October #1 - Great Smoky Mountains

"Paul, how do I get that silky water look?"

Exposure: 4 sec, f/22, ISO 100

Slower Shutter Speeds result in "that silky water look."

1) Tripod - without one, don't read further.

First, go get a tripod. (Shoot me an email if you need advice on ones worth buying).

2) Set your digital SLR camera to Aperture priority (A-for Nikons... Av-for Canons). Don't confuse this with "auto."

3) Rotate the camera's dial to show a high f-stop number such as 22. In the upper right corner of the camera's LCD you should see the following... f/22, or f/29... not smaller f-stop values such as f/3.5 or f/5.6.

4)What does this mean? In short, this indicates that there is a small AMOUNT of light entering the camera. At f/3.5 there is a large AMOUNT of light entering the camera.

Thus, to balance a correct exposure your camera will automatically select longer shutter speeds.

So, when you're down in a creek bed in the Smokies or cuddled up with a Katmai Brown bear, with the camera set to f/22, expect to see shutter speeds ranging from 2-15 seconds. NOTE: Be sure your ISO is set to its least sensitive level (100 or 200, not 1600).

At such shutter speeds, your camera's "canvas" is being "painted" with each water droplet as it travels downstream. The result is "that silky water look."

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To stop the action as shown below, set your Aperture to allow larger AMOUNTs of light to enter by rotating the dial to show f/2.8 or f/3.5 in the LCD. If larger AMOUNTs of light are entering, to render a balanced exposure, the light will not need to enter for near as long. Thus, faster shutter speeds. NOTE: You may want to select a more sensitive ISO if the light is dim (800-1600, not 100)

Exposure: 1/2000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320

Mt Cammerer Firetower

New Video - Climbing Rainier (full story)

Video telling the story of the successful summit bid by the Climb for Captives team of Mount Rainier in August of 2009. Our Seattle team put this 12 min narrated video together for the benefit dinner held in Seattle last Friday night. Enjoy the experience!

72 miles - 24 hours

A logistics nightmare, it most certainly was... but it worked! Our goal was accomplished. For more info, click here.

TV Interview - Paul's Photos and Causes

This interview aired at 9 o'clock this morning on a local Knoxville television station.

It is finished

Made it! The 72-mile run is done. Amazing stories and video coming your way next week. Your friend, Paul

Appalachian Trail Run - 24hr Relay!

September 2nd-3rd: 9pm-9pm. You may want to follow this one. Click here to see the vision behind this fundraiser adventure. It could be a logistics nightmare. Or... it could work. Stay tuned. Join us. Pray.

Watch the 2009 C4C Trailer

Mt Rainier - Flyover!

The C4C team arranged a flyover the morning of our summit push. With our exhaustion and mild oxygen deficiency, we nearly forgot about our arrangements. But the timing could not have been more perfect. The exact 10 minutes (and no more) that we were on the summit and able to bear the cutting wind and ice across our face, the plane arrived. After three passes around 12k ft, down below us, the plane spotted BLAZE (that's Robby in the blaze orange hunting jacket) and banked toward us. Our spirits surged with excitement. For a couple minutes we lost the plane and sadly assumed they must have headed home without seeing us. Then, in one swoop the plane emerges from behind the summit and cuts through the sky just 500 feet overhead. It was on this pass they snapped this photo from the plane. That's me in the yellow jacket kneeling (taking a photo, of course). Awesome!

Photos from the Climb

a) - Josh delicately tight-ropes a section along the knife edge of a burly crevasse just after sunrise.

b) - Our second rope team in the distace carefully navigates a crevasse-split section of glacier. Mt Adams looms on the horizon.

c) - Kjel continues the trek toward the summit just before sunrise (approx 12, 300ft).

d) - Paul and Jeremy squeeze out a smile amidst high winds on the whipping cold summit of Mt. Rainier at 8:48am.

Mt Rainier Summit!

(click image to see full size)

Our "Climb for Captives" team summitted Mt. Rainier at 9am this morning! More images and stories about the climb will come your way soon. But between beginning our summit push at 12:30am from base camp (10,300 ft) to this moment as I write to you, we have climbed 4,000 feet up glacier and descended over 9,000... and sleep is calling. In fact, I may hibernate until 2010.

We Support Climb for Captives

A fun way to show that you support the Climb for Captives mission is to make a sign saying so (indicating in parenthesis your location). Then, go to an intriguing place and snap a photo. Click here to see detailed instructions about how to participate as well as current photos while they come in from supporters all over the globe.

On this pre-dawn training hike for Mt. Rainier we took a steep and fast ascent up The Chimneys in the Smoky Mountains. It's always a good haul wearing my 3lb (each) Scarpa mountaineering boots. The rumors you've heard about the boots are true. Yes, it's true. They are pink. That's been confirmed. (photo below to prove it).

Climb for Captives - Get Involved!

Visit our Climb for Captives website immediately (just launched today!). When I'm back home, I will inform you much more about this Aug 14-16 mission. For now, peruse the site, be informed, get involved, and spread the word about one of the greatest joys of my whole year. We'll climb Mt. Rainier (Seattle, WA) for the FREEDOM of 18 young girls currently in slavery in Mumbai, India. Yes. Slavery. Take a minute to get involved, and with this sobering reality in your heart, have a joyful 4th of July!

Select "full screen" mode. Click "play." Then, click "HQ" to view the video in higher quality.

Tetons - Teewinot Sunrise Climb

(click image to see full size)

Thanks to a midnight start, I witnessed a stunning sunrise about 5:30am over Teton valley from a few hundred feet below the summit of Teewinot mountain. I encountered a bit of sleet in the night, but by breakfast, at the summit, I enjoyed blue-bird skies and views all around. Many breath-taking sunrise images to come in a couple days. I can't wait to share them! But for now it's off to bed. Fourteen hours on a mtn has worn me out. It's been a memorable last day climbing the Tetons, and it was complete with the gift of our most remarkable sunrise all month. Tomorrow Ill begin the trek home to Tennessee.

(click to see full size)

My route up Teewinot this morning.

Tetons - Bison and Solar Power

Today, Will and I stalked a bison in Hayden Valley...

... and photographed an historic installment of the first solar panels at the Climber's Ranch.

That's Chuck (donor) and John (ranch manager) celebrating their two years of hard work made visible.

Tetons - South Teton

On the Summit!

The view across Garnet Canyon while descending South Teton.

Tetons - Stunning Sunset

I just thought you should see the sky over Grand Teton and Mount Owen tonight. Wow!

Tetons - Workin'

I don't care who you are or where you're from, swingin' an axe and splittin' wood could be the manliest endeavor a man can partake in. Well, my man "ness" has been thoroughly called forth from the depths. I just finshed splittin' four logs for winter firewood, and I'm one tired cookie. It probably didn't help that on my lunch break I ran "around the block" (a six mile hiking trail around the Climber's Ranch).

From Sunday until this coming weekend I will continue to do whatever manual labor the ranch manager can come up with. I suppose I'm earnin' my keep around this place. The week of work is also paying for my four friends who have come to visit me here in cabin 3 during the month. Quite a bargain really. I'm also using the time to write, read, edit photos, and dry gear as I prepare for our final week of climbing out here. The scenery's not too shabby, huh? (the tallest mtn in the center of the image is Grand Teton)

Tetons - Middle Teton

Paul, Jonathan, and Sarah Hassell on the summit. What a family!

On the north ridge. Photo by my amazing brother Jonathan Hassell.

Tetons - Life in WY is Beautiful

Austin and I started this grey-sky day over a hearty breakfast with some great friends in Jackson. After dropping Austin at the airport, I joined the local climbing gym--The Enclosure--and climbed until my hands could cling to plastic rocks no longer. This place is state-of-the-art. There's quite a culture of climbers out here, and I'm getting hooked more than ever by the wild world of climbing.

At 12:30pm I got a call from Seattle, WA. It was my friend Jeremy, and he invited me to join the "Climb for Captives" expedition up Mt Ranier later this summer. I knew already what this involved and promptly responded, "I'm in!"

As the August 14-16 date approches I will post much more information about this exciting adventure. We'll launch the Climb for Captives website around July 4th. Stay tuned.

Now I'm off to the airport again. I'll pick up my sister now and my brother tomorrow. Together we'll embark on a spectacular week of climbing in the Tetons. Stories to come.

I am a very thankful man... for dreams fulfilled and those to come, for my family, this abundant life, and the adventure we are in.

Tetons - Lower Saddle

(click image to see larger view)

Today, we kicked up to the Lower Saddle between Grand and Middle Teton. Started at 5am. Long, long day. Cloaked in fog and showered with dip-n-dots most of the morning. By noon we had some gorgeous views as sun peaked through whispy clouds on our barren white landscape.

Not today, but we're coming back for Grand!

Tetons - Glascading

- arrived back at the ranch from Breckenridge, CO (10 hr drive) at 1:30am.

- slept in. rented some gear for Austin Church.

- hiked up to Amphitheater Lake with Zampini and Austin. amazing day teaching the art of traversing snow.

- i got to teach both of them to glascade. this is a glorified word for "sliding rappidly for 20 minutes down the snow bank you so laboriously kicked steps up for several hours" while steering with your ice axe.

- i also tought the basics of "self-arresting." fun to pass on these skills.

- ate Ramon noodles from the ads of my ice axe (we forgot utensils... again). okay, maybe on purpose because this does look really cool.

Tetons - Climbers Ranch

After just 30-hours straight in Zampini's little red Mazda III, we're here in Jackson, Wyoming.  Two summers ago, after summitting a prominent peak in the Teton range, I resolved that I must return to the Tetons to mountaineer these beautiful peaks for the month of June.  This was just after hearing about a climber's ranch located at the base of the mountains just south of Jenny Lake.  (This photo was taken that afternoon - June 10, 2007).  I heard you can volunteer your labor during "work week" and stay the rest of the month free.  Probably too good to be true, but I thought I'd check into it further.  That was two years ago.

We arrived tonight!  This stunning establishment commonly (and formally) known as "The Climbers Ranch" will be our home for the month of June.    The common denominator among the community here is obvious--passion for mountains.  This year a vibrant guy named John is running the ranch.  He said if I work 6 days during the month to help out at the ranch, he will allow me (and my long list of guests) to stay free.  

Are you kidding me?  Bargain!  This place is gorgeous.  I'm just wondering how they've kept this place such a secret.  The cabins are old wood with famous climber's stories creeking out of every floor board.  Zampini and I have our own cabin, and it's right at the base of Grand, a 13,770 ft mountain.  Austin will join us 5 days next week.  After that my older brother and sister will arrive to make the climb up Grand.  There's a story surrounding that week that I will elaborate on in future posts.  Grand is a narly looking peak, and today dustings of snow were falling on it while the summer showers swept over us down in the valley.

"Daybreak" - Moonset over Mt. Moran at Oxbox Bend - August, 2005

Mountaineering Grand Teton

We will leave tomorrow morning for Grand Teton and spend all of June there mountaineering.  All of June's blog posts will be devoted to our adventures out there.

Your friend,

Paul

Paul Sells Out

Congrats Kendel and Daniel Levy!