Midway Atoll (middle of the North Pacific)

Chris Jordan is a remarkable Seattle-based photographer/activist who uses his skills effectively to address challenging social issues and redress problems arising from our modern lifestyles. (I’ve often shown his thoughtful and impeccably crafted photographic interventions in talks I’ve given). Midway: Message from the Gyre is a stunning photographic essay that delivers an important message (about avoiding, reducing, or effectively recycling plastics) with uncommon punch—view the entire image collection here. Following is the accompanying text by Chris…

These photographs of albatross chicks were made in September, 2009, on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles (3200 kilometers) from the nearest continent.

Keep up the great work, Chris! (thanks to friend Gregor Brandt for the link)

Prince George, British Columbia

The worldwide climbing community was shocked earlier this month to learn that acclaimed Canadian ice climber Guy Lacelle was swept to his death (while momentarily un-roped) during an ice climb in Hyalite Canyon (when a team climbing above him triggered a spindrift avalanche into the gully) in a competition at the Bozeman Ice Festival in Montana. Our collective hearts go out to Guy’s widow Marge, and to the many, many friends and climbing colleagues whose lives this master touched…

A 2008 Alpinist interview with Guy worth reading is here.

Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba

There’s something about full-moon nights like this that make me oh-so-thankful to be living in such a wonderful place as Canada… if last night was a hint of things to come, our local coyotes will be serenading again (in exuberant, go-for-broke, multi-part harmony) around 03:00 or so…

Here’s a lovely tune by a truly fine Canadian chanteuse (finessing a piece written by the inimitable prairie-child, Joni Mitchell).

Interlaken, Switzerland

My brother Phil and his sprightly wife Tammy are preparing for the scenic but grueling Jungfrau Marathon this weekend. Billed as “the most beautiful marathon in the world,” the 42-km race starts to the blare of alpenhorns in the lakeside city of Interlaken with a relatively flat first half before gaining a total of 1800(!) vertical meters and an alpine finish on the Kleine Scheidegg across from the famous north faces of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.

Best wishes… and congratulations (in advance)!

Banff National Park, Alberta

I’ve (once again) spent the last wonderful week of August in the Canadian Rockies, a well-established pattern over the past decades. This time around things played themselves out somewhat more low-key (and lower-altitude) than in recent years, as simply “being” trumped “doing”—I was quite worn in body, soul, and spirit and in need of over-due rest and hiatus, so schemes of summits gave way to valley respite. As in past years, I drove out west and back with Bettie (a considerable pilgrimage of nearly 4000 km, return), and the old Dame proved largely reliable once again (I did end up jury-rigging an exhaust repair in Medicine Hat when her “throaty” tone turned downright rude and intrusive).

My week started with a fine visit in the new/old Calgary home of long-time climber friends Gregor and Janice, replete with a tour of the town the following day (the organic farmers’ market was both a surprise and a highlight). Then it was on to Canmore (a visit to the ACC’s clubhouse/head office) and then Tunnel Mountain campground in Banff, with touristic day-tripping to the Cascade Ponds, the Lake Minnewanka loop, Johnson Lake, and the original Hot Springs on Sulphur Mountain. Later in the week, I moved further west to Lake Louise, with a pleasant day at Moraine Lake (I had never hiked the entire lake-shore trail to the glacial water-source before) and a reconnoitre with Gregor and Janice for a Friday trek up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House.

A somewhat grueling 17-hour return trip across the wind-swept prairies brought me back to Ev’s in Winnipeg Beach at 03:00 this morning… both tired and quite rested at the same time. :-)

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
—Psalm 121: 1, King James Bible

Images above: Retro signage at Banff Hot Springs on Sulphur Mountain; the surreal azure beauty of Moraine Lake; the Tower of Babel above Moraine Lake (I climbed the 10-pitch trad route along the left-edge skyline profile with Simon Statkewitch a few years back); my good mates Gregor Brandt and Janice Liwanag at a rest-stop; a view of the lower cliffs of Mount Lefroy and the exhilarating Fuhrmann Ledges by which we descended from Abbot Hut a year ago (this photo should help make sense of the bird’s-eye topo of the route I posted last year here).

Banff National Park, Alberta

Well… there’s a good chance I’ll make it out to the Rockies this summer after all. Stan the Van-Man is currently massaging Bettie a little (old Dames do like that so, don’t they), and with any luck I’ll find myself out in my favorite vertical playground within the week…

Photo: Castle Mountain (aka Eisenhower Tower) as photographed on 24 June 1884 by geologist and explorer A. P. Coleman. His ascent of Castle was one of the first significant climbs in Canada.

London, U.K.

Since 2001, the Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation ACT Responsible (Advertising Community Together), has been collecting global advertising that “promotes responsible communication on sustainability, equitable development and social responsibility” in a bid to highlight how the creativity of advertising professionals can be used to address the world’s problems.

Among its 2,500 ads from more than 40 countries and 140 award-winning agencies is a striking collection of adverts that focus on environmental and social issues: from deforestation to recycling and conserving water to climate change.

Ads, from the top: Killing trees is killing people. for Friends of the Earth, France; Travelling fruits cause pollution. (Think global. Eat local.)  for Bund/Friends of the Earth, Germany; A single tin of paint can pollute millions of liters of water. for WWF Spain; Forests for Life. for WWF Thailand; Save. for WWF Hungary.

Thanks to Lauren Trimble for the link to a collection of adverts at guardian.co.uk

Mammoth Lakes, California

Sad news today from my long-time climbing buddy (and client) Gregor Brandt… John Bachar, a leading light among free solo climbers of our age passed on two days ago while climbing (solo) on the Dike Wall above Mammoth Lakes where he lived with his son Tyrus… ; a tribute here; an interview here; and more here, and here.

RIP… or climb on, John!

Falcon Lake, Manitoba

Word just in from “my muddy little half-brother” John Paul, who it seems is getting faster with age… he just finished in 2nd place(!) in the latest Manitoba Cup race at Falcon Ridge Ski Resort—the only one to beat him in the ‘Expert Men’ category was Paul Benson, who races at the Elite/Nationals level. Congratulations!

When he’s not on his mountain bike or chasing after his hyperactive kids, JP can be found at the controls of Private Ear, a new recording studio in Winnipeg where he is an audio engineer and partner (producing albums for the likes of The Waking Eyes).

(that’s my wee bro with the determined look on his face, number 303…)

Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba

Yesterday evening I had the chance to install the Fishfly Weathervane I built a few weeks back… it’s now swiveling atop the Fishfly Gallery (where Ev exhibits some of her ceramic works). About two meters in overall length, the assemblage piece incorporates a variety of found junk and old objects—the body is a piece of driftwood decorated with brass strips from a hideous old wall clock, the large wing is cut from an old steel snow shovel, the two smaller wings are halves of a hammered brass plate, the head is a copper bowl (with drilled looney-coin eyes), antennae are the ends of two fishing rods, legs consist of old bits of rusted pliers and a rod handle, the hollow aluminum tail strands are from Ev’s old TV antennae (she tossed her set out years ago). The gleaming beast straddles an old railing banister tipped with a wood-fired ceramic arrowhead, and the swivel mount re-purposes an old roller-skate wheel (with nice friction-free bearings).

A number of people have already expressed interest in other commissioned weathervanes… time will tell where this may lead.