Video: Earth Day ode to the John Muir Trail

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve been thinking about John Muir and people who have such a passion that their whole life is dedicated to its pursuit. John Muir, as I wrote in a previous post, was dedicated to the preservation of nature. To really see the world as John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club, saw it, hiking the John Muir Trail is one option. The trail winds 211 miles through mountainous scenery that includes three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia.

Typically, people start at Mt. Whitney and head to the Yosemite Valley. The best time for hiking is July through September. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has a terrific guide that explains details about the trail and gives suggestions about planning a hike.

To enjoy the hike from the comfort of your computer screen, here is a video I came across with exquisite shots that vary between landscape, closeups and people. It’s perfect for enjoying the earth and reinforcing why it’s important to take care of it. Thanks to raceyjones for sharing on YouTube the 20-day hike he took on the John Muir Trail August 2006.

Don’t. Look. Down. Spain’s El Caminito del Rey

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Afraid of heights? Don’t watch this video, shot along El Caminito del Rey, a mountain walkway near Malaga, Spain. This narrow, gut-wrenching path is only 3 feet wide, pinned along the side of a gorge, nearly 700 feet above the river below.

Originally built in 1901 to allow local workers to cross between two nearby waterfalls, El Caminito has recently fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Many parts of the walkway have completely collapsed, leaving nothing but a metal beam and a wire between you and 700 feet of nothing. Not surprisingly, there have been a number of deaths along the trail, and the local government has tried to seal it off.

But for some adrenaline junkies, a warning sign, tall fences and the prospect of a fatal slip-up is nothing but a challenge. Check out this video and watch one man laugh in the face of death.

What is it about Spain that inspires thrill-seekers to the utmost feats of poor judgment?

Elephants that paint

by Jamie Rhein on

On Anderson Cooper 360° last week, there was a brief video of a elephant painting a picture in Thailand as part of a show geared towards tourists. I wonder if this is a new trick? When I was in Chiang Mai a few years back, we went to Mae Taeng Elephant Park on a tour that included elephant, ox-cart and raft rides. I don’t recall the painting demo. I do recall one elephant putting a foot on a tourist who was face down on the ground and thought, “That’s brave.” The painting looks quite tame in comparison. This video was shot at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, also near Chiang Mai.

Kite flying weather

by Jamie Rhein on

This morning, as I was huddled in a jacket that was way too thin watching my son’s soccer game with the wind picking up by the second, I thought, if it was a little warmer it would be a perfect day for kite flying, particularly if it was warm enough to head to a beach. Rob & Shine posted this lovely YouTube video that was shot at Long Beach Peninsula during the Washington State International Kite Festival. This year’s festival is the third week in August, so you have time to make it. In the meantime, watch the video. It’s a real nerve tamer and I love the song. Enjoy!

Flickr adds video

by Jeremy Kressmann on


If you’ve spent more than two minutes on the Internet recently, you already know and love photo-sharing site Flickr. Today the site is breaking some interesting new functionality, allowing pro users to post videos of up to 90 seconds. Rumors of video have apparently been floating around on site’s message boards for some time now, though today marked the feature’s official launch. Users haven’t wasted any time pulling together video-focused sharing groups to take advantage of the new feature.

Some people are questioning the wisdom of Flickr’s decision. Why, they point out, would Flickr launch video sharing when sites like YouTube already dominate most online video attention? I tend to disagree with this view because I think Flickr video can occupy an interesting niche for photographers. If you consider the way most people capture travel video these days, it tends to be short snippets from point-and-shoot digital cameras. When you upload these files, computers don’t really distinguish between photo and video – everything is usually lumped into the same folder. Thus there’s an interesting opportunity to allow users to share their photos and videos all in one place. Flickr is also limiting their video size to 150 megabytes or 90 seconds, which to me also emphasizes they’re looking to capture short camera clips, not your three hour long wedding ceremony (as heartwarming as it might be).

Only paying pro users can use Flickr Video for now, but perhaps they will open it up to others in the near future. Check out the help page to get started.