Week 18?

When it's 35 degrees outside, biking into Rock Creek feels more like an excursion than an leisurely afternoon. I was wearing four layers on top, sweatpants under my jeans, and two pair of gloves.

This week I discovered how much easier it is to film the birds when there are no leaves. After listening to their calls for several minutes, I spotted two woodpeckers that decided to stick around long enough for me to grab a few shots. The first, a Downy Woodpecker, can be found across the US from Alaska to Florida. In fact, it's range extends into all 50 states! The second, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, is found only in the eastern US and uses its two inch tongue to feed on insects hiding under tree bark. Ice is starting to form on the creek itself and the familiar mallards are nowhere to be found. It's about time the weather decided to take a look at the calendar; it was so cold my toes were numb by the time I got back to Mt Pleasant.

Next time I'll have to remember the wool socks.

Operation Mountain Fury

When it's 4 am and you wake up sealed so tightly inside a sleeping bag that you can't find the opening you just have to wonder, "Who thought this was a good idea?"

I'd compare cold weather camping to pledging a fraternity (especially when you go out there with a group of eight guys). You're proud you made it through, but it's the most fun you never want to have again. Except if you're crazy like us and you enjoy these kinds of things.

Last weekend included a refreshing sixty hours spent out in the mountains of West Virginia. The Monongahela is a federally protected forest encompassing over 900,000 acres of woodlands in the eastern region of the state. It's an absolutely stunning landscape, even with most of the leaves already on the ground. Rhododendron, which curiously still clung to their foliage, sprawled out across the sides of steep valleys while small cricks tumbled down the slopes.

Our group of mountaineers, composed primarily of competitive runners, made very poor time through the woods. And I’m not talking about ouch-I-have-a-blister slow, I’m talking about mommy-can-you-carry-my-backpack slow. It took us all day to cover eight miles; just for the record, through hikers can cover more than twenty-five. It was still good fun, especially when it came to crossing the river. With no bridges to speak of we were forced to fabricate a stone walkway (and we wonder why we made such bad time).

After a long day of hiking in the cold it’s absolutely amazing how comforting a bag of dehydrated food can be. We huddled around the fire sharing stories of loved (and hated) ones while trying to fight off the chills. I was so reluctant to retreat from the fire that I fell asleep right there next to the ring a few times before resigning myself to another frigid night in the tent.

It was an epic weekend of campfires, hatchets, and testosterone, and this adventurer can't wait for the next trip. There’s only one thing I’d do differently next time: remember the hot chocolate mix.

(Click for pictures!)

Week...12?

It's been too long. Life through me for a loop there, and it's taken me a little while to get settled again. Here's a long overdue entry. Went for something a little different here, seeing as I broke the routine already anyway.

Week 4

I learned a very valuable lesson about wildlife filming this week: sometimes you'll go out there with the best plan in the world and you'll still come back empty handed. That's why this week's entry required two hikes through the park; hike number one was a complete bust. I borrowed the 400mm prime from work and thought, "Wow, I'm going to get some great shots of the birds this week." But despite my patient waiting (I stood in one place for an hour without making noise) the birds never showed. So goes the life of a wildlife cameraman I suppose. Hope you enjoy this week; it's the first time I've used my new H4N to capture natural sound and mix it into the video.

Music by Patrick Canavan

(Click the Map!)

Week 3

So I realize that I'm late with this entry, but I think it was worth the extra time. This week's entry is a special edition! I took the weekend to head up north to Bethlehem PA and go diving at Dutch Springs Quarry, and I was able to take the 5D and Aquatica housing from work (thanks so much Nick!)! After a four hour car ride (thanks JC for the car) I crashed at Andrew's house before meeting up with my dad and younger brother at the quarry the following morning. I won't say too much about the experience, other than it was one of the most exciting weekends I've had in a long time, because I think that the video and photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!

 (Click the Map!)

Week 2

When my alarm went off at 4:45 AM, it took me more than a few seconds to realize what was happening, but before I knew it I was cruising down Park Road towards the southern tip of the park. I couldn't wait to get out there for my first dawn shoot; turns out I was so excited that I got there about an hour early. The "apparent sunrise" was definitely not very apparent within the park, so I was forced to use a flashlight for a while.

It wasn't too long until the thunder began to rumble, which made me really nervous as I was using a friend's 7D (thanks again JC, I'll get my own soon). I got to my bike, took a quick glance at the map and took off towards Connecticut Ave, and not a moment too soon. Just as I cleared the hill up Porter Street the skies opened up and I ducked into the Cleveland Park Metro Station to hitch a ride to work.

Music by Patrick Canavan

(Sorry, no pictures this week)

Week 1

After not waking up at 5:00 AM as planned (sorry JC, I owe you a few hours of sleep), we got out to the park around noon. It turned out to be a great trip filled with deer, birds, and countless spiderwebs to the face; it's hard to watch where you're going through a viewfinder. We drove up to the northeast corner of the park and parked on Juniper St before heading south on the Valley Trail. After following the river for a bit, we decided to turn onto a small side trail before abandoning the trails altogether. It's amazing how thick the undergrowth can be, so it was slow going. Stopping to take video every few minutes didn't help with that either, so we covered less than two miles total. Here's this week's video, and be sure to check on the photos as well (click the map)!

Music by Patrick Canavan

(Click the Map!)

Week 0:

It just didn't feel right starting a blog and then not actually posting any content; clearly a first time blogger over here. Here's my first attempt at putting photos up on the blog, I hope this can entice you to check back again some time. Borrowing the link-in-picture technique from a friend Dan.

(click on the image)

52 Weeks:

It's been a few months now. Of real life, that is. Well, if you consider riding a bike to National Geographic headquarters every day to play with camera gear 'real life,' but that's another debate.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about where life has taken me, where it's got me now, and where it might take me in the years to come. I've been on some pretty epic aventures in my 23 years, and I count myself as one of the luckiest people on Earth for the experiences I've had. But one thing life has taught me is that, well, sometimes you have to create your own adventures.

So in this vein, I've decided that while I'm trapped in the concrete sauna people call Washington DC, I'm going to explore Rock Creek Park. For those of you who might be wondering, Rock Creek is a downright beautiful park located right in the heart of DC. Within its 1,700 acres (that's twice the size of Central Park) you might catch a glimpse of Red Tailed Fox, White Tailed Deer, Great Horned Owls, Timber Rattlesnakes, Luna Moths, and a host of other wild animals and amazing plant species you'd never expect to find in such an urban neighborhood; there are even Coyotes in the park from time to time. And to top it off, I can ride my bike there in less than 15 minutes.

So I'll be out there at least once a week, camera in hand, to document the life cycle of this urban oasis. Each week I'll be uploading a select reel of the footage and pictures from the week, so check back in from time to time to see how life is going over at Rock Creek!

- Brian