[Cdt-l] Veil of mystery lifted part 2

[Sean Staplin]

I admire efforts to document the CDT, however I do everything in my power
to not even look at pictures of any of the trail. That veil of mystery is
what attracts me to do the trail. I want to experience the trail for the
first time while out on the trail.

Cheers

On Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 8:32 PM, lynne whelden <lwgear at juno.com> wrote:

> "I want to do something that has never been done before and will help out
> the trail community...just want to add to the information out there for a
> trail that is not very well known and covered in a veil of mystery."--Wander
>
> Wander: The reason I wrote what I did was because there have been many of
> us who have traveled the trail before you, carrying bulky video gear that
> added 10 pounds to our packs, sweating and freezing our butts off for the
> sake of (1) making the CDT known and (2) lifting the veil.
> That's why I said there's nothing new under the sun.
> The problem, you'll find, is that the CDT simply doesn't sell. Any
> "mystery" that's still lingering about the trail is because nobody bothers
> to buy what's already been produced (and there are many good videos out
> there). It's truly frustrating...we have to cater to the AT because that's
> the only trail with any commercial appeal.
> If you produce your time-lapse for youtube, it will get some hits based on
> its novelty factor. Whether a "Keystone Cops" look will shed much light on
> the grander, deeper aspects of the CDT will be debated in artistic circles
> over coffee.
> Each person has a particular feature of nature they personally "resonate"
> with. For some it may be visual grandeur like vistas. For others it may be
> the sounds of nature. Or it may be the smells. Or textures. Or unexpected
> near-disasters.
> Speaking personally, I would view a 5-minute time compression of six
> months/3000 miles strictly as a "novelty" because it's going way too fast
> to "savor." For those who like taking in expansive visuals, for example,
> watching you climb Mt. Taylor in 2 seconds would be frustrating, not
> rewarding!
> I guess you're going to have to ask yourself if you want this to be a
> humorous flash-in-the-pan project or something more profound. Will there be
> other video to go along with the time-lapse footage, to serve perhaps as
> book-end commentary or to set up the scenes?
> I'm thinking of the 1982 film "Koyaanisqatsi" that was time-lapse. You
> might do well to watch that and get some ideas. It's an 87-minute film
> without any narration but a music track by Phillip Glass. It tackles the
> notion of "life out of balance." Very impressive slow-motion and
> time-lapse, adding up to a "visual tone poem."
> One final comment...you may have to decide what's more important, enjoying
> the hike or producing the video. You'll discover soon enough that the video
> is going to get in the way, producing hassles over and above "merely"
> hiking. It's going to be difficult to just turn the GoPro Hero (or whatever
> you're using) on and ignore it for the next couple hours. You're going to
> have to constantly review what's been shot, monitor battery life, wipe off
> the lens, shoo away hordes of mosquitoes, hold your head steady and
> remember not to look around much, worry about taking many wrong turns you
> just wasted footage on, worry about falling and shooting blue sky as you
> lie there bleeding, worry about excessive frames being taken of river
> crossings where you're hanging on to a pole for dear life...it's really
> going to cramp your hike.
> Just some stuff to think about...I've been there, done that. But I commend
> you for your desire to help explain the trail along with many others who
> have tried in the past.
> lynne whelden
> lwgear.com
>
>
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