First post of the 2022. Like I usually do I wanted to make a few housekeeping announcements for the blog as we move forward. A lot has happened since I started this blog. It does not feel like it was that long ago, but it has been about fifteen years. Back then blogs were really interesting and cutting edge, but as social media has become more prominent online blogs have take a backseat to sites like Facebook and Twitter. I do not think that is a good thing, but it is what it is. I kind of saw the direction we were heading in about ten years ago so that is one of the reasons I have cut back on how much content I have put online. Still, I do want to put content up once in a while so that is why I keep this blog up.
Two decisions I have made:
1)No more GPS Coordinates.
Honestly, I do not take a GPS with me when I am out hiking or hunting anymore. Why will I not be posting GPS coordinates anymore? Geotagging is becoming a big issue where isolated areas you could go to ten years ago without seeing a person are now being trampled on by more and more people. I am not sure these people have the same appreciation of these areas that I thought most people had. We need to ask ourselves why are we visiting a place? Is it to enjoy nature, or to leave our trash and take mindless selfies to stay relevant on an algorithm?
I am keeping old coordinates up, but do not ask me for coordinates in the future. If it is not on the blog, do not ask me. If I am in a good mood, I might give some general directions. Remember the point of this blog is for you to go out explore no matter where you live. Not for me to give you location instructions on a silver platter.
2)Taking a Hiatus From Videos
Okay, this might be a little disappointing. I am taking some time off from making videos. It has been quite some time since I have released a public video on my main channel. While I did take some videos this last summer and fall, I have decided to wait before I upload anything new. Some of this is me trying to use new technology, some a little bored with what I have doing, some Youtube is not as fun as it used to be, Youtube becoming an advertisement spam site on everything, Youtube trying to control what everyone says, etc.
I will probably show some unlisted short content on here from time to time, but nothing major for the time being. This is a good thing for my sanity in the long run.
Anything Else New?
I have found two new really cool movie locations. I know exactly where they are at it is just a matter of getting to them. I am also revisiting some old spots with new technology. There are some areas I do want to "reboot".
I said almost six months ago that it looks like issues with COVID might be coming to an end. That was me being cautiously optimistic about what people were saying. As I have said from the beginning, I am massively skeptical of everything we were and are being told about COVID. I think it will take some years looking back to figure out all the details. With that said, some areas I like to visit have been affected by all of this and continue to be.
Finally, I am trying to get myself back into good shape right now. While I am not as motivated to do all day hiking as I used to, there are some areas I want to visit and revisit again.
5 comments:
I agree with your assessment of the GPS coordinates. I used to enjoy going to spots that until recently were devoid of people. Nowadays, it seems that with the combination of internet forums and google earth, people seem to be at every "secret" spot, whether it is accessible by vehicle or foot only. Combine this with the explosion of RZR's, etc, it seems like your are bound to run into someone on every dirt road on the eastern sierra, even mid-week. I find it very frustrating. Generally it seems that people who are new to exploring / poking around don't have the same respect for that area that someone who has done it their whole lives has, and thus wreck it. Oh well...
Mr. Stanton, yeah, I think the thing that did it for me was seeing pictures of people at hot springs all over the place. I actually do not go to hot springs very often, but I saw some pictures with way too many people around.
I've repeated myself over the years on here with how much I despise the "selfie culture" that social media encourages. Once in a while fine, but I see people that "have to" post pictures of themselves everyday or they start losing their status. Youtube has the same issue. The companies want you to keep using their apps so you keep getting the ads. It is a big cycle that stresses quantity rather than quality.
I've seen people in person that are doing this as well as getting pounded by a bunch of selfie nature pictures every time I log into sites like Instagram. My statement about the last ten years is not unique to me either. I've heard people in other parts of the country and Canada say the same thing. Oh well enough.
I used to go to the 3 main hot springs outside of Bridgeport every so often,
and there would not be anyone there, except for a local or 2. One is on private property, and now fenced off, the other 2 have at least a dozen people at it at any given time- even at Travertine in the middle of winter. I refuse to go to them anymore. My kids begged me to go to Travertine, as they had not been there since they were really little and don't really remember it. We round the corner to see some fat weirdo completely naked laying on his back with his junk in the breeze. Nice. There's even people at the springs NE of the elbow on the Walker. I don't see the selfies that often, but almost never go on mainstream social media. In person, I have seen people filming themselves skiing, snowboarding, riding motocross, etc. These are usually the least skilled participants, and they are filming what they look like doing the sport, not a gopro of the ski run. I think this stems from what has become a culture of narcissism and thinking with feelings and emotion, rather than using logic. I have read some of your posts and it seems like we're cut from the same cloth in this regard...
just found your site while looking up The movie Comanche station locations. I live in Fla, but took the trip out to Lone Pine several years ago and thought I was in heaven Actually being where the old westerns had been filmed. wasn't Charge of the Light brigade with Errol Flynn filmed there back in the 30's?
Unknown,
Yeah, Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) was filmed there. That movie along with Gunga Din, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, and Kim are unique and slightly odd. One tends to think of the Alabama Hills being mostly a filming location for westerns, but the above movies are mostly Asian or India settings. It worked for the time. Kind of like Iron Man did back in 2008. Yet, at the same time, I know I am watching California settings when I see them. Lol.
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