GoPro ALASKA EXPEDITION
From GoPro:
GoPro recently partnered with Project Aether on an ambitious expedition to Alaska to conduct science experiments and record the first high quality images of the Aurora Borealis from the edge of space.
Project Aether is a non-profit collaboration between public school teachers and graduate students and is designed to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, explorers and dreamers. Dr. Ben Longmier, the head of Project Aether is a rocket scientist with Ad Astra Rocket Company, and for the past two years Ad Astra has been using GoPro cameras inside their testing facilities for video analysis.
The Aether team in Alaska sent 30 high-altitude balloon rigs with various data collection experiments as well as GoPro HD HERO2 cameras to 120,000 feet. The results were amazing – from stunning views of Alaskan mountain ranges to never-before-seen images of the Aurora.
As part of the epic expedition, the team first flew in specially modified planes equipped with skis and landed on remote glaciers in Denali for launches, and then used dogsleds, snowmobiles, snowshoes and helicopters to track and retrieve the balloons. GoPro cameras were used to document these endeavors and to show students around the world that science is more than lab coats and beakers.
The expedition was part of GoPro and Project Aether’s ongoing partnership, designed to reignite interest in science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M) with schools and students across America by using every day, 100% accessible (to all) materials in their experiments, which can then be easily replicated in the classroom.
Bitchin'.
WINDOWS TO THE WILD
Outdoor adventurer Willem Lange hosts NHPTV’s popular, award-winning WINDOWS TO THE WILD outdoor series. As he hikes, floats, flies and fishes around New England, Willem offers insight into the history, ecology and special character of these wild places. I've checked out a few episodes already and it reminds me of local shows I'd catch on PBS in North Carolina when I was younger, and a bit of those old Marty Stouffer's Wild America episodes. Now that I'm in NYC, I'll have to travel about to explore some of the places he's covered. Check it out Thursdays at 8:30 in the North East (check local showtimes) or, better yet, watch all 48 episodes (so far) streaming here.
THE 800 YEAR OLD RECIPE CLIF BAR
Inspired by founder Gary Erickson’s early Italian rides and adventures, Clif Bar’s new Panforte flavor celebrates the brand’s 20th anniversary. The recipe is said to come from “a traditional 800-year-old Italian recipe”. Called “Gary’s Panforte,” the limited edition flavor goes on sale this month.
From Gear Junkie:
As the name says, the bar is based off the traditional Italian dessert panforte, which is a type of fruit and nut cake. The word breaks down to “pan” (bread) and “forte”(strong). The resulting “strong bread” is a dense and spicy-sweet concoction, calorie-rich and not too unlike modern energy bars today.
Like all Clif bars, the Panforte has many organic ingredients, fruit bits and nuts. There are no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Clif will sell the bars for $1.39 online and via its nationwide retailer network.
Looks Molto delizioso! I'll have to look out for it.
THE BROOKS WORLD TRAVELLER B17 LEATHER BIKE SADDLE
For you fellow bike enthusiasts out there looking for something a little different, I present to you the World Traveller B17 from Brooks, a hand-made leather saddle featuring a motif by Frank Patterson, artist and illustrator of the Brooks catalogues of the 1920's.
From Gear Junkie:
Its full name, the 2012 World Traveller B17 Limited Edition, pays honor to Brooks’ relationship with the WCR Grand Tour, a competitive bike race that this year kicked off in February where cyclists attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
The company says the new saddle, which costs a hefty €250, was dreamt up to “celebrate covering long distances by bike.” The 1920’s image, stamped into the leather, shows a heavily-laden cyclist pedaling across the globe.
Under the leather top you’ll find chromed-copper steel rails and frame. And in true Brooks fashion, it’s all held together with hammered copper rivets. Like all Brooks saddles, the hard leather conforms to your anatomy over time, resulting in a custom fit.
But you don’t need to sign up for the WCR to buy it. The B17 is built for riding long distances anywhere, from your home town to a 25,000+ mile trip around Earth.
From Brooks:
This saddle celebrates our deep historical associations with the sporting heroes of the previous London Olympiad, as well as our rich relationship with devotees of Long Distance Touring, during the inaugural WCR Grand Tour, a competitive circumnavigation of the Earth by bicycle.
All saddles have been made using Brooks Select organic leather tops, fixed to a chromed copper steel frame and finished with hand hammered copper rivets.
The B17 Select World Traveller is available at chosen Brooks Dealers Of Excellence from May, and production of the Brooks B17 Select World Traveller has been capped at 2012 pieces.
Length: 275mm
Width: 175mm
Height: 65mm
Weight: 540g
Frame: Copper Plated
THE LAND ROVER EDIBLE DESERT SURVIVAL MANUAL
In Case Of Emergency: Eat This Book is a special giveaway for select Land Rover vehicle owners. In addition to life saving desert survival tips (specifically the Arabian Desert), the book (designed by ad agency Y&R DUBAI as a creative campaign for Land Rover) is made of edible paper and printed via edible ink. According to Ads Of The World, the edible survival manual has around the same nutritional value as a cheeseburger:
While Land Rover vehicles can take on any obstacles in the desert, it cannot be said the same of their owners. Scorching temperatures, deadly animals and sinkholes are just a few things they might encounter. And when they venture deep into it, even the most experienced drivers can quickly succumb to the harshness of the desert. We wanted to create something that would cut through the clutter and that these people would like to keep. So we created a survival guide, which explained the basics for staying alive in the Arabian Desert, and packaged it in a way that would spur the attention of our target audience. We researched every indigenous animal and plant, people could encounter in the Arabian Desert and how they could be used to survive. We studied the topography of the region to guide people to safety. We used a reflective packaging similar to army rations, which could be used to signal for help, and bound the book with a metal spiral, which could be used for cooking. Finally, we even took an extra step so that in case of emergency, people could always EAT the book. It was made out of edible ink and paper, and it had a nutritional value close to that of a cheeseburger. We sent the book to 5,000 existing customers, gave it away as a supplement to the cars’ manual and made it freely available in sports shops. The initial response was very positive. And the client was so happy with the concept that they asked us to include the book as an insert in the next edition of a car magazine, with a 70,000 circulation.
Mmmmm, tasty!
THE $10,000 OUTSIDE MAGAZINE ADVENTURE GRANT
From Outside Magazine:
In celebration of our 35th anniversary, Outside magazine is seeking proposals for its first annual Adventure Grant, a $10,000 endowment to help fund a smart, creative, and (perhaps) slightly foolhardy project that we’ll feature in an upcoming issue. Examples of the kinds of audacious missions we're looking for—taken from Outside stories—include sailing a homemade raft down the Hudson River, walking a perfectly straight line across Canada's Prince Edward Island, and paddling a canoe from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. Fill out the submission form by May 18.
So, if you have a thirst for adventure, but lack the funds to make it a reality, follow this link, or the one above to fill out that submission form.
THE OLD MAN RIVER PROJECT ROWS THE MISSISSIPPI
The OLD MAN RIVER Project is a 10 part video web series that chronicles the crew (Brett, Cliff, Magnus, Sarah, and Kyle) of the hand built York boat Annie as they row their way down the 2400 mile length of the Mississippi river from its headwaters in Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, taking them through the very heart of America.
From Vimeo:
Along the way they faced fierce storms, inner struggles, portaging their thousand pound boat around 10 dams, and coming face to face with some of the most intense industrial development on the planet - all to raise awareness about drinking water.
You can check out part one above. For the rest of this incredible series, check out The OLD MAN RIVER Project's Vimeo Page, or brettonthewater.com
TEAL PANELS: LIGHTWEIGHT MODULAR CAMPING PANELS
Behold, Teal Panels. What are they? Well, according to Gizmodo, they're like Lego for campers who hate tents. More accurately, they're lightweight modular camping panels. In 2009, Lawrence Drake was asked to go camping with his daughter's family in Rocky Mountain National Park. As he no longer enjoys camping the traditional way (on the ground, in tents), he looked into pop-up camper options. Unfortunately, his truck couldn't haul the weight with a 1,000 pound weight capacity. The pop-up weighed over 2,000 pounds empty. Hmmmm. Necessity being the mother of invention, he looked at his trailer and thought "wouldn't it be great to have a camper he could slide into his trailer whenever he needed it?" So he buckled down and got to work. A few criteria had to be met (from the Teal Panel Website):
- Fit on a typical utility trailer or ATV hauler, as well as a pickup bed
- Weigh approximately 300 pounds, with a combined trailer weight of less than 700 pounds
- Towable by four cylinder vehicles with towing capacities of 1000 pounds or greater
- Low profile to reduce wind resistance
- Sleep two comfortably
- Plenty of windows for view and light
- Seating for at least two at a table
- Ceiling height typical of a small SUV with a possible popup to six feet
- Cabinet storage
- Accept typical four-wheelers and small motorcycles
- Modular for do-it-yourself assembly with minimum or no tools
- Easily customizable with a shopping cart of options such as colors, windows, skylights, exhaust vents, cabinets
- Foam-filled plastic for insulation, weight and sound proofing
- Shippable by standard UPS
- Inexpensive
After working with plastics experts and putting his own experience with design and home built aircraft, he began fabrication of the Teal Panel camper prototype. This from Gizmodo:
The Teal Panels—which we might point out are in no way teal—assemble using simple screws and a ratchet strap tightened around the entire structure for added stability. The lightweight panels can be assembled on top of a flat bed trailer, sleeping two persons as a DIY camper, or on the ground in a considerably larger cabin configuration topped with a tent roof to keep out the elements.
There are also optional panel accessories available like doors, windows, and even a pop-up roof providing more head room when assembled as a smaller structure.
Like Lego, you can theoretically rebuild the entire city of Rome with the Teal Panels, if only they were available for sale right now. While awarded a patent for their design, Drake is still looking for investors to put the panels into mass production. And he's thankfully not turned to Kickstarter as a funding source.
This looks rather interesting for light, cheap car camping. While obviously too bulky for the back woods, this would make an excellent family camping option.
100 YEARS OF L.L. BEAN
This year celebrates the 100th Anniversary of L.L. Bean. Love 'em or hate 'em (personally I trend further towards love than hate in regard to L.L. Bean products), L.L. Bean has been a name synonymous with the outdoors and outdoor sporting since its inception in 1912. Still operating out of Maine (proudly made in America in Freeport), it is a company that has withstood wars and financial depressions, finding solid footing in the real and imagined wilderness of our lives. Happy birthday L.L. Bean, and here's to another 100 years.
And if you're interested, detailing and commemorating the history of the company is Jim Gorman's book, Guaranteed to Last: L.L. Bean's Century of Outfitting America. It will definitely be finding it's way to my shelf, if only to look at past products and compare them to today's, and learn a bit more of the history surrounding a brand I've grown up with.
ATTACKED BY A MOUNTAIN LION, SAVED BY A BEAR
It was the only Bear v. Mountain Lion picture I could find...
Source: USA Today
Wow. I just came across the story (it's a couple of weeks old now, but amazing none the less) of a California Hiker, Robert Biggs, 69, who, while hiking Monday above Whiskey Flats (which from the name I can only surmise it to be some sort of old western gold boom ghost town) came across a mother bear, its yearling, and baby cub (yes, I DO like run-on sentences). Now, you and I would probably think ourselves in a touchy situation, but Biggs here decided to watch the bears from 40 feet away for a while. Satisfied that they were indeed bears, he made to leave when, from behind, he was pounced upon mercilessly by a mountain lion, digging into his backpack with all four clawed paws.
Biggs wrestled the mountain lion, stabbing it with a rock pick. The vicious beast wouldn't let up, however and tore into him, biting and scratching. It is thought that the mountain lion had been stalking the bear cub when our fearless hiker stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in the grip of terror, Biggs thought himself a goner when the mother bear intervened, ripping the big cat from its new prey. Biggs watched the ensuing battle for, he says, about 15 seconds, before the cat ran away in terror. The mother bear and her cubs then ambled away calmly. Biggs suffered bites, scratches, and bruises, but was otherwise unharmed.
What a story.
