Category: fauna

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Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far North

Istvan Hernadi has travelled over 30,000 kilometers in Northern BC, Yukon, NWT and Alaska during the last 3 years to the most remote and desolate places of the Far North in search of the Masters, in order to meet them and to learn their teachings.

He sought out mountains, trails, rivers and lakes for hiking, biking, and paddling his small Alpacka packraft. He met strange characters during his wild adventures, people who live amazing lives in these remote places.

photos – flickr

the author’s blog

Istvan’s even published a book of photos:

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Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far North – $20

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#8 best hiking region in the world is …

Australia

We love Australia. Who doesn’t? What’s not to like? It’s paradise Down Under.

What an exotic treat to have kangaroos and wallabies hanging about your campsite!

“Stunning rocky headlands and perfect beaches, lush rainforests, sun-sharpened deserts and the muted beauty of the bush — taking to the trail in Australia offers a kaleidoscope of colours, terrains and adventures for walkers of all levels.” – LP

You have such a wealth of choices: the Blue Mountains (NSW), Whitsunday Islands (QLD), dense subtropical rainforest in Lamington National Park (QLD), Larapinta Trail (NT) out of Alice Springs, wild Kakadu National Park (NT), the rugged Cape-to-Cape (WA) or pretty Wine Glass Bay in Freycinet National Park (TAS).

Those are just a few! Our favourite Aussie hiking guru John Chapman helps you choose by clicking on the map:

More information on our new Australia information page.

Our favourite hike in Australia is The Overland Track in Tasmania.

View from the Labyrinth – flickr – Andrew Purdam

See our Overland Track Information page.

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Photo Contest Winners – National Wildlife Magazine

In case you missed seeing these photos linked via Two-Heel Drive, here’s another shout out.

THE SUBMISSIONS to the 37th annual photo contest were remarkable, not only for sheer volume—nearly 16,000 images—but for geographic breadth. Our winning photographers hail from Texas, California, New York and Tennessee, among other states, but also from India, Poland and the United Kingdom.

One of the winning pics by Carol Goldstein

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Reflection Lake in Alaska’s Denali National Park

Photo Contest Winners – National Wildlife Magazine

I finally got to Denali this past summer, but — as usual — the highest peak in North America was clouded over during my visit. So I must return.

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National Geographic Photography Winners

When I saw the Adventure Blog had submitted photos to National Geographic, I thought … why not me too?

I’ll make a New Year’s Resolution to submit my best photos to contests in 2008.

If only I could come up with something like this contest winner:

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About 10 years ago I saw a monkey in India admiring himself with a stolen hand mirror. But had no camera at the time.

National Geographic has announced the winners of this year’s photography contest and has begun displaying the winners and honorable mentions online. …

As you would expect, there are some stunning images here, each of which will be published in the January issue of National Geographic. Sadly, none of my entries made the cut, and after seeing some of these shots I can see why. Of course, with 148,203 photos entered, I can’t imagine trying to whittle it down to these few. It must have been an incredibly tough job. …

The Adventure Blog: National Geographic Announce Photography Winners

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the entertaining coatis of Tikal

Mollie Rolfe took this photo of the Coatis at Tikal in Guatemala. They were almost as mobile as monkeys in the big trees.

I enjoyed watching the coatis just as much as much as climbing the ruins, in fact.

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The name coati is applied to any of three species of small neotropical mammals in the genus Nasua, family Procyonidae, ranging from southern Arizona to north of Argentina. They are largely insectivorous, but also eat fruit. A fourth animal, the dwarf Mountain Coati, is not a true coati, and belongs to the genus Nasuella. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of the coatis are the olingos.

Distinctive features of all species of coati include a long, ringed tail, which is often held erect.

Unlike most members of the raccoon family, coatis are primarily diurnal.

Coati have long, pointed muzzles, and long, bushy, ringed tails, and brownish fur. They range in size from 13 to 27 inches including their tails, which can be just as long as their bodies. They weigh from 7 to 15 pounds. Males are larger than females.

Coati – Wikipedia

They must be related to the ringtails that brazenly marauded our campsite in the Baja.

Watching unusual wildlife is one of the great joys of the wilderness.

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Gray Jay – the flying thief

Our old friend, the Whiskey-Jack, is my favourite bird in the Canadian Rockies. Pretty, and brazenly courageous, many days you have at least one at your campsite during breakfast.

range.jpgThis Camp Robber, the Gray Jay, is also known variously as venison-hawk, grease-bird, lumberjack, meat-bird, Canada Jay or even Moose Bird in various parts of it’s range.

Crow wants a wild Gray Jay as a “pet” at her cabin. She had had a magic experience with those birds on the trail:

One morning, high up a pass in the North Cascades, I woke up on a wide section of trail that I had decided was as far as I could go the night before. Lying in my bag, looking out at the glorious view and the morning sun, I reach into my food sack and pulled out a bar for breakfast. As I unwrapped it, a Gray Jay lighted by me. Even though I don’t approve of feeding animals, I held a piece of my bar between my fingers; it hopped on over and took it. Then two others showed up. One landed on my pack that was laying next to me; we finished off the bar together. When the bar was gone, so were they. …

as the Crow flies

I’ve had them alight on me. Here’s a hiker who had one land on her head:

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Image – Wikipedia

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Plague cause of death in Grand Canyon

An Arizona-based wildlife biologist likely died of the plague, officials from Grand Canyon National Park announced on Friday.

Autopsy reports for Eric York, a 37-year-old wildlife biologist for the National Park Service, showed that he had plague in his body. …

Officials said York was most likely exposed to the plague when he performed an autopsy on a mountain lion that had been infected and most likely killed by it. York was the only person to come in contact with the dead mountain lion, according to officials.

York presented symptoms of exposure on Oct. 30, three days after the mountain lion autopsy. He went to Grand Canyon Clinic, located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, with flu-like symptoms. York was sent home that day because the symptoms of plague are difficult to detect and are often confused with the flu, officials said.

Plague blamed for biologist’s death – USATODAY.com

UPDATE:

Plague Confirmed As Cause of Death for Grand Canyon Biologist

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wolf pack kills a man

I am for reintroduction of wolves to the wilderness.

Elk and porcupine worry me more than wolves in the wild. But this is significant. The first documented case of wolves hunting and killing a man:

Environmentalists backing the re-wolfing of the American West have often said, “Don’t worry, there’s no documented instance of wolves killing any person.”

That reassurance came under question with the discovery of the body of a 22-year-old college student, Kenton Joel Carnegie, two years ago in northern Saskatchewan. …

GOAT – A High Country News Blog » Wolf pack killed a man

At the Banff Mountain Film Festival I saw a fantastic slide show on some of the wildest wolves in the world.

Then watched a preview of the PBS Nature TV special:

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In 1995, the first gray wolves were transported from Alberta, Canada to Yellowstone National Park, to repopulate the sprawling landscape with the species, absent for more than 70 years. …

In the Valley of the Wolves was produced and shot in High Definition by Emmy-award winning filmmaker Bob Landis.

On the Web site for In the Valley of the Wolves, you’ll learn how the successful reintroduction of Yellowstone’s apex predator has changed the entire ecosystem of the park, and about the threats that these majestic animals continue to face on their road to recovery.

Watch an exclusive online podcast. In this podcast, Emmy Award-winning wildlife cinematographer Bob Landis discusses the making of the film, including the ideal circumstances for filming a predation scene; the importance of spending a vast amount of time in the field; the uniqueness of Yellowstone’s Druid wolf pack, and more.

Watch the video clip – PBS Nature

Bob Landis has spent more time with wolves than anyone. I trust his opinion most.

Bob, of course, is in favour of humans learning to co-exist with wolves.

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Ian McAllister – wildlife photographer

At the Banff Mountain Book Festival we were treated to one of the most amazing slideshows I’ve ever seen.

Ian McAllister gave an overview of his life story vis-a-vis bears and wolves.

He’s very angry about big game trophy hunting. (And Ian’s a hunter who kills deer to feed his family.) There’s no reason to tag bear or wolf.

Ghosts of the Rain Forest

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Ian McAllister is a nature photographer, writer, and conservationist who has dedicated his life to exploring the remote wilds of the British Columbia coast. Born in Vancouver, his exploration and adventures in the province’s rugged West Coast began at a young age, and inspired in him a passion for conservation which led him to become one of Canada’s leading advocates for rainforest protection.

With a keen interest in wildlife behaviour, ecology, and sailing, McAllister has spent much of the last 20 years travelling along the north coastline of British Columbia, observing the behaviour of coastal wolves and grizzly bears. For the last 17 years, McAllister has lived in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the last places on earth where wolves live relatively undisturbed by humans. In his latest book, The Last Wild Wolves, he documents the behaviour of two packs, one in the extreme outer coastal islands and another farther inland.

McAllister’s first book, The Great Bear Rainforest (1997), was instrumental in helping Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Ian and Karen McAllister’s Raincoast Preservation Society, and other environmental groups to successfully lobby British Columbia’s provincial government to impose a moratorium on grizzly bear hunting and to designate a large portion of the province’s mainland coast as parkland in 2001.

McAllister is a founding member of the Raincoast Conservation Society, and his images have appeared in numerous publications including International Wildlife, BBC Wildlife, Audubon, Sierra, and Beautiful British Columbia. Also a filmmaker, his footage has been used by National Geographic TV, Discovery Channel, and the BBC.

Mountain Festivals at The Banff Centre

His two books:

The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada’s Forgotten Coast

The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest