The Ministry of Happiness

Appalachian Trail Happiness: What A Difference A Year Makes

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Michael Kane

Appalachian Trail Happiness: What A Difference A Year Makes

Rev Kane (the hairy one) and my friend Jim Cooper who met me at the Hike Inn and hiked me into the AT on my first day last year.

Arriving at one goal is the starting to another ~ John Dewey

So last year at this time I was in my first week on the Appalachian Trail. It was an amazing time, here are my journal notes from that first day on the trail.

March 4th – My first day on the Appalachian Trail, pre-Springer non-counting miles. The most beautiful thing that I saw was an absolutely Tolkeinesque spot on the trail. I came around a corner and over a small rise to encounter a set of stone steps that were surrounded by bright green moss and ferns. Like a small piece of Middle Earth in the fog. It brought about an amazing feeling of satisfaction and calm. I learned that day that five miles on the Appalachian Trail with a forty plus pound pack is possible. What made me happy was just finally being on the trail, after months of preparation and thinking about it, after quitting my job, traveling across the country and making my way to Georgia I was finally doing it. That and the presence of my good friend Jim Cooper who had met me at the Len Foote, Hike Inn and hiked me in on my first day. All in all a fantastic day!

A little Middle-Earth in Georgia

You’ll have to wait for my book to come out in a couple of months to see the rest of my journey but it was one of the most wonderful and amazing times of my life. I am really missing the trail this week, my trail family and the overall trail community. I’ve seen a lot of posts from trail folks saying the same thing.

I wish the folks just heading out the best of weather, the best of luck and the best of times!

Me and Backtrack at camp the first week in Georgia

How the world has changed a year later.

Me and Backtrack in Texas, a month ago

Not exactly trail gear

So here we are in 2016 and fifteen months into my journey I’m looking for a job. I did a 1000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, photographed Polar Bears and watched the Northern Lights in the Arctic, Swam with Whale Sharks at the Georgia Aquarium and have finished the first draft of my AT book. Now I need to get back to work and I had my first interview this week. It was funny, on Monday, the day I interviewed, the temperature dropped in the desert, the wind came up, the clouds came in and I have to say it was almost the exact same weather I had that first day heading into the Hike Inn. I was homesick for the forest and feeling really great remembering those first few nervous days on the trail. I smiled all day at my interview.

I would get a special treat on the way out of the desert, a rainy winter has turned the floor of the Mojave into a carpet of flowers and that night we’d gotten snow in the mountains. So as I drove through the desert, paralleling a piece of the Pacific Crest Trail, I took this photo with my phone.

It was a good day of driving and if it wasn’t going to piss buckets in the valley and dump snow in the Sierras for the next 5 days, I would have found my way out onto a trail this weekend. Instead I’ll be content to keep editing the book and fondly remembering Georgia.

Have a happy day my friends and happy trails ~ Rev Kane

Happy News – March 7, 2016

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happy News – March 7, 2016

Our weekly tour around the web to find some positive news ~ Rev Kane

President Carter, cancer free!

Chef wins award, feeds homeless

Mermaid kitty will crawl into your heart

Adele makes fan’s dream come through

Happiness is Photography: Mardi Gras in Mobile

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happiness is Photography: Mardi Gras in Mobile

To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. ~ Elliott Erwitt

So tonight some photos from my trip to Mardi Gras in Mobile. To start, some float shots starting with one that is a terrible shot, but I really like it seems like an abstract painting.

The throws in Mobile are amazingly abundant, here’s just a sample of what I got in one night from one parade.

Some shots around the parade, folks in town for the festivities, decorations, interesting shots of street features.

Finally my favorite shots.

I love this shot, King Tut in the foreground and Anubis lurking in the background. The light differential is really nice.

I just like the ethereal nature of the buildings in the fog.

Maybe it was the fog around the parades but on this trip but I was really fascinated by images that were not well lit, images popping out of the ether, this one is my favorite in that line of shots.

Mobile is in the depth of the bible belt and I really dug this cross in the park, I especially like the shot for the peak at the parade grandstand in the corner.

I love the color on these corn dog huts, I took dozens of shots of them from various angles under various light conditions. I like the simplicity of the first one and the cop car plays well with the carnival setting in the second.

A little depth of field play with the glowing buildings and some beads.

I like the depth of field play in the first and the in both the church and the beads as Catholicism is at the heart of Mardi Gras’ origins.

I absolutely love found little shots like this, the first one I ever took was a Guinness sign and a glass of beer in a window in an abandoned building across from the brewery in Ireland. This reminded me of that shot.

A closer look.

My favorite shot of the trip to Mobile, looked up crossing the street, the sun had been behind the clouds the whole day and bam, there it was, peaking through between the church and the bead tree, some time it is better to be lucky than good.

Hope you enjoyed these and they helped you have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Happy News – February 29, 2016

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happy News – February 29, 2016

Our weekly tour around the web to bring you good news! Have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Navy Seal wins Medal of Honor

Leo wins his first Oscar

79 Year-old on Cloud 9 after people replace stolen bike

Happy News – February 22, 2016

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happy News – February 22, 2016

Our weekly tour to find you positive news from around the web ~ Rev Kane

Boys Loyal Dog Won’t Let Him go Into Surgery Alone

7 Year-old Boy Raises $10,000 for Schools in Flint, MI.

Wanted: Volunteers to Cuddle Babies!

Cycles of Happiness

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Michael Kane

Cycles of Happiness

Rev Kane relaxing in the arctic snow flurries

Normal is nothing more than a cycle on the washing machine ~ Whoopi Goldberg

So this weekend I’ve returned to California and it is a bitter-sweet homecoming. It means coming back to the state that is my adopted home but also signals the ending of my most recent journey. I now move into an apartment for three months, also bittersweet. I’m excited to control my own thermos, to be able to cook, to sleep in my own actual bed. But it also means job hunting and dealing with an apartment complex, cable company, utilities and “normal life’ sorts of things. It will be fun for a time to see old friends, to get into a routine to hopefully land a job. To be honest after almost 15 months on the road it will be nice to not be traveling so much.

The most frequent question I’m getting from folks right now is, what’s your next adventure. I’m not sure getting a job is an adventure but it is certainly what’s next. I’ve always been a restless soul, a gypsy at heart. So nothing I ever do looks completely normal. I’m looking at a job in the Mojave Desert right now, one in the bay area and one up in the redwoods. All three present different opportunities for what’s next. What I know for sure is that there are books on the horizon. I’m currently finishing up Appalachian Trail Happiness but there are two other books on happiness I’m already writing. A fourth book on how society interferes with our happiness and a couple of poetry books. Along with a new full-time job, I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.

As for actual adventure all three options will allow for plenty of hiking opportunities. The job in the desert is located close to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), so some section hiking may be in order. If I’m in the redwoods there are many miles of trails up into Northern California and the Sierras to explore, including other sections of the PCT. Not to mention the opportunity to do a little searching for Bigfoot along the way. The job in the bay area is in Berkeley so that holds its own special type of adventure as well as access to places like Point Reyes and Muir Woods. It also means a lot of opportunity to explore the art scene in Oakland and connect with a lot of Burning Man folks. So there will be plenty of chances to have a bit of fun and adventure.

As for the next big adventure, that depends on the new job, how things go and what catches my interest. There will absolutely be a big one at 55 in three and a half years. But I’ll need shorter but exciting trips along the way. Stay tuned and I’ll certainly keep you posted, bring you along and help you have some happy days my friends ~ Rev Kane

Happy News – February 15, 2016

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happy News – February 15, 2016

Our weekly tour around the web to find positive news stories, have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Special Wheel Chair Makes Kid with Cerebral Palsy Star at Skate Park

Cop Buys Woman Groceries and Books Her Hotel Room During Storm

Adele Photobombs Fans

Happy Mistakes

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happy Mistakes

A person who has never made a mistake has never tried something new ~ Rev Kane

As I have been traveling across the country heading back to California I seem to be having trouble with noticing that I’m changing time zones. A couple of days ago I checked into a hotel and the clerk said you’re a little early. I looked at my watch, I was fifteen minutes early, I was a little confused at what the problem was but checked in and went on my way. Then when I got into my room and turned on my phone I saw that it was an hour earlier, I had crossed into mountain time. I trotted back down and apologized to the clerk and we had a good laugh about it.

Today, I did it again. I had a check-in time at my hotel in Las Vegas and purposefully took my time in the morning at the hotel. Left right at check-out, went to the bank, stopped for a little something to eat before I hit the road. As I rolled along I knew I’d still be an hour early so I had planned to stop at Hoover Dam. Pulling off that exit I soon realized Sunday afternoon is a really bad time to go to Hoover Dam. Traffic was really backed up and I had time to kill but really didn’t want to spend an hour in traffic. Then I saw the notifications for the security check point and thought about how difficult that could be with a packed car. So I pulled off to a wonderful overlook and got some great views of Lake Mead. Then it hit me, it was my phone again, I was now on Pacific Standard Time. I know had two hours to kill, aargh. Still not interested in waiting in traffic I decided to drive on to Vegas.

Just outside of the dam I saw a sign for the Lake Mead visitor center and decided, mostly to use the bathroom, to pull in. It was a nice little visitor center and the views were nice enough that I got out my cameras. I’ll post some of those shots later in the week. Being at the visitor center I also ran into a really nice couple from Southern California and there big old Basset Hound. We had a really great conversation and it was a wonderful way to spend some time.

I then hit the road and decided to get something to eat and with the time I had available I decided to skip the fast food options. I pulled off an exit and just drove around and stumbled into a little Japanese restaurant. The food was really good, nothing special just a teriyaki chicken bento box and a couple of sushi rolls but it was a really enjoyable lunch. Had I not screwed up on the time zone issue I would have missed out on both of those opportunities.

The lesson in this of course is that we all screw up and yet, those mistakes can often be opportunities if we keep our mind open to the possibilities. So the next time it happens, instead of getting mad at yourself, see what possibilities you can create and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Appalachian Trail Happiness: The Book

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Michael Kane

Appalachian Trail Happiness: The Book

So as readers of this blog are aware I completed 1000 miles on the AT last year before a knee injury ended my adventure. One of my primary goals in attempting to do a thru-hike was to get enough material for the book. I’m happy to say that as of this week I’ve finished the first rough draft of the book. The work is far from over as I start the editing and re-editing process and then work through the publication process. But, as a thank you for the support I have received while I’ve been working on the book, I wanted to put this out plus a couple little snippets that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Four Trolls on a Bridge

So today on the trail at a point where the trail crossed a little stream over a footbridge, a tall, pretty younger, blonde woman came down the hill. There she found four older sweaty hikers taking a break by the stream. She smiled and said in the sweetest little southern drawl you’ve ever heard, “look, four trolls on a bridge.”

It was said in good humor and we laughed. She stopped and chatted for a few minutes, she lived nearby and was out for a day hike. Of course after a month on the trail, almost anything she said would have been charming.

As she walked by I found myself slightly enchanted. I began to think about the river scene from Brother Where Art Though. I wondered if she was a land siren and if I followed her up the trail, would she perhaps turn me into a toad? Such is life on a hot sunny day on the Appalachian Trail.

The Three Questions

What are the three questions? What was the most beautiful thing I saw (encountered) today? What did I learn today? What made me happy today?
These questions were created for a couple of purposes. First, I have always been frustrated by the fact that when I travel I fall behind in my journaling then end up trying to catch up and often end up missing days during the trip. I wanted a way to capture each day in a way that I would even be willing to complete at the end of long days when I was tired and a method that would be to easily catch up if I missed a day. The three questions fit that criteria but also served an additional purpose, by recording these positive thoughts at the end of the day they act as a reminder, even on the really hard days, that good things were happening every day. And because I knew I would be answering these questions at the end of the day, it made me think more about and focus on the beautiful, happy things that I encountered throughout the day. I changed the first question from the original beautiful thing I saw each day, to the most beautiful thing I encountered. Sometimes the most beautiful thing was a sound, a smell or an act of kindness.

March 4th – My first day on the Appalachian Trail, pre-Springer non-counting miles. The most beautiful thing that I saw was an absolutely Tolkeinesque spot on the trail. I came around a corner and over a small rise to encounter a set of stone steps that were surrounded by bright green moss and ferns. Like a small piece of Middle Earth in the fog. I learned that day that five miles on the Appalachian Trail with a forty plus pound pack is possible. What made me happy was just finally being on the trail, after months of preparation and thinking about it, after quitting my job, traveling across the country and making my way to Georgia I was finally doing it. That and the presence of my good friend Jim Cooper who met me at the Len Foote, Hike Inn and hiked me in on my first day. All in all a fantastic day!

Rev Kane on his first day on the Appalachian Trail

March 5th – Springer Mountain, first actual countable miles on the trail. The most beautiful thing I saw was the summit of Springer Mountain, mile zero. The view was foggy and cold, I met my first thru-hikers on the summit and two trail angels I’d met at the Hike Inn. The day would turn from cold and foggy to cold and rainy, I hung out at Stover Creek Shelter trying to decide whether or not to sleep in the shelter. Every time I started to leave the rain kicked up harder. Finally, knowing I wouldn’t sleep comfortably in the shelter I pushed on and set up my hammock in the forest at a place called three forks. The rain had changed over to sleet as I set up and what I learned was that even under completely terrible conditions I could set up camp and stay warm. Everything made me happy that day, the beauty of the first real day on the trail, the hard walking with too much weight, setting up in lousy weather, crawling into the hammock, even all of the noises I heard at night that I was sure were bears coming to eat me, every bit of it made me happy, I was finally on the trail.

My first night on the trail

Some other posts you might enjoy!

My favorite AT photos from 2015

Thru-hike Gear Lists

Thru-hike FAQ’s – Part 1

My Appalachian Trail Resources Page

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Trail Community

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Precious Moments

Appalachian Trail Happiness: My Favorite Little Hiker

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged appalachian trail, AT, backpacking, happiness, hiking, springer mountain | 8 Comments

Happiness is Mardi Gras: Mobile

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Michael Kane

Happiness is Mardi Gras: Mobile

I was a weird kid, which probably goes a long way to explaining why I’m a weird adult. I was the only kid I knew who didn’t like parades. I mean really, go sit on a curb for an hour or so, you know so you don’t lose your good spot. Watch a bunch of old guys and little kids all bored out of their minds come walking by, marching bands, bad marching bands. A few fire trucks, some really sad-looking clowns all for what? Never got the excitement around them.

Then some years ago I checked off a bucket list item and attended my first Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I wandered up St. Charles and took a spot in the crowd near one of the barriers and waited on the parade to come. There was a bit of a flashback, there early, by the curb waiting. People seemed generally happy and were very friendly. Little kids propped up on ladder seats, people with coolers, who once they found out it was my first parade started sharing all sorts of food and drinks with me.

Then the parade came, this was not the lame old parade I was used to in my childhood. First the floats were huge and really well done. The marching bands were really talented. You could hear the crowd screaming with joy as the parade came down St. Charles. Then the first float arrived and the krewe on the float was throwing beads and stuffed animals and cups and medallions. People were going nuts for these throws coming off of the floats and honestly it’s almost impossible to not get completely swept up in the madness, I was not immune. I was instantly in love with Mardi Gras parades.

I often tell people that I love Mardi Gras and I typically get, “not me, all the nudity and drunkenness is a turn off.” It’s at that point I know they’ve never done a Mardi Gras parade. What they are relating is the drunken debauchery, the giant frat party that Bourbon Street has turned into during Mardi Gras. literally the place I spend the least amount of time when I’m in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I love attending the parades and I love shooting photos in New Orleans, at the parades and around the city in general and then there is the food, my god the food. New Orleans is an eaters paradise. At any level of culinary snobbery there are places to eat. I’m not a five-star restaurant guy I prefer beignets and the cafeteria magnificence that are places like Mothers and Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Give me a muffaletta at the Central Grocery and I’m a happy man. Opportunities for Gumbo and Po’boys abound, eating there is such a pleasure.

In the south I always hear from folks, “well, you’ve never done Mobile, that’s the real Mardi Gras, it was the first Mardi Gras in America.” That is true by the way, Mobile was having Mardi Gras celebrations before New Orleans was even a city. Mardi Gras in Mobile is fun, the parades are good, the floats well done. The parades are a bit smaller than the ones in New Orleans, the throws are a bit different. They actually throw food in addition to beads and stuffed animals, etc… Little Moon Pies are really popular, but I’ve seen cookies, peanuts, gum and candy. I caught a bag of peanut M&Ms and the most interesting throw I’ve ever gotten, a pack of chicken flavored Top Ramen!

What I will say is that there are a lot more premium throws here in Mobile. More stuffed animals and balls and hoola-hoops. The parade route isn’t as crowded as in New Orleans and the kids make out really well here. If I was taking kids on a trip to Marid Gras for the first time this would be the place. They’ll get a TON of stuff and likely nice big stuffed animals, they’ll have an absolute blast. They’ll also be in smaller crowds and it’s not quite as insane as the parade route in New Orleans. In Mobile, the route, non-weekend parades, are a couple of rows deep and at places you are alone at the barriers. Weeknight, Sunday, I’ve never seen a parade route spot in New Orleans that wasn’t at least four rows deeps. The exception, the weekend before Fat Tuesday on the day when there are like four parades in a row and by the fourth and smallest parade, people have mostly bailed because the first parade started eight hours earlier.

If you’re an adult without kids and you’re going to your first Mardi Gras, go to New Orleans. In Mobile, most of the restaurants are chain fast food and sports bar. There are a sprinkling of nicer restaurants along Dauphin Street the main social area downtown. I’m sure there are great restaurants in Mobile but the options on foot and downtown are limited. I don’t drink very much at all, but there are plenty of bars to visit in Mobile. Scale is the real difference, there are hundreds of restaurants in the French Quarter alone, innumerable bars and then everything else that makes New Orleans so unique.

I have one more night in Mobile and have gotten lots of great throws to send up north to my nieces and nephews. I’ve had fun her in Mobile but I head for New Orleans in two days and I’m excited. Happy Mardi Gras and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Some Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

How Travel Makes You Happier

Fear is Killing Your Happiness

Our Best Happiness Posts of 2015

My favorite Appalachian Trail Photos of 2015

Why I’m Happy Right Now!

Posted in Random Happiness | Tagged beads, food, happiness, krewes, Mardi Gras, mobile, new orleans, parades, throws | 3 Comments

The Ministry of Happiness

Appalachian Trail Happiness: What A Difference A Year Makes

Appalachian Trail Happiness: What A Difference A Year Makes

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Happy News – March 7, 2016

Happy News – March 7, 2016

Other Positive News Posts!

Happiness is Photography: Mardi Gras in Mobile

Happiness is Photography: Mardi Gras in Mobile

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Happy News – February 29, 2016

Happy News – February 29, 2016

Other Recent Happy News Posts!

Happy News – February 22, 2016

Happy News – February 22, 2016

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Cycles of Happiness

Cycles of Happiness

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Happy News – February 15, 2016

Happy News – February 15, 2016

Other Recent Happy News Posts!

Happy Mistakes

Happy Mistakes

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Appalachian Trail Happiness: The Book

Appalachian Trail Happiness: The Book

Some other posts you might enjoy!

Happiness is Mardi Gras: Mobile

Happiness is Mardi Gras: Mobile

Some Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

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