man & nature # 188 ~ incredible, simply incredible

F***ing amazing • click to embiggenI've been looking at this picture - made by the wife - for about 5 days now and I still can't entirely wrap my head around it.

Last Tuesday AM while we were all waiting for Rachael Ray, Hugo picked up a double blade (kayak) paddle that coma-girl had used the evening before to paddle out to the site in a solo canoe - she's not very adept (getting better) with a single blade in a canoe. Hugo started mimicking a double blade paddling stroke so I suggested that he should give it a try in a canoe - our 12 ft. solo boat.

He said "no". I pushed a little more and he still said "no". I suggested that I would hold on to the canoe in very shallow water and, after careful consideration, he said, somewhat reluctantly, "ok".

I put a low folding camping chair over the canoe sea to elevate him just a bit, lifted him into the canoe, grabbed the back of the canoe, and he started to paddle. Within a few feet he was off on his own - straight as an arrow, turning when needed and even reverse-stroking to turn around.

About a half-a-dozen onlookers - including one of Placid Boatwork boat builders - stood on the shore in rather stunned and amazed incredulousness - keep in mind that Hugo is 4 going-on-5 years old. No instruction other than a few days in the front of a canoe with a single blade.

It was simply amazing. No fear, no second thoughts - he just headed for open water and was on his way.

Keep in mind when viewing this picture, the canoe is a mere 12 ft. long - that little figure doing the paddling is truly little.

FYI, the wife made the picture while I was in hot pursuit. Just when she has started to get the hang of manual exposure, she got fooled by a very high-key scene. I had to rescue the exposure in RAW processing as well as a bit of PS work. Nevertheless, kudos to the wife for a wonderfully memorable picture.

man & nature # 187 ~ let's swap

Rock, water, and flora • click to embiggenOn yesterday's entry I mentioned making a folio in order to be able to reciprocate Michael Gordon's pledge to send me one of his work. And, as mentioned, it's been on my mind to make one (or more) regardless.

What has also been on my mind is to set up a section on the blog for folio sales and exchange - I would really like to start collecting work from others and the idea of folio swapping is a great way to do without any $$$$ involved in the transaction.

In an effort to jump start the idea, I'll print - at no charge - folios (up to 12 prints each) for the first 5 respondents to this offer. The only hitch is that I would like to get this done within the next 2 weeks, 3 weeks max.

How about it?

Update on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 02:47PM by gravitas et nugalis

Featured Comment: Don wrote: Mark, just curious, when are you going to announce the winners of your free print offer?

My response: Sorry for the delay on this - I have been sidetracked by a number of time-consuming things, the first Rachael Ray shoot and another one next Monday as well as a birthday wilderness canoe trip, to mention just a few. In addition, the first paper I purchased did not meet my expectations so new paper type is on its way to me as I type.

The printer is working fine and has a new set of fresh inks installed so as soon as the paper arrives - should be tomorrow - I'll run a few test sheets and be ready to go.

That said, I'll notify the "winners" by the end of the week.

Once again, sorry for the delay and thanks for all your patience with this.

man & nature # 186 ~ did I mention the rain?

Rain, rain, rain • click to embiggenIn the last 10 days I've canoed in the rain, camped in the rain, played golf in the rain, made pictures in the rain, been singing (and dancing) in the rain, and ....

... the weather forecast for the next 10 days - rain, 7 of 10 days.

man & nature # 185 ~ meet Michael Gordon

Pushing the seaplane off the beach • click to embiggenLate Sunday night I had a nice surprise - an email from Michael Gordon, a California-based photographer of my (internet) acquaintance. He was on his way to Lake Placid for some hiking, canoeing, and picture making.

I've never meet Michael in realtime but over the years we have exchanged a number of emails on various things photography-wise. He seemed liked a nice enough fellow and he is certainly a very accomplished picture maker so I was quite eager to get together with him.

Consequently, we met yesterday evening - he was between the hiking and canoeing parts of his visit - and it was a delightful and entertaining time. We barely talked about picture making, had a lot of beer, a little liquor, and generally shot-the-shit about the Adirondacks (his first trip) and life in general.

Michael assured me that a folio of his work would be on its way to me soon at which point I will have to reciprocate by printing a folio of my work - something I have been considering since I received one from Anil Rao.

FYI, Michael conducts a fair number of photo workshops out West and his speciality, although not exclusively, is large-format picture making. After meeting Michael I would not hesitate for NY moment to recommend him to anyone looking to attend a landscape / nature photography workshop.

BTW, today's picture was made by the wife, processing by me.

man & nature # 181-184 ~ the Rachael Ray gig

My camp kitchen • click to embiggen
Goat cheese pizza • click to embiggen
Campsite with plane • click to embiggen
Stars of the show • click to embiggenI'm in a bit of a rush this AM to get out for a round of golf with my brother so I'll use the wife's email-text-to-friends-and-family description of the shoot with Rachael Ray -

Her (Rachael Ray) production people contacted him (me)about his luxury guiding business, and asked him to do a segment of her show. It will be on her show “vacations.” She did not really camp with us – she flew in on a sea plane with her husband, ate some food, and left. She did not eat much of the food, or drink much of the wine, so after she and her husband left, we had a feast. All of the food was local, organic Adirondack produce.

Rachel was very nice – she thought Hugo was wonderful (clearly she has good taste), and she was very friendly.

It was a very fun day – Mark, Peter, Hugo, Maggie and I all camped the night before, and everyone else arrived several hours before Rachel did, so we swam, had hoagies and beer, and generally chilled. She and her crew stayed about an hour for the filming. There were even loons calling while they filmed, for authentic sound.

FYI, in the Stars of the show picture above, L > R, that's David (my guest chef), Rachael Ray, and me. The show will air some time late next Spring.

Update on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 11:40AM by gravitas et nugalis

Featured Comment: Bob Wong wrote: Nice looking spot. I'm wondering if your camp site's are prepared or wild and if you are restricted in where you can camp?

my response: On state land throughout the Adirondacks - keep in my mind that the Adirondack Park is bigger than the state of Vermont - camping allowed just about nearly everywhere. Other than elevations above 4,000 feet where no camping is allowed (other than during Winter), the only restriction is that camping on other than on a designated primitive / wilderness site must be at least 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other body of water.

The site seen here is a designated site on a lake that has about 95% of the shoreline as state-owned land. Motorized boat traffic is kept to a minimum by the fact that: 1) the only boat launch on the lake is on a narrow and twisty creek and is designed for canoes, and 2) the only other access is through a small hand-operated lock from another lake.

This site was chosen because it is on a lake that still allows seaplane access - which was how Rachael and her crew needed to arrive - and it is the only site with a sandy beachfront which allowed the seaplane to come right up to shore.

man & nature # 180 ~

Jay Range, Essex County Rt. 82 South • click to embiggenOnce again, I'm out of here for a couple days to do my wilderness canoe / camping / cooking thing for the Rachael Ray show. I'll be back Tuesday PM with a full report.

FYI, the menu for Rachael is:

Adirondack Goat Cheese and Artichoke Pizza with Baby Arugula

Quick Back-Country Stew of Essex Chicken and Andouille Sausage with Patty Pan Squash

Wild Mountain Berries with Lemon Curd Crepes

FYI - this is now old news cause I forget to hit "publish" before I left. I'm back and will report in soon.

man & nature # 176-179 ~ Bog River campsite

Camping on the Bog River Flow • click to embiggenI mentioned previously that we had camped at our favorite canoe wilderness site on the Bog River Flow. We really like this site for a number of reasons.

It is a relatively easy paddle with 1 portage - or "carry" as they are called in the Adirondacks - and, once at the site, Lows Lake is another relatively easy out-and-back day-trip paddle away. The site itself, which forms a little peninsula flanked on both sides by little inlets - is uncharacteristically large and open and it comes with a wonderful pine needle carpet. The river is also quite wide at this point.

At the river side of the site there is a moderate bluff that overlooks the river and is a perfect place to pitch a tent. From the bluff the forest floor drops into a depression before rising up a steep hillside - the perfect place to pitch a tarp because it is sheltered from the wind. A properly aligned tarp is open to the East and the small inlet which is perfect for catching the morning sun. On the West side of the site - again facing a small inlet - there is the aforementioned little strip of open shoreline that has a beach of sorts - the perfect spot for swimming and/or afternoon sunbathing.

Add to all of this the fact that this stretch of river is home to the friendliest loon on the planet - he has allowed me and the wife (with dogs) to approach very closely (at times a mere 8-10 feet) - and you have an incredible wilderness site. The loon and I have paddled together for up to an hour - he right alongside the canoe preening and generally showing off.

On our latest trip he showed up again and Hugo was treated to an up close and personal loon-display including a very loud treat - a loon in full cry which is awesome to experience a mere few feet from the bird. Hugo was wide-eyed and smiling from ear-to-ear. He declared the experience to be "very cool" and when queried he even opined that it was, just maybe, better than playing Play Station games.

FYI, Bog River / Lows Lake is home to the largest population of nesting loons in NY. This year not a single baby loon survived. This could be due to many factors but one likely suspect is this summer's unusually high water level - loons are very very awkward on land and it is not uncommon to find one stranded near water but unable to walk/waddle to it. Consequently, they build their nests right at the shoreline which makes the nests themselves as well as any babies susceptible to high water, waves (especially boat wakes), and predators - eagles, osprey, fox, coyotes and the like. And, then there is the danger of mercury/lead poisoning (toxins build up over time) from acid rain - thanks to our coal-burning "friends" in the Midwest.

Bog River / Lows Lake is classified by the state as a Primitive Area so no motorized boats of any kind are allowed which eliminates that particular threat. Eagles and osprey are fairly common to the area and are an ever-present threat to the young loons. The acid rain problem has resulted in fish eating restrictions here in the Adirondacks and fish are the mainstay of the loon diet. And, as mentioned, the record amount of rain this year has resulted in water levels way above normal.

So, the loons are in a bit of tough spot in general but this year in particular. Unfortunately for them, all of their nearly insurmountable problems are man made. Needless to say, I am not at all amused by the morons in government who like to spin these issues in the cause of defeating environmental protections because it will "cost" too much.

Fuck them and the horse they rode in on - well, maybe not the horse. These bastards should be required to eat 3 meals a day of fish from, say, Indian Lake (NYSDEC advisory - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of all species) until they clean up their act (not to mention the air) and do the right thing.

man & nature # 175 ~ tweet up & meet up

Mirror Lake in Lake Placid from the deck of the High Peaks Resort • click to embiggenYesterday, just 20 minutes before it was about to start, I came across a notice for The Great Adirondack Tweet Up & Meet Up - a gathering of Adirondack tweeters and bloggers from around the high peaks region. So I immediately got in the car and went into Lake Placid.

I didn't know what to expect but as it turned out I'm happy I went - met a few new folks and had a few comp beers and fancy appetizers. No great shakes but fun nevertheless.