Hiking Mt. Si

On Saturday I headed up Mt. Si in North Bend, WA. It was a foggy, drizzly day at my house, but it was the exact opposite at Mt. Si. It honestly felt like a nice spring day. Sure the summit was cold from the wind, but in the treeline it was warm and sunny.

(Here's a book featuring 100 Classic Hikes in Washington)

And here's some of the pictures I got of the views:


A panoramic shot from the summit. Mt. Rainier is in the distance and Seattle is somewhere in the fog below.



View of I-90 and Mt. Rainier.



The Olympic Mountains.

Epic Photo: Mt. Rainier

Here'a photo that Casey took of Mt. Rainier from his work. Apparently he works at a scenic painter or something.

Hiking Poo Poo Point

How did you celebrate New Year's Eve? I climbed Poo Poo Point in Issaquah, WA.

Now this is a hike that I have done hundreds of times. But today was different. I wanted to climb it today to test myself. If you don't know I had knee surgery in June of 2011. The doctors thought I had a torn meniscus, but come to find out I had arthritis and it had torn up most of the cartilage in my knee.

After the surgery it was hard to even walk. And there was no way I could climb Poo Poo Point after that. One year later, in June of 2012, I climbed it and found that it was extremely hard and my knee was so sore that I could hardly walk for a week afterward.

Now a days my knee hurts on a daily basis but I have learned over the past year that you first have to accept the things that you can't control before you can work on the things that you can change.

So many people live their lives based on the motto "No Regrets". Well I think that motto is outdated and frankly untrue. I prefer the motto "No Excuses".

You see, when you live your life with "no regrets" it's easy to come up with excuses that will make your regret seem bearable. Instead, "no excuses" if you don't want to do something, just say so. But if you want to do something, then don't make excuses and just go do it.

Today I could have easily made the excuse that my knee is sore and stayed home. Instead I climbed Poo Poo Point. And I did it in one of my fastest times. When I used to climb it before my surgery I'd go up it (with a full 40 pound pack) in about 45-50 minutes. Today, with just a day pack, I made it in 42 minutes. I was happy with that. Now my knee is sore as I'm typing this (actually I'm icing it) but I did it.

So here's to the end of 2012 and I welcome 2013. Happy New Year everyone!

10 gift ideas for the Bear Grylls fan

The holidays are quickly approaching and you might be trying to come up with some gifts for that special someone in your life. Well don't worry, we here at Just South of North are going to help.

If that special someone is excited for the new NBC Bear Grylls show, perhaps they even applied to be on it, maybe you should get them some Bear Grylls items.

Here are 10 suggestions for the Bear Grylls fan in your life:

1. Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife: The first edition of this knife was horrible. It wasn't up to the usually very high standards of Gerber. However, the second edition is top notch. The knife featurs:

• Molded rubber grip and knurled striking surface butt cap
• Saw ground back blade
• Integrated fire starter with integrated diamond sharpener
• Key ground-air communication patch
• Emergency micro lanyard whistle

It's a must have for any fan of the outdoors and fan of Bear Grylls.

2. Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography: I bought this book as soon as it was available in the US. And I read it in just a few days after receiving it. The book is fast-paced and well written. The chapters keep you intrigued and show more to Bear Grylls then fans get in his TV shows and interviews. It's a great read and a lot of fun. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm sure you will too.

3. Man vs. Wild Video Game: Have you ever wanted to BE Bear Grylls? Well with the Man vs. Wild video game you have the chance. I wrote a review last year about the game and found it enjoyable. You can't make it outside everyday, so on those days you're trapped inside, why not have a little fun by trying to survive in the Everglades.

4. Man vs Wild: Season Four: While I enjoy all the seasons of Man vs. Wild, I really enjoyed season four. This season also includes the very humorous episode with Will Ferrel. In this season Bear heads to the wilds of Alabama, Arctic Circle, Vietnam, Texas, Alaska, Panama, Big Sky Country, China and Guatemala.

5. Bear Grylls Men's Trek Long Sleeve Shirt: This shirt is very form fitting (which you might want to move up one size for comfort fit). It is quick-drying and offers panels that stretch for added movement while trekking.

6. Bear Grylls Men's Original Trouser: Like the shirt in number five, these pants are made by Craghoppers and are quick-drying, offer stretch panels, six pockets (2 with zippers) and are very comfortable.

7. Para-Cord Survival Bracelet: I have a paracord bracelet that I wear whenever I go out whether I'm hiking, kayaking or just camping. If you ever needed rope while in the wild this is the perfect product. A great survival item and now part of my regular outdoor gear.

8. Man vs. Wild: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth: I recieved this book as a birthday present a few years ago and wasn't sure what to expect. But after reading a few chapters I knew that it would be very interesting. It's been a long time since I was in Boy Scouts and this book really helped to refresh some of what I learned while earning my Eagle Scout award. The information is good and presented in an entertaining way.

9. Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Fire Starter: While I don't have this exact model I do have a similar fire starter. It works great and is so nice to have in the wet Pacific Northwest. I don't have to worry about matches or finding waterproof matches (or a waterproof case) for them. This model also has a whistle attached for emergencies.

10. Man vs. Wild: Season One: The season that started it all. If your Bear Grylls fan doesn't have the first season of Man vs. Wild then you know what to get them.

I hope that this list has given you some good ideas for what to get the Bear Grylls fan in your life as well was my actual reviews of the products.

Delta's 2.74 pound mountain bike

This bike is a beast! It weighs in at just 2.74 pounds and it's frame is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar.

Delta 7‘s awesome new Antrix Mountain bike is sure to make any bike enthusiast’s jaw drop. Designed for rugged terrain, this beauty of a bike features a patented IsoTruss carbon fiber and Kevlar “spider web-like” tube frame, and its smart yet stealth frame weighs in at just 2.74 lbs! The Arantix is buit to withstand extreme use, and its unparalleled strength-to-weight ratio results in an ultra stiff and responsive bike. No price has been revealed yet, but a limited production of just 200 frames should tell you something.

It's pretty sweet, but somehome I'm guessing out of my price range.

Mountain biking dog

A cute video about a dog that like mountain biking.

Lily Shreds trailside. on pinkbike.com

I'm a Runner: Bear Grylls

Runners World has a great interview with Bear Grylls on their site from their May 2011 edition.

Occupation: Host of Man vs. Wild
Age: 36
Residence: Abersoch, U.K.

How did you get started running?
In the military. In the British Special Air Service, combat fitness is all about running. We would go until we ended up vomiting on the side of the road. Once I left the military, I gave up running for a while. It took me a while to realize it doesn't have to be like that. Running can be a great therapeutic way of training. These days I push myself hard, but I also slow down and take it easy sometimes. It doesn't have to be full-on hard all the time.

When did you get back into running?
After the military, I spent a year being really unhealthy, not exercising. I got back into running when I was offered my first commercial [for Degree deodorant]. I thought, If I'm going to have to take my shirt off, I'd better start doing sit-ups and start running.
Later, I got my first TV series [Escape to the Legion], which was about basic training for the French Foreign Legion out in the desert of North Africa. During that time, running was a part of everyday life. We were running two or three times a day. We always had to wear these terrible thin-soled pumps [sneakers]. We had horrific blisters. I just remember these blood-soaked white pumps [sneakers].

Check out the rest of the interview over at Runners World.

Wheat Thins Crunch Stix

Now I'm sure most of you know the 10 essentials. Well apparently adding number 11 as Wheat Thins Crunch Stix works.

Kind of.

The Northwest is awesome

For anyone who has never visited Seattle or the Northwest you have no idea how much you are missing.

The area is just amazing.

The Emerald City - A Scenic Short Film
by Joel Edwards

Emerald City - A Scenic Short Film from KMP VIDEO Chicago on Vimeo.

World's smallest velodrome - Red Bull Mini drome

I saw this over on the Team Bonney Lake Bicycle site.

London welcomed the Red Bull Mini Drome to York Hall, where over 1000 spectators gathered to get a taster of the world's smallest velodrome in action.

Fixed gear riders from across the UK tried to hold on to the red line as they rode around the track aiming for the fastest time.

The purpose built track has been engineered in Germany by Velotrack, the team that built the velodromes for the Atlanta Olympics and the Delhi Commonwealth Games. The Red Bull Mini Drome track will maintain race-worthy dimensions in the smallest possible size to enable a single pursuit.

February flowers bring February snow

Just two days ago the first flower blossom of spring came out.

And last night the snow came.

Poor little flowers.

First flower blossom and snow!

I've shown you two photos from the past two months as the flowers have started showing up around my apartment since early January.

As I am typing this it is currently snowing outside my window. When I snapped this photo it was really coming down.

And the weather people are saying to expect up to 6 inches by tomorrow night. But shhhh....don't tell the flowers.

The first one just bloomed today.

Casey is so screwed

So there are times on this site where Casey likes to poke fun at me being in Montana. "Oh a bear is going to eat you" he says. "Oh the Grizzlies there outnumber the people." blah blah blah. Well it appears karma has stepped in and slapped him squarely in the face. I hope he has stocked up on cat mace.

SPOKANE, Wash. - A Wenatchee hunter has a right to be proud for his photo showing a pride of mountain lions on the Douglas County ranch where he has permission to hunt.

The black and white trail-cam image, which shows eight cougars in one spot, has gone viral on Northwest websites and e-mail lists since he first released it to acquaintances on Christmas Day.

That's right, an entire pride of Cougars roaming around Washington. Enjoy Casey. Better keep the house cats indoors.

Spring is here, at least the flowers say so

A month ago I asked if perhaps spring was here.

Well it certainly appears that way. It's only the beginning of February and look how tall the daffodils are getting.

Happy Groundfrog Day!

Today was Groundfrog Day.

Not sure what that is? It's the Northwest's version of Groundhog Day.

Today the Northwest Frognostication Ceremony took place in Snohomish, WA.

Much like Punxsutawney Phil predicts the weather for the next eight weeks, so does Washington's very own Snohomish Slew the bullfrog. And Slew gets his prediction out a few days before Phil.

Snohomish Slew, who also goes by the title of Meteorologist Frognosticator extraordinaire, will come out tomorrow to make a prediction if the Northwest will be enjoying spring soon or another eight weeks of winter.

His predictions are of course announced by his scribes.

The question is, did he see his shadow?

Around my house in Issaquah we didn't. But then again it seems like spring has been here for a few weeks.

Chris Sharma Anthology

If you follow rock climbing then you know who Chris Sharma is.

In 2010 he won the Earth Treks Roc Comp Presented by Mountain Hardwear with some just plain sick moves.

Check it out:



It also was recently shown to me that Prana actually has an anthology that covers basically Sharma's entire career since 1994. It's a pretty awesome collection for one of the best rock climbers in the world.

You can check it out over on the Prana site.

“Climbing has been the window through which I've viewed the world over the past 17 years. The rich experiences of traveling the globe in search of awe inspiring climbs has helped me to grow as an athlete and as a person. I am so grateful for the people who have opened my eyes to this incredible activity and for the good fortune that I've had along the way.”
~Chris Sharma

New Bear Grylls Degree Commercial

I absolutely love these new Degree commercials with Bear Grylls. Very entertaining.

"Put on the meat ponchos."

Squirrel Appreciation Day

It's like Christmas, only a little bit different.

No matter how you feel about squirrels, they are remarkable creatures. These small mammals are some of the most successfully adapted animals to both fragmented habitat and urban living.

While many may see them as vexing pests that consume vast quantities of bird food and scavenge ridiculous things for nesting materials, take Jan. 21 to look at them in a new light -- as a reminder of the wildlife around us. I personally love the little guys and helped raise four orphaned babies over several weeks one summer.

In case you were wondering: Squirrel Appreciation Day was created by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove of Asheville, North Carolina.

Do while all the squirrels in the world are probably hibernating. Tip your caps to them today!

This is actually what Casey wants to do

You've probably seen "Grizzly man" about the guy that lived with bears and eventually was eaten by them. It was probably the most entertaining documentary I've seen, and I'll be honest, I was rooting for the bears to eat that annoying guy.

Meet Levi Holt. He lived with wolves, and unlike that idiot in Grizzly man, he picked a smaller animal.

Like most young children, I grew up with an innate fear of wolves. It wasn't until I was a bit older and saw a wolf in a zoo that I realised how far away this animal was from the mythological creature I'd learned about in books and films.

I grew up in a small village in Norfolk and was always interested in the natural world and wild animals. I knew I wanted to work with them in some way when I was older. In my 20s, I read about an American naturalist, Levi Holt, who ran a wolf research centre in Idaho and I thought, "That's where I want to go." I sold everything I had and raised enough money for my plane fare. When I met up with biologists working on the reservation, they took me on as a basic field biologist, teaching me how to track wolves and collect data for them.

Even though the other biologists and scientists thought it was dangerous, I soon wanted to get closer to the wolves really to understand their behaviour. I couldn't help wondering, "Could a human become part of their family?" If I could, I thought, imagine what information I could share.

Now I think Holt is a little more sane than that Grizzlyman guy. Why? Grizzly Bears are so much bigger than humans, even playing around could be deadly. There's also several documented (more than several) of Grizzly attacks on humans that are just brutal, brutal affairs. While wolf attacks happen, I'm thinking they're probably a lot less severe than bear attacks. You also have to consider that there's also a natural connection between canines and humans that's probably an instinct thing.

I also found this excerpt interesting...

The other time, I wanted to get a drink from the stream and one of the wolves stopped me dead in my tracks, growling, snarling and nipping me. I thought, "This is the end, he's going to finish me off." An hour or so later, he started to lick my face and we both went to the stream for a drink. There I saw evidence of recent bear tracks and droppings, and I realised this was why he guarded me. I would almost certainly have been killed but, more importantly, my tracks would have led back to their young, so it was for their protection.

Animals... they're pretty effing smart.

The Northern Rangers go HD

For 2011 the Northern Rangers have decided to go HD. That's right, all of our adventures will now be in High Definition! So tune back in as we show you everything that we see, only now, it will be crystal clear.

To start off the HD Northern Rangers we decided to show you one of our favorite hikes, Poo Poo Point, and the views from the top. Check it out: