Time lapse at Everest – Elia Saikaly

Mount Everest North Face as seen from the path to the base camp, Tibet. Wikipedia image

A pick from the staff at Vimeo.

It’s astonishing how many people ascend Mt. Everest in our time.  Look at the tent city.

Everest’s beauty is stunning, always has been, but is now revealed by high-definition image capture unavailable just 10 years ago, now distributed by the internet.

These photos are mostly from about 25,000 feet in elevation — about where much domestic U.S. air travel occurs.  The weather up there is spectacular, if you’re not in it. It’s spectactular if you’re in it, too — but I’m viewing it from Dallas, where we’re above 90 degrees in the day, now, just 800 feet above sea level.

As these climbers risk their lives in adventure (10% of all people who attempt to summit, die), the Himalayas suffer from effects of global climate change.  Pakistan suffers from flooding today from premature and quick melting of glaciers.

What a great planet we have.  Can we keep it?

Notes from the film maker, Elia Saikaly:

eliasaikaly.com
Experience the beauty of Mt. Everest at night in time-lapse.

While most climbers slept, I attempted to capture some of the magic that the Himalayan skies have to offer while climbing to the top of the world.

Here’s a bit of what I endured at the end to make this possible: eliasaikaly.com/2013/05/into-the-death-zone/

One of the most rewarding parts of the journey was being able to share it with thousands of students on epals.com/everest

This time lapse video is comprised of thousands of photographs, processed and assembled on Mt. Everest.

Shot on a Canon 5D Mark II
-Canon 2.8 16-35mm
-Canon 2.8 24-70mm
-Canon 2.8 70-200mm (which was way to heavy to carry beyond 6400M)
-TL Remote was purchased off eBay

Edited in Final Cut Pro
Processed in Adobe LightRoom
Movies compiled in Quicktime

Music: A Heartbeat away purchased on goo.gl/AJZcM

I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

My stock footage, professional and charitable work can be see on my website at eliasaikaly.com
And on FB: facebook.com/elia.saikaly.adventurer

More:

• Photographer’s Mount Everest timelapse video will leave you breathless (grindtv.com)
• What It’s Like to Climb Mt. Everest (huffingtonpost.com)
• Everest – A time lapse short film on Vimeo (oyiabrown.com)
• Mt. Everest’s filthy secret: It’s a dump (theweek.com)
• Queen Elizabeth II extends wishes on Mt Everest anniversary (thehimalayantimes.com)
• More at Photo and Song

2004 photo mosaic the Himalayas with Makalu and Mount Everest from the International Space Station, Expedition 8. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Holes in the wall, Glen Canyon NRA

Ever get one of those days you just want to find a nice, warm hole and crawl inside?

Then head out to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area:

Caption from America’s Great Outdoors: There are many unique areas within America’s public lands. Case in point this spot in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Photo: Cassandra Crowley

More:

• RV Camping in Big Water, Utah (livestrong.com)
• The Sierra Club Was Once the Victim of a Politically Motivated IRS Attack (washingtonmonthly.com)
• National Park Service plans ‘mussel blitz’ at Lake Powell (summitcountyvoice.com)
• Invasive quagga mussels found in Lake Powell for first time (summitcountyvoice.com)
• No ‘musseling’ their way in at Lake Powell (azdailysun.com)

Beauty happens without warning

Brad Goldpaint (Goldpaint Photography) planned to shoot pictures of the Milky Way, something I’ve tried to do without much success, at Crater Lake National Park, one of the more spectacular backdrops for such a photograph.

Those plans were interrupted — without warning.  Thank goodness.

More information:

I drove to Crater Lake National Park on the night of May 31, 2013 to photograph the Milky Way rising above the rim. I’ve waited months for the roads to open and spring storms to pass, so I could spend a solitude night with the stars. Near 11pm, I was staring upward towards a clear night sky when suddenly, without warning, an unmistakable faint glow of the aurora borealis began erupting in front of me. I quickly packed up my gear, hiked down to my truck, and sped to a north facing location. With adrenaline pumping, I raced to the edge of the caldera, set up a time-lapse sequence, and watched the northern lights dance until sunrise. The moon rose around 2am and blanketed the surrounding landscape with a faint glow, adding depth and texture to the shot. The last image in the sequence above shows the route of the International Space Station (ISS) which flew over at 2:35am.

Please feel free to share #withoutwarning

See more images at goldpaintphotography.com/2013/06/02/without-warning/

Music composed by Ben Beiny entitled, “The Right Moment”

Limited edition, fine-art prints are available at goldpaintphotography.com/purchase

Follow me:
Facebook: facebook.com/goldpaintphotography
Twitter: twitter.com/goldpaintphoto
Google+: plus.google.com/117178975214870026107/
Newsletter: goo.gl/XLPgV

No motion control systems were used during the production of this time-lapse. We are actively seeking various marketing partnerships to strategically promote and develop, specialized photography equipment used in the field. If you are interested in soliciting your product with Goldpaint Photography, please contact us at info@goldpaintphotography.com.

Poetic understatement:  ” . . . without warning, an unmistakable faint glow of the aurora borealis began erupting in front of me.”

More:

• Watch the northern lights dance in these surprising time-lapse videos (cosmiclog.nbcnews.com)
• Weekend Aurora Surprise (universetoday.com)
• Milky Way over Crater Lake (earthsky.org)
• Amazing Time Lapse of the Northern Lights & (gr8fulbugger.com)
• Milky Way Over Crater Lake (neatorama.com)
• Michigan’s northern lights captured in amazing time-lapse video (mlive.com)
• Long’s Peak in the Milky Way (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
• Earth’s Milky Way Neighborhood Gets More Respect (spaceref.com)

Still from Brad Goldpaint’s “Without Warning,” image from Goldpaint via MSNBC

“Hit the trail!” June 1 is National Trails Day

National Trails Day is the first Saturday in June, each year.

June 1 is National Trails Day, celebrated the first Saturday of June each year.  It’s a day designated by hikers and users of trails, the people who use trails for health, fun and adventure.

This should be a particularly American, and broadly celebrated event.  We are a nation of trails throughout our history — including in no particular order the Natchez Trace, the Chisholm Trail, various Trails of Tears, the Cumberland Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Overland Trail, the Goodnight Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Mission Trails, and countless others.  We fly across the continent in five hours today; when European explorers came, they explored the place on foot, first.  When humans migrated across the Bering Land Bridge, they came on foot, and populated the Americas from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.

Hiking is much of who we are.

When is National Trails Day^®?

This year National Trails Day^® will occur on June 1, 2013. National Trails Day is always the first Saturday in June.

What is National Trails Day^®?

American Hiking Society‘s National Trails Day^® (NTD) is a celebration of America’s magnificent Trail System, occuring annually on the first Saturday in June. NTD features a series of outdoor activities, designed to promote and celebrate the importance of trails in the United States. Individuals, clubs and organizations from around the country host National Trails Day^® events to share their love of trails with friends, family, and their communities. NTD introduces thousands of Americans to a wide array of trail activities: hiking, biking, paddling, horseback riding, trail running, and bird watching and more. For public and private land managers alike, National Trails Day^® is a great time to showcase beautiful landscapes and special or threatened locales as thousands of people will be outside looking to participate in NTD events.

National Trails Day^® evolved during the late ‘80s and ‘90s from a popular ethos among trail advocates, outdoor industry leaders and political bodies who wanted to unlock the vast potential in America’s National Trails System, transforming it from a collection of local paths into a true network of interconnected trails and vested trail organizations. This collective mindset hatched the idea of a singular day where the greater trail community could band together behind the NTD moniker to show their pride and dedication to the National Trails System.

View the National Trails Day^® historical timeline.

Why Celebrate Trails?

America’s 200,000 miles of trails allow us access to the natural world for recreation, education, exploration, solitude, inspiration, and much more. Trails give us a means to support good physical and mental health; they provide us with a chance to breathe fresh air, get our hearts pumping, and escape from our stresses. All it takes is a willingness to use them!

National Trails Day^® also aims to highlight the important work thousands of volunteers do each year to take care of America’s trails. Trails do not just magically appear for our enjoyment; their construction and maintenance takes hours of dedicated planning and labor. So give thanks to your local volunteers and consider taking a day to give back to your favorite trail.

Who Can Host a National Trails Day^® event?

Anyone can host a National Trails Day^® event. If you need help with programming ideas or would like more information, take some time to read through the materials on the host information page. There you will find all the information you need to host a successful event. Once you’ve planned the event, remember to register it!

Who Can Attend a National Trails Day^® event?

Anyone is allowed to attend public NTD events, unless otherwise noted. All public events are listed under the event search page. Events registered as “private” will not appear on the event search page.

What Kinds of Events are Included?

National Trails Day^® events involve a broad array of activities, including hiking, bike riding, trail maintenance, birding, wildlife photography, geocaching, paddle trips, trail running, trail dedications, health-focused programs, and children’s activities. Whatever you like to do outdoors, there is bound to be an event to fit your interests. If you don’t find the type of event you want, then plan it yourself — and be sure to register it.

How do Trails Make You Healthy?

Trails give you the opportunity to get your heart pumping, lungs expanding, and muscles working at various levels of difficulty, thereby improving your physical as well as mental well-being. With obesity rates skyrocketing, exercise is increasingly important, and trails provide a wide variety of opportunities for being physically active.

Does National Trails Day® have to be the first Saturday in June?

If your organization has a conflict with the first Saturday in June, plan your National Trails Day® event for a day or weekend that works best for you. No matter what day you choose, be sure to register your event with American Hiking Society; the national attention will draw more participants and media, and American Hiking Society will help you throughout the entire planning process.

Looking for ways to get involved year round?

Become a member of American Hiking Society or join the Alliance of Hiking Organizations.

Got a picture of your favorite trail?  Send it in, or link to it in comments.

Menunkatuck Blue-Blazed (CFPA) Trail. Participants in the National Trails Day 2010 inaugural Menunkatuck Trail hike sponsored by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA), Guilford Conservation Land Trust (GCLT) and the New Haven Hiking Club (NHHC). Wikipedia photo

More:

• Hikes on Red Mountain Park’s Ridgewalk trail will highlight National Trails Day celebration (al.com)
• Take A Hike! (For National Trails Day) (gadling.com)
• National Trails Day June 1, 2013 (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• Celebrate National Trails Day, Clean the Bay Day (wtvr.com)
• American Trails Announces 2013 National Trails Awards Winners at the 21st International Trails Symposium (prweb.com)
• Hit the Trails – It’s National Trails Day! (serenityspell.com)
• Nature groups to salute WNC trails (blueridgenow.com)
• National trails hiking day (youawesomehuman.com)
• National Trails Day With A New Trail (trails2brews.com)
• Join Us For National Trails Day ! (frontroyalatcommunity.wordpress.com)
• National Trails Day at Pat Bean’s Blog
• National Trails Day at Russel Ray Photos
• 2013 spring hiking at Quarry Hill Nature Center, Rochester, MN, at Hiking Journal
• June 1st, National Trails Day, at Girly Camping

 

Texas, “Go fish!”

No, this isn’t a comment about the Texas Lege.  That I have to tell you that is comment enough.

Texas Parks and Wildlife notes:

Catching a fish is fun for kids, but many families have questions about how to get started. That’s why some state parks are offering free fishing classes. They’ll teach you the basics through fun, hands-on activities. Texas Parks and Wildlife has this report on a program called “Go Fish” as the June Outdoor Activity of the Month.

To find places to fish and events near you, visit texasstateparks.org/fishing

Doesn’t seem that long ago, but he’s grown, graduated from college and moved 2,000 miles away; heck, both of the boys graduated and moved away.  We started our romancing of Texas State Parks at Ink’s Lake State Park, in one of the hottest Augusts I ever would wish to see.  We got a new tent, big enough for a family and bigger than the pup tent Kathryn and I used on the Atlantic Beaches (never did get that hurricane smell out of it . . .).  I worried about older son Kenny.  Little patience for anything not electronic.

The rules were they could play handheld games until we got there, in the car, but not once we got down to camping.  When we got to Ink’s Lake it was 105º F.  Kenny decided he’d rather stay in the car with his games.  Eventually the batteries died.

It was a fun, but not necessarily easy first day.  We had Disney TrueLife Adventure watching a wasp and spider fighting.  We had deer wandering through the site, including one with a deformed mouth (we named her Celeste, but don’t ask me why).  Deer would do almost anything for a bite of cantaloupe.  Swimming, rocks to jump off of . . . Kenny was bordering on crabby.

I never took to fishing.  That’s Kathryn’s bailiwick.  She got poles for the kids.  The whole point of the trip was to get back to fishing for Kathryn.  Kenny complained about the hot son on the end of the pier, about the worms, about the lack of video games.  He complained about everything until he got that pole in his hand and dropped the hook in the water.  I wish we had it on video.  Instantly, he became a man of patience.

Caught his first little fish that day, too.   Bluegill, or crappie — I don’t remember.  The next few days brought quite a bit of adventure — small boat tour of Ink’s Lake, big tourist boat trip on nearby Lake Buchanan (” . . . this is Texas, Honey. It’s pronounced buck-CANnon. Don’t forget.”).  We froze in Longhorn Cavern.  We found magic, and five-foot catfish, at Hamilton Pool.  The catfish were larger than James, but he took great delight in watching them in the bottom of the supernaturally-clear pool.

Hamilton Pool, near the Pedernales River – photo by Reid Sullivan during drought conditions 1/2/2006, via Wikipedia

Both boys got great at camping, both had long periods with Boy Scouts after YMCA Guides (Kenny got Life; James got Eagle).  I think both of them got the fishing merit badge with help from the Mighty Fisher, Eddie Cline.  We have thousands of photos, lots of great memories, and for our family, it started with that trip to Ink’s Lake.

The good stuff all started with fishing.

More:

• Drought Gobbles Up Texas Turkey Hunt (scientificamerican.com)
• Local teen bags biggest gator ever caught in Texas (khou.com)
• Bobcat, not mountain lion, snatched San Antonio dog (khou.com)

Birdbrains, in Canyonlands National Park

From Canyonlands NP Facebook page: “View from the Maze: A pair of Bewick’s Wrens makes a nest in the brain cavity of an old bull’s skull. Where bovine ruminations once roamed a quick feathered flickering now prevails. If your skull ended up in a tree what species of bird would you like your brain cavity to host? (GC)”

Years ago in the Salt Lake Valley my sister Annette had a home on Wren Road.

One day she and a friend watched birds scurrying all over the property, plucking nesting materials.  “I wonder what kind of birds those are,” my sister said.

“Did you ever wonder why they named it ‘Wren Road?’” her friend replied.

If you want your bird watching friends to think you’re experienced at it, remember Bewick’s, as in “Bewick’s wren,”  is pronounced like the automobile, “Buick’s.”

More:

• The massive Canyonlands (usaparkstour.wordpress.com)
• Bird watchin & then there’s bird watchin! (theoriginalfairycakes.wordpress.com)
• Mesa Arch, Canyonlands (photography.nationalgeographic.com)
• Daybreak in Canyonlands by Marc Perrella (500px.com)
• Avid birder boy, 12, boasts 371 species spotted (cbc.ca)
• You’re Such a Birdbrain! – Why Thank You! (bloggerheadseaturtle.wordpress.com)
• “Occasional Tuesday Tweet:  Wren on the rose, Bewick’s or Carolina?” (Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub)

Waiting for Comet Godot

Comet Pan-STARRS?

I just can’t see it.

The past two evenings, when it was supposed to be visible, we couldn’t find it.  Maddeningly, others have great photos of the thing.

Here’s a photo of where it was supposed to be the evening of March 12.  Nice sliver of a Moon.

A view to the west over south Grand Prairie, Texas, showing the sliver of the new Moon, but a no-show Comet Pan-STARRS, March 12, 2013. Photo by Ed, Kathryn and Peanut.

We watched for over an hour, from just after the Sun’s winking out in a blaze of orange (Texas dust and DFW smog).  We were shooting without a tripod, and so it was difficult to capture just how thin was the line of the Moon for a long time.  It was not a clear crescent, with mountains of the Moon providing jagged lines that glistened like a crystal glass necklace.  Longer exposures revealed the comet to other observers in other places, but not to us.  Perched as we were right on the edge of the Austin Chalk Escarpment, we were joined by a dozen or so others who hoped to see the comet, or who were just putting their BMX bikes away.

A more detailed, and grainy, shot of the Moon (with no comet):

Eventually the Moon stated its presence, but still no Comet Pan-STARRS, on March 12, 2013. Looking west over Grand Prairie, Texas.  (Yeah, probably would have been a much better photo if not handheld.)

Here’s a photo of where it was supposed to be last night, the evening of March 13.

On March 13, Comet Pan -STARRS rode directly underneath the Moon; it’s invisible in this longer exposure, though you can see the streaking lights of a jetliner flying out of DFW International Airport under the Moon.

It’s like waiting for Godot.  Waiting for Comet Godot.

Quoting from SamuellBeckett.net:
ESTRAGON:  People are bloody ignorant apes.  He rises painfully, goes limping to extreme left, halts, gazes into distance off with his hand screening his eyes, turns, goes to extreme right, gazes into distance. Vladimir watches him, then goes and picks up the boot, peers into it, drops it hastily.
VLADIMIR:  Pah!He spits. Estragon moves to center, halts with his back to auditorium.
ESTRAGON:  Charming spot. (He turns, advances to front, halts facing auditorium.)
Inspiring prospects. (He turns to Vladimir.)
Let’s go.
VLADIMIR:  We can’t.
ESTRAGON:  Why not?
VLADIMIR:  We’re waiting for Godot.
ESTRAGON:  (despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You’re sure it was here?
VLADIMIR:  What?
ESTRAGON:  That we were to wait.
VLADIMIR:  He said by the tree. (They look at the tree.) Do you see any others?
ESTRAGON:  What is it?
VLADIMIR:  I don’t know. A willow.
ESTRAGON:  Where are the leaves?
VLADIMIR:

It must be dead.

 

More:

• NightSkyHunter version of how to find comets in 2013
• SpaceWeather.com forecast for March 13, 2013
• A Guide to Help You See Comet PANSTARRS at its Brightest (universetoday.com)
• Astrophotos: Comet PANSTARRS Meets the Crescent Moon (universetoday.com)
• Moon and comet pair up for a stellar show (photoblog.nbcnews.com)
• Expect near perfect skies for viewing Comet PanSTARRS from Houston (chron.com)
• Moon pairs up with Comet PanSTARRS for big show (photoblog.nbcnews.com)
• Look for Comet PanSTARRS near the crescent moon in western skies (science.nbcnews.com)
• Another chance to catch the moon and Comet PANSTARRS on March 13 (earthsky.org)
• Update: Comet PanSTARRS Makes Its Northern Hemisphere Debut (universetoday.com)
• McKellen and Stewart Will Bring Pinter and Beckett to Broadway in the Fall (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)

Other photographers found Comet Pan-STARRS. This photo comes via SpaceWeather.com. ” Brian Klimowski sends this picture from the countryside near Flagstaff, Arizona . . . ‘Beautiful show this evening!’ says Klimowski. ‘I took the photo from an altitude of about 9500 feet in the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. A 1-second exposure with my Canon digital camera easily revealed the comet.’” Photo details: Canon 7D, 125 mm, 1s @ F/5.6. ISO 1250

 

Backyard birds: Goldfinch at the feeder

No, he’s not particularly gold — but this is winter, and if he’s going to get his breeding plumage, it will come in a couple of weeks.

We’ve had Niger thistle seed feeders out for years; this year one goldfinch (Spinus tristis) finally started to visit.  We’ve had as many as four at a time — but they’re probably headed north soon.

Here’s a shot of our first guest, from a couple of weeks ago.

A goldfinch male, checking out the feeder before bringing in his buddies — we hope.

If you’re north of Dallas, and you see this guy at your feeder this summer, tell him “hello” from us.

The non-breeding plumage isn’t so flashy as the bright yellow of the breeding males.  Some of the finches settle in to a beautiful, smooth olive-drab livery for much of the winter.  Close up, they look like good pen-ink-drawings by a master artist.

More:

• FOR THE BIRDS: Signs of Spring (courierpress.com)
• Looking for the Details (kestrelsmusings.wordpress.com)
• American Goldfinch – the Vegetarian (mentalhealthed.com)
• Goldfinches eating well (mysanantonio.com)
• For National Bird Feeding Month in February, Just Feed Birds and Make a World of Difference (prweb.com)
• The Arctic Tern, American Goldfinch, and Me (becomingnotbecame.org)
• So How Beneficial is Feeding Backyard Birds? (gardenwalkgardentalk.com)

How to tell Scouts are coming for dinner

Scouts coming for dinner – Dutch ovens ready for duty at Wisdom Trail District Outdoor Leader training, Camp Wisdom, Circle 10 Council BSA, March 9, 2013.

Dutch ovens lined up for duty is a tell that Scouts and Scouters are expected for dinner, aren’t they?

More:

• Bacon, garlic team up for ultimate roast chicken (triblive.com)
• Stout Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage (survivingthefoodallergyapocalypse.wordpress.com)
• Recipe of the Week: Buffalo Chili (because the things we do with ducks are classified) (thewellnessalmanac.com)
• eat :: dutch oven enchiladas (jamieofalltrades.org)
• Braised Not-So-Short Short Ribs with Hominy Stew from A New Turn in the South (thismamacooks.com)
• Slow Cooker vs. Dutch Oven: A Conversion Guide (williams-sonoma.com)
• How to Clean a Cast Iron Pan: Tips & Tricks (ifyoucanread.com)
• Family Camping Tips (familyontravel.com)
• Camp Wisdom, Circle 10 Council, BSA (one of the nation’s better urban Scout camps)
• Dutch oven cooking Getting Started Guide, Scouting Magazine 2009
• Mike Audleman’s Dutch Oven Cooking, 1990, reposted at the U.S. Scouting Service Project
• Dutch oven recipes, and recipes for all Scout levels, Tiger to Eagle, at Boy Scout Trail
• Dutch over recipes at Scoutarama
• What you need for dutch oven cooking, at ScoutmasterCG
• Scout’s Guide to Beginning Dutch Oven Cooking, Troop 626, Houston, Texas
• Dutch Oven Care and Use (with recipes), Troop 780, Dunn, North Carolina

Maine Boy Scout gets hero’s award; saved two from drowning in hotel pool

A feel good story, reprinted from the website of the Bangor (Maine) Daily News:

Portland Boy Scout earns rare award after saving two from drowning

By Seth Koenig, BDN Staff
Follow on Twitter Find on Facebook

Posted Feb. 18, 2013, at 4:44 p.m.
Last modified Feb. 19, 2013, at 8:48 a.m.

PORTLAND, Maine — Parker Montano, 15, was in a hotel pool surrounded by about 20 other swimming and splashing youths when one, weighing almost 200 pounds, grabbed onto him and pulled him under in a panic.

Boy Scout Parker Montano of Portland, Maine; photo by Peter Montano

Now, seven months later, the Portland Boy Scout will receive one of the organization’s most rarely given honors after saving that boy and another girl moments later at the same pool.

Montano, a Cheverus High School sophomore from South Portland, will receive the Boy Scouts of America’s Heroism Award during a ceremony in Portland on Feb. 28. Montano belongs to Troop 1 in Portland.

“This is a big deal,” Troop 1 scoutmaster John Hume told the BDN Monday. “The kids are always taught first aid and rescue techniques. Most of us take CPR, and most of us never use it. Parker was able to put his training to use when people needed it most. You need to make a conscious choice to act [in a situation like the one Montano faced], when realizing full well that everybody’s going to be watching you. … Parker took action, and that takes a level of courage that’s not common.”

Montano was on vacation with his family last July when the incidents occurred. He was swimming in the deep end of a hotel pool in New Jersey when the larger boy grabbed onto him, according to a news release issued Monday by the local Boy Scouts unit.

“The pool did not have a lifeguard,” the release reads. “Both boys went underwater momentarily, and on resurfacing, the boy told Parker he couldn’t swim. Parker used rescue techniques learned in Boy Scouts to take control over the larger boy and get him to safety.”

Montano was still catching his breath at the side of the pool when he was called into action again. A woman at the scene began screaming that her daughter had gone underwater without resurfacing.

“Parker scanned the pool and located the approximately 12-year-old girl,” the Troop 1 account of the incident reads. “He swam to the girl and dove to rescue her. He pulled her to the surface and swam her to the side of the pool, to waiting adults. The girl began coughing and was able to start breathing again.”

Montano said in a statement his reaction to the two pleas for help was “like an impulse.”

“It seemed like what was right at the moment,” he said. “My mind processed it later. The fear dawned on you over what happened, and then there was a sense of relief that you were there and could help.”

The Boy Scouts of America’s Heroism Award was given to 155 of the organization’s roughly 2.7 million members in 2012. That means fewer than one out of every 17,000 scouts earned the award last year. Hume said when the Feb. 28 ceremony takes place, it will be the first time he’s seen one awarded in his 40 years involved with scouting.

“[Parker] believes there is good in the world and sometimes it needs a helping hand,” Peter Montano, Parker’s father, said in the release. “I have never been so proud of my son.”

Parker Montano is pursuing Eagle Scout status, one of the highest levels attainable in the organization. He also is an accomplished runner who is scheduled to represent Maine as part of the East Central Conference cross country team in an international meet in Australia this summer, the Troop 1 release stated.

Morals to the story:  Post a lifeguard when you swim (do not swim alone); if you have a choice, swim with Boy Scouts around who can pull you out if you get into trouble.

BSA awarded 66 honor medals and 155 other heroism medals in 2012; I know of no list of the awardees.  Does anyone keep such history?

More:

• Report in the Portland Daily Sun
• Report in the The Forecaster of Greater Portland, Maine; “Afterwards, it kind of just hit me,” he said. “I was perhaps the only person in the pool who was suited to carry them out.”
• Other almost-recent heroism awards:  West Orange (New Jersey) Times, story about Brian Boatright’s difficult hike to save an adult leader who had suffered a heart attack on the trail; KSTP report on 3rd-grade, Cub Scout Cooper Corbo’s rescue of a toddler from a precarious ledge.
• Troop 1 and Crew 1 of Portland, Maine, are sponsored by the Stevens Avenue Congregational Church

Are you tougher than a Boy Scout?

Every kid should have an opportunity to do this stuff. This promises to show Scouting in its better works.

What do you think?

Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout, On the National Geographic Channel starting March 4, 2013 at 8PM eastern time.

More: 

Advertisement for Are You Tougher Than A Boy Scout, Naitonal Geographic Channel

• Don’t miss the ‘Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?’ website, new trailer (scoutingmagazine.org)
• Are You Tougher Than A Boy Scout? (boyslife.org)
• National Geographic Resists Calls to Place Disclaimer On `Are You Tougher Than A Boy Scout?’ (ahgksmo.wordpress.com)
• Portland Boy Scout earns rare award after saving two from drowning (bangordailynews.com)
• Boy Sout executive gives Fort Worth dinner audience something to chew on (star-telegram.com)
• Backpacker’s Blaze mention of the new program
• National Geographic Channel site for the program (episode descriptions, photos, and, at some future date, video)

Backyard birds: A convention of white-winged doves

The white dove was a short-lived interlude; the white-winged doves seem to be with us constantly.

One family in 2011; two families in 2012 — and our yard isn’t that big.

A very early version of the birds who visited, befriended, and plagued Snoopy — this drawing, while faithful to Shultz’s work, was done by another artist.

Earlier this week I looked out, and it looked like the early “Peanuts” comic strip when Snoopy opened his dog house to a group of pigeon-like birds for their poker game.  The birds took advantage of Snoopy’s largesse, and nearly over-ran him.  (Woodstock was a product of that flock of birds, the last remaining vestige by Charles Shultz‘s death.)

At least they didn’t drink our beer and try to make off with the Picasso.

White-winged doves are really too big for any of our feeders — but what are you going to tell a rampaging herd of them? Photos by Ed Darrell – use encouraged with attribution.

Enough doves to frighten Alfred Hitchcock — Two of these birds is too many for either side of this feeding station. How many do you see here?

Not enough room for all, and so they jostle and push each other off the feeders. See the display of the white stripe on the wings of one of our subjects here, from which the species gets its name.

Blue jays enforce the “too-long-or-too-many-at-the-feeder” rules here, but they can be distracted by peanuts put out by neighbors.  In any case, they were absent when we needed them.

We used to have mourning doves, but at some point in the last five years this bunch pushed them out.  We may be the only ones on the block who noticed.  (Yes, it’s “mourning” dove; Duncanville’s having misspelled it on “Morning Dove Lane” is their error.)

More:

• White-winged doves at All About Birds (Cornell University’s ornithology site)
• Contrast with mourning doves
• National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat program (get your yard certified!)

Occasional Tuesday tweet: Wren on the rose, Bewick’s or Carolina?

I’ve been calling these guys Bewick’s wrens (Thryomanes bewickii) for a couple of years, based on an identification I made a couple of years ago — but checking today to be sure, I’m thinking this is a Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) instead.

In any case, a couple of days ago it paused for a few minutes in our backyard rose arbor, long enough I could try to get a good shot with just a 200mm telephoto, and with colors dulled by the window.

Wren in the rose arbor — ruddy color suggests it’s a Carolina wren, but I’ve been calling it a Bewick’s wren; pausing for its photo on Inauguration Day – Photo by Ed Darrell

Bewick’s wrens probably have more grey on their bellies; this one looks ruddy enough to be a Carolina wren.  (I just learned “Bewick’s” is pronounced like “Buicks.”)

Wrens stick around all winter now; they didn’t just over a decade ago.  This family has been with us for at least three years — two young this year successfully fledged.  By now it’s almost impossible to tell which are the young, which the parents.

Gulf fritillary butterfly on blue porterweed — a few feet from the rose arbor where the wren posed, but months apart. Photo: Ed Darrell

On our patio we have a saga continuing with Gulf fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanillae), their larva, and passion vine.  It seems our neighbors eradicated passion vine, so when the frits start moving north in the spring, they find our passion vines as the only ones in town.  The females go nuts laying eggs, and at some point we have a surplus of larva who denude the vines in a week.  Late hatching larva probably die off.

The butterfly books suggest that we cull the larva, but we don’t have the heart.  At some point in the spring the wrens wake up to the issue, and they cull the larva for us.  The vines recover, a new wave of frits hatch out, and the cycle begins again.  From June through September, the passion vine loses any leaves it puts out within 48 hours, usually.  But the wrens probably eat well.

The wrens seem never to perch where we can see them when they sing.  I suspect these little guys of having a much better voice than most wrens, but the great arpeggios I hear may be another bird, perhaps a warbler, that I just don’t know (good reason to go spend time at the local Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, yes?).

More:

• All About Birds bird guide, from the Ornithology Lab at Cornell University
• Carolina Wren at National Geographic site;
• Bewick’s wren vs. Carolina wren, article at Cornell
• Nature Writers of Texas, “Bewick’s Wren, our Second Breeding Wren”
• Tom Munson’s wren gallery of photographs

Light pollution-free area, near Little Snake River, Colorado

Take a look at this sunset shot:

Sunset on BLM land near the Little Snake River, in northwest Colorado. Photo by Shannon Diszmang, via Royal Gorge National Recreation Area.

Note from America’s Great Outdoors blog:

Earlier this year, the Royal Gorge Recreation Area staff had a photo contest on their Facebook page and here is one of the great photos that was submitted. Here’s what photographer, Shannon Diszmang, had to say about it.

“This is BLM land in Northwest Colorado (Little Snake River district). I fell in love with this place. The red haze in this photo is the smoke coming from the wildfires on the west coast at the time. This is one of the lowest light pollution spots in our state which makes star gazing the absolute best.”

So, if you’re nearby, and you want a good place to look at the Geminid meteor shower tonight, odds are high there will be little light pollution here.  If there aren’t many clouds, you’re in luck.

More:

• New Earth at night images reveal global light pollution problem (phys.org)
• U.S. Light Pollution Captured in Stunning New Satellite Images (Video) (ecorazzi.com)
• Colorado: Snowmaking impacts Snake River flows (summitcountyvoice.com)
• Light Pollution May Actually Help Some Migratory Birds (treehugger.com)

P.S.: The stunningly beautiful photo above is NOT the winner of the photo contest(!).  BLM wrote in a November press release:

CAÑON CITY, Colo. – Today the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office announced the winners of its BLM-sponsored photo contest.  The two winners were decided by the public via the RGFO’s Facebook page: one winner is based on the most “likes” and the other is based on the most “shares.” Only those “likes” and “shares” that originated from the Royal Gorge Facebook page were tallied towards a winner.

Chris Nelson’s photo was the most “liked” and is a scenic shot taken from Chaffee County Road 175 between Cañon City and Salida. Nelson’s photo received 64 “likes.”

The most “shared” photo was submitted by David Madone and portrayed several deer in an alfalfa field near Cañon City. Madone’s photo received 20 shares.

Both photos will be featured on the RGFO’s Facebook page throughout November and may be featured in future BLM Colorado publications and social media sites.

The photo contest began Oct. 2 and ended Nov. 4 with more than 60 photos submitted. All the photos that were entered into the contest may be viewed via the “Photo Contest” album on the RGFO’s Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/BLMRoyalGorge

Yeah, were I you, I’d go see what the winners looked like.

Sometimes beauty is in the timing . . . Capitol Reef National Park

Long-time Scout friend Hal Rosen said he caught some good photos here, too — but none at this precise moment:

Temple of the Sun, Capitol Reef NP, photo by Mike Saemisch, October 29, 2012

First you must get to Capitol Reef National Park, in Utah — one of Utah’s unfairly large number of five National Parks.  Then you take your “high-clearance vehicle” (not necessarily 4-wheel drive) out on the dirt roads in Cathedral Valley, and you hope for a crystal blue sky like this one.  Then you happen to get there just as the sun is right at the peak of the formation . . .

You had to be there.  Mike Saemisch was there just over a week ago, on October 29, 2012, and fortunately caught this photograph with the Sun as part of a sparkling spire on a sandstone formation known as the Temple of the Sun.

Digital photography changes the way one tours these places.  Fortunately.  Take the kids, and make sure they find it on a map so they can use your trip as fodder for their 9th grade geography class.

More:

• See Hal’s photos here, at his blog.  He’s also got posts on Bryce Canyon NP and Kodachrome Basin State Park, with Grosvenor Arch, named after the father of our old friend Gil Grosvenor.  Kodachrome, alas, is a thing of the past, killed by digital photography.  Be sure to take a good digital camera and a clear memory chip when you go, to honor the name of the place, and the Grosvenors (of National Geographic Society fame).  Kathryn and I spent great night as one of only two groups camping in Kodachrome Basin, near the height of tourist season in August, in the 1980s.  We got there in a Chrysler Cordoba; better to use at least an SUV.
• Capitol Reef Rock Art (regehr.org)
• Canyons upon Canyons – Capital Reef National Park, UT (travelpod.com)
• A sudden breakdown in southern Utah (sfgate.com)
• The Big Picture: A Road Somewhere (motortrend.com)
• Picture a Day #286 – Highway 95 Adventure (jmnaszady.wordpress.com)
• Photos from Brian M, who did not have a high-clearance vehicle, but could still get 11 miles into this drive

• A different angle, at a different time, by Scott Jarvie:  “A 3.5hr timelapse taken late on a cloudy night at the Temple of the Moon with the Temple of the Sun in the background. March 17, 2012.”