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Evan Chartier

Roam and Ramble: An Introduction

Updated: Aug 29, 2019

If you read the "about" page you know that Roam and Ramble is a personal and professional space for exploration and collaboration. I am still learning what that means. Here is some insight I have gathered thus far:


Like me, this website will roam and ramble around the globe and on topics of interest. Example. Ten years ago I was in the Adirondacks teaching a lightweight backpacking seminar and was asked to explain what makes certain shelters - such as tarps and tents - qualify as ultralight? My heart rate jumped in excitement and I rambled into an explanation of the material properties of Dyneema Composite Fabric (formerly cuben fiber) that included the pros and cons of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and the fabric weight per yard that I most recommended for various shelter applications. I blinked and saw eight confused faces staring back at me. I learned that a better response would have been "they usually weigh less than one pound per person."


My fascination with ultralight fabrics extends to many areas of life. The properties of cast iron, weight to warmth ratios of down and synthetic filaments, and micron classifications of various wool fibers are just the start. I read books and imagine the authors deep in conversation across space and time. Frameworks that explain social phenomenon fascinate me and, when inspired, I create my own. And sometimes I stumble upon a question so specific that I can't find an answer on Google.


So I decided to create a blog where I can roam and ramble from passion to passion as I roam and ramble through life. A place to ask, and sometimes answer, my Google-proof questions and publicly share my processes of learning and discovery.


I also wanted to create a space that can lead to collaboration. I have occasionally been asked to speak, facilitate, build teams and physical objects, or otherwise support projects to meet community needs and pursue justice. I thought that a website could inspire future projects and highlight opportunities to work together - outside of capitalist exchanges of work for pay - that build momentum for alternative economies. I created a section of the website called Simple Projects, Radical Politics where I can solicit and structure opportunities to practice my values.


Roam and Ramble feels vulnerable, and I know that my vulnerability is necessary to challenge systems of oppression from ableism to xenophobia. Thank you for holding my vulnerability and for being with me in this new journey.

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