Twinkle, Twinkle

It's that Leonids time of year again.

 Photo: J.C. Casaso & I. Graboleda

The first time I ever heard the word Leonids was in 2002 as I was being coaxed onto the creaky roof of a friend's 4-story apartment in Somerville, MA. It was midnight and the show was just taking off. For the next 6 hours (before work) I watched shooting stars glitter across the urban sky while I did horizontal jumping jacks (to keep warm) in my 20 degree bag. The thermometer showed that it was much less than 20 out there, but I didn't want to run inside for more clothes lest I miss one of those magic moments.

Scientists seem to think there will be quite a show this year, especially if you are in Asia. Check here to find ideal viewing times by location (continent, country, or state).

NASA is predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia.

Start drinking your coffee now, and get your cameras ready...

-Suzanne

Hunting Penguins from the Master

National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen recounts an amazing experience where a giant leopard seal takes him under his wing and tries to figure out why penguins aren't as tasty to humans as they are to seals.

(via boingboing)

-Connie

London to Copenhagen, On Foot

NEMO ambassador, Alison Gannett, is embarking on a mission to walk, with skis on her pack, over 200 miles from London to Brussels, then onto Copenhagen, to raise awareness, support, and media exposure of climate change. At Cop15 in Denmark, she'll be working with the United Nations Climate Heroes program to help create a treaty to replace Kyoto. Over 196 nations will be represented at Cop15. President Obama has not yet confirmed his attendance.



In the 2007 IPCC report adopted by almost all countries around the world, including the US, scientists ALL agreed that human-induced climate change and feedback loops will raise temperatures by 7-11 degrees. But how exactly does this impact us? If you’re like the NEMO crew, you like to spend your winters sliding on snow. The OECD report in Europe demonstrates that with a mere 2-4 degree rise, almost half of Europe's ski areas will be without snow, while the CEO of Aspen Ski Area states that "even with moderate reductions (CO2 and energy use), skiing will be hampered if not perhaps gone, by 2050." Climate Disruption is possibly human kind's greatest modern challenge.

Alison is attempting to raise $3000 to help fund her journey from Colorado to Copenhagen. NEMO has contributed to the fund. If you’d like to join us, click here.

~Kate

Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch...

The wave report for this weekend in the Northeast is impressive.

As our friends at Pioneer surf shop pointed out, that's nothing compared to the waves earlier in the year at Shipsterns Bluff. Have you seen anything as monster killer-like as #18 in the slideshow?

-Connie

A Vehicle for New Adventures

I’ve always loved trucks. I didn’t watch much TV when I was a little kid (and still don’t) but I had an extensive collection of Legos and Tonka trucks. I pretty much split my time between making trucks with Legos and pushing Tonka trucks around in a dirt pile behind my house. The couple square feet I needed for a play area seemed like a universe. Lately I miss the feeling that the world is really big and contains unlimited mystery and possibility.


Back in college in Vermont, my roommate and I and our close friends would take our trucks through Nor’easters and up into the Green Mountains to teach ourselves how to ice climb or do things like rappel into 100 foot deep caves with only a few lengths of 4mm cord to Prusik our way out. It seemed like a big deal back then. Sometimes I miss fear. Sometimes I miss putting myself in situations I seriously doubt if I’ll be able to escape. That fear made us sharp. It gave us a reason to learn new skills, to exercise and strengthen our bodies, to carefully observe our surroundings and to problem solve. Starting and running NEMO has had its share of adrenaline moments, and the general sense among the NEMO folks that we are a first ascent team, deep in the unknown, pioneering and risking everything, has kept us sharp and engaged. But on the personal level, I’ve been coming up a little shy of my quota for adrenaline lately.

Read More...
-Cam

BFF will be your BFF

This year has been rife with with film premieres and festivals seemingly every weekend. Warren Miller's new flick Dynasty is making its rounds across the globe as we speak. Meanwhile, the Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) is wrapping up over the next month or so after beginning in late May.

Take a look here to see if you'll be near one of the last couple cities on the tour (hint: boston, tokyo, melbourne, new orleans, miami... you're in luck). For everyone else who wants a preview of the films, look here.

-Connie

NEMO Classroom Lesson #383: How to Secure your Jake's Foot

Jake's Feet are one of the most functional parts of many NEMO tents. They make that pleasant snap so you know your corner is locked, they provide a convenient hub for your fly/poles/inner tent/footprint, and even cantilever your inner tent corners down to the ground.

My favorite function is that they create a system to remove your inner tent, leaving you with fly/poles/footprint for a lightweight tarp shelter which is perfect for a sunny day on the beach (specifically to keep the wax from melting off my board.)In order to do this, you have to move the Jake's Feet, which are usually attached to the inner tent, to the footprint using tri-glides.

Don't worry if you don't know what that means exactly, here's Steve to the rescue with another NEMO short to help anyone looking to make their NEMO tent into a sun shade now that its November...

-Suzanne