Spenser Tang-Smith and Vikki Glinskii have had the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular sights of North America through the tiny window of their modest trailer.
The duo now wake up to views of mountains, Howe Sound and kiteboarders from their campsite at Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. Squamish has quickly become one of the pair's favourite stops on their never-ending journey to the best climbing locations on the continent.
Since February 2012, Tang-Smith and Glinskii have been exploring North America on a quest to experience the best bouldering around. The couple got rid of their apartments, their jobs and the normal way of life to experience life on the road. They've dubbed their journey the RV Project and Squamish will be their home for the next month.
I started climbing about 10 years ago, Tang-Smith said. And my friends and I had been talking for a number of years around the campfire about how cool it would be to go to all the places we'd seen in magazines and on videos.
Several years later, Tang-Smith met Glinskii and along with another friend, hit the road. The California residents left everything behind but said they love their new way of life.
Purging all of your stuff is really cathartic and awesome, Glinskii said. You take less showers but I think both of us are so much happier in the trailer.
The trio of friends originally set out with a 30-foot trailer but after concerns with the size of the trailer, maintenance costs and the third friend leaving, the couple downsized to a smaller trailer.
It has a bed, refrigeration for food, bookshelves, a small folding table and storage for clothes. Their journey initially saw them depart California and head to Texas. From there, they explored the American Southeast with stops in Tennessee and Kentucky before spending last summer in Colorado.
Tang-Smith said one of the more interesting things about the pair's travels is running into familiar faces along the way. He said there's a circuit with a surprising number of travellers doing the same thing that he and Glinskii are doing.
There's a fair number of people doing this long-term type of travel, he said. We actually call it the circuit, with a lot of people spending fall, winter and spring in certain areas and doing the same with the summer. We've met so many people from different places around the country and either run into them again or we find out what people are doing on Facebook and end up meeting up with them.
We end up recognizing a lot of the vans and trucks at a lot of the campsites it's almost like Cheers some nights.
The duo are documenting their travels online with a website, along with Facebook and Twitter accounts. They said friends and family regularly follow along and they're gaining an online following.
Part of the reason why we started this trip is that the city is kind of a confusing place for us, Tang-Smith said. We can do it and we handled it OK but it can be really stressful. At a certain point we said maybe we wouldn't miss all the things the city has to offer.
Glinskii, who works part-time matching organ donors to recipients, helps fund the trip as she can work from anywhere in the United States. Tang-Smith left behind a promising career with a start-up company in California, but both said they don't regret the decision.
The mission for the trip is constantly evolving, Tang-Smith said. We don't want to be out there climbing just for ourselves that would be kind of unfulfilling. The way I see the blog is to share this adventure. Both of us are incredibly fortunate to be out here and not have to work and be tied down. The least we can do is help share and inspire others to go on a journey. Someone sitting in an office on a Monday might need a five-minute escape and this could give them a chance to relax and look at our photos.
The couple, both in their 20s, said they've received lots of support from interested people online.
We've got quite a few emails from people wanting to do the same thing as us, she said. I'd tell anyone who wants to do this to just go for it it's now or never.
Tang-Smith and Glinskii plan to remain in Squamish until the end of August and said they've enjoyed their stay so far.
Squamish is really popular in the climbing community, Glinskii said. Everyone described Squamish as a magical forest and it's just so beautiful here.
There's very much an active vibe, Tang-Smith added. You wake up here every morning and see people going hiking and kiteboarding and then think, 'Cool I'm going to go on my adventure.'
The duo said they will hit the road at the end of August headed to Rocktown, Ga., a highly acclaimed Mecca for climbing.
To follow the pair on their never ending journey, visit www.rvproj.com.
Tour of the Trailer from The RV Project on Vimeo.
Tour of the Trailer from The RV Project on Vimeo.
