Studio711.com – Ben Martens

Panavise Motorcycle Test

I recently picked up a Panavise 809 Camera Window Suction Cup camera mount. It’s for my little car timelapse video hobby, but it dawned on me that it might also work for the motorcycle. I was able to stick it onto the gas tank and get a pretty good view with my Kodak Playsport Zx3. There is a significant amount of vibration, but by bringing the footage into Adobe Premiere I was able to use some filters to remove some of the vibration effect.

I posted the video on YouTube and it’s also embedded below. This video was taken on NF-56. It’s the forestry road that runs between exits 47 and 52 on I-90 up in Snoqualmie Pass. At that point the highway splits and this road runs down the valley in the middle. It’s a great ride! After I reached the end I took a quick zip up to Alpental and then got back on I-90.

Look right around the 5:00 mark and you’ll see a guy come streaking down the hill dressed in full leathers riding a longboard (also shown in the image above.) At 5:15 I passed the second guy followed by one of their friends in a car. It’s completely illegal but it looked like a lot of fun. I’m nowhere near crazy enough to try that though.

Potholes Timelapse Video

Yesterday I posted a timelapse video where the main feature was the GPS points on the topo map. When we drove back from Potholes a few weeks ago, I focused more on the images. I taped a USB webcam to the rear view mirror and had it connected to the laptop which was running an app to capture an image every two seconds. That worked great except that there was a problem with the inverter and the laptop battery died before we even made it back over the pass.

I took the images that we were able to snag, combined them with the GPS data and created another timelapse video. It’s all done with a custom C# program so if you geeks out there have any questions, let me know. Basically it’s a WinForms app with a web browser that loads the Bing maps and then I use Win32API calls to capture an image of the app. I have another app that combines all the image files into a WMV file.

The next thing I want to try is using the little HD video camera to record the images/video and see how that works. I have a suction cup camera mount that should make it easier to mount in the car and using the video camera means that I won’t need to have the laptop running. I plan to give it another try when we drive out to the coast in a couple weeks.

The video is embedded below, but again, it works best when you view in full screen HD quality. The GPS wasn’t able to get a lock on the signal for a while so it starts out with just images and then the location data kicks in. I wasn’t intentionally trying to keep our camping spot a secret since you could just watch the images and figure out where we were.

Camp Muir Timelapse Video

I’ve been playing around with a lot of time lapse ideas lately. I took some pictures for part of the return trip from Potholes which you’ll see soon, but on the hike up to Muir, I distracted myself by thinking how I could combine all the various data I had collected into one display.

In the backpack, the GPS was taking a recording every few seconds. I was also snapping photos every once in a while. To combine the two, I wrote an app to plot out our current location on top of a topo map and show a photo that was taken at that time (if one exists.) With the GPS data, I was also able to show our rate of ascent, the current elevation, the current time, and the latitude and longitude.

I combined that all into one application, wrote each update out to a new image file and then combined the image files into a movie file. It’s embedded below or you can find it on YouTube. It’s best when viewed in HD in full screen mode.

Camp Muir

I’ll tell you up front that this is probably going to be a long post, but I want to record every minute of this trip. When I moved to Seattle, I thought, “I should climb Rainier.” I still remember the first day that the clouds parted and I saw Rainier on the horizon. I quickly realized that this thing is enormous. Ever since then, Mt. Rainier has filled my sunny days with taunting.

Camp Muir is located at just over 10,000 feet on the south side of Mt. Rainier. The parking lot at Paradise is 6,000 feet and the summit is 14,400 feet. Muir is halfway up and is on the path for most of the major routes to the summit. Most people who are headed for the summit will get up to Camp Muir on Day 1 around noon and will try to fall asleep as early in the evening as possible. They’ll get up very very early on Day 2, leave some gear at Camp Muir, reach the summit, come back to Muir for their gear and descend all the way to Paradise. Mike and I set out to ski down from Camp Muir back in June of 2008 but got turned around by a blizzard and my poor conditioning.

I’m still interested in getting to the summit, but before I invest the time and money in that trip, I wanted to do a day hike to Muir and back to see what it felt like. But every year, the summer would disappear without a trip to Muir. This year, I put a date on the calendar, found a group to hike with, and started some training.

We had planned to go last Thursday, but as the day approached, it became clear that the weather would be much better on Wednesday. It turns out that Wednesday was absolutely perfect. Visibility was so good that we could easily see Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens and even Mt. Hood which is 100 miles away! It was about 50 degrees with 20mph at the top which was perfect for a strenuous hike. On Thursday the temps were right around the freezing mark with rain and 40mph winds. We chose well.

AndyD and AndyM made the trip with me. Tim had planned to come along but had to bow out due to work. I met the two Andy’s in Renton at 6am and we headed for Paradise. We hit the trail at 9am. The first 2.3 miles up the Skyline Trail to Pebble Creek went very quickly. The views were extraordinary and the path is very well travelled. After crossing Pebble Creek, we were on the Muir snowfield and our ascent slowed dramatically. Trekking poles are a must. I can’t imagine doing it without them.

The snowfield does have some bits that are steeper, but it’s generally a relentless 2.2 mile slog up 2700 vertical feet of snow. The total vertical and length aren’t that terrible, but doing it at altitude is a whole different ballgame. By the time we got to about 9000 feet I was really feeling the effects. My muscles weren’t getting tired but my feet wouldn’t always go where I told them to go and I felt short of breath. At 10,000 feet you have 30% less oxygen than you do at sea level! Two hiking tricks really helped me out. The first is pressure breathing where you purse your lips together and forcefully expel all the CO2 from your lungs. The second was the rest step where you take one step forward, lock out that knee and rest on your skeleton. Then repeat with the other foot. Finding a good pace with this method was what kept me going. The Andy’s were quite a bit faster than me. I don’t know how much faster they would have made it to the top if they hadn’t waited for me (although they said it wouldn’t have been much difference.)

We reached Camp Muir in four hours and ten minutes which is a good/average time for summit groups. The difference is that I had a 25 pound pack and not a 40-50 pound pack like the summit groups. We kept pace with most of the other people that left around the same time as us and even left a few in our dust.

We spent about 45 minutes at the top enjoying the view, relaxing, putting on various bits of dry clothing, and eating. Then it was time for the descent. We had all brought trash bags along so we punched our legs through the bags and made hilarious looking shorts out of them. There are long glissade chutes down the slopes and we made good use of them. The first person would be sort of slow because they were re-breaking trail. The second was a bit faster and the third person would fly almost uncontrollably down the hill. It was a fun reward for such a tough hike. Once we got off the snowfield we hoofed it down to Paradise very quickly.

The sights and sounds were incredible: huge waterfalls poured over cliffs, the stark contrast of the wildflowers below to the snow and rock above, marmots running through the fields, chatting with climbers who had summitted that morning, and the thunderous sound of rock falls higher up the mountain (one of which we spotted.) Any one of those things would have been enough for a normal hike, but they all combined to give me an experience I’ll never forget.

One of my biggest concerns before the trip was what to take. I got the REI Flash 50 backpack for this trip, but what should I put in it? I ended up with two Camelbak bladders. The 3L one contained water and the 2L one was filled with the powdered Gatorade mix. I wore shorts and a dry hiking shirt. In the bag I carried an extra shirt, fleece, pants, gaiters, Under Armor shirt and pants, emergency first aid kit, emergency blanket, flint, a knife, two pairs of extra socks, sunscreen, a camera, jelly beans, 3 Power Bars, an apple, carrots, Tyla’s homemade trail mix and two sandwiches. If I had it to do over again, I would have brought less food. The jelly beans were really helpful. I kept them in my pocket and munched them regularly on the way up. I also went through all my liquid, taking the last sip as we got to the car. If/when I do this again, I want to look into waterproof boots (or at least I’ll carry a second set of shoes) and a bandana for some extra sun protection. Also, there are “bathrooms” at Muir but no toilet paper. Bring a bit along or bring a roll and leave it there. If you have to poo along the trail you are required by law to bag it and take it with you. In the cold weather and altitude, it would take hundreds of years to decompose.

I’d also say that you cannot leave too early in the day. Get up as early as you can and get on the trail early. We left at 9am but by the time we were coming down, it was getting really slushy and wet. It would have been even harder to climb up in those conditions.

Two things surprised me on the trip. First, there were bees on the whole way up the snow! They never really caused any problems but there was a constant buzzing as they followed us the whole way up. The second was how much of this hike was mental. On other tough hikes, I’d go until I couldn’t physically take another step. On this trip, I really had to focus on not letting the lack of oxygen get to me, not thinking about how far I had left to go, and on finding a good pace that I could sustain.

I owe a huge thanks to Andy and Andy for making this trip a reality! This has been on my list for a very long time (I mentioned it in the 2007 year in review) and it’s a major accomplishment for me!

You can view all the photos in the photo gallery.

Potholes Camping Trip

On one of the hottest weekends of the year, we headed to eastern Washington (where it’s even hotter) to camp in the Potholes area. There is a state park nearby but we weren’t inside the park. We were actually inside the larger Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. The potholes area is a large number of smallish lakes that were partially natural but mostly man made. When a dam was put in place nearby, it raised the water table enough to create these small lakes. Because of the rock formations, most of the lakes feature sheer vertical rock faces down into the water which happen to make for great cliff jumping.

There weren’t any official campsites where we ended up but we found a good spot and set up our tents along one of the lakes. Even aside from the lack of running water, it was a lot different than our normal camping. There was no natural shade and we were essentially camping in a desert. And oh yeah, it was also a free range cow pasture so there were cow patties everywhere and coyotes howling at night.

Tim, Chelsea, Brittney and Devon got there on Thursday night but Tyla and I arrived on Friday night. On Saturday we did some cliff jumping, the highest cliff was measured at 21 feet, and spent most of the hot afternoon (upper 90s) lounging in the lake. Tyla and I picked up a dual innertube with a built in cooler in the middle. Unbeknownst to us, Tim and Chelsea had the exact same one!

It was a great trip and a fun new experience. The dogs had a blast running free and playing in the lake. Thanks for sharing your secret spot with us!

Photos are available in the photo gallery and a few of my favorites are right here in the post.

REI Flash 50 Backpack Review

My main backpack for hiking is a Camelbak Snoblast. It’s a good size for day hikes. It holds all of my first aid gear, an extra piece of clothing and the three liter water bladder. It gets a bit small though in the early and late season when I have more bulky clothing or if I need to carry something for other people. It was time to upgrade so I headed to the store that has been claiming a lot of our paychecks lately: REI.

I ended up with the REI Flash 50 backpack. It’s big enough that I could easily do an overnight trip if I ever decide to go that far, but it’s in their “ultra lightweight” category. It doesn’t come with a water bladder but it has a holding system inside along with a hole over each shoulder for the drinking tube to come out.

A couple weeks ago, I also picked up their entry level REI Traverse Trekking Poles. I had been a bit skeptical, but as I start to hike more difficult terrain, I can see the need. I’ve used them on two hikes up the cable line trail and have been very happy with them.

I won’t use either of these new pieces of gear for the easier hikes, but I’m happy to have them in my arsenal when we tackle Camp Muir in a few days (at about 10,000’ on Mt. Rainier.)

Crystal Mountain Outfitters Review

We awoke at the Heathman Hotel for day 2 of Tyla’s birthday extravaganza. We started off with a delicious breakfast at the Trellis restaurant, snagged our car from the valet and then headed south. As we were packing up the room, Tyla finally guessed that we were going horseback riding so I filled her in on the details.

We drove down to Crystal Mountain for a three hour ride with the Crystal Mountain Outfitters. Whenever I sign up for a trail ride, I never know how much they’re going to sugar coat the experience. This turned out to be a very legit ride through some incredible terrain.

Tyson was our wrangler and it was just the three of us. They do a wide variety of rides from one hour to full day trips. We signed up for three hours but got about 3.5 hours. There was a lot of rain up north and I was nervous that we were going to get wet, but despite some clouds, we had great weather. Tyson took us up to and along the Pacific Crest Trail. I’m sure that the views would have been better without the clouds, but we still had a blast. I was waiting for Tyla to say something about the trail. It was extremely narrow on very steep hillsides but she was able to enjoy herself anyway.

Along the way we saw an elk, met up with another group of riders who was surprised that guided trips came out that far, stopped at a natural spring, admired huge fields of wildflowers, saw old miner/trapper cabins, and looked into an old mine shaft. By the time we reached camp again, we had covered about 2200 vertical feet over 8 miles. I can now saw that I’ve been on parts of both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.

Thanks to everyone at Crystal Mountain Outfitters for a fantastic day! More photos are available in the photo gallery.

Birch Bay State Park Camping

This is the fourth annual big summer camping trip where Matt, Laura, Andy, Stephanie, Tim, Chelsea, Tyla and I head out to a state park for a weekend. We make the reservations around Christmas time to make sure we can claim a weekend on everyone’s busy summer calendars. This year’s adventure took us to Birch Bay State Park up north near the border.

Tim, Chelsea, Tyla and I arrived on Thursday night and the rest of the crew arrived Friday night. We upgraded to two campsites instead of the single site we’ve gotten in the past. It was very nice having extra room, although ironically, this probably would have been the best park to cram four tents onto one site. The campsites were quite large!

On Friday, Tim, Chelsea, Tyla and I hopped in the car and drove 2 hours east to Artist Point. It’s a spot above and beyond the Mt. Baker ski area. It’s only open for about two months out of the year because there is so much snow. In fact, the road opened for the first time that very day. There were still 20 feet of snow in some areas! We had fun playing in the snow and then headed back. It was a lot of driving but I’m glad we got to see it. I rode up there last year on my motorcycle and have always wanted to take Tyla there.

Saturday was spent playing cornhole, walking along the beach, and exploring the little town. On Sunday we headed back home.

Of the four trips, I think this park was my least favorite. The park was nice, but it didn’t have as much to explore as Deception Pass, Fort Flagler and Moran State Park. But still, it was good to be out camping. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a great weekend!

Photos are available in the photo gallery.

How to Find Due South Without a Compass

Let’s say you’re lost in the woods and you didn’t pack a compass. Now what? There are ways to determine direction based on the way trees grow and moss growing on trees but there are various situations where those aren’t available or reliable. What then? If you can see the sun, you’re in luck.

Point the hour hand of your watch at the sun. Half way between the hour hand and the 12:00 position is due south. Remember this simple trick and you’ll always be able to get a bearing. Unless it’s night… or very cloudy…

There are some caveats. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, this trick will point north, not south. This should also be done using the true local time without any adjustment for daylight savings. The farther you are from the equator, the more accurate this reading will be.

2010 WELS Rainier Ride Recap

Saturday (7/24) was the perfect day for our ride, if not a little bit warm. It was sunny and around 85 degrees. While I thought we might get a few riders from other area churches, it ended up being a group of four from Calvary: ScottK, DougW, FrankL and myself.

We met at the Safeway in Enumclaw and rode clockwise around Rainier, stopping in Packwood for lunch and gas. Paradise was our main sightseeing destination, but we stopped at Box Canyon and Reflection Lake along the way. Paradise ended up being so incredibly crowded that we didn’t stay for much more than a bathroom break.

By the end of the day, I had put 250 miles on my motorcycle and temporarily flattened my back side. We couldn’t have had a more beautiful day to do it though and I look forward to doing this again in the future!

The panorama at the top of this page is the view from Reflection Lake (it’s more impressive if the water is still.) The seven most recent pictures in the Rainier motorcycle ride gallery are from this trip.