James Franco cast as mountain climber

If you've been around the outdoor community, or read pretty much any outdoor magazine, then I'm sure that you've heard of Aron Ralston.

For those of you who haven't heard of Ralston, he is the mountain climber that, in May 2003, was forced to amputate his own right forearm to free himself from a boulder after being stuck there for five days. It is pretty amazing story that eventually lead to a book (yes, he took video and photos during his five days).

And now there is a movie being made about his story.

The movie, 127 Hours, will be directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later) and it was recently announced that playing Ralston will be James Franco (The Spiderman Trilogy, Flyboys).

I think this will be an interesting movie and I am anxious to see how it is filmed. And judging by the story I'm sure that it will follow in the footsteps of Into the Wild and The River Why (which is set to be released in 2010). These are definitely movies focused toward the outdoor genre or at least the armchair outdoor wanna-be genre.

It's great to see Hollywood branching out from terrible remakes and get into the outdoor crowd.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Today the adventure begins

Today is the day.

Our backpacks are packed with our kit.

Our shoes are tied tight.

Our hats are on.

We're ready to hit the Wonderland Trail.

It's time to test how our training has paid off. We first started our training back in March by summitting Tiger Mountain once or twice a week. We then moved to Poo Poo Point for a month and soon onto Mount Si twice. Next followed Mailbox Peak and hiking around Sunrise.

Now our real adventure begins. We are heading up to Mowich Lake to camp tonight, and then hit the trail tomorrow. Tune back in each day, as the site will be updating to show you where we are and what our route for the day looks like.

It's your way to keep track of the Northern Ranger's greatest adventure of 2009!

And from one of my favorite books and movies of all time, "Into the Wild."

Epic Video: Into The Wild

Because it's the weekend, it's time to get outside. And because this movie is awesome.

One month from today Jeff and I will be two days into our 93-mile hike around Mount Rainier. I can't wait to get into the wild.

The Bang Bang Club

I got my new issue of Outside Magazine in the mail today and the cover features Taylor Kitsch of Friday Night Lights and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The article was about him fly fishing in Texas, but what really caught my attention in the article is the part about one of his up coming movies about The Bang Bang Club.

Now unless you know photojournalism, chances are you've never heard of the Bang Bang Club. And the same chances are even less that you will have heard of Kevin Carter. Kitsch will be playing Carter in the movie.

Carter is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning photograph I've posted above. The photo features a small Sudanese toddler on the ground. She is suffering from famine and a vulture is standing watch behind.

I have a feeling that this movie will be released in very select theaters. Much like one of my favorite movies (and best movies of all time) Into The Wild.

Despite the small-scale theater release, Into The Wild, and the story of Christopher McCandless, has drawn praise and awards worldwide.

I believe that, even before seeing it, Steven Silver will do the same with The Bang Bang Club.

Here's the synopsis of the film:

The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers; Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe), Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch), Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa. Two were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their acclaimed work.

The film tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men - and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. Anna (Malin Akerman) is their photo-editor, who looked out for them, protected them and made sure their photographs were seen across the world.

Based on the book by Marinovich and Silva, The Bang Bang Club tells the true story of these four young men, recounting their relationships with each other and the stresses, tensions and moral dilemmas of working in situations of extreme violence, pain and suffering.

The story of these four photojournalists is heart-wrenching and is sure to make an incredible journey across the big screen. The film is set to be released sometime in 2010.

Epic Video: Super Apple

First off, this is one of the greatest movies ever. Into The Wild.

Secondly, if you've ever been on long backpacking trip, a simple thing like an apple can truly taste amazing.

Into The Wild

I watched Into The Wild last night, and all I can say is WOW! Man that was a great movie. For anyone who has ever wanted to take an adventure, or for anyone who loves pushing themselves to the limits, this movie is for you. Emile Hirsch did an excellent job portraying Chris McCandless. Chris truly went on "the ultimate adventure." The best part is, the whole thing is a true story! Yeah, I highly recommend this movie.

As for my own adventures, I will be heading east into the Badlands of North Dakota. Therefore I will be without Internet for a number of days. Brandon will carry the slack at Just South of North (either that or be playing MarioKart the whole time I'm away). Either way, I'm sure he will entertain.

I will report my adventures when I return. But for now, so long.