Hacklebarney.
Hacklebarney!!
Hacklebarney!!!
Hacklebarney!!!!!
Hacklebarney.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Warrior Dash part duex.
So my blogging skills are pretty fucking rusty to say the least. Writing a blog at 1am wasn't the best idea either, but looking back at the last entry I clearly did not do the Warrior Dash justice. So here is a real breakdown of the day.
We started our travels to the Warrior Dash almost four hours before our heat at 2pm. After following some shitty Google map directions (I know Google owns Blogspot but seriously we went the wrong way for twenty minutes, being better than Mapquest just makes it as reliable as a drunk saving your seat at the bar) we ended up stuck in traffic a quarter mile from the parking lot. Now with an hour til race time we had to pay to park, find a space, walk to the shuttle, take the shuttle to the race site, sign in, get our race bibs, check our bags, take a pre-race piss and get to the starting line. Somehow we were able to do all of these things with ten minutes to spare. Miracle.
The race stared with our heat running under the entrance to the race, a steel gateway (really wanted to use the word Star-gate here) shooting flames into the sky. Clearly a great way to get motivated for three miles of torture. The first obstacle we had was a run through a plywood castle. Unfortunately 200 people running through a door frame the size of.... a fucking door frame, is just a giant clusterfuck. I mean we barely ran 100 meters before I was just walking around a silly castle. I mean since the Warrior Dash in Pennsylvania was at Skirmish Paintball the castle makes sense, but its not really an obstacle. However as I left the second castle there was a dude in a tutu bent over in pain for no decipherable reason. Shit may have already been too awesome for him.
I'll veer off from the actual race here to point out how awesome the costumes were. Giant body builders in blue body paint and smurf attire, guys in superhero underwear (jealous), homemade cheerleader outfits, kilts, full business suits, and tons of people in in homemade t shirts. Normally I'd trash talk the teenage boy/ mom combo with the matching t shirts but in this case they deserve a break. Plus I'm pretty sure they finished before me.
After the castle was a sketchy walkway of wooden planks that was about five feet high and cracking under our feet. I stayed behind to make sure Heather was okay getting across, luckily this was our first and only water break. Once I saw her ankles were still attached I apologized for what I was about to do and took off like a bat out of hell. If I wanted to beat the one hour mark I had to get going.
The next few obstacles blurred together, but I remember a series of walls roughly a little higher than a chain link fence with mud pits on the other side. After the final one I lost my shoe for a few seconds in a foot of mud, but was able to recover it in time to reach another obstacle, a river of mud. Not so much a river exactly, just a foot deep trench of mud with no way around. Than there was a few long stretches of actual running, followed by a waist deep walk through a lake, a knee deep walk through a river and a climb through a series of elastic ropes resembling a spider's web. This all led to my biggest fear, the Great Warrior Wall.
Now for those of you that don't know me well, I fucking hate heights. Always have. When I roll up on a twelve foot rope climb up a sketchy wooden wall, I need some fucking emotional support. Unfortunately I was about ten minutes ahead of my group in the race so I did what any real man would do. I chicken shitted out. I sat there for a few minutes trying to get my balls up but when I realized I was losing time and my support team was nowhere to be found, I had to skip it. Fuck that. If I panicked on the top, fell and snapped my ankle, you think the security dude in the lawn chair with the walkie talkie was gonna help? Highly fucking doubtful.
After the wall was a few quick obstacles in a row with the finish line in sight. The barrel crawl, the cargo climb (just as high as the wall but so much less sketchy that I actually did this one), two foot-high rows of flames to jump over, and a crawl through mud, under barbed wire (rubber I think) with one last muddy dash to the finish line. At the end there were a few people waiting to give you your medal for finishing, and a row of tables with piles of bananas and cups of cool/clean water. I can't even tell you how much mud I got in my water cup, but I could really care less.
After the race I waited a few moments and saw another heat start their race. I knew it had to be the 3:30 heat, which meant I had beaten the one hour mark. A few minutes later I walked over to watch Heather, Hayley and Wira come across the finish line together. We recovered with a few more cups of water and than headed to the fire hoses a few hundred feet away, to wash off as much mud as we could before we went and collected our reward, a free pint of shitty beer and a bratwurst on a roll.
Our shoes after being hosed off.
We started our travels to the Warrior Dash almost four hours before our heat at 2pm. After following some shitty Google map directions (I know Google owns Blogspot but seriously we went the wrong way for twenty minutes, being better than Mapquest just makes it as reliable as a drunk saving your seat at the bar) we ended up stuck in traffic a quarter mile from the parking lot. Now with an hour til race time we had to pay to park, find a space, walk to the shuttle, take the shuttle to the race site, sign in, get our race bibs, check our bags, take a pre-race piss and get to the starting line. Somehow we were able to do all of these things with ten minutes to spare. Miracle.
The race stared with our heat running under the entrance to the race, a steel gateway (really wanted to use the word Star-gate here) shooting flames into the sky. Clearly a great way to get motivated for three miles of torture. The first obstacle we had was a run through a plywood castle. Unfortunately 200 people running through a door frame the size of.... a fucking door frame, is just a giant clusterfuck. I mean we barely ran 100 meters before I was just walking around a silly castle. I mean since the Warrior Dash in Pennsylvania was at Skirmish Paintball the castle makes sense, but its not really an obstacle. However as I left the second castle there was a dude in a tutu bent over in pain for no decipherable reason. Shit may have already been too awesome for him.
I'll veer off from the actual race here to point out how awesome the costumes were. Giant body builders in blue body paint and smurf attire, guys in superhero underwear (jealous), homemade cheerleader outfits, kilts, full business suits, and tons of people in in homemade t shirts. Normally I'd trash talk the teenage boy/ mom combo with the matching t shirts but in this case they deserve a break. Plus I'm pretty sure they finished before me.
After the castle was a sketchy walkway of wooden planks that was about five feet high and cracking under our feet. I stayed behind to make sure Heather was okay getting across, luckily this was our first and only water break. Once I saw her ankles were still attached I apologized for what I was about to do and took off like a bat out of hell. If I wanted to beat the one hour mark I had to get going.
The next few obstacles blurred together, but I remember a series of walls roughly a little higher than a chain link fence with mud pits on the other side. After the final one I lost my shoe for a few seconds in a foot of mud, but was able to recover it in time to reach another obstacle, a river of mud. Not so much a river exactly, just a foot deep trench of mud with no way around. Than there was a few long stretches of actual running, followed by a waist deep walk through a lake, a knee deep walk through a river and a climb through a series of elastic ropes resembling a spider's web. This all led to my biggest fear, the Great Warrior Wall.
Now for those of you that don't know me well, I fucking hate heights. Always have. When I roll up on a twelve foot rope climb up a sketchy wooden wall, I need some fucking emotional support. Unfortunately I was about ten minutes ahead of my group in the race so I did what any real man would do. I chicken shitted out. I sat there for a few minutes trying to get my balls up but when I realized I was losing time and my support team was nowhere to be found, I had to skip it. Fuck that. If I panicked on the top, fell and snapped my ankle, you think the security dude in the lawn chair with the walkie talkie was gonna help? Highly fucking doubtful.
After the wall was a few quick obstacles in a row with the finish line in sight. The barrel crawl, the cargo climb (just as high as the wall but so much less sketchy that I actually did this one), two foot-high rows of flames to jump over, and a crawl through mud, under barbed wire (rubber I think) with one last muddy dash to the finish line. At the end there were a few people waiting to give you your medal for finishing, and a row of tables with piles of bananas and cups of cool/clean water. I can't even tell you how much mud I got in my water cup, but I could really care less.
After the race I waited a few moments and saw another heat start their race. I knew it had to be the 3:30 heat, which meant I had beaten the one hour mark. A few minutes later I walked over to watch Heather, Hayley and Wira come across the finish line together. We recovered with a few more cups of water and than headed to the fire hoses a few hundred feet away, to wash off as much mud as we could before we went and collected our reward, a free pint of shitty beer and a bratwurst on a roll.
Our shoes after being hosed off.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
D&R Canal
So we show up for a bike ride somewhere near Griggstown, New Jersey.
Ride our bikes for a few miles down the D&R Canal to the Griggstown Kayak rental.
Rented some kayaks.
Then spent a few hours Kayaking.
Hey check out this awesome turtle.
We ride our bikes back to the car, and head into Princeton for an amazing burger diner at Winberries Pub.
I have nothing clever to add, it was a beautiful day filled with adventure, great conversation, and wonderful company. In the words of my buddy Greg, "I'm just looking for cigarette butts." True indeed my friend.
Ride our bikes for a few miles down the D&R Canal to the Griggstown Kayak rental.
Rented some kayaks.
Then spent a few hours Kayaking.
Hey check out this awesome turtle.
We ride our bikes back to the car, and head into Princeton for an amazing burger diner at Winberries Pub.
I have nothing clever to add, it was a beautiful day filled with adventure, great conversation, and wonderful company. In the words of my buddy Greg, "I'm just looking for cigarette butts." True indeed my friend.
Monday, August 8, 2011
The Palisades.
I think it's about time I gave some recognition to what I consider to be the hardest hike I've attempted, The Palisades Park waterfront trail. Let me give you a little rundown of what to expect if you want to attempt this hike yourself.
First we start with an average trail, nothing too difficult. Than there's the little matter of getting down to the waterfront trail.
Well, it's not that bad. However the trail we were supposed to follow did abruptly end which lead us to slide down the side of a cliff, that while not nearly as bad as this, was pretty insane. It's cool though, at least when we hit the trail at the bottom it'll be smooth sailing.
The Fuck?! Yup, seriously it's just fields of rocks to climb across. Above is the first set, followed by a rocky trail, followed by....
Another rock scramble. I was pretty sure there were only two, imagine my surprise when the third one came along. Also, see those white markers? Those are supposed to be the easy paths across, which is cool in theory, but does take away some of the adventure.
After this point there aren't many pictures. There is a really pretty trail after the third rock scramble, but this unfortunately leads you to climbing back up the side of the cliff, which takes about ten switchbacks of rock stairs to do. It was too hard to hold a camera straight, so all of those pictures are a blurred mess.
Now Although I make this sound like hell, the hike is actually awesome. It's a great challenge and I'm proud to have done it twice. In fact I can't wait to do it a third time. Especially with our crew, a great group of kids sweet enough to follow me into the woods...
Sorry guys, next time I'll pay better attention to the trail blazes.
First we start with an average trail, nothing too difficult. Than there's the little matter of getting down to the waterfront trail.
Well, it's not that bad. However the trail we were supposed to follow did abruptly end which lead us to slide down the side of a cliff, that while not nearly as bad as this, was pretty insane. It's cool though, at least when we hit the trail at the bottom it'll be smooth sailing.
The Fuck?! Yup, seriously it's just fields of rocks to climb across. Above is the first set, followed by a rocky trail, followed by....
Another rock scramble. I was pretty sure there were only two, imagine my surprise when the third one came along. Also, see those white markers? Those are supposed to be the easy paths across, which is cool in theory, but does take away some of the adventure.
After this point there aren't many pictures. There is a really pretty trail after the third rock scramble, but this unfortunately leads you to climbing back up the side of the cliff, which takes about ten switchbacks of rock stairs to do. It was too hard to hold a camera straight, so all of those pictures are a blurred mess.
Now Although I make this sound like hell, the hike is actually awesome. It's a great challenge and I'm proud to have done it twice. In fact I can't wait to do it a third time. Especially with our crew, a great group of kids sweet enough to follow me into the woods...
Sorry guys, next time I'll pay better attention to the trail blazes.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sorry.
One of my favorite moments of the summer was how it kicked off with a pig roast at my buddy Szymons's.
Yeah, pretty rough image, right? How about a baby squirrel pallet cleanser?
Okay now I feel better. This guy hung out on our patio everyday for a few weeks. Adorable.
Yeah, pretty rough image, right? How about a baby squirrel pallet cleanser?
Okay now I feel better. This guy hung out on our patio everyday for a few weeks. Adorable.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Warrior Dash
On June 13th, my lady friend and I competed in the Pennsylvania leg of the Warrior Dash. The race we attended was a 3.5 mile obstacle course erected on the Skirmish Paintball fields about 2 hours from our apartment.
Now I have to note that while I am aware of the existence of the Muddy Mile, The Mud Runner, the mud bah blah blah and the ten other mud related obstacle course races that took place this summer... I fucking hate running. Sorry but I do. I wanted to push myself a little and have some fun while doing it, and I figured a race that was only the length of a 5k and gave you a viking helmet at the end was the way to go. These Marine inspired 10 mile marathons are for people that are either actual soldiers or ran track in high school, both things I have strong moral stances against.
I doubt Heather and Hayley would be smiling after a 10K in their silly viking helmets. Plus after spending an hour running in the woods (actually a hair under 56 minutes), I actually like running a little more now. Especially if the finish of my run looks like this:
Now I have to note that while I am aware of the existence of the Muddy Mile, The Mud Runner, the mud bah blah blah and the ten other mud related obstacle course races that took place this summer... I fucking hate running. Sorry but I do. I wanted to push myself a little and have some fun while doing it, and I figured a race that was only the length of a 5k and gave you a viking helmet at the end was the way to go. These Marine inspired 10 mile marathons are for people that are either actual soldiers or ran track in high school, both things I have strong moral stances against.
I doubt Heather and Hayley would be smiling after a 10K in their silly viking helmets. Plus after spending an hour running in the woods (actually a hair under 56 minutes), I actually like running a little more now. Especially if the finish of my run looks like this:
Maybe now I'll consider a few of those 5k charity runs, and maybe I'll consider another one of those mud runs that are getting so popular. There's no doubt however, that I'm signing up for the Warrior Dash again next year.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
jesus christ!!
wow, so its pretty hard to do an adventure blog when you work full time and spend the rest of your time on adventures. (and by adventure i mean sitting by my pool or at the beach) also when you change the name of your blog and forget to tell..... anyone.
well i guess i should apologize to the people that read this page.... sandy and anyone that stumbled upon it because of a link to that hipster on a tall bike.
sorry.
awesome.... so moving forward ill be posting some picks and stories from this summer's escapades while at the same time remembering to use capital letters and punctuation. There we go. Much better.
Now for a quick preview of what you can expect in the all new BackSlacker.
Look, it's Mike, Wira, Hayley and me after the Warrrior Dash!
(the muscle pose was supposed to be ironic but I look kinda like a dick)
Look, it's Greg on a bike!
Look, it's me in a kayak!
Fantastic. Now that we got that first blog out of the way we can get back to the way things were.
well i guess i should apologize to the people that read this page.... sandy and anyone that stumbled upon it because of a link to that hipster on a tall bike.
sorry.
awesome.... so moving forward ill be posting some picks and stories from this summer's escapades while at the same time remembering to use capital letters and punctuation. There we go. Much better.
Now for a quick preview of what you can expect in the all new BackSlacker.
Look, it's Mike, Wira, Hayley and me after the Warrrior Dash!
(the muscle pose was supposed to be ironic but I look kinda like a dick)
Look, it's Greg on a bike!
Look, it's me in a kayak!
Fantastic. Now that we got that first blog out of the way we can get back to the way things were.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Thumbs Up
Another great find from the Netflix instant view department, Thumbs Up is a web series that follows graffiti artist David Choe as he hitchhikes and rail hops his way from L.A. to New York. Along the way you get to see what kinda of person it takes to become a hitchhiker, and also what kind of person is still willing to pick one up.
You can find parts of seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix, or watch the entire series here. Either way its gonna get you inspired to see the rest of the country, especially when you know it can be done for free.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hartshorne Park
It's been a few weeks since I've had a good hike so today's trip to Hartshorne Park was well overdue. I've been pretty opinionated lately, I'll try to keep it short.
The trail itself was pretty flat and simple, but that's a good thing. The entire park was very well maintained and clean, and would be great for anyone looking for an easy hike or even a decent bike ride. My only complaint would be the lack of a big payoff. I don't really need a destination on every hike, but it's always nice when there's something to look forward to on the trail. Unfortunately the only landmark was this scenic overlook.
Somewhere behind these trees is an excellent view of Sandy Hook. Pretty disappointing. So much so that we actually had to check a map to make sure we weren't fooling ourselves.
Nope. Scenic Overlook Fail.
Alright, well atleast we had the beach ahead of us. I mean, Sandy Hook was only across the street.
The walk to the ocean was hot and long. Evan and I took the first chance we could to get out of the sand and into water. I know this isn't glamorous but the ocean wasn't looking too good today. They clearly hadn't cleaned up the coastline for beach season yet so there won't be any photos. I don't wanna do any more damage to the Jersey Shore's already glowing reputation.
The trail itself was pretty flat and simple, but that's a good thing. The entire park was very well maintained and clean, and would be great for anyone looking for an easy hike or even a decent bike ride. My only complaint would be the lack of a big payoff. I don't really need a destination on every hike, but it's always nice when there's something to look forward to on the trail. Unfortunately the only landmark was this scenic overlook.
Somewhere behind these trees is an excellent view of Sandy Hook. Pretty disappointing. So much so that we actually had to check a map to make sure we weren't fooling ourselves.
Nope. Scenic Overlook Fail.
Alright, well atleast we had the beach ahead of us. I mean, Sandy Hook was only across the street.
The walk to the ocean was hot and long. Evan and I took the first chance we could to get out of the sand and into water. I know this isn't glamorous but the ocean wasn't looking too good today. They clearly hadn't cleaned up the coastline for beach season yet so there won't be any photos. I don't wanna do any more damage to the Jersey Shore's already glowing reputation.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
An end to An Outdoor Life
When I came up with the title to this blog I was looking for something simple and effective. A title that would suggest that I was going to be sharing my opinions on various outdoor activities, and also using the site as a personal journal of my activities. I may yet keep An Outdoor Life as the title of the blog, but I wanted to post my ideas for what the title may become.
the outsiders' life
the outsider's life
the outsider
the outsideateer
the anteater
the outdoor-er
the rocketeer
james caan in the rocketeer
sleepless in the great outdoors
the greatest outdoorblog ever
hobocamp
the hobos livingroom
basecamp
an outdoor activities blog
summercamp
the backpackers guide to the galaxy
the backpackers guide to mostly north jersey
the backslacker
If I do change the title be assured that I'll get the new title to you as quick as possible.
the outsiders' life
the outsider's life
the outsider
the outsideateer
the anteater
the outdoor-er
the rocketeer
james caan in the rocketeer
sleepless in the great outdoors
the greatest outdoorblog ever
hobocamp
the hobos livingroom
basecamp
an outdoor activities blog
summercamp
the backpackers guide to the galaxy
the backpackers guide to mostly north jersey
the backslacker
If I do change the title be assured that I'll get the new title to you as quick as possible.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Bouldering
It was around September of last year that I became interested in the subculture of rock climbing known as bouldering. For those that don't know, bouldering is a version of climbing that requires no rope, since your destination point is never really over twelve feet (anything above this height is referred to as "soloing," and honestly pretty fucking stupid to do).
My interest in bouldering came after a trip to the Stairway to Heaven overlook, a mountain trail near Vernon, New Jersey. At the base of the mountain is a series of boulders from six to ten feet tall placed relatively close to one and other. On the way up my travel companions and I decided to fool around for a while, climbing up these small obstacles that were just hard enough to make it slightly dangerous but tons of fun. I was informed shortly after that what we were doing had a name, and could be done in the comfort of air conditioned gyms, with gymnast mats to fall onto instead of slightly smaller rocks.
Now as much as I love bouldering I have to admit it is a pretty embarrassing hobby to undertake. I relate it to parkour or aggressive inline skating; its a version of an awesome sport but for slackers. Ultimately I know what I'm doing is a half assed version of rock climbing. I don't really like heights, I don't wanna buy equipment and I don't wanna work hard when I could just be having short blasts of fun instead. This is the same I when I started "blading" in middle school. Couldn't afford a skateboard, couldn't figure out how to ollie and already owned roller blades. PERFECT! It was fun learning almost every trick in one weekend at Rutgers campus.
Alright I'm lying, I couldn't do that super badass trick where you roll backward down a flight of stairs. Which by the way is almost never useful. At no point when skating away from the cops for trespassing did I head anywhere with a staircase, and if I did my first reaction would not have been to turn backward at full speed.
The point is that some sports are tailor made for half assed people. Parkour, or freerunning, is pretty much just running for people that wish they were gymnasts or ninjas. Its not even as noble as actually running, your only really going for twenty feet at a time and it's barely at the pace of a jog. I do find it ironic that parkour and bouldering were both invented by europeon gymnasts. These people were minimalists were trying to create a beautiful and fluid sport, but just like in the art world minimalism can be mistaken for laziness.
My real beef with bouldering are the enthusiasts that keep popping up in Youtube videos and at my local rock gym. They're Linkin Park fans that still wear black Jncos and have flame tattoos on their forearms. They're the kind of people that listen to the Final Fantasy soundtracks and are honestly considering buying a Fushigi ball. Its a contingent of half assed people that can't, won't or don't wanna take the time to actually learn to rock climb and I kinda don't wanna be lumped in with them (I have some bad tattoos and Jncos in my past).
With all of this spouting off I have to admit that I can't wait to get my ass back to the Rock Gym in Fairfield though. I even think its time to bite the bullet and actually buy a fucking harness for rope climbing. Maybe this way I can go back to bouldering with the idea that I can enjoy climbing anything; not just staying under ten feet because I'm too lazy to learn how to belay. Plus, I don't even know where to buy Jncos these days.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Sasquatch
After my last post I started to worry that I was jumping the gun a bit. After all, what hipster is going to leave the comfort of Starbucks to risk a possible squirrel attack... or even worse, a tan? Than a miracle happened. All of my Joe Rogan-esque paranoid delusions were completely justified with one simple walk on the D&R Canal. Coming from the direction of Princeton on a fixed geared bike was an honest to god hipster.
I could tell It was a hipster from its cutoff shorts and baggy tank top, but the fact that this lost soul was riding a fixed gear road bike on a dirt path was perhaps the greatest gift of all. Not only is it completely impractical, its down-right unnecessary. There is no reason on earth to ride a bike down that path except for leisure. It's not like there is anything in Griggstown New Jersey that a hipster would need. I do realize that without proof I'm just a rambling wreck, like a UFO abduct-ie or a vegan, so I did my best to grab a quick snapshot of this crazy diamond but I was too late.
Terrible photograph I know. But does it really matter? Maybe wonders of nature don't need to be photographed. Maybe just the idea that what your looking at is real can be enough.
I could tell It was a hipster from its cutoff shorts and baggy tank top, but the fact that this lost soul was riding a fixed gear road bike on a dirt path was perhaps the greatest gift of all. Not only is it completely impractical, its down-right unnecessary. There is no reason on earth to ride a bike down that path except for leisure. It's not like there is anything in Griggstown New Jersey that a hipster would need. I do realize that without proof I'm just a rambling wreck, like a UFO abduct-ie or a vegan, so I did my best to grab a quick snapshot of this crazy diamond but I was too late.
Terrible photograph I know. But does it really matter? Maybe wonders of nature don't need to be photographed. Maybe just the idea that what your looking at is real can be enough.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Hipster Hikers?
For some odd reason, yesterday my lady friend received an Urban Outfitters' catalog in the mail. This was pretty confusing considering the only thing we've ever bought from this hipster mecca are a few books I've given away as ironic gifts and a necklace with an owl on it. I'd love to pretend that I didn't look at it and threw it away in disgust, but instead I gave it a once over. I'm honestly glad I did or I wouldn't have found this gem.
I gotta say I'm intrigued. I've never seen hipsters in the wild like this before. As someone who rocks J.Crew it's not like I haven't seen this style before, but I've never seen it promoted on a hipster level. I figure they're too busy designing terrible forearm tattoos and making shell art for their girlfriend's loft to be outdoors, and near water no less.
This leads to a few interesting points: What if outdoor activity is the new basement show? What if these self imposed outcasts actually start sporting bandannas for a purpose? Is the fixed-gear mountain bike the new tall bike? Can you really swim in cutoff jeans?
As a fan of Terry Richardson I also gotta wonder, is the shitty hand held snapshot going to become the new way companies advertise? I can only imagine Merrill ads featuring some grainy shot of a lanky tattooed man-child and his girl wearing a tank top without a bra skipping across a creek together, both looking slightly drunk from the night before. I actually considered becoming the first outdoor sports photographer to go this route, but thinking about having to spend a day in the woods babysitting a bunch of grown men brushing their bangs out of their face would lead to manslaughter charges (they'd be left behind after the first water break).
Still, if this is the future I guess I'm gonna have to accept it. I guess it's time to run over to the mall and pick up a shiny day-glow raincoat for myself, maybe some orange shorts or fake wayfarer reading glasses. After all, nothing says outdoors-man like slip-on Keds with no socks.
(A little trivia for you: A true fixed gear bike can really only brake by lifting the back tire slightly off the ground and pedaling backward. This is accomplished with a strap on the pedal. Both of these bikes have been equipped with hand brakes and the foot straps are unused on the underside of the pedal. These people aren't even real hipsters. For-shame Urban Outfitters!)
I gotta say I'm intrigued. I've never seen hipsters in the wild like this before. As someone who rocks J.Crew it's not like I haven't seen this style before, but I've never seen it promoted on a hipster level. I figure they're too busy designing terrible forearm tattoos and making shell art for their girlfriend's loft to be outdoors, and near water no less.
This leads to a few interesting points: What if outdoor activity is the new basement show? What if these self imposed outcasts actually start sporting bandannas for a purpose? Is the fixed-gear mountain bike the new tall bike? Can you really swim in cutoff jeans?
As a fan of Terry Richardson I also gotta wonder, is the shitty hand held snapshot going to become the new way companies advertise? I can only imagine Merrill ads featuring some grainy shot of a lanky tattooed man-child and his girl wearing a tank top without a bra skipping across a creek together, both looking slightly drunk from the night before. I actually considered becoming the first outdoor sports photographer to go this route, but thinking about having to spend a day in the woods babysitting a bunch of grown men brushing their bangs out of their face would lead to manslaughter charges (they'd be left behind after the first water break).
Still, if this is the future I guess I'm gonna have to accept it. I guess it's time to run over to the mall and pick up a shiny day-glow raincoat for myself, maybe some orange shorts or fake wayfarer reading glasses. After all, nothing says outdoors-man like slip-on Keds with no socks.
(A little trivia for you: A true fixed gear bike can really only brake by lifting the back tire slightly off the ground and pedaling backward. This is accomplished with a strap on the pedal. Both of these bikes have been equipped with hand brakes and the foot straps are unused on the underside of the pedal. These people aren't even real hipsters. For-shame Urban Outfitters!)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bike Snob NYC
I haven't been following the Bike Snob's blog that long, but I've read his book a few times through and laughed my ass off. As someone that has biked through New York I can tell you it's an experience like no other.
In case your wondering, the huge chain has since been retired due to complete uselessness. I figured I'd give it a shot once, but it's really just uncomfortable (and looking back, fucking lame).
The Bike Snob really hits the nail on the head when it comes to city biking. From all the recent rule changes, to the heavy ticketing, to bike lanes that are more of a burden than anything else lately, the Bike Snob breaks it down with a level of sarcasm that would give Norm MacDonald nightmares.
BikeSnobNYC
In case your wondering, the huge chain has since been retired due to complete uselessness. I figured I'd give it a shot once, but it's really just uncomfortable (and looking back, fucking lame).
The Bike Snob really hits the nail on the head when it comes to city biking. From all the recent rule changes, to the heavy ticketing, to bike lanes that are more of a burden than anything else lately, the Bike Snob breaks it down with a level of sarcasm that would give Norm MacDonald nightmares.
BikeSnobNYC
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Yankee Stadium
This past Saturday I happened upon some free Yankees' tickets and couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit the new stadium again.
At some point in my mid-twenties I came to the terrible realization that I had been following baseball for about a decade and was, in-fact, a Yankee fan. This is after years of being a hipster/punk that was too cool for anything so stereotypically American (and about a year of following the Padres out of a half-assed attempt to support what I consider to be the greatest city in the country). Fuck it tho, I'm a proud Yankee fan and honestly too old to give a fuck about what the generation under me thinks.
(click for full view)
Getting back to a more positive note; I shot this with the panorama function on my girlfriend's Olympus Stylus Tough-6020. Its odd how well it lines up toward the top of the picture, but so poorly toward the bottom. I gotta give it a good review though. Knowing that if I drop it in a river, or fall on it off a boulder, it'll still probably work is pretty reassuring. Especially since technically, it's not really mine.
...because he's Derek fucking Jeter. (it's an Onion reference)
And don't think because this post is pretty Yankee heavy that there's gonna be long, one sided discussions on Robinson Cano's OBP or Rivera's stats vs left handed batters in July on Thursdays since 2004. This is an outdoor blog, but told from my perspective. Its gonna get a little personal now and than, but I'll try to stay on track the best I can. Just be happy there aren't any pictures of waterfalls for once.
At some point in my mid-twenties I came to the terrible realization that I had been following baseball for about a decade and was, in-fact, a Yankee fan. This is after years of being a hipster/punk that was too cool for anything so stereotypically American (and about a year of following the Padres out of a half-assed attempt to support what I consider to be the greatest city in the country). Fuck it tho, I'm a proud Yankee fan and honestly too old to give a fuck about what the generation under me thinks.
(click for full view)
Getting back to a more positive note; I shot this with the panorama function on my girlfriend's Olympus Stylus Tough-6020. Its odd how well it lines up toward the top of the picture, but so poorly toward the bottom. I gotta give it a good review though. Knowing that if I drop it in a river, or fall on it off a boulder, it'll still probably work is pretty reassuring. Especially since technically, it's not really mine.
...because he's Derek fucking Jeter. (it's an Onion reference)
And don't think because this post is pretty Yankee heavy that there's gonna be long, one sided discussions on Robinson Cano's OBP or Rivera's stats vs left handed batters in July on Thursdays since 2004. This is an outdoor blog, but told from my perspective. Its gonna get a little personal now and than, but I'll try to stay on track the best I can. Just be happy there aren't any pictures of waterfalls for once.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
180° South
I came across 180° South a few months ago on Netflix instant view, and I really think it's deserving of a plug. Basically a surfing/climbing bum finds and old documentary of a bunch of surfing/climbing bums in the 1960's on a road trip to Patagonia, and decides to follow their lead. On the way down things fall apart and blah blah blah. What really makes this film worth watching is that it kind plays catchup with the dirtbags from the original documentary, who are now the founders of outdoor clothing giants North Face and Patagonia. Personally I love the story, and by the end of the film I was restless to get outside and do.... anything. Check it out for free on Netflix next time you're stuck inside.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
A Prequel.
A few pics from last year.
The Palisades waterfall. I feel like it could be climbed without a rope, but I also feel like there's a good chance I could die. Thankfully I did some research and found out it's illegal to climb in Palisades Park.
Josh doing his Huck Finn impression at Buttermilk Falls. I swear I'm not just a waterfall enthusiast.
The Palisades waterfall. I feel like it could be climbed without a rope, but I also feel like there's a good chance I could die. Thankfully I did some research and found out it's illegal to climb in Palisades Park.
Josh doing his Huck Finn impression at Buttermilk Falls. I swear I'm not just a waterfall enthusiast.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Episode I : The Phantom Menace
Little intro, I was looking for a way to document my exploits and I'm a big Satorialist fan so blogspot seemed like the natural choice. I'm not much for wordy blogs so here's a couple of photos from today's trip to North Jersey.
Scooley's Mountain, Boulder Gorge Trail.
Evan in the waterfalls.
Buttermilk Falls.
A big ass frog that wasn't to be fucked with.
We also hit up sunrise mountain and a Cracker Barrel. Nothing completes a hike like sawmill gravy and biscuits. Overall, first hike of the year a success.
Scooley's Mountain, Boulder Gorge Trail.
Evan in the waterfalls.
Buttermilk Falls.
A big ass frog that wasn't to be fucked with.
We also hit up sunrise mountain and a Cracker Barrel. Nothing completes a hike like sawmill gravy and biscuits. Overall, first hike of the year a success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
