A man transports good via bicycle at the Tsukiji Fish Market

In Tokyo exists one of the craziest places on earth. The Tsukiji Fish Market processes in excess of four and a quarter million pounds of fish with a value of more than fifteen million dollars every single day. However, if you want to see this show you have to get up early as the place is all but closed down by midday. The true spectacle is the tuna auction which starts at a few minutes after 5a.m. and finishes a couple hours later. Visitors are allowed however they are confined to designated areas, limited to 120 on a first-come first-serve basis and there are times the market is closed to the public, most notably around the new year. Once the auction concludes the goods are transferred via bike, cart and forklift to one of the almost 1,000 wholesale stalls. You would be well advised to keep your head on a swivel. If you keep a low profile and stay out of the way most visitors won’t be bothered and can roam the market and see the processing of all assortments of fish from the smallest minnows to large tuna weighing upwards of hundreds of pounds. If you go, know you won’t be alone and check the closures online at the markets homepage: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
The market is composed not only of the inner market where the auction and processing take place but also an outer market. The outer market is where fish is sold at retail stalls along with prepared foods, hand crafted knives and kitchenware. Be on the lookout for sushi restaurants in the outer markets where you will taste some of the freshest toro possible.

Ice vendor cuts ice blocks

Ice gets loaded into the crusher

A market vendor receives ice to keep his goods cool

Tuna await transportation and processing after the early morning tuna auction

Tuna being transported via cart.

Men load a crate onto a cart

A fresh tuna awaits processing

Fish for sale in the outer market

Stanley

In Maine, Stanley developed quite a fondness for his Chuck-It bumper (pictured at left). Bumpers are specifically designed for to train retrievers to retrieve items, such as ducks, from the water. The bumper floats high in the water and the bright red and green colors make it easy to find, even in the choppy Maine waters. Easy to throw and the pup loves it even on land.
$12.50
www.chuckit.com

Stanley

Stanley got to spend a little over a week in Maine during the fall and he certainly seemed to enjoy the time away from the concrete jungle. Acadia National Park allows dogs in their campgrounds, something a lot of parks get wrong, and the town of Bar Harbor is extremely dog friendly. There was also a stop in Portsmouth, CT for a couple nights, also very accommodating of four-legged friends. Look for more on Maine in the next issue.

Stanley is looking forward to the coming winter more than we are. His love for the snow just can’t be explained. Now that he’s more or less fully grown Stanley will be joining us on even more adventures and sharing his stories here.

Admiralty Island

In 1993, I was a second-year wilderness guide leading day trips on Admiralty Island for brown bear watching. Brown bears are the same bear as grizzlies. Many decades ago, a hunting club decided any grizzly living within approximately 100 miles of saltwater would be called a coastal brown bear, while the interior bears kept the name grizzly. For those not familiar, Admiralty Island holds claim to having the world’s highest concentration of brown bears, with a little more than one bear per square mile. This population of bears is higher than the total grizzly population of the lower 48 combined. Native Tlingit call the island “Kootsnoowoo”, which translates roughly to “fortress of the bear”. On a typical day we would fly in via floatplane from Juneau, pick up canoes at a cache, and paddle over to prime bear-watching areas. We would then spend the day taking advantage of prime sightings, photographing the bears up close and personal – often within 10-20 feet of multiple bears, sometimes dozens at a time.

On this particular day I was to take two clients to an area known as Windfall Harbor. I obtained permits for this area as the rules of Admiralty Island, a National Monument, and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, are tightly regulated. An area known as Pack Creek was the normal part of the island for our entry point, but today was different. Pack Creek was full, with another guided group and several independent observers already drawing the spaces for viewing the bears. While Pack Creek is frequented by sows – female bears – and cubs that are habituated to human presence, Windfall Harbor is known to have larger, non-human habituated boars. This presented a new facet of guiding and directing my clients for safe bear viewing. I was going to have to bring out the skills learned from years in the field, and a training class known as “bear school” I had to undertake for my guiding privileges.

Brown Bear

We loaded our gear into the De Havilland Otter in Juneau and flew to the canoe cache. After unloading and saying goodbye to our pilot and airplane, we watched the airborne “security-blanket” break the water’s surface and head east toward Juneau. We loaded out gear into the canoes and enjoyed a wonderful paddle over to Windfall Harbor, seeing harbor porpoise and dozens of eagles as we made our way through the calm, briny water. The weather was unseasonably hot, with temperatures approaching 85F degrees and blue skies; not exactly prime bear watching weather. Think of it this way, if you had a fur coat on, would you go out in 85F weather? Knowing that I had my work cut out for me, we began our search for the bruins.

We found plenty of fresh tracks on some tidal flats, but no bears. Around lunchtime we decided to head over to the designated lunch area, set up by the rangers, where we had tied off our bear boxes containing our picnic lunch. After a jovial lunch filled with jokes, tall tales and flat out lies we decided to head back out to the tidal flats in hopes of sighting bears. My concern was mounting, however, as I know that these clients pay considerable amounts of money for the opportunity of a bear sighting and I feel obligated to do everything in my power to get make that happen.

Shortly after lunch and back on the flats, one of the clients spotted what he thought were two bears in the distance, coming over a small knoll on the exposed tidal ground. Immediately my clients began assembling their gear and cameras. I focused my attention on the bears as they began coming toward us. Knowing that a bear’s eye-sight is very poor and thinking there was no chance they knew we were here, I told the clients to enjoy and get ready for the bears to get very close. As I continued to watch, the bears began to run towards us. As a guide, I had witnessed bear charges before, and knew that most of the charges are ‘false’ charges, where the bears charge to within ten or so feet of you and then stop, look at you and continue about their business. So I was alert and on guard, but not necessarily concerned as the bears started toward us.

That all changed, however when the bears started bearing down at us at full tilt. Now, they were about 1000 feet away running full speed in our direction. At this point I told the clients to get to the treeline, and if possible, get up a tree. I also told them not to run. So, naturally, the clients ran. I turned towards the bears, and for the first and only time in a career that has now spanned almost 20 years, brought my shotgun into the ready position and advanced a round into the chamber. The bears were coming, I had five rounds in a shotgun and I knew I had little chance of stopping one bear with the weapon, let alone two. I remember distinctly thinking at this point, “I quit. I don’t want guide anymore.” I remember thinking about writing a letter of resignation. Still, here were the bears and I had no choice but to deal with this situation.

What We Came to See -- Brown Bears

The bears stopped about 300 feet away. They stood there for several long, drawn out minutes and I was shaking but trying to hold my ground. As time passed I remember thinking that perhaps this was bluff charging after all, and that we would be fine. Then all hell broke loose.

The bears started coming at me full tilt again. My internal voice told me this was different, this was not a bluff. Against all training and better judgment, I too turned and ran. I was about 60 feet from the treeline and I went for it. I could swear I covered the distance in three steps. I made it to the trees, and was about eight feet past the tree line where I found a small dogwood tree and tried feebly to hide behind it. It provided a psychological respite even though it would do no good against the bruins.

The bears were now at the tree line but for some unknown reason they would not come into the trees. They did, however, show all the classic signs of aggression – popping jaws, flipping the hump, and pounding the ground. I was horrified. I also had to find my clients. I turned and looked into the trees, and there they were, each up their own small hardwood tree, rarities for the region.
What snapped me out of my fear and into anger was seeing one of the clients taking pictures of the whole affair. I was incensed by the thought of them profiting from photos of my impending, gruesome death by bruin. I barked at them to listen to me and proceeded to give instructions of what we would do when, or if, the bears left the area.

We waited five or so minutes, an eternity in a situation like this, and I then had to go out onto the tidal flats to see if they were still there. I summoned all my courage and went. The bears were gone, I instructed the clients to come down. We made it to the canoes, paddled over to the rendezvous spot, and waited for the floatplane to take us back to the urban safety of Juneau.

Back in Juneau we parted ways. I had paperwork to fill out and an extensive debriefing to go through, but we arranged to meet at the Red Dog Saloon that evening. When I met them later they already developed the film, this being pre-digital days. They gave me a set of the prints, which to this day are some of the most cherished pictures and possessions I own. Having a visual record of this bear charge is a gift. One of the clients then gave me three crisp, fresh, hundred-dollar bills and a business card. It turned out he was the manager of a very upscale hotel in New York City I was told to give him a call if I was ever in New York. A year later I was flying back from Turkey through New York City and called him. I ended up being put up in the hotel and had a grand time. When I was brought into his office, he proudly displayed the picture of the two of us, after the encounter. Not a bad finish truly remarkable adventure.

Eric Cedric is a former mountain guide and expedition leader with 20 years of professional experience. Cedric has worked on Denali, Elbrus and a handful of Himalayan peaks. In addition, Cedric is a private pilot and professional environmental and conservation writer. Cedric splits his time each year between the Adirondack Mountains, Southern California and Costa Rica.

Nikon Coolpix AW100

Nikon AW100

Nikon certainly wasn’t first to market with a ruggedized camera, in fact they were pretty close to last. That said, the wait was worth it. With built-in GPS (a glaring oversight on many cameras in this class) you can go back and find exactly where a photo was taken. No more guessing. Using software that will map photos such as Apple’s iPhoto, Google Earth, or the built in maps at the bar can be a fun way to share memories of your trip. The AW100 features full 1080p video, 16MP photos and one handed operation. The AW100 is designed to take a decent amount of abuse too. Waterproof up to 33ft. shockproof up to 5ft. and freezeproof make the Nikon AW100 one star performer in the outdoor camera arena. Probably not quite worth upgrading if you already have a camera in this class, but if not, this is the one.
$379.95
http://www.nikonusa.com

Hydro Flask Growler

Hydro Flask Growler

Earlier this year Hydro Flask released their growler and frankly, it’s glorious. The double wall insulation keeps beer fresh and cold until you’re ready to drink it, up to 24 hours. Because it’s made of 18/8 stainless steel it will stand up the abuse that riding in your pack all day will dish out. It also won’t break when if falls on the rock or gets banged around in the back of your car on the way home. You can also store anything you would like to keep warm in the growler (soup, chili, tea) but we prefer to the use it for it’s intended purpose. Hydro Flask makes double-wall insulated flasks in sizes ranging from 12oz. all the way up to the 64oz. growler including a food flask of which we are big fans of the entire line.
$49.99
www.hydroflask.com

Mountain Hardwear Medusa

Mountain Hardwear Medusa Gloves

Cold hands? No problem. Even while ice climbing all day in some of the most demanding conditions. Mountain Hardwear bonded their propriety OutDry waterproof membrane directly to the Medusa’s outer shell making the gloves some of the most waterproof gloves we have ever tried. The Medusa’s also include a removable windproof softshell liner not only makes the glove nice and warm but protect your hands when you need the added dexterity of not wearing the shells. The nose wipe on the thumb is another great feature. While the wipe isn’t the softest material on earth it does stay free of snow and ice. If you are looking for a pair of gloves that spends a decent amount of time outside during the winter you could do much, much worse than the Mountain Hardwear Medusa.
$150
http://www.mountainhardwear.com

Adventure Medical Kits

Travel Medical Kits by Adventure Medical Kits

Adventure Medical Kits makes first aid kits for a range of outdoor and travel medical kits wherever your choice of activity of destination. Adventure Medical Kits packs all of their kits in very organized kits that are very convenient to use and carry. Kits designed for use on the water include watertight cases, travel kits are in portfolio type cases that make for easy packing, and an women’s specific travel kit is available. If you have a loved one that spends much time outdoors or on the road get them piece of mind that comes with knowing they have medical supplies should they need them.
$10-70 (travel series)
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com

Apple iPad

iPad 2

The last thing you need is someone else telling you how great the iPad is. Sorry, but it’s true. For those that travel on a regular basis lugging a laptop around can be a real pain. With countless travel apps for checking into flights, reserving hotels, finding things to do in a new city, and countless other tasks once you get hooked on your iPad for travel it’s tough to do without it. But it’s the fact that it can all but replace lugging around your laptop where the iPad shines. E-mail, web browsing, apps for blogging, text processing, presentations, and almost any other items you need to get done on the road. Presentations can even be given with available adapters. While doing a lot of content creation on the go can be a little awkward on the touchscreen a bluetooth keyboard is available that will ease that pain. Many people are big fans of the other e-readers on the market such as the Kindle and Nook as well. And while we can certainly get behind that we love the versatility the iPad offers. And while there are other tablets on the market that promise similar functionality none have caught on to this point. So this year it’s the iPad 2 that gets the nod and even with the 3G making travel more convenient the wi-fi version should be sufficient for most people.
$499-$829
www.apple.com

Donations to Charity

Charities in this country provide many services that are near and dear to many of our hearts. If you have someone in your life who travels or loves the outdoors there charities no doubt protect some of the land they use. With the prolonged economic problems currently facing us many charities have seen a large drop in donations and this can be your chance to help them. If you really don’t know what to get that special person maybe a donation in their name could be the best gift. Some examples for donations include the Access Fund, Doctors Without Borders, or even the Red Cross. Many local charities are great candidates for your gifts as well. In addition you get a tax deduction for this gift, it is the end of the year after all and it’s kind of like giving and getting at the same time.

On Consuming

With the holidays upon us it is almost too easy to get caught up in the giving spirit. While it is nice to receive things and certainly a joy to give please consider the impact before you buy something you don’t need. Monday, Nov 28 also known as Cyber Monday turned out to be a record in sales…ever. Patagonia on the other hand ran a full-page ad in the New York Times with the title ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ (ad below) reminding us that everything we buy damages the earth. No preaching, just thought the ad was worth sharing. Enjoy.

Patagonia 'Don't Buy This Jacket' Ad

Adventure Insider Magazine - Winter 2011

We are pleased to announce the release of the winter issue of Adventure Insider Magazine. You have two options to get a copy.
1) Download a copy
2) Buy a print copy from MagCloud

In this issue you’ll find out (admittedly last minute) holiday gift guide, a story of a wilderness guide who had a brush with a large bear, our mountaineering boot and crampon buyer’s guide, and a photo essay of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. In addition you’ll find out standard sections: canine corner and exposed.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Trekking Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Colorado

Table of Contents:
A photographer works to get the last light in Sand Dunes National Monument, Colorado.
Photo: Nate Burgess

Sunset, Tamarindo, Costa RicaExposed:

Exposed:
The sun sets over the beach of Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Nikon D200, 1/350, f10, 100iso
Photo: Elizabeth Cox

Halstatt Lake, Salzkammergut, Austria

Exposed:
Halstatt, Salzkammergut, Austria
Nikin D200, 1/80, f4.8, 100iso
Photo: Ryan Kirkland

Lightning strikes the Arizone Desert

Exposed:
Lightning strikes the desert in Arizona. Lightning is common during the summer monsoon season.
Nikon D700, 15s, f4.5, 200iso
Photo: Nate Burgess

Tuna at the Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo, Japan

Exposed:
A Tuna awaits processing at the Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo, Japan
Nikin D200, 1/3, f5.3, 100iso
Photo: Erick Pound

Sunrise over Monument Valley, Arizona

Back Cover:
Sunrise over the Monument Valley, Arizona.

Mill Creek, UT

Mill Creek, UT

Mill Creek is a short hike to a nice pool with some shorter cliff diving, making it a popular destination. If you’re truly adventurous, treat yourself and hike further up  the canyon to another pool.  It does not have the sheer cliffs of the lower pool, but it is much more secluded. If you climb up the small waterfall at the end of the pool you can walk around to a small natural water slide. The waterfall is the destination for most, but continuing up canyon provides a nice hike in a beautiful setting.

Climbing areas nearby:
All the awesomeness near Moab.

Getting there:
From downtown Moab, head east on Center Street, turn right on 400 E, then left on Mill Creek Dr. Follow Mill Creek Dr. when it bears right at Sand Flats Rd. Finally, left on Powerhouse Lane until it ends at a dirt parking area. From the pullout you will see the trail heading east on the south (right) side of the stream. Less than 5 minutes from the car is a sandstone gorge below a small dam that provides a great place to hangout a short distance from the car.
For the more adventurous, continue heading up canyon, staying on the well-used trail. The trail crosses the stream a few times, so don’t be afraid to get your feet wet right from the start.

Paradise Cove, CO

Paradise Cove, CO

Paradise cove used to be a word-of-mouth, locals-only hangout. Today it’s much easier to find this retreat, thanks to blabby writers like us. Here you’ll find sheer rock leading down to a very respectable pool.  The pool is deep enough that only the truly brave touch bottom, and the water is free of obstacles.  There is something for everyone — from the tame 16 foot jump to the crazy 100 footer.  There are also plenty of sun-soaked rocks to warm up on.  Year round the water is brisk at best. Best visited on really hot days.

Climbing areas nearby:
Eleven Mile Canyon.
Everything else in the South Platte

Getting there:
From Colorado Springs, drive west on U.S. Highway 24 for 26 mi. About a mile past Divide, turn left onto Twin Rocks Road. Drive 5.8 miles until the road dead ends at Teller County Road 1. Turn left and drive 5.9 miles to a fork in the road. Veer right on Teller County Road 11 and continue 4 miles until the road dead ends. Turn right onto Teller County Road 112. Drive 2.7 miles to a dirt parking lot on the left at the top of a small rise. The trail to the cove starts across the road. Follow a clear a half a mile to the pool.

Split Rock, NY -- Photo: Kate Galecki

Split Rock, NY

The Mohonk Preserve outside New Paltz, NY is a climbing mecca. Home of the ‘Gunks’, the Mohonk preserve attracts thousands of climbers from around the world each year. However, during the summer, the heat and humidity can be nothing short of brutal. A dip in Split Rock can be more than just a welcome relief. Although Split Rock may not be the biggest secret, there are many places to swim in and around the preserve but Split Rock is not only the most secluded and serene but also contains the coolest water.

Climbing areas nearby:
The Gunks

Getting there:
From New Paltz head west on Co Rd. 299 until it dead ends. Make a left onto Hwy. 44 for about 1.5 mi. Go under the small bridge and follow the road to the bottom of the hill and look for the parking area on the right. From the parking lot head south on the trail to the Trapps and make the first left. In a few hundred yards find your refreshing oasis. You are required to have a preserve permit to use the area but if you show up early enough you may sneak by before the ranger station is staffed. Obviously, reverse the direction if you are coming right off the crag.