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Monthly Archives: November 2009
iPhone as a Survival Kit? Stop Laughing.
Of *course* you’re skeptical. But just be thankful this isn’t the 9,438th post out there on how to fit survival gear into an Altoids tin.
Can an iPhone be significantly useful in the wild? Without a signal? We just read about a blogger who’s sufficiently optimized his iPhone, to argue a good case for it.
For quick access, all his outdoors/survival apps are on the same page. As you’d expect, the good ol’ compass and flashlight apps are among them. But he also references a “500 page survival, escape and evasion manual [...] recently updated with an edible, medicinal, and poisonous plant guide that includes color photos,” which once downloaded, obviously doesn’t require a signal.
What to do when it’s lost its charge? He’s even got an app for that, but you’ll have to read the article to find out what that is.
Recommendations on chargers and cases are also given. Overall, a well-researched article. Too bad there’s not an Emergency Blanket app… Maybe you could a real one as a protective case.
Two Must-See Movie Showings Tonight
Dude, drop what you’re doing. Cancel all your evening plans (as if you have anything important on a Thursday night.)
There are two great outdoorsy films showing tonight in Minneapolis. Both are at cool venues. Both offer Super Extra Bonus incentives to attend. Your challenge will be picking which one to see. That’s right, they overlap (life’s just full of tough decisions.)
Skiing in the Shadow of Ghenghis Khan will introduce you to an ancient culture that literally skis, to live. Lakes: A Love Affair will bring you back to Minnesota to explore our own culture that lives to be ‘on the lake.’
Here, you click on through for trailers and synopses; I’ll get in the line for some Junior Mints…
This One Goes Out to Bleary-Eyed Meteor Gazers Everywhere
I was up at 3am the other morning for the Leonid meteorite show. After 45 minutes, my buds and I might have seen eight; far fewer than the expected 2-3 per minute. Even now, well-filmed videos from the night, don’t seem to do justice to the event.
Well, shoot! I should’ve just watched this time-lapse of the Northern Lights, seen over Norway. Lasting only 4 minutes, it’s amazing how every single time I watch this video, the aurora shows its display. The odds of that kind batting average must be in the billions and billions and billions…
Via The Goat.
New Canoe on the Block is Canada’s Oldest
If you’ve ever known the love of a Langford Canoe, you’ve likely felt it either while visiting Canada, or in having to travel there yourself to buy one. So sad, like a bittersweet camp romance.
Take heart, unrequited paddlers — this one’s got a happy ending. Canada’s oldest operating canoe company is now importing to the States, via Fall River Trading of Grand Marais.
Although Langford has stayed current with demand for Royalex, Kevlar and ultra light Kevlar canoes, they continue to produce gorgeous handcrafted cedar models (Ooo!). Their enduring reputation for the highest quality will likely have avid canoeists all aflutter — and local competition astir.
One Last Holler for the Alleghenies!
We may have spent a lot of time in the cold during our Choose Your Own Adventure vacation in the Alleghenies, but our hearts are warm with good memories and new friends.
Big thanks (and an open invite to visit the BWCA) go out to Jean-Luc, Tom and all our buds at Appalachian Outdoors; Eric and Tracey of Spruce Creek Fly Company; Evan and Paul of Rothrock Outfitters; Todd and Eric of Mullen; Christie of Central PA CVB; and Ed of Raystown Lake Region CVB.
Last but not least, thanks to Stephen Regenold (The Gear Junkie) for showing us four days of true adventure in a place we never thought to find it. Fantastic times and company. Cheers!
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Boreal Forests: Twice the Carbon Found in the Tropics
Did you know that the peaty soils of boreal regions can store carbon for 8,000 years? And twice as much of it as you’ll find in tropical rainforests? Neither did we.
But before this starts sounding like a Total Cereal commercial (“It would take 4 Amazon basins to equal the carbon output,”) we’ll point you to the article that told us. It cites a new report from the Canadian Boreal Initiative that’s well worth reading.
Findings from “The Carbon the World Forgot” signal a call for greater conservation of Canada’s carbon bank. In light of the report’s recommendation to bar further development of half the protected Canadian wildernesses, perhaps we Minnesotans should better care for our own high-fiber bowl of goodness, the Boundary Waters.
Choose My Adventure, Day 4: Just Dew It
Spend a few days with the Gear Junkie, and you’ll become inspired to experience the outdoors actively, to accept challenge eagerly, and to live your life superlatively. Kinda like how they do in them crazy 80’s Mountain Dew commercials (see this, this, and O yes Lord! this.)
The final day of our Choose Your Own Adventure vacation with the Gear Junkie, proves to be the perfect launch pad for all that extremey inspiration. We’re kayaking ginormous Raystown Lake in the heart of the Alleghenies, and you’ve voted that I should pull a stupid stunt, just like in those vintage Dew ads.
So throw on your Daisy Dukes and read on for the full story and an ice cold 12-pack of pics!
Choose My Adventure, Day 3: Keeping Up With the Junkie
My bike is barely ahead of Stephen’s as we dart like sparrows between branches and low-hanging grapevines. The trail cuts left sharply, rounding a tree trunk. I brake, but slide off the trail. He passes me as I struggle to manoeuver back on course. I look up and my jaw drops because I can’t see him anymore. Three seconds of lead time and Stephen is gone; vanished like a phantom night hawk in the night! Me, I’m still just a sparrow (peep, peep.)
Oh. My. Gosh. How am I gonna keep up with the Gear Junkie?
It’s the most action-packed day of the Choose Your Own Adventure vacation we’ve won from GearJunkie.com. We’re mountain biking the new Allegrippis Trail System in the Allegheny Mountains, and your votes for my daily challenge favored that I race Stephen Regenold, the Gear Junkie. Holy holler from the mountain, what have I gotten into? For the full story and tons of pics, keep reading.
…Pausing for Brief Intermission…
Yes, we’re alive, and back within Internet access! Trip reports from our adventure in the Allegheny Mountains will post this evening. Thanks for waiting!
Choose My Adventure Vote #4: Roll a Kayak or Mountain Dew Commercial Stunt
Tomorrow is the final day of our Choose Your Own Adventure sweepstakes trip with the Gear Junkie. And with your help, we hope to go out with a bang. Or maybe a splash would be more appropriate.
We’ll be kayaking in Raystown Lake, a colossal man-made body that’s 30 miles long. Since I’d rather not circumnavigate this entire Alleghenian ocean, I need your votes on how to keep my blood — and adrenaline — flowing all day. So, should I:
Roll a Kayak
Sound too easy? Not with the wider kayak I’ll likely have. And did I mention I’ve never rolled *anything* larger than a batch of lefse before? Plus, I’m sure Pam would be happy to assist, if needed.
-OR-
Stupid 80s Mountain Dew Commercial Stunt
You remember those, right? Dudes with cutoff jeans rope-swinging over water, then landing on surfboards that’ve been thrown onto the rapids, all the while with their bikini-clad girlfriends riding on their shoulders? Barring the phony John Mellencamp soundtrack, I’ll attempt something at least half as easy (and twice as stupid) as that.
Watch for today’s report of mountain-biking the Allegrippis Trails, later tonight. In the meantime, VOTE NOW to decide my fate: Roll a Kayak -or- Mountain Dew Stunt!
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