-
-
-
Recent Posts
ADS
Our Favorites
Monthly Archives: August 2009
Survival Is Serious (see Ed Wardle)
So what to do when, after seven weeks alone in the wild, you’re out of food, out of energy and out of clarity? You put your distress call signal to use, be glad for a quick rescue — and you realize it’s okay to call that a happy ending.
Adventurer/documentarian Ed Wardle has done just that.
As the subject of his own survival experiment Alone in the Wild, Wardle had himself placed in western Canada’s wilderness with his film equipment and little else. His goal: Three months. His tools: Sharp wits and his skills as an outdoorsman (though his bio is clear that he is not a survival expert.) His only lifeline: Weekly videotape deliveries to a drop-off site, and daily ‘I’m still alive’ tweets.
Survival Is Funny (see The Naturist)
They say survival in the wild is 1/3 What to Do, and 99% What Not to Do. Or something like that.
Case in point: The Naturist, a new video series brought to us by Teva. Outdoor expert Gavin McInnes takes us into the backcountry where he finds unexpected water sources, dispels myths about bee stings, and shows what to do when discovering those myths actually aren’t. Watch and learn, young grasshopper.
Watching New Ken Burns is This Fall’s Best Idea
2009 has been a notable year for our national parks: They’ve drawn big numbers with their ‘free’ weekends, gotten loads of PR from a vacationing President Obama, and now a documentary series produced by Ken Burns.
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea airs September 27th on PBS. Sounds like we can expect the same depth and richness that Burns is so well-known for. The stories of the people who made the parks a reality will be the focus, but of course there’s the eye candy, which Burns believes “is the most stunning cinematography in Florentine Films’ history…”
While our own Voyageurs National Park won’t be specifically featured, a park official told me earlier this year that local PBS producers were working on a show of their own. More on that when we hear it…
Join the Moose Patrol
Felt hopeless about the mysteriously dwindling moose population in Minnesota? You can now finally do something about it.
U of M Duluth researchers have created a new site enlisting the help of the public to track the region’s moose. Using simple forms, users can report sightings of healthy, or sickly/dead moose. This betters the researchers’ odds of keeping close tabs on Bullwinkle, if not determining cause of death before scavengers and decay make it impossible.
Reading a recent case study of a dead moose discovery is a bit like an episode of “CSI” — both fascinating and mystifying. Clearly the biologists are busy enough, simply trying to ascertain what’s killing off all the moose. Frankly, I’m just grateful that everyone is able to play a small role in this race against time. Via Wilderness News.
UpNorthica Reviews: GoMotion Sternum 3-Watt Luxeon LED Kit
A headlamp that’s made to go on your chest? Nope, I sure hadn’t tried that one before.
But when I first saw GoMotion’s Sternum 3-Watt Luxeon LED Kit, I was curious about the concept. Could it actually better a night-time wilderness experience? Would it avoid the drawbacks of traditional headlamps? And would this huge searchlight on my torso put out a really cool Iron Man sort of vibe? Of course I had to find out. Initiate Gear Review…
Crafty Campers
Craftzine is definitely not on our regular rotation of manly, testosterone-inducing sites (I hear that snickering,) but right now it has an interesting post on camping cook kits.
While the author prefers a kit that would take up most of a pack, she does advocate for bringing along as little packaging as possible. More importantly, it’s always nice to hear what other people eat while they’re camping. I am a firm believer that food can make or break a camping trip. What’s really interesting about the post is actually the comments, wherein people have started posting their own recipes and cook kit parts. So head on over and about the ‘wok only’ setup and grab a recipe from user “happy camper”. -via HannahLaura (thanks!)
Words and Images From Quetico Canoe Marathon
Happy to see, at last, some report of last weekend’s race.
Participant Chris Stromberg took the images and all in all, it sounds like a good race with only a few small injuries. Well done, everybody! Via Canoeing.com.
Cross Quetico Marathon Winners
Race results are (finally) in from this weekend’s Cross Quetico Marathon Canoe Race. We have few details so far, but for a brief comment by USFS Recreation Planner John Pierce:
I’ve been around people when their tank is empty due to a long race or some other event, but my admiration seeing everyone in that canoe marathon at the half-way point, knowing they need to turn around and do it again, some with minimal sleep, is immeasurable.
Taking first place was the team of Kjell Peterson and Joe Manns, with a time of 23:14:17. Finishing only about five minutes behind them were James Burns and Dusty Olsen with 23:18:59. That’s a pretty narrow margin for almost 120 miles of paddling. Third went to Dan Litchfield and Steve Parks, who finished at 25:30:34.
We’re hoping to follow up with some details soon. Until then, congrats to the hardy souls who competed in the race.
Zut Alors! It’s Rendezvous Time In Grand Portage
Fact: 200 years ago this week, voyageurs coming off the trail didn’t have the luxury of browsing the gift shop for birch bark picture frames and moose poop incense.
What they did have, was the Rendezvous: a merry mid-summer celebration with plenty of food, sport and dance. This weekend, you’re invited to join them.
Grand Portage National Monument hosts the annual event with an impressive schedule [PDF] of re-enactments, demos, workshops, games of skill, and kids’ activities. A few items that stuck out to me, after the jump…
We’ve Got Your Free Caribou Coupon Right Here
I’ve never been to Lake Superior’s Slate Islands; never seen caribou in the wild, either. But thanks to Layne Kennedy, I sure feel like I have now.
Backpacker just posted a slideshow of the Minnesota photographer’s work among Ontario’s largest herd. Seems fitting that creatures of such mythical, otherworldly beauty should live on islands formed by a meteorite impact.
Kennedy’s fine images from the islands are worth a prolonged look, and I guarantee, way cheaper than visiting in person.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Flickr
