The American West of John Ford

If you've seen The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (and I'm sure you have), or the beautiful views of Monument Valley with your own two eyes, chances are you know John Ford. Either way, you'll want to watch The American West of John Ford, the 1971 documentary about the director made just a few years before he passed away. Amazing footage of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and those southern Utah red rocks are well worth 51 minutes of your life.Watch the entire thing here.

Julia Butterfly Hill

Julia Butterfly Hill is a famously eloquent environmental activist, who, from December 1997 to December 1999, lived atop a 1500-year-old California Redwood tree on a tiny, handbuilt platform. She spent 738 days more than 180 feet off the ground on one of the most successful tree sits in Earth First!'s history of organized action.You can watch the entire 2000 documentary about Julia Butterfly's tree sit until September 30 over at PBS.

Camping and Woodcraft

You can read every scanned, yellowed, dogeared page of Horace Kephart's outdoor classic Camping and Woodcraft online here. Scanned and archived is a 1910 copy (the book was first released in 1908), the first to include Kephart's section titled "Camp Cookery." If Kephart is a new name to you, catch up a bit here. There are stacks you can score in real paper version too for pennies, grab one.See also: Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart.

PJ20

I'm not sure if it's "cool" to still to listen to Pearl Jam (although not much tickles my fancy past Binaural) but, for better or worse, it continues to happen around these parts. Quite a bit, actually. (Mostly Vs., Yield and Vitalogy.) And while I'm guessing most of you - perhaps myself included - won't be rushing to the theater to see Cameron Crowe's PJ documentary, Twenty, that comes out later this month, I can guarantee that I'll be watching this thirty second clip of Stone and Eddie working out "Daughter" on a tour bus over and over.Pearl Jam - Rival

The Fate of Heaven

"Yosemite: The Fate Of Heaven":

"Yosemite--The Fate Of Heaven" is a stunning film portrait of Yosemite National Park. Breathtaking cinematography graphically depicts the fragile wonder of the place naturalist John Muir once called "a great temple lighted from above." The film illustrates how our passion for Yosemite's beauty jeopardizes the very wilderness we love so much.Read by Robert Redford, the film's narration is taken from the diaries of Lafayette Bunnell, a doctor who accompanied the Mariposa Battalion in 1851 on a mission to "hunt down Indians." The campaign brought soldiers for the first time into the sacred valley home of the Ahwahnechee tribe in the Sierra Nevada. "My astonishment was overwhelming,'' wrote Bunnell of the valley's grandeur. "Here before me was the power and glory of the Supreme Being." Bunnell understood immediately that his small band would be the first and last white men to see the natural wonder of the valley unspoiled.More than 130 years later, tens of thousands trek to the park from all over the world to enjoy the valley's magnificent landscapes and wildlife. The film introduces us to hikers and campers for whom Yosemite is a true shrine, including a free-hand rock climber who "dances" up walls of sheer granite and a woman whose family survived the depression by camping at the park and fishing its rivers. Vintage photographs and observations from Bunnell's eloquent diary remind us that America's love affair with Yosemite is well over a century old.Wrote Bunnell on leaving Yosemite. "Those scenes of beauteous enchantment I leave to those who remain to enjoy them.'' Today Yosemite is a protected national park, but that may not be enough to guarantee its future. The continual onslaught of nature lovers--over 1,000 cars a day--only intensifies the conflict between preservation and public enjoyment. Sanitation workers remove 25,000 pounds of trash a day. Work crews toil to repair natural trails damaged by wear. Park rangers protect tourists from roaming bears, and curious deer from potato chip hand-outs. Nature rules here, but human beings, we learn, are both the biggest threat to the park's future and its best hope.

Watch the entire thing, just like I'm doing now, over at The Creak of Boots.

The Pine Barrens

"The pork was delicious and almost crisp. Fred gave me a potato with it, and a pitcher of melted grease from the frying pan to pour over the potato. He also handed me a loaf of bread and a dish of margarine, saying, "Here's your bread. You can have one piece or two. Whatever you want."Fred apologized for not having a phone, after I asked where I would have to go make a call, later on. He said, "I don't have no phone because I don't have no electric. If I had electric, I would have had a phone in here a long time ago." He uses a kerosene lamp, a propane lamp, and two flashlights.He asked where I was going, and I said that I had no particular destination, explaining that I was in the pines because I found it hard to believe that so much unbroken forest could still exist so near the big Eastern cities, and I wanted to see while it was still there."

- John McPhee, The Pine Barrens

MP3: Johnny Horton - Whispering Pines

From Ashes to Forest

From Ashes to Forest is a feature length film archived on the goldmine that is the National Film Board of Canada. Shot in Banff and Wood Buffalo National Parks, this film released in 1984 surfaces the need for fire to promote the renewal and health of the forest. Also called into question are the risks involved with the Smokey Bear campaign and brand of fire management.Mostly, the film is beautiful, the soundtrack is majorly feel-good era specific, and it's educational as can. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two.Watch it here.

First Hike

The First Book of Hiking was written in 1965 by C. William Harrison and illustrated by E. Frank Habbas. I found this guy on the bookshelves of a local Salvation Army and held on tight while finishing my shopping (even after brushing a good two months of dust off the cover). The illustrations are 2 and 3 color woodcuts with amazing detail.If you stumble upon this one, buy it, cut out those illustrations and tack them above your desk at work to remind you of what's great.

Alone in the Wilderness Part II

Bob Swerer Productions just released the follow up to Alone in the Wilderness. Dreams do come true:

"Dick Proenneke's simple, yet profound account of his 30 year adventure in the remote Alaska wilderness continues in this sequel to "Alone in the Wilderness". Watch through his eyes as he continues to document with his 16mm wind-up Bolex camera, capturing his own amazing craftsmanship, the stunning Alaskan wildlife and scenery and even a visit from his brother Ray (Jake). His epic journey takes you on a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of today's fast-paced society, and is a true breath of fresh air."

Thanks to Mark William-Wales for the heads up. Had to pause the trailer to click over and buy it. Couldn't wait.Check out the trailer and buy a copy on VHS (or dvd) here!