Searching for "Weird_and_Funny"

Believe It: Albino Redwoods

Henry Cowell State Park holds an intriguing botanical oddity: albino redwood trees

Nature generally has no trouble inspiring sci-fi or horror movies (Jaws, anyone?), but inspiration from the plant kingdom usually falls short; last time I checked, Swamp Thing and Little Shop of Horrors surely didn't improve with age.

The latest isn't scary, but it could inspire a sort of lyrical, moody film like Solaris. Henry Cowell State Park in California hosts the extremely rare albino redwood (perhaps as few as 28 specimens), and while they don't grow to great white hulks in the forest, they do spring ghost-like out of burls and nurse logs. Check it: Read Full Story...

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Monday, February 28, 2011 in: Nature and Wildlife, Weird and Funny
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Friday Video: Falling Off A Cliff

Skier Stefan Ager takes a mighty whipper off a steep slope--and captures it all on video

Who out there has hiked or skied right next to the bleeding edge of a precipice and wondered what it was like to fall off? If you haven't, you're lying. Usually we dispel those thoughts after a few seconds of stomach somersaults, but if you're still curious, skier Stefan Ager went and toppled off a cliff with his headcam on. Yikes:



He stood up at the end and seems fine, but he revealed two things:

1) That took way longer than I expected, and
2) He should've ended his day at the casino.

Eep.

—Ted Alvarez

via Adventure Life
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Friday, February 25, 2011 in: Survival, Weird and Funny
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Five Friends, Five Weeks: Paddling From Vancouver to Alaska

Five friends with minimal kayaking experience take five weeks to kayak from Vancouver, B.C., to Alaska, stoking wanderlust dreams for everyday Adventure Joes and Janes everywhere

No Experience Required_Full HQ from StuntBeaver Productions on Vimeo.

Five Canadian friends decided to make a small dream come true and kayak from Vancouver to Alaska in one five-week push—never mind that only one of them had much kayaking experience. They succeeded—and they made this cute short film. It's in need of some editing, but it's still great fodder for stoking your summer-adventure dream machine, and making it real.

Besides, we can think of way worse things to do in a kayak with no experience.

—Ted Alvarez

via The Goat
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011 in: Destinations, News and Events, Weird and Funny
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Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Banff Edition

SI takes athlete models to Canada's marquee national park

This year, Sports Illustrated skipped the sandy beaches and palm trees in favor of Doug firs, glaciers, and 10,000-foot peaks. The magazine chose to shoot three athlete models in Banff National Park, Canada. Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011 in: News and Events, Weird and Funny
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Bear Scared By Country Music

Colorado wildlife officials shoo a napping black bear out from under a hospital with blaring music--country music, obviously.

Bears: All that fur, teeth, and claws, and all it takes to scare one away is a little blaring country music. Colorado Division of Wildlife specialists chose to use this method to spook a bear who'd taken up residence beneath housing on Boulder Community Hospital property. 

They discovered the bear when a plumber checking pipes underneath the residence heard a growl and shined his light on a waking bruin. Read Full Story...

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Tuesday, February 08, 2011 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife, Weird and Funny
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As Bad As It Sounds: Mountaintop Removal

Vice TV releases a free documentary on environmentally devastating mountaintop removal practices in West Virginia's coal industry

In BACKPACKER's March Issue, contributing editor Tracy Ross followed the evangelical environmental movement as they fought against mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia ("Hike. Pray. Protest." p. 80).

Now VBS TV is webcasting a documentary investigating mountaintop removal, and it's worth a watch. Hipster-host smugness aside, it's a solid primer for what's at stake, and well worth the 20 minutes you'd otherwise blow playing Angry Birds. Read Full Story...

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Monday, February 07, 2011 in: News and Events, Environment and Green Living, Weird and Funny
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Happy International Year of Forests!

National Forest Service and the U.N. join forces to celebrate worldwide forests

Exactly how does one celebrate International Year of Forests? Do you hug a tree? (Too obvious.) Plant a tree? (Earth day's got that one.) Build trails in a forest? (A year's a long time to lug a pulaski.) 

Luckily, the U-to-tha-S.F.S. has your back: They kicked off a year's worth of events with an all-star gala at New York's Lincoln Center.  Obama called in sick (stupid economy), but Forest Service honcho Tom Tidwell led a "high-profile roundtable discussion on 'Forests for people.'" Ahem. Read Full Story...

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Friday, February 04, 2011 in: News and Events, Environment and Green Living, Weird and Funny
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Ski Madness: Grinding the Lift Line

Antoine Montant blows minds by skiing/flying down Chamonix and grinding a chairlift on the way down. Whoah.

The best part of BACKPACKER's Fall gear Guide—other than having an excuse to ski for work—is getting to cover the nuttier sides of backcountry skiing. Take for instance Frenchy Antoine Montant, who decides flying down Chamonix isn't impressive enough; he then grinds his way down a tram line. Jebus.



Well, that's one way to show the lift line who's boss.

—Ted Alvarez

via The Goat
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Thursday, February 03, 2011 in: News and Events, Weird and Funny
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Would A Bear Buy This Back Scratcher?

Balloon Boy's father, Richard Heene, returns with the Bear Scratch

The obvious answer is no: I wouldn't buy a Bear Scratch because let's face it, I've got a million trees to choose from, whenever I want. But that's not going to stop you humans from trying. To wit, Richard Heene, (in)famous father of Balloon Boy Falcon, has decided to make another grab for the spotlight with his Patent-Pending Bear Scratch. And yes, it's essentially a piece of glazed wood with brackets to attach to your house. 

But don't take it from me—let a terrifyingly exuberant Heene explain this high-tech gadget in this video: Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 28, 2010 in: News and Events, Weird and Funny, Ask A Bear
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Video: Birds Destroy Campsite

A group of hungry "flying devils" completely dismantle a nature film crew's camp on the Falkland Islands

OK, remind me never to camp in the Falkland Islands—lest I incur the wrath of the striated caracara. Also known as the "Johnny Rook" bird or simply the "flying devils," these hyper-intelligent birds of prey are famous for tearing up anything in their path in search of food. Even scarier, they're completely fearless of humans. A National Geographic crew filming on the Falkland Islands learned this the hard way, and wisely stepped aside. Luckily, they left the cameras running. Watch 'em go Hitchcock on their tent setup: Read Full Story...

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Monday, October 25, 2010 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife, Weird and Funny
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