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Monthly Archives: February 2009
Friday Films: Being Caribou
Today in our Friday Films series, we’re covering the caribou. Though their herds no longer roam Northern Minnesota, they’re closer than you think. Here’s an intimate look at Being Caribou.
In this feature-length documentary, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 km of Arctic tundra. In following the herd’s migration, the couple hopes to raise awareness of the threats to the caribou’s survival. Along the way they brave Arctic weather, icy rivers, hordes of mosquitoes and a very hungry grizzly bear. Dramatic footage and video diaries combine to provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition.
Enjoy.
Hundekjøring: A Good Way to Ski Faster, Look Cooler
Hard to pronounce? Yes. But hundekjøring, or dog-driven skiing, is easy to appreciate:
You, on your skis, go faster while still getting a workout. And little Speck gets out of the house to play.
The latest issue of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer offers this helpful introthis helpful intro to the nordic-style mode of self-propulsion. Along with sharing its history, it also shows you how to get set up doing it yourself.
I’d totally be doing this like, yesterday, but I’m still waiting for hamster-sized harnesses.
International Falls: The TV Show
International Falls always gets special mention from Al Rokers far and wide, for its record low temps. This November though, the Minnesota city known as “The Nation’s Icebox” will soon be on your idiot box.
A pair of Weather Channel producers recently spent time there interviewing residents and sampling the ice fishing culture (wow, that’s original.) Thankfully, they’re going a little more in-depth than just that, discussing the place’s role as a cold-weather gear testing hub (…I’m listening…) And featuring Voyageurs National Park (better still.) We’ll also find out the local elementary school’s policy for declaring snow days – a bit of trivia that, come to think of it, I actually would like to know?
In the meantime, you can watch a similar special The Weather Channel did on Barrow, Alaska; the northernmost city in the U.S. After watching that, I still think our place is better. They may have polar bears, but we’ll always have Rocky & Bullwinkle. Via Voyageurs.
Tour an Igloo
Drop in for a quick visit inside the wintery abode of one “Igloo Ed.”
The man who could be called ‘winter camping’s first celebrity’ gives a casual interview laying out the advantages of winter camping in an igloo, as well as how he builds them with his Icebox igloo maker (dang! do I want one of those.)
UPDATE: Here’s an article about Igloo Ed, posted just today. Turns out, he’s appropriately the inventor of the Icebox.
Environmental Artist Alastair Heseltine
We at UpNorthica love Nature. And we love Art. But one of our greatest loves is Art that speaks about Nature.
Alastair Heseltine is a sculptor who does just that. Drawing influence from design, craft production, farming and rural life, Heseltine creates pieces that seem to reflect on the balance of living in cooperation with the environment… and living in opposition to it.
Beautiful stuff; I so wish we had more of this in our state. Via Wend Blog.
Better Living Through Hot Cereal
Less than half-excited about your default instant oatmeal breakfast? Tamia over at Paddling.net extols the virtues of hot cereal on the trail.
Besides a good list of ingredient options, she opens the vault and shares a few recommended recipes for that Most Important Meal of the Day. There are also some good ideas for toppings to pack (Nutella? How about skip everything else and just bring the Nutella.)
I’d always loved Malt-O-Meal until I let some get cold on a winter camping trip — imagine eating spoonfuls of rubber doorstop. But that’s my own fault… Note to self: Leave the metal bowls at home.
Friday Films: Waterwalker by Bill Mason
Our Friday Film today is likely a familiar one. And on this day before Valentine’s, it’s appropriately about Love. Waterwalker is a classic documentary about the love of Nature, Solitude and all things that make canoeing such a magical experience.
Naturalist Bill Mason’s reflections and Bruce Cockburn’s music round out this feature-length film.
The filmmaker and artist begins on Lake Superior, then explores winding and sometimes tortuous river waters to the meadowlands of the river’s source. Along the way, Mason paints scenes that capture his attention and muses about his love of the canoe, his artwork and his own sense of the land. Mason also uses the film as a commentary on the link between God and nature and the vast array of beautiful canvases God created for him to paint.
Enjoy. And please, wipe away those tears, Luvvie — Spring melt will be here in just a few short months.
It’s Melty. Please Don’t Fall Through the Ice
Stuff that’s too cold can really mess you up. Frostbite, hypothermia, supersized Icees that give you those ice-cream headaches…
But please don’t let stuff that’s too warm (like melting lake ice) mess you up permanently.
We found some useful tips here, about how to judge the safety of a frozen lake, including this one:
Mottled and slushy or “rotten” ice – not so much its color but its texture. This ice is thawing and slushy. It is deceptive – it may seem thick at the top but it is rotting away at the center and base. Most prevalent in spring, may be showing signs of browns from plant tannins, dirt and other natural materials that are resurfacing from thawing. Not suitable for even a footstep.
Spring isn’t quite ‘just around the corner’ up north yet. But there’s no harm in staying safe.
What Makes Gadgets Work in Winter
Caring for your your personal electronics (if you must bring them), is enough of a challenge out on those winter trails. Keep this one cold, but keep the batteries warm, use extra of this and that… But how about simply using them? Small devices with small buttons and interfaces are great everywhere but out here.
Gizmodo has posted a list of requirements for gadgets that go outdoors. It’s a pretty good checklist of things to watch for when you shop (until reading the list, color had never meant much to me.)
But ultimately, gadget designers everywhere should pay attention to free feedback like this.
Several years ago, I felt that voice recognition was the up-and-coming feature that would revolutionize all interfaces, especially in contexts that require your hands to be elsewhere. But with the iPod touch et cetera, the trend has swung all the more towards refined hand gestures. Since leaders like Apple have always been about staying out of the way of your work, I hope they’ll look into this more, as their devices continue to develop more GPS traits, venturing further away from the work desk.
DIY Winter Camping Gear: Shug Shows You How
Meet Sean Emery, or “Shug” as he’s known to a growing audience of gear addicts. This self-described juggling, unicycling, bluegrass picking and backpacking comedian has been building up a library of camping and backpacking how-to videos. All of which, I might add, are so entertaining and informative that I entirely forget about the ‘juggler, unicyclist, comic, bluegrass picker’ part. Shug shares some great hacks and DIY tips that’ll inspire you to rely a little more on yourself and a little less on gear manufacturers alone.
As luck would have it, he’s a resident of Roseville, so his insightful videos often find him adventuring in Minnesota’s northern climes.
In the video above he covers his tent hammock setup when winter camping. Way to go, Shug! Via Gear Talk.
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