Why we're going...

I was working this last weekend and I was reminded why I am going on this trip. 

In one of our previous posts we talked about Porter and I planning everything returning from a roadtrip to California. It really goes back another step to the country club where I work. There are hundreds of different people that come in, members, guests and even celebrities that make appearances. They all seem to think they need to give the young college waiter (me), life advice and even though they are all so different, their advice is always the same. TRAVEL. AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

That is really what makes me so grateful for this opportunity. A healthy body, a few other gutsy friends, the economic possibility to save up and leave a job behind for a month and a half. I am taking their advice and doing what they wished they had done more of when they were my age. 

The days are becoming longer, not from the sun staying up but because I can't wait to set foot in a whole other world. Everyone has been so supportive and somewhat nervous for us, (we're nervous too) but the biggest thing is how everyone always says they wish they were going with us. For those of you who are thinking the same thing, do it! Plan something next summer! Ours has taken 8 months to plan and is still not completely set in stone. Everyone is different, but I would hope that adventure somehow becomes a part of everyone's life. That can be in any way, shape, or form, it doesn't have to be with a backpack and boots. Just make it happen, you will never be happier.

To end this post with only a few days left, I have had a lot of people ask me what kind of stuff we are taking on the trip. I took some pictures to illustrate....

Here's my baby. Canon T4i. I'm wearing a head lamp just for fun, but the camera is definitely the most precious thing I'm taking. We want to document everything very closely and take great pics. Porter is also taking his GoPro and a sony HD camcorder. 

Electronics are headphones, kindle, digital camera, cases, mini tripods, extendable mount, different lens filters, two 58mm lenses ranging from 15-250mm of angle zoom. I am still trying to decide if the microphone is a worth taking. Two 32gb SD cards for pictures and movies. 

Small tripod that is lightweight, this will mostly be for any videos that we make for our moments at Machu Piccu and at Foz do Iguazu. 

These are my shoes. Solamon boots, trail running shoes as well as some Teva sandals. I found some cheap boot socks on sale that are thick wool.  Im also taking all my nike high tops and doubling up when I wear the boots. 

This is my 65L backpack from High Sierra. I did so much research to get the best deal and this was a steal. Amazon for like 25 percent of the price. Every other brand costs twice or three times as much and is the same quality. 

A pillow on the left, sleeping back in the middle and a pad on the right. They all fit in the bottom portion of the pack beautifully. I bought everything at Dicks Sporting Goods, I thought it was a great deal for the price. 

Clothes are still a work in progress, but basically its the following. Five t-shirts (no brand recognition), shorts, board shorts, athletic shorts, two pants, rain pants, pajama pants, one collared short sleeve and two flannels. I have a rain jacket and a sweater that I am taking but will not use very much. The hike to Machu Piccu is supposed to get pretty cold. And of course plenty of undies. 

So there you have it! There are lot of toiletries and things as well, but I figured I would spare you pictures of my toothbrush and towel. We are definitely planing on not shaving the whole time. I've always wondered what I'd look like after a month without shaving. BYU makes sure all the guys are clean shaven in various ways, but now I'll finally know. 

Thanks to everyone that is reading this and is supporting us. Stay tuned for a farewell post on our way to the airport and the next will be in the hostal of the Columbian LDS temple. Remember, hay un mundo más allá....

Now we wait

Dustin Welch                              Porter Jenkins                          Justin Ashby                             Derek Sloan   
THE TEAM

We finally got together today to go over plans and discuss where we're going, when and how. Lets just say its lots of buses, taxis, hiking and couch surfing. I (Justin) just got off the phone with El Templo Mormón in Bogotá, Colombia, which is the 5th temple built in South America for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We have 4 beds booked at the hostel for the night of May 2nd and will attend a session that next morning. It was refreshing talking to whoever it was that answered the phone, I could tell he was ready to speak english if I needed him to, but I held my own and we got the reservation all taken care of. It turned out that we served a mission for the church in the same place, Uruguay, and so we got to chat a little bit about the mission and I honestly can't wait to meet him in person. 

We have just under two weeks left 'til we take off on our adventure. We hope everyone will enjoy following us all through South America. To put everything into perspective, I mentioned that I had booked a room for when we get to Columbia, that is the first and only room we have booked for our entire stay so far. My mom always told me to "just go with the flow," she's probably biting her tongue right now just thinking about how trip. However, this is not a rebellious trek, we each have our parents' blessings as they await each check-in to make sure we are alright.

Bus rides will be our main place for sleeping, but occasionally a hostel here or there, and maybe some college kid's couch who's trying to learn english. The journey will be more than half the adventure and we can't wait to see what is in store. Our estimate is at least 5,000 miles over 40 days... not including flights back and forth from the United States. 

Although we are only taking backpacks and carrying everything, we simply had to bring some nice cameras to take video and pictures to help document everything we run into. Hopefully our amateur skills won't hold us back, but we hope anyone reading or watching can feel a little taste of adventure and remember that there really is...El Mundo Más Allá (The World Beyond) 

-Justin Ashby

The Concept

Hi everyone.

About a year ago my buddy, Justin Ashby, and I were driving home from a spur of the moment weekend road trip, leaving behind sleepy Provo, Utah to soak up the so-cal summer in L.A. Having slept very little over the past three days we were still running on the adrenaline of a weekend of beaches, swimming pools and Dodger games. We found ourselves chatting to keep one another awake, our faces lit by the subtle glow of the dashboard of my sister's Nissan Versa. Somehow we started talking about how we wanted to travel while we were young, to see the world as it really is and not through a tourist's distorted lens. Amidst the conversation I confessed that one of my dreams was to ride motorcycles across South America, to see another world in the same way that those people see it. Both exhilarated by the notion we entered into a blood-pact that if life hadn't gotten surprisingly serious (aka marriage) that we would save up money and wander around South America like vagabonds the following summer.

Well here we are one year later, not married (let's be honest, we don't even have girlfriends) and one week away from making the dream that was born under the pale California moonlight a reality. Justin Ashby, Derek Sloan, Dustin Welch and I on May 1st will embark on a 5 week trek from Colombia to Brazil. Our path meanders through 5 countries, stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean and encompasses nearly 5,000 miles. 

If you are interested in our journey or our experiences along the way please, stay tuned...