Backpacker Photo School: Continuous Shooting

Sometimes it's hard to capture a photo of exactly the right moment in time. Get the best shot, by shooting on continuous mode. Keep reading to learn how.

Pictures with a bunch of people jumping are so fun to make and show off, but it can be a challenge to get that moment when everyone's in the air. If your friends lack coordination, this technique won't help. If the problem is knowing when to press the shutter though, here’s the way to do it. Set your camera to the continuous shooting or burst mode. Push the shutter button before takeoff, and hold until the jump is over, and you’ll get a selection of shots to choose from.

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Friday, September 03, 2010 in: Backpacker Photo School
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Ask A Bear: Can Wasp Spray Repel You?

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Q: Would wasp spray, with increased range and a narrow stream for accuracy, be a good bear deterrent as opposed to the regular pepper spray?—Steve Ridings, via email

A: Jeez, sometimes I think people just loooove coming up with new ways to make me have a bad day. Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010 in: Ask a Bear, Nature and Wildlife
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NY Times: Wilderness Isn't Safe

Northwest Editor Michael Lanza refutes a recent NYT opinion column decrying safety hazards of federal wilderness areas

The author's 9-year-old son Nate confronts danger on the Grand Canyon's East Tonto Trail.

This story hot off the presses at the New York Times: The wilderness isn’t safe.

I occasionally stumble upon an article about the outdoors in the mainstream media that reflects such a shockingly uninformed perspective that I wonder if the author has ever set foot on unpaved earth. The latest laugher is this Aug. 26 opinion piece in, of all places, that pillar of responsible journalism, the Times. In it, author Ted Stroll argues that American wilderness just isn’t safe.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010 in: News and Events
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Tree Jumping

Crazy fun for the crazy crazy.

Mix one part Jackass, one part John Muir, remove any sense of introspection, and run the self-preservation instinct through the wood chipper and you've got tree jumping. Let these young chap demonstrate:


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Monday, August 30, 2010 in: Funny and Weird
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Airwolf and the Grand Canyon

Do tourist-packed helicopters have a place in the Big Ditch's soundscape?

 Rewind yourself to the mid 1980’s, and I’ll spin you a yarn about a little show called Airwolf. For the uninitiated, Airwolf was about as killer of a weekly action show as you can imagine (Yes, better even than the Hoff as Michael Knight in “Knight Rider”). 

Here’s the basic premise: Some bad guys do some bad stuff, and the Airwolf team deploys from a militarized crater somewhere; then, through unlikely physics and a good dose of luck, manages to outrun fighter jets, missiles, and the bad guys’ comically maligned efforts to hit the chopper with surface-to-surface artillery. Airwolf always wins. Never forget that.

But today, Airwolf maybe not. The National Parks Conservation Association, a non-profit, non-governmental advocacy organization, just released its report for the Grand Canyon detailing the myriad things that must (or must not) occur for the Canyon to retain it’s unspoiled natural beauty and soundscape. High up on this 80-page starry-eyed wishlist: limiting air traffic. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, August 26, 2010 in: News and Events
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Beerpong! Kamakaze Cycling! Waterslides! Running! Guacamole and Cupcakes!

Team BACKPACKER does it all on Merrell’s Oyster Racing Series in Denver

Dearest Merrell,

Thanks for the invitation to race in your Oyster Racing Series. We really had a blast. This urban adventure race of yours is like one part Primal Quest and three parts Amazing Race, but way shorter and, if i do say so, surely more fun. Our team of Jon Dorn, Katie Herrel, and myself had a Primal Quest, an Xterra, a couple 24 Hours of Moabs, a handful of Balance Bar 24 and Hi-Tec Adventure Races (remember those?), and dozens of running events and centuries between us, so we were extremely under-prepared for what a good time you had in store.

Here’s a peek at our conversation at our Monday morning meeting:
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Thursday, August 26, 2010 in: News and Events, Weird and Funny
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Ask A Bear: Which Park Has the Most Attacks?

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Q: I've heard that Glacier National Park is known for the most bear attacks in the U.S. Is that true?—Kathy Walter, via email

A: What is it with you people and attacks? Can't you just admire me for my majestic, uncompromising physical beauty? Fine, I get it—you love me because of the claws, teeth, insane power, etc., so I'll answer your question. Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010 in: Ask a Bear, Nature and Wildlife
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'127 Hours' Trailer Debuts

Danny Boyle's adaptation of Aron Ralston story shows glimpses of beautiful deserts, high adventure, and that famous rock

Danny Boyle's adaptation of the Aron Ralston story, 127 Hours, debuted at OR, and now it's finally hit the Internets. In it, we see pretty much what you might expect: James Franco as Ralston charming his way through beautiful red sandstone country, showcasing reckless outdoor abandon, and then that whole thing with the boulder.

There are a couple of surprises, though: I can't recall Ralston's busy rave career, and I sure as heck don't remember him going into Blue John Canyon with two cute girls. (Maybe that's wishful retroactive thinking on Ralston's part). Check it out: Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010 in: News and Events, Survival
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Yellowstone Bears Are Hungry

A whitebark pine shortage has rangers worried about increased grizzly-human interactions

This has been the deadliest season for human-bear interactions in Yellowstone already (two mauling deaths so far), and biologists worry that it could get worse. There's a scarcity of nuts from whitebark pine trees, which squirrels usually bury in caches that get raided by hungry grizzlies eager to put on fat to survive the winter. Without these abundant sources of fat and protein, researchers worry that bears might get desperate and bold around people.  Right now they're offering ominous advice:

"Pack your bear spray: there's going to be run-ins," said grizzly researcher Chuck Schwartz with the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife
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The Last Man On Earth

Brazilian officials create 31-square-mile wilderness zone around sole surviving member of uncontacted tribe

Les Stroud and Bear Grylls, you've just been beaten as the ultimate survivor. Somewhere deep in the Amazon of Brazil, a man hunts in the bush and beds down in a series of palm-thatched huts, the sole remaining member of his tribe. Government officials estimate he's in his late 40s—they discovered him when logging companies threatening to destroy his area of forest began spreading rumors of a wild man in the woods. They tried to initiate contact in order to protect him—he responded by shooting an agent in the chest with an arrow. Read Full Story...

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Monday, August 23, 2010 in: News and Events, Survival
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