CamuksXtreme

Season's greetings!

It has been quite a while since I have posted to the blog. That makes me sad. Life get's busy for many of us around this time of year.

It has also been unusually cold in Manitoba this year, so that has not helped much. As most regular readers know, I am very fond of getting into the great outdoors, and photographing nature. I regularly take a break from outdoor photography when the mercury dips below -15 C or so. My hands get numb, my feet start to burn, and the frost starts to BITE. I have had frost bite several times in a life lived in Manitoba.

You don't know what cold is unless you have fallen through the ice up to your arm pits in water in the middle of a -30 C blizzard. That was the coldest I have ever been. I have however had frostbite bad enough to lose the skin on my feet multiple times.

I have taken the paranoid approach lately. I am a little more careful. I do long to get outdoors in the Winter though. People who live here like to joke about how much they love summer, all two months of it. There have been some years where that doesn't seem like much of an exaggeration. The average Winter temperature in Winnipeg, where I live is -23 C. That is around -9 F for my American friends. The coldest windchill temperature ever recorded in Winnipeg was -57.1 C (-70.78 F) in 1996. It's not the coldest place on Earth, not by a long shot, but sometimes it feels that way.

So, this year, I have taken the plunge back into the frosty outdoors thanks in large part to Steger Mukluks and these bad boys:





They are a little pricey, $239.95 American. In Canada, it cost me $307.26 including shipping. Add about another $50 Canadian for Customs. I really hope they are worth it! If my feet stay warm and dry for the season it definitely will be. Anything else will just be a bonus. I'll get to that in a bit.

I am planning on updating you guys with a product review at the end of the season after I have put them through their paces. I started breaking them in today with 2 different tasks, totally un-related to photography.

The first was a minor standing test. I needed to replace the block heater cord on my car, and that meant standing in one place, somewhat in-actively for a while. The time it took to fix the cord was drawn out, as fiddling with small screws and hand tools with bare hands in today's -26 C (-9.4 F) meant painfully stiff, long drawn out movements. But my feet were toasty warm! And I didn't even wear socks!

The next task I set out to do was take Charlee to the dog park. This was a whole different ball of wax. She was very happy to be there! She gets a little neglected in the cold weather for the aforementioned reasons. I know she was getting a bit of the cabin fever, and so was I! We walked at a brisk pace. The first thing I noticed was how quiet they were! For the first time ever, my dog's footsteps were actually louder than my own! I got a kick out of that. This could definitely make stalking animals interesting, but I will more than likely be wearing snowshoes, and the advantage will be lost. This is a good thing for hunters of the meat eating kind, as well as the photographer kind.

I wear a 13 double wide CamuksExtreme, and they fit my snowshoe bindings, so that is a definite bonus. The second thing I noticed was how in touch with the trail my feet were. I could feel every nook and cranny through the soft soles. That is probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. I frequently take short hikes through the bush in bare feet. If I had more time I would do it more often. I love feeling the connection to the ground. This is the Winter analog I suppose. Incidentally the soft soles also make driving a lot easier than my old winter boots.

The next thing I found was that the treads lived up to the hype. From what I understand the soles of the Mukluks are made from moose hide, and then dipped in some strange rubberized concoction that is super soft and flexible, yet durable once it hardens on the mukluk. It also has an aggressive tread pattern. It made climbing and descending a cinch. This was most apparent on the down slope of the toboggan run just before we arrived back at the car. The snow was compressed to sheer hard pack, and polished to a glossy sheen, and the camuks gripped like a champ. I am curious how well they would do in warmer conditions with a little surface water. We'll have to wait for warmer weather for that answer.

Lastly, the camuks are extremely lightweight. This was not much of a factor, as my trip was quick, and relatively short distance. But it was apparent never the less.

So, over all my first impressions are quite hopeful. I'll post again later, with regard to durability, and new usage conditions.

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Peace

Peace

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Rays

Light Rays

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Time

Time

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Penthouse Suite

Bald Eagles

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Catch me if you Can

Charlee in hot pursuit of a canoeist.

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Under the Stars

Under the Stars

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Paddle to Nowhere

Paddle to Nowhere

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Ten Pointer

Ten Point White Tail Deer Buck

If you need someone to document your Manitoba/N.W. Ontario big game hunt this year, give me a shout. I will spend as long as it takes making sure you have the story, and your memories, to keep and share. It's not just about meat in the freezer. Is this the year that you are taking your son or daughter out for the first hunt? Document it! Give me a call or an e-mail today.

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Charlee Post

It has been a busy summer! I am working on getting some new fall photos to post up. Truly my favourite time of the year! Until then, let us celebrate the end of Summer with a posting of some more photos of Charlee!















All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Manitoba Filipino Street Festival (2013)

I had a chance to view and photograph the 2013 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival this year. I could not be there for all of the festivities, but I really enjoyed the time I had to spend there. I hope I can spend more time at next year's festival! If you are involved with this festival, and would like to have some dedicated coverage of the things that your group does to really help make next year's festival a success, be sure to contact me! I would love some behind the scenes opportunities!

Here are some of the things I saw this year...



Warriors




Ambassador




Balut Boat





Sam Katz




The Magellan's Cross




The Queen Alyssa DeGuzman




The Royals




MFSF President Aida Champagne





Manitoba Street Festival Choir




Tricycle




Vendor




Guitarist


All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

The Fox and the Mouse (Warning, Graphic Content)

I had another great shoot with the local red fox last weekend. She hung around for quite a while, then disappeared, only to reappear with a mouth full of tasty mouse. I was super excited. I only wish I had been there to see the hunt. Maybe next time.


Close Up


Sleeping


Time for a Snack


Let the Hunt Begin


Success!

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Sunset at the Lake

Sunset at the Lake

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Falcon

I caught a brief glimpse of this guy while fighting for my life against a horde of mosquitoes. Eesh. The things I do to have fun...



I'm not sure what species this is, anyone out there that can give me a hand with i.d. that would be great!

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Light Painting

With a little bit of free time lately, I have tried out something that I have always wanted to try. It is technically called light painting. If you have looked into photography at all in the last 10 years, you will no doubt have come across it already. I feel like it is a little bit cliche, but I have seen it done very well, and I have wondered if I had what it takes to make it happen. It turns out that I do. I didn't do anything super original, but at least I know that I can make it happen.





All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Red Fox

I had a chance to go out and visit the Red Foxes again last weekend. This female looked a little beat up. I am not sure if it was from a fight, or if it was injured by the environment. But it was still quite mobile, and the wounds didn't look infected. The light was fantastic, and I really enjoyed our brief time together.













All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.

Winnipeg Zoo

I took a trip to the zoo last weekend. The facilities are undergoing some major renovations, and some of the larger animals are more difficult to photograph right now, so I decided to focus on some of the smaller creatures for a change of pace. Enjoy!


Meerkat


Saddle-billed Stork


Peacock Plumage


Monarch Butterfly


Richardson's Ground Squirrel

All photos on this page are copyrighted, and may not be used without consent in writing from the owner. Please use the contact eventhorizonsphoto@gmail.com for more information.