Phil Ershler's 25th Everest Anniversary

Eric Simonson and George Dunn have written a wonderful tribute to Phil Ershler's 25th Everest Anniversary.   October 20, 2009 marks 25 years since Phil made the first American ascent of the North Face of Everest.  Read more about it here.

Phil was and is a great mentor to me.  He gave me my first gig as an international mountain guide and continues to be an inspiration and an advisor.

Thanks Phil!

Adam

50th anniversary poses new challenges for Serengeti

By Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Africa | Aug 22, 2009
 
The Serengeti National Park just celebrated its half century anniversary amid reports on the growing challenges for the national park by human encroachment, demands for concessions by lodge developers and increased tourist traffic into the park.
Unlike in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the Kenyan extension to the Serengeti ecosystem, there are substantially less lodges and tented camps located in the Serengeti, a standard wildlife conservationists intend to maintain for the long term benefit of the park

Click here for the rest of the story.

Mount Rainier Flight Photos

We had a great evening flying around Mount Rainier.

Adam. Checking out the scene.


The approach.... looking good.


Tahoma Glacier, Sunset Amphitheater and the Puyallup Glacier at sunset.

Thanks Jenni!

Flying off into the sunset.

Mount Rainier Flight

Tonight IMG Guide Jenni Fogle is flying us around Mount Rainier! We plan to take off around 7:30 and shoot in the late light. The weather forecast looks good and we are really looking forward to it.

Jenni flies KC-135’s and Global Hawks for the Air Force Reserve and is a climbing guide in Alaska, Washington, and California.

I can't wait!
Adam

Travel Portraits, “Another Reason To Visit The Himalayas, and East Africa.”

Need some basic tips for making great travel portraits? I've recently posted a free PDF download titled Travel Portraits, “Another Reason To Visit The Himalayas, and East Africa.”

Nothing overly detailed here, just a short primer to help you get started. Enough to give you a little inspiration (and bravery) to make portraits of strangers, and a little technical guidance. It's broken down into 3 sections:

• Part 1 “The Approach”
• Part 2 “Equipment”
• Part 3 “Making the Image”

You can download the article here.
I look forward to traveling with you.
Adam

Mount Rainier Gallery Renovation Continues..

I love the smell of acetylene in the morning....

Brad Klein (aka SkiPig) is the mastermind behind the gallery renovation and the one who convinced me pick up a hammer again. He is the one who made me realize that all of this was possible....

Brad is the ultimate socialite and networker. In the past month he has found free scaffolding, and a friend with an acetylene torch. The scaffolding has been scabbed together and works great. The torch arrived with an operator who works for beer. Somehow things come together at just the right moment. Not very fast, but progress nonetheless. Just about right for an out-of-pocket project. Dennis (he likes Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) started cutting this morning and put in a couple of hours before running out of O2. Hopefully we'll be able to finish up the boiler removal next weekend...

Here are some pictures of his handiwork...

The first cut...Pipes not seen for almost a century...
It's OK, his mustache will protect him from the sparks!
Piece by piece, Brad and Dennis reverse the original maker's handiwork from almost a century ago.

We also just received the request from Mayor Jim Gerwig and the City of Morton for our portion of the match portion of a sidewalk grant. A grant which will redo 60 feet of sidewalk along the south side of the building. That project should occur next summer if everything falls into place.

Adam

The Photographer's Ephemeris - BETA

I simply cannot remain quiet anymore. I must sing it to the world. One of the best pieces of software living on my computer these days is "The Photographer's Ephemeris." Stephen Trainor offers the Ephemeris for free, and it is a Beta version. i.e. "THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND." Take it from me, it works great and is a simple joy to use.

From Stephen's website:

• Landscape photographers typically wish to plan their shoots around the times of sunrise/sunset or twilight, or alternatively when the moon is in a particular place in a particular phase.
• While times of sunrise etc. are readily available on various sites on the internet (direction of sunrise etc. less so, but still readily found), there are fewer programs available which combine such information with a topographical map allowing the photographer to match the astronomical to the location.
• A typical use might be to determine when the sun will set along the axis of a mountain valley, or when a full moon rise will rise across a lake.
• The application uses Google Maps providing users the ability to select a location and determine the time and azimuth of sunrise or sunset for a given date or dates.
• The software displays the combination of the key data together with a topographical map, courtesy of Google, in one program for either Windows or Mac.

I use it daily and cannot imagine going back to the days of compiling this information myself.
Thank you Stephen! Click here to visit his website and download the program. Please support his project!
Adam

News from Arusha and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Pertinent news for the region of Tanzania that we visit.

BY ADAM IHUCHA, ETN STAFF WRITER | JUL 23, 2009
"Arusha, Tanzania (eTN) – Drought in Tanzania’s northern highlands has reached deadly proportion, killing nearly 100 cattle in Longido and wildlife along the sprawling borderline of Kilimanjaro and Amboseli National parks." Click here to read the rest of the story.

BY ADAM IHUCHA, ETN STAFF WRITER | JUN 24, 2009
"Arusha, Tanzania (eTN) - As the impact of the ongoing economic crisis hits Tanzania's fragile tourism industry, nearly 1,160 breadwinners have lost jobs." Click here to read the rest of the story.

Adam

Updated photos of the future Mt. Rainier Photography Gallery

Not pretty yet, but pretty empty. Moving along on the Gallery. Time to start putting things back in........



Still on the two year plan!!!
Just received some free scaffolding from Pat Hart. Thanks Pat!

Adam

June 2009 Kilimanjaro Climb

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Three years after my last Kilimanjaro expedition I returned with a fantastic group of IMG climbers to go to the top once more.The hiatus renewed my excitement in the mountains, wildlife, and people of Tanzania. The specialness of the region was more apparent than ever to me this time. My understanding of this place, fortified over previous expeditions, gave it a certain familiarity, the kind of familiarity that relaxes you. North Central Tanzania is a fertile, vibrant, organic place. Kilimanjaro sustains it’s rivers during the dry seasons. Our journey takes us from the mountain top glaciers to the heart of one of the most amazing ecosystems in the world, the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem. As a photographer, I returned with a new eye, as a climber I returned with a renewed desire to stand upon the “Roof of Africa.”
Our local staff of 45 porters, cooks, and guides worked hard for us on the mountain. We arrived in each camp to the smell of fresh coffee and popcorn, our tents already set, and washing water soon on the way. Our team made it to each camp in record time and was very proud of their effort. (That was until I pointed out that their average age was about 25 years younger than our typical climb!! Then it didn’t seem so impressive…..:-)
We had great weather the whole climb and the scenery was as good as it gets. All 12 of us made it to the top in good style. Congratulations, Thea Handelman, Mary Grendell, Ashley Ryniak, Suzzane Weinstock, Steve Huff, Dan Talbert, Helen and Charles Frohlich, Jonathan Halata, and Bill and Will Bavinger for making to the top, Uhuru Point. I won’t forget it.

Safari was a blast as usual and a more than adequate reward for the sweat left on the mountain during our climb. Oh, and what happens on safari stays on safari…………..
~Adam Angel