Photo of the Week # 14

"Moore" Adventure ~ October, 2009

Dad and me at "Sugarland Overlook" in Grayson Highlands State Park!

Modern Day Explorer Comes to Winston-Salem!

Columbus, Magellan, Lewis & Clark... Meet Jon Bowermaster

I think most of us generally think of "explorers" in the past tense, as if there is nothing left on the planet to be discovered! How 'big' of us, right? I know I'm guilty as charged. There are still plenty of unexplored corners of the world, and tomorrow, October 26th, residents of Winston-Salem, NC, will have the opportunity to meet a modern day explorer. Jon Bowermaster is a National Geographic Explorer/Adventurer and award-winning writer and filmmaker. It has taken Bowermaster a decade to complete his film project, "OCEANS 8," and - tomorrow - he will present two slide shows, the first at Forsyth Country Day School, a local private school, and the second at Wake Forest University, on the effects of climate change in Antarctica.

For his "OCEANS 8" project, Bowermaster and his team explored bodies of water near the Aleutian Islands, Vietnam, French Polynesia, Chile/Argentina/Bolivia, Gabon, Croatia, Tasmania, and lastly, Antarctica, the focus of his slide shows and the capstone film to his project. "Terra Antarctica" is currently a finalist in the Blue Ocean Film Festival. View the trailer for some stunning footage of this arctic landscape:



The presentations are sponsored by National Geographic, Mountain Hardwear, and Great Outdoor Provision Co. Since the slide show at Forsyth Country Day School is limited to students and faculty, you should try to make it out to the one at Wake Forest (assuming you are a Winston resident...). It will be held at 7 pm in the Annenberg Forum in Carswell Hall.

Bear Grylls and How He's Changing Everything

Mission: Renaissance

Bear Grylls is mostly known for performing outrageous stunts and eating disgusting foods in his survival series, Man vs. Wild, which I frequently bring up on this blog. A while ago he suffered some weighty criticism when the media labeled him a fraud and blew the reality behind his show way out of proportion. While the negative media attention was pretty strong, Grylls handled it well and was honest with people about the "behind-the-scenes" life of filming an outdoor survival show. To make a long story short, it takes 12 days to film an hour's worth of adventure, and he generally spends 2 of those 12 days literally "surviving" in the wild. It is television, after all. There are liability concerns and logistics to deal with.

Luckily, he recovered from the conflict and so did Man vs. Wild, which continues to put out quality episodes on the Discovery Channel.When push comes to shove, the quarrels about authenticity and production techniques are really beside the point. The show is designed to entertain, and while he can't vouch for the television executives, Gryll's motivations are sound and noble. Bear Grylls is the real deal, a man concerned with the future of children across the world. His show has inspired hundreds upon hundreds of young people around the world to venture into the unknown again! And these days the "unknown" is as close as the backyard. Grylls, the new "Chief Scout" in the UK, is a role model for children (and some adults! can I get a show of hands??). It also seems, as time goes by, Grylls becomes ever more comfortable discussing his Christian faith, which you can witness in the video below. Here is a guy - incredibly famous - yet giving the glory to God... and on national television!



I will never forget the episode when he is stranded on a plateau somewhere in the wilderness of Patagonia, sheltered behind a rock. The stars are out; it is windy and nearly freezing; and he's got a fire going. Alone, he pulls out the hand held camera and talks about his faith in God and how nights like this one remind him how small he is while also revealing how big his God is... As he says on occasion, he "cherishes" these experiences and looks to God for his strength.

In the next video, Grylls talks about his new book series for young adults, which gets me very excited! Not that I intend to read them - although I wouldn't rule that out necessarily, because I imagine they are pretty fun! - but it so encouraging to hear him talk about these books, what they mean to him, to children, their focus, and what he hopes they will accomplish.



In this technology driven culture (exhibit A, right?) we need more people like Bear Grylls. We need to inspire optimism and activity. We need to get young people (and ourselves) outside, away from the computer screens (MUST-BLOG-LESS, UGHH) and into the fresh air. There is so much joy to be found in the simple things of this world.

Thanks, Bear, for reminding us.

Bear vs. Cougar

From "The Bear" (1988)

The other day at school, a co-worker sent out this video to show to our students. I ended up showing it to every student I had that day on the grounds that it is AWESOME! Exciting, educational, and really well made. If you have a minute, check it out. You will not be disappointed.