawian to paraglide, have him fly from there, and make a film about it. It was an epic 'top-to-bottom' and we all went home satisfied.  Three years later and I have returned to this magical land with a deep hunger, no longer to teach others, but to teach myself. The lesson: Fly far and high in a la

A Gem in the Cloud

Last week, we set out to fly from the east lookout of the Zomba Plateau. It's a unique spot in the south of Malawi with a paved way to the top.  Upon arrival, the weather changed for the worse. The clouds and wind consumed us. For a white, we felt defeated and, just as we were about to leave, MacDonald, the man we met selling precious stones at the lookout asked us to stay longer.  'We have to go because we have run out of food' we re

In search of Malawian Gold

It's hard to believe it that it's finally happening. Tomorrow marks the day that our great Malawian Paragliding Expedition begins.  Godfrey and I have been doing Hike 'n Flys at Mount Mulanje all week, testing our camping gear and connecting as a team. Come dawn, we will head out into the beautiful unknown to discover all of what this magical country has to offer the world of free flight.  This time, we will be travelling in a jeep Go