I’ve changed directions….

If you are following me here on WordPress, I apologize that I haven’t posted anything in so long.

My main outlets for media have switched to Tumblr and Instagram. Feel free to follow my adventures via the links below.

Meg + Dave on Tumblr

@thedavidkeller on Instagram

Cheers!

A New York Valentine

On February 13th, I woke up at 3 in the morning to catch an early flight to New York. After a quick layover in Denver, I landed in the big apple to spend the next few days with my lovely girlfriend. Even though my early childhood was spent living in Virginia, I had never made it to NY. Naturally, I brought a camera. Because of my style of photography, I only shot black and white film.

Please enjoy the New York experience through my eyes.

The full album can be found at: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEhYCyD

Forest Fires, Power lines, and the Bridge of the Gods — Part 3, the voyage home

Well here it is. The final post from my journals for our trip through Oregon. It’s a long one because it covers 2 weeks of travel. Read up and indulge yourself in the adventure.

Day 21 – We ran some morning last minute errands before getting dropped off at the trail head near Elk Lake around 2pm. We hiked 4 miles up the trail when the weirdest thing started happening. I thought I had heard a lot of airplanes in the area, when we stopped to look at the sky. The same airplane had been circling us for about 20-30 minutes and dropping red and white ribbons. Having no idea what this meant, Scott called 911 and asked if it means something. The operator, Robyn, told him that the plane was testing the direction of the wind, and that we had to go back to Elk Lake to be safe from an upcoming forest fire. What a bummer right? As we were debating on whether or not we would follow her advice, another hiker walked up to us. This was Mousetrap. Mousetrap was also confused, and bummed to hear about having to turn around. He decided to call the fire dispatcher, who told him that the trail was unaffected by any fires, and to have a nice trip. So Mousetrap kept on. Confused by the conflicting information, I called 911, was transferred to fire dispatch, and was told that everything is fine and that I should have a nice trip. After wasting all that time, we decided to just camp where we were. Moral of the story: If your 911 operator is named Robyn, hang up and call again.

Day 22 – Woke up and hiked through snow, over lava beds, and through the Sister’s Wilderness area. The mosquitoes were awful this morning around Sister’s Mirror Lake. Put 20 miles in today, with the plans to make it to Big Lake Youth Camp tomorrow afternoon. Luckily, there was water all along the way today, so we were plenty hydrated and were able to have a hot linner (lunch/dinner). Noticing that there are no mosquitoes in the air where we’re going to bed. Wonderful.

Day 23 – Hiked 17 miles today through more snow and lava beds to get to Big Lake around 2 pm. The camp is a Seventh Day Adventist adventure camp with so many fun activities. Better than any camp I went to as a kid. Major plus, everyone was SUPER nice. Hikers were treated like kings. We picked up our packages, bought their dinner, which was 6 bucks of all-you-can-eat vegetarian lasagna, salad, and ice cream bars. Got a free cold shower (almost unbearable) and washed a bunch of my clothes. On the trail today we ran into a father-son combo hiking Oregon as well. We leapfrogged a few times, but saw them at Big Lake for dinner. We also met some section hikers from Portland who came into the camp at the same time as the father-son combo. These two were named Old Skool and Cheezeburger. Old Skool got his name from his love for traditional gear. He was hiking in a pair of Danner Mountain Lights! Cheezeburger just couldn’t stop dreaming about getting a beefy, juicy meal at Elk Lake when they finished their hike. Old Skool, Cheezeburger, Kingfisher (Scotty), and I (Salami) set up camp in what was called the 1st Cove. It was a beach-like setting with a bank of sand in front of the lake. We all watched the sunset disappear over the water. This was our first night of cowboy camping (no tent).

Day 24 – Woke up early to coffee and oatmeal on the beach with Old Skool and Cheezeburger. Ate camp breakfast, hydrated, and hung out charging our phones all morning. Met a thru-hiker named Scott who was doing his laundry, when Hobbler came walking in. He told us about peaking South and Middle Sister, and how he got to glissade across a few glaciers in the process. Started hiking around 2:30 pm and hiked up to Santiam Pass, where there was a water cache and a cold cherry Pepsi that we chugged. Continued to hike up Three Finger Jack through deep sand. Got about 17 miles in today and camping near the top of Three Fingered Jack. My right foot is swelling up again, but I’ll be fine. Early start tomorrow.

Day 25 – Slept in a little this morning until 6:30 am, and started hiking over Three Finger Jack. Got to Rockpile Lake for water and took a siesta. It was a nice 3 hour nap followed up with some hot mate. We kept hiking onward and ran into a guy on the trail who said that Shale Lake is beautiful and a perfect place to set up camp. On our way, we got sidetracked down a random trail a few miles and had to backtrack those few miles back uphill. Nighttime was approaching, so we decided to set up camp just off the trail and get up early to hike in tomorrow.

Day 26 – Hiked for about 3 hours before we ran into Hobbler again. He was just getting up around 9:30 am. We hiked most of the day through Jefferson Park. When we were taking a water/snack break, a woman on a horse told me that there is a fire on the other side of a ridge that we have to cross, and that it is spreading this way. Intimidated by another fire, we all talked it out and decided to go look for ourselves. We started to climb up the ridge, and when we got to the top, we could see smoke coming from a specific area. The fire was definitely close because there were ashes in the air and it was noticeably hotter where we were standing. Luckily, I had cell phone service. So I called the fire dispatcher, who told me that the closest fire to me was at Potato Butte, 12 miles northwest of where I was. I told him that I can see smoke coming from about a mile away, but he said that it’s just lingering smoke. Still debating whether or not to give it a go, we ran into a guy with a dog who told us that he had just climbed the summit, could see the fire, and said it was easily passable. We decided to keep going. When we got to the top of Jefferson Park, at 7010 ft, we could see the fire about 1/2 of a mile away from us. Even though there was a perfect camping spot, we decided to keep on moving. As we hiked, the wind was blowing in our direction, and the fire continued to grow in size to the point where we could see flames engulfing trees. We hiked through the sunset and the darkness to get as far away as we could. Going to bed tonight about 3-4 miles from the fire, leaving my phone on just in case. Whew.

Day 27 – Slept in because we’re alive. Hobbler hiked with us until Breitenbush Lake, where he left to hitchhike into Clackamas to go to REI. We hiked on to Olallie Lake Resort, where we ate chips, cookies, and had a few beers. We crushed our snacks and bevs and hung out by Head Lake, which was across the trail. The water was a nice temp, and so I got into the water in my hiking outfit and dried off in the sun. While here, we met some thru-hikers who all had beards: Qball, Beardoh, Wolfpack, Jeremiah Johnson, and Half Point. We also met a 65 year old Dutch section hiker named Dutchess. She said didn’t have enough fuel for her tea every morning, so I gave her one of my extras. Lightened my load, and brightened her day. We hiked on, mostly downhill, only to discover that the tent site that we wanted to camp in was taken! So we hiked on about a half mile, found a flat spot, and called it good. The mosquitoes here were nasty, so I got my tent up quickly and hopped in. Did about 18.5 miles today and are shooting for a big day tomorrow.

Day 28 – Wore my running shoes today and regretted it. There was so much dust. It got into my shoes, then into my socks, and started rubbing and creating new blisters. We got passed by the bearded thru-hikers this morning. Hiked 8.5 miles for water and ran into an older guy with his dad doing a section hike. We talked about gear by the water for a while. We continued on to the headwaters of the Clackamas River, where we got water and make a hot dinner. I actually made 2 of the meals because I was so hungry and tired of eating nuts and dried fruit. We decided to start looking for camping at this point because our bodies were sore. We camped by the river, just south of Timothy Lake. Today was about 21 miles of hiking. Not looking forward to climbing up Mt. Hood tomorrow. We have a 2000 ft elevation gain in about 2 miles up Mt. Hood to get to Timberline at the end of the day tomorrow. Planning on getting up early and wearing my Danners.

Day 29 – Today marks 4 weeks on the trail. Woke up at 5:45 am and were on the trail by 6:30. We hiked 13 miles by 11:30 am. The last 2 miles were a rough uphill, in DEEP SAND. Talk about discouraging. With every step, we would slide down a half step. It was difficult to walk normally. While struggling, I took some photos of Mt. Hood and enjoyed the lush flowers all around me. Got into Timberline around 6:30 pm after 24.5 miles on the day. Planning on doing a zero day (no miles) tomorrow. Scott’s dad is going to meet us up here and hang out. The bearded crew had gotten here this morning and were hanging out in the lodge, so we got to know them all better. Timberline has ping pong and shuffleboard, so we’re all having a good time. 47 miles left from here on out.

Day 30 – Zero day. So relaxing. Ate breakfast buffet for 2 and a half hours. Must’ve had 8,000 ish calories. Lounged. Scott’s dad showed up with fresh fruit, avocados, chips, salsa, and some chocolate, so we had a nice lunch too. He also brought some coconut water that we’re saving for tomorrow morning. Mousetrap got into Timberline, and he got a ride from Scott’s dad into Portland so he could catch his flight back to the east coast. Hung out with the beards more. Took a nap. Cooked some mashed potatoes for dinner. Went to bed in high winds that were blowing dust all over the place. So dusty.

Day 31 – Slept like a baby last night. Probably the best sleep of the trip. After packing up, we walked up to the lodge in the morning and had coffee, coconut water, and oatmeal. Hit the trail around 10:20 am and went downhill about 3500 feet, just to climb up 4500 feet. Awesome. Great views of Hood along the way. Took a side-route today to visit Ramona Falls. After only about 14 miles on the day, we found a perfect campground and couldn’t pass it up. Tomorrow we’ll do a little more than 21 miles to get to Wahtum Lake.

Day 32 – Woke up and started hiking. Saw lots of power lines and signs of civilization. Found some Salmonberries along the trail, and had some with oatmeal. Hiked about 22 miles today from somewhere random to Wahtum Lake. Did the last 7 miles without water, and chugged once I got to the lake. Getting up whenever tomorrow to hike the 13 miles to Cascade Locks. Kind of exhausted already, going to bed now at 6:30 pm.

Day 33 – Wow. That was our last night sleeping in the woods. What a trip. We woke up around 5:30 am, and were on the trail by 6. Most thru-hikers take the Eagle Creek Trail from here because it goes by Tunnel Falls, but since we’ve day hiked that tons of times, we decided to stick with the PCT. We expected lots of downhill, because that’s what the Eagle Creek Trail is. Unfortunately, the PCT is different. It was about 6 miles up rolling hills with huge climbs and huge descents, before we finally started losing the elevation for good with 7 miles of downhill. We stopped at the perfectly named Teakettle Springs for some hot mate. With the little energy kick, we finished off the trail and were excited to start seeing Cascade Locks in the distance. We followed the trail into town and kept on towards Washington. We hiked over the Bridge of the Gods and entered Washington. It was official. We started on the northern-most tip of California and crossed into Washington. This was it. 481 miles and 33 days later, we made it.

We were met by my friend Ryan and my girlfriend in Cascade Locks and driven back to Portland. Time to reacclimate into society. Here’s a candid from when I first saw them. Ryan was ready with his camera…

And that’s my story. Feel free to leave any questions or comments at the bottom. Thanks for reading!

The trek from the OR/CA border to Crater Lake on the #PCT

This is the first of a series of posts where I’ll be documenting each day spent backpacking the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Unfortunately without any cell service in Mazama village (Crater Lake area), I had to save this for when I’m near a random cell tower.

As of now, Scott and I have hiked over 130 miles, which is slightly more than a quarter of Oregon. We’re learning ways to save weight along the trail and finding out what foods we really crave (like vegetables). The guayaki yerba mate has turned out to be worth every ounce. The stuff steeps in cold water for gosh sakes! So convenient. The footwear situation is also really interesting. I initially thought that a good pair of boots was the answer, but I’ve barely worn them at all. It turns out these little Danner Soho low tops are tough as hell and have seen most of the mileage (over 100 so far). Another note: showers are a beautiful thing after days of sweating and bug spray.

Day 1 – While unloading our gear from the car, we notice that Scotty’s water had all leaked out of his camelpack, and so he started the trail dry. It was about noon when we left from the Oregon/California border. Our packs were at their heaviest with all of our food and water.  Almost immediately run into and meet Evan (16) and his dad who had started three days ago. They pass us, and we begin the hike around 6300 ft. Throughout the partially rainy day, we crossed snow, rocky terrain, and went up and down mountains. The day ends after about 9 miles and we fall asleep to Willie Nelson.

Day 2 – With Callahan’s lodge as our final destination for the day, we had no reason to stop until we got there. My pack is feeling heavy and I’m already debating what to mail home. We met some cool people along the way that were interested in what we were doing. While on the trail we got passed by a guy that we would later find out to be named Zeke. When we finally got to Callahan’s (20 miles later) we ran into him and talked about the trail. Getting to Callahan’s was a story in itself because we missed the special trail that goes directly to the lodge. We ended up running across both highway 99 and I5 to get to the lodge. Anyways, the bartender at Callahan’s said that we get a free beer for coming, so we talked trail over some drinks. At the end of the night, I gave Zeke some Guayaki Yerba mate and we went to sleep in our tents in Callahan’s back yard.

Day 3 – After originally planning on taking it easy and letting our blisters heal, we decided to keep moving. We got free coffee and OJ from the owner of Callahan’s in the morning, and he gave us a ride to the trailhead. About 5 minutes after getting dropped off at the tailhead, I realized that I had forgotten my phone at the lodge. So I called the receptionist and told her to give it to Zeke, because I knew he would pass us on the trail (he was doing about 30 miles a day). Sure enough he met up with us a few hours later and dropped off my phone. I took his portrait when he passed us. We only made it about 12 miles, and stayed the night at Hobart’s Bluff.

Day 4 – We left from Hobart’s Bluff with the intention of getting to Hyatt Lake. Along the way, we met up with a guy named Plant, and he told us about SoCal and the perks of doing the whole trail. He had stories about trail magic where strangers would invite hikers into their homes for days to feed them and spoil them before releasing them back into the wild. Anyways, when we got to Hyatt Lake, the ranger, Libby, showed us where to stash our bags while she took us to the best restaurant in the area. We went to Greenspring’s Inn, where we shared a pitcher of beer and enjoyed a fresh meal. Once the locals found out that we were PCT hikers, they gave us each a free glass of wine. While looking for a ride back to the campground, we randomly started talking to a guy about beer. It turns out that he was the brewmaster for Southern Oregon Brewing. He gave us tastes of his favorites, offered us a ride home, and gave us each a 22 for back at the campground. Talk about trail magic.

Day 5 – Slept in until about 10. After coming in late the night before, we woke up to find out that we had camped in the handicapped section. As we packed up, scott realized that he didn’t have his wallet. After searching helplessly, he realized that he must have left it at the Inn. As we started walking back to the road, thinking about looking for a ride for the 3 miles to Greenspring’s Inn, we ran into a lady on a horse. The conversation started over her asking where we had come from. We told her our story, and it turns out that she was raised in a similar part of town as us. She said that her husband would definitely give us a ride to the Inn and called him that moment. He showed up 5 minutes later and gave us the lift. After all that was over we finally hit the trail at 12:30 pm. We only made it about 12.5 miles, but camped right next to a spring just south of Brown Mountain Cabin.

Day 6 – Started early today around 7 am to get on the trail hard. Leaving the forested area, we entered a lava rock area (which was painful walking over). The day ended at Fish Lake Resort, which put us at 19.5 miles on the day. Fish Lake wasn’t nearly as nice as Greenspring’s, but the people were nice and the food was needed. Scott thinks he tore his left meniscus and my right Achilles tendon isn’t feeling so hot. Our bodies are hurting and we’re ready for bed. G’night.

Day 7 – Got a pretty late start today because Scott wanted to get a hot b-fast and some snacks from the store. Hiked for 8 hours today and put in 18 miles. Our pace is getting faster. We’ve been drinking Yerba mate every morning to get us going and it’s the perfect remedy to start to a morning. While on the trail today we ran into a guy named Caveman who was doing the entire PCT. Starting to get used to this wilderness thing. Went to bed early because the mosquitos were so bad.

Day 8 – After hearing wolves and bears last night, it was nice to wake up in one piece. Today’s plan was to make it 25 miles, but after making a wrong turn down the “Divide Trail”, we were completely thrown off. Also dehydrated and out of water at this point, we hung out by the water source for about an hour and drank our bodies back into shape. A few mountain climbs and glacier passes later, we decided to call it an early night next to a little creek. At about 6300 ft, it was time for a hot meal. The amount of uphill today was insane. We would descend mountains just to climb them again. In the end, it was all worth it because our campground was on a mountain with a panoramic view overlooking distant mountain ranges silhouetted by the sunset. This view can be seen from inside our tents. It looked like Instagram out there. This is Oregon.

Day 9 – With no smartphone or map of any kind to get us to Mazama (Crater Lake), we faced the trail blindly. We woke up at 5:10 am and were hiking by 6 am. Without a clue of where the water sources were we began with only the water left over from the previous night. After about 12 morning miles of old forest that had seen a few fires, we came across Jack Springs. It was a half of a mile off of the trail, so we dropped our packs and brought our water bottles. The spring turned out to be more of just a puddle, but it was still delicious and needed. The hike towards Mazama continued through swarms of mosquitos and what seemed like a never ending trail. We finally got to a highway and saw a sign pointing towards the campground. After making a few wrong turns and going about 2-3 miles out of the way, we came to another road. Supposedly Mazama was only 1/10 of a mile away, but we couldn’t see it in any direction. We flagged down a driver who told us that he thinks it’s about 4 miles away. Battered and thirsty, we were over it. Scott started to climb down to get some water when the same guy came back around the corner and told us that we were almost to the campground and offered us a ride. We took it, and he brought us to the general store to get our packages. Here we ran into Caveman again, caught up, and booked a campsite. With fresh stove fuel in the package, we burned through an old canister and ate a hot meal while drinking some beers. Finally getting a chance to charge the phone, we did the math and found out that we had hiked 28.2 miles! This was up and down mountains (multiple times over 6600 ft), in the heat and over snow, with 35 lbs on our backs. What a day.

Day 10 – We slept in, relaxed, made a to-do list, and checked off the tasks. Everything that we planned got taken care of, including popping the Mount St Helen’s size blister on my foot. Today was a nice change, but we’re back on the trail tomorrow. Cheers.

Here are some pictures from our travels.

I’m also taking pictures on disposable cameras. I’ll scan those negatives when I get back.

Today, I begin The Impossible Project

After purchasing a cartridge of film for my Polaroid 600 camera a few months ago, I have decided that today is the day to begin shooting. The film is incredibly expensive because it is produced in very small batches. The cartridge I picked up is color shade PX 680. See more information on The Impossible Project here.

The process itself is mysterious in the way that you must cover the film immediately as the camera purges it, and wait 4 minutes to see your shot. I am writing this now, as I am waiting for exposure.

Pictures to come soon!

The AEROSTAT Project by Page Stephenson

A friend and fellow filmmaker named Page Stephenson has come out with a new video that is meant to inspire people to dream big. It’s a rather simple video of two camera angles being launching from Earth and going into space. The video was created to show that ordinary people can explore space on a small budget (RIP NASA). The music is synced perfectly and the shots are unbelievable. It’s a must watch.

Full screen it.

IMDb Page

Hey guys, I’m a real person now…

Busy writing papers

I’ve decided that I’m taking a video/media hiatus until the summer. I have quite a few formal business papers to write in the next two weeks, as well as some footage that needs to be cut together from previous projects. My next two weeks = no life. (I’ll still post important updates.)

Scan me

All of my info can be scanned. This will be in the “About” section. Easy-peazy.

Music video weekend

I just got home from an all weekend experience. In 2 full days, we shot every scene of an upcoming music video for Pep Love of the Hieroglyphics and artist/music producer MY-G. I worked as one of the producers and the 2nd Assistant Director. It was my first experience not working directly with the Director of Photography. It was a pleasure working with everyone, and BTS photos will come soon. Here’s one that I stole from Nathan Coltrane.