Entertainment from the Wild

The cold weather refused to leave this week, so once again I will not be going hiking. Instead I decided I would review some books and shows that are about the wilderness.

Television

While most of my time spent in front of the TV might be watching I Love New York I still happen to land on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel every once in a while. Last year I discovered the show Man vs. Wild. It features British survival expert, Bear Grylls, who is dropped into a remote landscape where he must survive with very little until he finds civilization. I thought this show was sweet and that Bear was awesome. Well imagine how shocked I was when this summer I discovered through the magic of YouTube that Bear was a fake. The following video is what I found.



In addition to what is shown on this video Bear has also been reported to have stayed in hotels while filming his show. After watching this video I found another that featured Les Stroud who also had a survivalist show, this one was called Survivorman.(WARNING: Part of this video is kind of gross)



After seeing this video I made it a point to watch Survivorman and to never watch Man vs. Wild again. Les Stroud is the real thing, at least it seems that way. His survival tips seem like they could really save your life if you were lost in the wilderness.

Books

This quarter I took an Environmentalism in America course, in it we read five books that were about the American Environmentalism movement. Some of the books were interesting, and some less interesting. My favorite of the books we read was The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. It is a story of a group of environmental radicals who take it upon themselves to save the American Southwest from being spoiled by development and pollution. The characters in this book are crazy but likable. A film based on the movie is set to be released in 2008 and it seems rather promising. According to my Environmentalism professor rumors were that Jack Nicholson and Matthew McConaughey were set to be part of the cast.


Another book from the class was Lost Mountain by Erik Reece. This book introduced me to the horrors of mountain top mining, before this book I had never heard of this practice. It is when coal companies blow off the tops of mountains in Appalachia in order to get to the valuable coal below the surface. The environmental effects of doing this are numerous. In the book Reece spends a year watching and visiting the ironically named Lost Mountain until it truly is lost forever.



Movies

If you have not seen the film Grizzly Man then I strongly suggest you do so. This is one of my favorite movies, it is a documentary by German director Werner Herzog about the life and death of Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell was a bear enthusiast who spent 13 summers in the wilderness of Alaska living with grizzly bears.On his 13th summer in Alaska Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed by one of his beloved grizzly bears. The film combines footage that Treadwell shot of his summers as well as interviews with those that knew him to tell a very interesting tale.

I need to see the movie Into the Wild soon. It is a film about a young mans journey around Americas wilderness. Many friends and family of mine have seen this movie and have given it great reviews, hopefully it will live up to its hype.

When it is as cold out as it is sometimes it is nicer to enjoy the wildnerness from the comfort of your own couch.

Baby It's Cold Outside (so make sure to stay warm!)

The weather has really taken a turn for the cold season this week, additionally, I think I am getting sick. Considering this instead of going on a hike this week I am going to talk about ways you can enjoy nature even when it is cold outside.Once winter quarter is here I, like many people, don't really get outside much. Here are some handy tips to help you enjoy nature when its cold outside.



Bundle Up!
I know this sounds obvious, but having an extra sweater on can really help you beat the cold. Layering clothes is also an excelent way to stay warm when hiking outside or when just going to class. Layering is also nice because once you get to your destination you can remove layers so you aren't too hot.

Hand Warmers
These nifty inventions are so awesome. You open the pack and crack the little packets to start them up and then you can put them in your gloves or even in your boots and they stay warm for several hours. I get cold really easily so I am a huge fan of these. Another thing that is great about these—they are cheap! Buy them on Amazon.

Be Careful
I realize it is not that cold yet, however once winter sets in and if snow is on the ground hiking can become dangerous. You can easily find yourself in a situation where you are cold and unhappy and the only way out is a long walk back to the car. It is aslo easier to injur yourself when snow and ice are on the ground. It is important to have the right gear and possibly some experienced companions when going for longer hikes during winter.

Hiking in the winter is not for everyone, as I lover of nature I can appreciate it however I prefer hiking on a nice summer day ten times more. If winter hiking is not for you try and enjoy the little bits of nature you see while walkign to class. Ohio University has a gorgeous campus during any season. Next week I will make sure I have recovered from my cold so that I can actually go somwehere. Good Luck on exams everyone!

The Ridges: Radar Hill

This week I decided to go somewhere close to campus. I had been to the ridges before but I had no idea there were nature trails there, when I went it was night time and my friends and I were looking for ghosts. I first learned about the nature trails at the ridges thanks to the tier 3 class I am in now, environmentalism in America, in the class we spend lots of time outdoors. One day for class we hiked up Radar Hill. It is named this because there used to be airplane radars at the top of the hill according to my professor, however any evidence of the radar is long gone.




To get to Radar Hill you travel up Water Tower Dr. past the graveyard and water tower to where the road ends and the trail begins. At first the trail is simply a rarely used utility road, but as you continue on there are several paths you can take that lead you away from the road and deeper into nature. Instead of heading to the top of the hill I took a path that leads into the woods, the trees are gorgeous right now. The path I took was not marked very well except by some signs that tell what kind of trees are in the area. The best part about this hike was how few people I saw, when I am in nature I think it is best enjoyed when there is more nature than people.
I would have never even known this path existed if not for the class I am in. It is so close to campus and so beautiful that I think all students should know about this area and check it out for themselves.