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.
A DOG’S PERSPECTIVE
Those of us who have enjoyed the company of our canine companions when hiking in the wilderness may get a kick out of this. Titled the EYE of RILEY, this is a short film taken from the perspective of Riley the Corgi. Syejukoon, Riley’s human companion, fashioned a specialized backpack so he could capture the Runyon Canyon Park, Calfornia hike from Riley’s point of view via the always fantastic (and fashionable - who knew?) GoPro camera. Check it out! The music is Here's To Now, by the ever excellent Ugly Casanova.