ZapperZ's Great Outdoors Photo Contest

[fuzzyfelt]

How fantastic!

 

[Andy Resnick]

Some pictures from this past weekend, climbing some fun ice formations on the bluffs overlooking Lake Superior:

Excellent!

 

[Andre]

Just wanted to share this one, it's unsuitable for the landmark game.

It is not a fantasy cyber pic from some game, it's real

 

[Gokul43201]

I am green with envy. I think I will call Marzena to take a picture for the contest.

How fantastic!

Excellent!

I can understand the envy, but I should probably mention that all these activities come with a little potential for injury (or worse). I've generally been a careful outdoorsman, and have managed to go several months at a time with negligible damage, but this past week has been less fortunate. The weekend gave me a fat lip, a bruised chin, a tender ear and a bump on the side of my head (which would have been a whole lot worse, if not for my awesome helmet) from trying a somewhat tricky climb. And last night, I dislocated my shoulder (not too severely, I hope - I was able to pop it back into place fairly easily) while skiing down a somewhat icy hill.

But despite the occasional bang-up, the experiences are so worth it.

 

[redpenguin]

Cute creature.. maybe if I get some time I'll show you guys what this little bugger did to my porch swing. I hope he's warm right now.

 

[Borek]

the occasional bang-up

I would say that's part of the joy. Just not too much.

 

[Gokul43201]

I would say that's part of the joy.

Agreed. You're green with envy; I'm black and blue with joy! =)

 

[turbo]

Agreed. You're green with envy; I'm black and blue with joy! =)

When I threw myself into white-water kayaking, I wound up being black and blue with some regularity. I ditched the larger kayaks in favor of a low-volume squirt boat with sharp rails. Low volume means low buoyancy, and when you're running very heavy white-water (lots of air bubbles), the water gives you even less buoyancy. Flip in heavy rapids, and you have even less "purchase" on the water with your paddle, so it's tougher to execute a roll unless you are very experienced. All this with boulders whizzing by your head (hopefully whizzing by, anyway), upside down in heavy rapids. I returned home from time to time with a couple of dings, sore muscles, bruises, etc. Still, it was so much fun that I wouldn't trade it for any other outdoor hobby. I enjoyed Alpine and Nordic skiing, technical rock-climbing, hiking, climbing mountains, etc, but white-water kayaking was tops!

 

[rhody]

but white-water kayaking was tops!

Turbo,

hehe, maybe for you, but I must say that riding a bike (motorized) at a spirited pace does it for me, one post Rhody... over and out of this thread...

 

[Astronuc]

http://squashfalconer.com/everest.shtml

http://www.summitclimb.com/new/default.asp?vid=789&ltitle=Mount Everest Foundation News&mtype=smenu

 

[rhody]

http://squashfalconer.com/everest.shtml

http://www.summitclimb.com/new/default.asp?vid=789&ltitle=Mount Everest Foundation News&mtype=smenu

Astro,

Interesting story, I admire those who follow their dreams (see thumbnail of Squash) quite an amazing story. I admit as a kid Everest did hold some allure which sadly for me today does not exist. I prefer truly wild places, ignored or as yet undiscovered by "the masses". The ascent of Everest (South Col Route) well worn, with discarded trash, oxygen bottles and un-recovered bodies, and fixed ropes is a turn-off, for me anyway. I must have been spoiled somewhere along the way, having hiked to some fairly remote areas, being rewarded with the best unspoiled beauty nature has to offer, and feeling extremely humbled to do so.

Rhody...

 

[drizzle]

Nice rhody. :)

 

[rhody]

Nice rhody. :)

Thanks Drizzle, I wasn't expecting comments, but yours is most appreciated.

Rhody...

 

[Astronuc]

Someone sent me an email about 'amazing striped icebergs'. A search lead to Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/stripedicebergs.asp

http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/antarcticwave.asp

Actual icebergs are found on sites like NatGeo and the following:

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/antarctic-images/parliament-house-exhibitions/aurora-extraordinary-visions-of-antarctica-2006-exhibition/icebergs

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/antarctic-images/photo-gallery/icebergs-and-ice

 

[Borek]

Yesterday:

 

[Gokul43201]

Yesterday:

Image doesn't show up for me! Skiing?

 

[Borek]

Not enough snow for skiing. Can you see images in my other posts? I always post them exactly the same way, perhaps that's just some temporary problem.

 

[Gokul43201]

Can you see images in my other posts?

Yes, I can see your images (Marzena's too) from the photo contest threads.

 

[nismaratwork]

This is a great thread... I know someone who lives in a bit of the rural-suburban wilderenss... and has quite a few pictures of things ranging from turkys, a network fo chipmunk warrens, and soon... a HUUUUGE cardinal.

http://nancysnaturenook.wordpress.com/2009/10/

Clearly a novice photographer, but doing good stuff given some technical limits and the fickle nature of nature.

Turkey on stairs...

http://nancysnaturenook.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/img_0106.jpg

Distant Cardinal...

http://nancysnaturenook.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/cardinal.jpg

 

[Borek]

Yes, I can see your images (Marzena's too) from the photo contest threads.

There were capital letters and a dash in the name, perhaps that was source of the problems (but there is no trace of potential problems in my server logs). I have changed filename and modified both posts, perhaps it will be better now.

 

[Gokul43201]

I have changed filename and modified both posts, perhaps it will be better now.

Yes, it is. Thanks.

So what are we looking at? Is it a naturally bald hill or a ski mountain?

 

[Borek]

Not a ski mountain for sure, how natural - no idea. It is not very high, something like 700 meters above sea level (about 2000 feet), could be the forest was removed for farming. The picture is (intentionally) misleading - it was composed to avoid most traces of people. This one was taken about an hour or two later, in a different spot, and better shows how the area really looks like:

As you see it is not as wild as the first picture suggests.

Patches of snow were left only on northern slopes, and pictures were taken in different directions.

 

[nismaratwork]

Not a ski mountain for sure, how natural - no idea. It is not very high, something like 700 meters above sea level (about 2000 feet), could be the forest was removed for farming. The picture is (intentionally) misleading - it was composed to avoid most traces of people. This one was taken about an hour or two later, in a different spot, and better shows how the area really looks like:

As you see it is not as wild as the first picture suggests.

That is so beautiful, it takes my breath away; that stand of (birch?) in front of the conifers is a perfect segue from the sepia tones through red, to green. I think I like this more casual shot even more than the snowy ones.

 

[Borek]

Birches they are.

 

[nismaratwork]

Birches they are.

If that's where you live, you are a very lucky man.

 

[Borek]

No, I live about 400 km North, that was just a short trip.

 

[nismaratwork]

No, I live about 400 km North, that was just a short trip.

Close enough... I had no idea Poland was so... wild and... well... it looks a lot like New England, but more open and clean.

 

[Borek]

Search forums for our "Vacations in Poland" threads for more pictures.

 

[nismaratwork]

Search forums for our "Vacations in Poland" threads for more pictures.

Ooooohh, thanks Borek!

 

[AlephZero]

When I threw myself into white-water kayaking, I wound up being black and blue with some regularity.

Another way to get black and blue involving water - the annual "football" game played every Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and the following day in a local town.

The tradition is that this has been played for about 1000 years, though all the historical records was destroyed in a fire in about 1890, so nobody is quite sure. There are reliable accounts of it being played in the 17th century.

The population living either side of the river flowing through the middle of the town form the two teams. The ball is solid (a leather casing whcih is elaborately painted, and stuffed with cork chippings), and weighs about four pounds. The goals are two bridges over the river, about 3 miles apart. Each day's game lasts a maximum of 8 hours, finishing well after dark.The first team to score a goal wins, but if the game is won in less than 4 hours, a second game is started.

There are very few rules. It is basically an 8-hour scrum-down, with anything up to 500 people taking part. When somebody dies while playing, there is a one-minute silence before the start of the next game in their memory.

All shop windows etc in the center of the town are boarded up as protection, except for the pubs and bars which are open all day. Anything which gets in the way of the game does not survive. The police block roads as necessary to stop unsuspecting motorists having their cars torn apart, but otherwise keep a low profile!

2011 was one for the record books - the first time in 75 years that 4 goals were scored in one year.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/derby/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9419000/9419123.stm, and the links on that page.

 

[nismaratwork]

Wait... "shrove" is the past tense of "shrift" right?... How does that turn into pancakes?


Oh... the pubs... Oh, and "when somebody dies"... Good lord...

 

[Gokul43201]

This announcement is a bit late for some parts of the world, but in any case...

If you enjoy the outdoors, you should look into attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival. It is awesome! The Festival features a collection of the year's coolest outdoor films and documentaries and has showings around the world.

Tour dates for the US are mostly in March-April, though NYC had theirs in Feb, I think, as did most of Canada. Dates in Europe run from Feb through April. See (under Worl Tour) here for more info: http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainfestival/worldtour/

Promo video:

 

[Andy Resnick]

Took these this morning- I stopped down the lens as much as possible (f/20, f/22), which helped intensify the contrast. Sucks to be a tree in this weather...

[PLAIN]http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/2084/dsc4524.jpg

[PLAIN]http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4301/dsc4519g.jpg

and I call this one "Defiance". A clean background would be *much* better, but I'll take what I can get:

[PLAIN]http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/4636/dsc4525.jpg

 

[turbo]

Ah, forsythias in the snow. A common occurrence here - still a welcome sign of spring.

 

[nismaratwork]

Those are lovely pictures, but like Turbo-1 that's spring incoming right there!