KickCarveCrank 60 Second Gear Review: IPod vs. GoPro HD Hero

In the past few years, the GoPro HD Hero camera has become the choice of countless sports enthusiasts when it comes to filming their endeavors. It is available in varieties that allow 960p or 1080p filming, and is available with a variety of mounts, including but not limited to the following: Adhesive Helmet Mount, Chest Harness, Wrist Mount, Handlebars, Surfboard (above), Car Hood, Head strap, Seat post, Skis, Ski poles, and Tripod mount. The slightly less professional approach is to use an IPod, IPhone, or some other form of Smartphone/IPod type device. You can position them in one of the many items available for holding such devices (above). Obviously, there are no mounts designed specifically designed for filming with these gadgets, and the video quality is not as good, although none too shabby.One advantage is that the GoPro is fairely wide angle and the IPod delivers more regular video. The GoPro is also much more durable and waterproof, and so therefore more activities can be filmed with it. So if you want professional-level video and supreme durability, I would recommend the GoPro (www.goprocamera.com). However, for the less needy consumer, a regular IPod will suffice.  

 
 

Derailuer Failier

My mountain bike recently suffered a horrible casualty due to the plague of mud. I was riding up the trail after a thunderstorm the previous night in at least two inches of mud. Suddenly my chain came off the front sprocket and as I was putting it back on I notice something was wrong with the rear derailuer. I soon became aware that it had completely broken off and was soon freewheeling down back to the trail head. Further tragedy ensued as  Specialized refused to put the repair on warranty. However, all has now been resolved and I'm back to riding again, although with the impending evils of school on the horizon, I will soon be confined to only doing so only the weekend.

Llama Trip: Day 6

The final day of our trip was fairly uneventful compared to the others. We departed camp and began our seven and- a- half mile hike back to the trail head. The two remotely exiting events occurred a good way down the trail, the first of which involved the llamas arch enemy: horses. The llamas became tense when they saw the awful creatures, yet when the dogs accompanying them began barking and running at the llamas, things began to get a little crazy. After much yelling of "Call your dog!," and "They're gonna get bear sprayed!," and "Hey! They've never seen llamas before!," the hell hounds were called off. The pleasant hike continued for a little longer, before the more uneventful adventure came upon us. This was simply some passing horse packers informing us of the close proximity of a bear. After some cautious walking, we were out of the danger zone and after a few more hours were down at the trail head. We were then informed that we were the only group to ever find a lost llama without the assistance of an airplane, and that the other group that had been out the same time as we were had also lost a llama, although he had been recovered as well. We sorted the gear into piles according to family, and drove back to Jackson, where we enjoyed showers, not having to dig a hole when one is in need of the bathroom, and warm beds.

Llama Trip: Day 4&5

After the drama of the previous day, it was nice to relax in camp. We caught trout, played cards and ate diner on the other side of Bob's Lake for a nice change of scenery. The following day we got our last view of the massive peaks of the Wind Rivers as we walked back down to our final camp at Pine Island Lake.

It seems that llamas enjoy watching us freak, because they gave us yet another reason to do so. Stretch, the most troublesome individual, realized the effect of his unsatisfactory behavior and decided he was too ashamed to continue to live any longer. Therefore, he  promptly began to commit suicide by wrapping the lead rope around the tree he had been tied too as well as his neck, so he began to choke. Luckily, we were able to rescue him and provide anti-suicide counseling. Hopefully he saw his life flash before his eyes and will make some new choices in the future.
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Coming Soon: Llama Trip: Final Day

Llama Trip: Day 2&3

The next morning we ate breakfast with a southern small-town diner theme. At the "Llama Diner," "We believe in costumer service, so therefore our costumers serve us." At 11:00 am, we set out again, this time for Bob's Lake. Around 2:00 pm we got our first view of the backbone of the Wind River Mountains (at right), followed by the first river crossing (below). We continued down into the vast meadows around Bob's Lake and the countless others in the near vicinity. We arrived at our camp a few hours later and had dinner, only to settle in again for an eventful night of sleep.

A little before midnight we were awoken by the alarm call of a llama followed by thundering hooves. My dad went running outside in his underwear only to come back in cursing about the cold and how he forgot his bear spray. It soon became apparent that we were missing four of the nine llamas, the result of a wandering deer that spooked them. A search party was sent out, soon finding that they were not anywhere in camp. After broadening the efforts to include the areas further out from the immediate vicinity of the camp, three of the four llamas were found about a quarter mile away, and the search party returned. The fourth llama, named 525 (my llama!), would be searched for in the morning, due to the impending thunderstorm.

That morning, my dad and I, and a llama to lure the missing the missing one in, set out across the far side of the meadow, where he was able to get a desperate text out to my mom who was nursing a ruptured Achilles tendon at home. She was able to contact the llama company, and they began to orchestrate a rescue mission. Meanwhile, another party of two (my uncle and cousin) went down the middle of the valley/meadow, with a third (another uncle and cousin) headed along the near side. At the lunchtime rendezvous, none of the parties had turned up anything, despite the beautiful hikes. Upon returning to camp, we discovered my sister, younger cousin and aunts had been informed by a group of passing horseman that the llama was "just over yonder." Thinking the llama was close, they had, naturally, taken off in that direction, with only an assortment of flip flops and Crocs on their feet and none of the essential head nets and bug sprays needed for repelling the increasing number of mosquitoes. After six miles of hiking (some of it through a hail storm), they returned having found 525 with his lead rope tangled to a log. Another desperate text was sent in the extremely spotty reception, this time saying that the search team that had been being arranged was no longer needed. Finally, we slept soundly that night.

Coming Soon: Llama Trip Day 4 & 5

Wind River Llama Trip

Over the past week I was on a llama pack trip in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. The trip started out with "llama school," (basically a two and a half hour lecture on llama husbandry, with extreme emphasis on toiletry habits of the animals, followed by learning to saddle and pack them). We then were instructed to meet one of the assistant llama people at the trail at 9:00 am the next morning. The next morning after being each assigned a llama and after two hours of "Oh my gosh, isn't my llama cute?," and "Wait, wait, wait, this random piece of equipment needs to go in this llama bag, not that one!," and me almost being stepped on by by my llama, we were off.

The first adventure happened a few miles down the trail when a llama named Lucky started to be uncooperative due to the fact that he did not appreciate the fly rod cases that he had been assigned to carry. We moved them onto a llama named Stretch, thinking the problem was solved. However, it caused Stretch to go on a wild rampage, causing screaming people and llamas. After the first minor catastrophe of the trip had been sorted out, we continue up the trail for a few miles and then stopped for a not-so-quick lunch at a small unnamed lake. The llamas were fed some of the many pounds of llama cookies that we had brought for them, we had  some of the too- few pounds of cookies for us. That night we made our camp at Little Divide Lake and settled in for what was for me at least, an awful night of sleep, although one that the rest of the trip completely made up for, as you will see.

Coming Soon: Day 2&3 of the Llama Trip!