Adventure-Crew.com

BY JOE BERKOWITZToday
fastcompany.com

To create Trail View, granola bar makers Nature Valley and McCann Erickson sent a ragtag team of creatives and developers on a 45-day hike to get couch potatoes interested in the real thing and raise awareness of the national parks’ plight.

Photos from Nature Valley

Nearly a century ago, Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service, galvanizing a widespread movement to preserve the country’s heritage and promote tourism. At the time, President Wilson could only have imagined the technological and organizational tools that would help achieve these goals. And, almost guaranteed, not once did he imagine a huge part of this effort would be brought to us by the makers of mouthwatering granola bars.

Funny how things change.

As it happens, General Mills brand Nature Valley has embarked on an ambitious initiative called Trail View to bring the parks experience to the indoors- and outdoors-oriented alike. “Nature is something you have to get close to in order to be moved by it,” says Scott Baldwin, Senior Marketing Manager at Nature Valley. “It’s easy to just show a picture of nature, but people want to have deeper experiences.” To deliver that deeper experience, the company sent content-gathering teams throughout the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon this past summer to digitally capture 100 odd miles of each area, and replicate them online. Eventually, users will be able to experience, in real-time, a first-person perspective of hiking these trails, clicking on embedded points of interest along the way for pop-up information and videos. It’s a virtual hiking expedition anyone can take.

Although Nature Valley has long been a supporter of the national parks (it’s practically in the brand name), most recently raising money through its “Preserve the Parks” campaign, the company had been brainstorming ideas for how to do more to actually preserve them. The resulting concept, developed through agency partner McCann-Erickson, is a model for how marketers can make a useful contribution to a cause without over-branding it. In addition to removing the barriers to entry so people can experience these trails remotely, Trail View will spread awareness of the parks at a time when funding is low, and digitally record them for posterity.

Yellowstone

“This initiative lets [Nature Valley] stand for something,” says Leslie Sims, executive creative director at McCann. “They aren’t just pushing granola bars on hikers.”

It was only because of Nature Valley’s long-standing relationship with the National Park Conservation Association that the company was able to garner approval for the project. The parks are famously very protective when it comes to filming on their grounds, but the company approached each park individually and promised to leave zero impact on the environment.

Between March and June of 2011, Nature Valley and McCann-Erickson went to work, putting together a mixed team of talent for a project with many moving parts. The agency would need a content strategy team for web distribution, a design team that would also put together custom 360 degree photography equipment, a hiking team to lead the expedition, and a skilled camera person to shoot it all. The creatives would also have to participate in the fieldwork. Both figuratively and literally, there was a lot of ground to cover.

Editors from Backpacker Magazine agreed to lend their expertise in national park trails and lead the hikes. Content strategy firm In the MO came aboard soon after. The project required a team with best-of-class designers who would also be able to hike, so the agency recruited digital agency Your Majesty. In a meeting with YM co-founder, Jens Karlsson, Catherine Patterson, executive integrated producer at McCann offered this simple plea: “You’re the only ones crazy enough to do this, and you’re the only ones who can do this. Also, you’re going to get to hike your asses off.”

Grand Canyon

Everyone involved had to engage in four to six weeks of training to ensure that nobody would get dehydrated or otherwise crap out during the shoot. Each member of the crew logged 150 miles of mandatory hiking experience, done on their own time.

Because this initiative marks the first application of street view-style camera technology in hikes or on mountains, the cameras required specially designed backpack rigging. “A lot of equipment was involved,” says Mat Bisher, associate creative director at McCann. “There’s a good reason why street view is done in cars.” During a June test run in the Grand Canyon, the panoramic cameras fell apart and started melting during discovery. They were supposed to be heat-resistant up to 120 degrees, but not at sustained exposure to those conditions. After customizing the cameras further, the design team suggested saving the Grand Canyon for the final leg of the hike, where they’d know to anticipate the cameras falling apart eventually, rather than at the beginning of the trip.

The actual filming went off without a hitch, however, barring the occasional alarming grizzly bear scratch mark on trees. From a distance, the assembled masses would have looked like a caravan of settlers. The field crew from Backpacker Magazine (or “bear bait” as Patterson referred to them) headed up the front, setting the pace and keeping the operation environmentally sound. Shortly behind them were the agency creatives, who scouted locations and points of interest. The next wave included the tech team–who kept lenses clean, adjusted settings, and kept the cameras out of contact with each other–as well as master cameraman, Brandon McLane. Finally, trailing behind, was a sweeper team, who made sure nothing was left behind. Although some of the crew only stayed for shorter periods, the hike lasted 45 days total.

The biggest surprise along the way, according to Catherine Patterson, who stayed for the entire hike, was the sparse tourist traffic on the trails. “We anticipated having to avoid filming crowds, and blurring out logos when we did,” she says, “but there was hardly anyone hiking at all some days.” Seeing firsthand the lack of tourism in tough economic times only made the prospect of evangelizing the national parks more attractive to everyone involved.

The first stage of Trail View will debut online in February 2012. It will operate as its own platform, with an exploratory feel. Once utility is up and running, Nature Valley will add layers for user-generated content, social networking and mobility, and perhaps form partnerships with travel sites—encouraging visitors to actually take a trip to visit the parks. Eventually the company hopes to digitally map other locations and build an educational, curated layer to the initiative. “This is not just a piece of entertainment,” says Bisher. “We’re committing to an ongoing proposition.” As this proposition is aligned with the National Park Service’s original goals, Woodrow Wilson would have likely approved.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

We have lived within a few hours of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for more years than I can remember and have never been there until recently. We have been to the Indiana Dunes State Park, which lies within the national lakeshore, to lie around the beach and soak up the sun, but never really took the time to enjoy the surrounding beauty. (Need I say we were very young at the time?)

The Indiana Dunes is set up similar to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in that it is interspersed with the surrounding communities throughout the park. Unlike Cuyahoga, however, Indiana Dunes is more compact. It runs for nearly 25 miles along the southern edge of Lake Michigan, one of the largest lakes in the world. Bordered by Gary, IN on the west, Indiana on the east and Michigan City on the north-east, as its name implies, it lies totally in Indiana. It encompasses 15,000 acres which includes the state park.

Shaped from the last great continental glacier, the park landscape represents at least four major historic stages of the shoreline, making it one of the most extensive geological records. Four major dune complexes can be seen with the older ones inland and the younger ones still active. Besides the dunes, the lakeshore has bogs, marshes, wetlands, oak savannas, prairies, rivers, forests and swamps.

You can experience the highest dune in the lakeshore park by climbing the strenuous trail to the top of Mount Baldy. This is a moving sand dune that is ever moving inland. It is soon to bury the trees and parking lot on its south side. The south side is currently fenced off to visitors, as the numerous people traipsing over the vegetation are why there is so much movement of the sand dune. Without the vegetation to hold the sand in place, the sand dune continues its coarse inland. It was sad to see that in spite of the signs asking people to stay off that side of the sand dune, you could still see that not only did people walk up and down that side of the sand dune; they also broke the fence climbing over it. There is a path on the side of the dune that allows you to get to the summit and either head to the beach or climb to the top and view the fantastic lake views.

With numerous beaches available, there are plenty of opportunities to soak up the sun if that is your desire or to swim in the lake. The beaches are well maintained and draw thousands of people during the summer to enjoy the breezes and deep blue water. With this many miles of shoreline, there is plenty of room for everyone. Be mindful of the beach rules and the presence of riptides in some locations. Parking fees are often charged.

Birdwatching is a very popular activity in the lakeshore. There is an unusually high diversity of autumn birds in northwest Indiana due to the size of Lake Michigan. Many birds pass by and stop to rest on the shores. There are also a large number of shore birds that are not normally found in the Midwest because of the depth of the lake and the beaches. You can see bay and sea ducks, pelicans, loons, grebes, sandpipers and gulls, lots of gulls. The wetlands provide vital habitat for birds like herons, warblers, wrens, the American Woodcock, Swamp Sparrow and Sora. Everywhere you go you can hear the trills of the birds.

There is one campground in the national lakeshore and one in the state park. During the summer these can fill up quickly, but they do not take reservations so it is best to arrive early. Most of the sites are in a shaded woody area. Showers with hot water are available as well as flush toilets. Each site has its own firepit and picnic table. It is usually very quiet and peaceful.

Hiking is another popular pastime and there are many miles of trails ranging from easy to strenuous. These traverse bogs, forests, sand dunes, marshes and beaches. The Ly-co-ki-we Trail is for hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. The Calumet Trail offers hiking and biking options. The Marquette Trail is also open for biking. We brought our bikes with, but the weather was too rainy for bike riding. Wherever you go, though, you are sure to see great lakeside views, unique wildlife and rare botanicals.

Another great site to take in is the Chellberg Farm and Bailly Homestead. They are connected by a ravine-side trail that is beautiful. The farm is a Swedish farmstead typical of the 1890’s to 1910. You can watch the ranger feed the animals and on weekends, go through the house. During festival times there are people dressed in period costumes. The Bailly Homestead is a National Historic Landmark and was home to Joseph Bailly de Messein who played a role in the development of the Calumet region of northern Indiana. He was an independent trader in furs and was one of the earliest settlers in northern Indiana. The complex is the last remaining site of its nature in the Calumet region.

During the 1933 World’s Fair, five houses were built to demonstrate modern architecture, experimental materials and new technologies like air conditioning and dishwashers. These were moved to the community of Beverly Shores, IN in 1935 and are now on the National Register of Historic Places. We were disappointed not to get to view these as they are all being renovated presently and are closed. You can drive by them on Lakeshore Drive that runs along the lakefront offering rugged views of shoreline. Incidentally, you should see the other houses that are along this road. They are absolutely phenomenal. Not that they have anything to do with the national lakeshore, but they are still interesting.

Because it is a smaller park, there are many things you could see and do in a few days time. We managed to camp, climb Mount Baldy, visit the new Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center, the Chellberg Farm, hike part of the Inland Marsh Trail, drive down Lakeshore Drive and Beverly Drive (to see the birds), see some wildlife, eat some awesome food, and visit the state park and climb their dunes to capture great photos of the beach, dunes and sunset. All in all it was a wonderful experience and one we want to repeat very soon.

By Corie Marks

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Photo by Stu Marks

The Buffalo News Life

By Nick Mattera

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

CANTON, Ohio—Tourists may flock to Canton, Ohio, to see the impressive collections in football’s Hall of Fame, but the Midwestern hospitality they find there will leave them wanting more.

Great food, natural beauty and impressive historical sights make the small city of Canton a vacation gem for the whole family.

A perfect getaway to the greater Canton region includes three stops:

First, the breathtaking beauty of Cuyahoga Valley National Park makes you feel far from civilization.

Second, visit the Mecca of football fans, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where new additions have made it relevant for fans of all ages.

The third stop is a place where visitors can find out more about the lives of our nation’s first ladies, at the First Ladies National Historic Site.

Cuyahoga Valley Park

Unexpected is the only word to define Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Its pure, untouched beauty seems out of place just several miles outside of Cleveland’s city limits and 30 minutes from Canton. With 33,000 acres of parkland and pristine wilderness, it is one of the country’s newest national parks, established in 2000. There are year-round attractions—golf courses and ski slopes, concerts and hiking trails—making it a wonder waiting to be explored.

The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail spans 20 miles of marshes and wetlands winding their way along the Ohio Canal. Beavers and white-tailed deer might make appearances throughout a hike along the waterway, but before starting out, visit the Canal Visitor Center to get a list of recommended hikes and to check out the historical videos and exhibits.

If hiking isn’t your interest, hop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, where you can sit back and relax as the park’s beauty passes by you. The train makes seven stops within the park and runs year-round.

The 1 1/2-mile Brandywine Gorge trail is the park’s most visited attraction, culminating at the breathtaking Brandywine Falls, which plummets 60 feet into the gorge. It is best viewed from above, but a wooden path also winds into the gorge.

After visiting the falls, drive to the Ledges Overlook. This is a perfect spot at dusk, as the sun slips behind tall oaks and sandstone cliffs rise from Brandywine Creek below.

The football hall

The NFL’s Pro Football Hall of Fame has put together a collection of football memorabilia that will stir up memories in fans of all ages and give them goosebumps in the process.

Enter the main lobby and take a trip back in time to the early days of professional football, when helmets were made of leather and the players were out there only for the love of the game. The American Professional Football Association was founded in Canton, and the brief but successful history of the team that played there is encased in the lobby. A life-size bronze statue of Jim Thorpe, one of the best players of his era, dominates the main walkway.

Visitors then follow a chronological journey through football’s greatest moments and best players. The days of the American Football League and National Football League, between 1960 and 1969, are recalled along with legendary players such as Joe Namath, Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas with memorabilia from the players and teams.

A tunnel connects the original building to a more recent addition, containing the Hall of Busts—bronzes of the players who have been inducted and enshrined in their sport’s Hall of Fame. (Seven players, coaches or contributors are added each year during a ceremony in early August.) An interactive feature lets fans search the Hall of Famers, learn about their careers, view stats and watch video highlights.

The Hall of Fame doesn’t want to be a musty museum, and its newest exhibits will appeal to fans of all ages. The Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery contains interactive video booths to view highlights and memorable plays from every Super Bowl ever played.

The Moments, Memories and Mementos gallery features the museum’s most valuable collection of game memorabilia. The most captivating plays from the previous season can be viewed in surround sound and high definition in the NFL Films gallery. Many of the greatest moments and record breaking players are featured in this section: Steve Christie’s shoe that kicked the Buffalo Bills’ game-winning field goal from the “greatest comeback in NFL history,” the jersey New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady wore when he set the NFL single-season touchdown record, and many others.

And there is space for fans to get some hands-on experience. You can try to throw footballs through a set of targets, challenge other visitors to a test of NFL trivia, even play EA Sports Madden Football against fans from all over the country.

For the ladies

The First Ladies Historic Site encompasses two buildings in downtown Canton and, in a unique way, sheds light on the accomplishments and lives of the first ladies of the United States.

The First Ladies Library was established as an archive to present the contributions our first ladies have made, from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. Exhibits change with new acquisitions.

Exhibits currently being featured at the museum include: The Artistry of America’s First Ladies, with poetry written by Jacqueline Kennedy, the dancing career of Betty Ford and Ellen Wilson’s oil paintings; and Caring Hearts: Health of a Nation, featuring red dresses worn by seven first ladies, including Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush. This moving exhibit has been featured at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Ronald Reagan Library.

If you go:

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, is open every day, although some areas close at dusk. Admission is free.

Boston Store Visitor Center, 1548 Boston Mills Road, east of Riverview Road, Peninsula, has displays of canal-boat building in the valley, open 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. daily in the summer; limited hours the rest of the year.

Canal Visitor Center, 7104 Canal Road, intersection of Canal and Hillside Roads, Valley View, has exhibits on life along the canal and human history in the valley; open daily year-round, 10 a. m. to 4 p. m.; closed Jan. 1, Thanksgiving Day and Dec. 25.

For more information: On the Web, www.nps.gov/CUVA, or call (216) 524 1497.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Drive, Canton, is open daily from 9 a. m. to 8 p. m. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $12 for children 6 and older.

The 2009 Pro Football Enshrinement Ceremony is Saturday and will include Buffalo Bills’ great Bruce Smith and team owner Ralph Wilson.

The Timken Grand Parade is at 8 a. m.; Enshrinement Celebration Fan Party, 3 p. m.; Class of 2009 Enshrinement, 7 p. m.; and the Hall of Fame Game between the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans is at 8 p. m.

For more information: Call (330) 452-0243, or on the Web, www.profootballhof.com.

The National First Ladies Historic Site, 205 Market Ave. South, Canton, is open Tuesdays through Sundays through Aug. 31; Tuesdays through Saturdays the rest of the year. Admission is $7 for adults; $6 for seniors; $5 for children under 18.

For more information: Call (330) 452-0876; on the Web, www.nps.gov/fila.

Directions: From Buffalo, take Interstate 90 West to Interstate 77 South; use Exit 107A for the Hall of Fame.

More information: Canton Tourism www.cantontourism.com; Ohio Tourism, ohio.gov/tourism.

Sunset over the far eastern edge of Isle Royale.

Story and Photos by ELLEN CREAGER • FREE PRESS TRAVEL WRITER • July 26, 2009
Freep.com

ISLE ROYALE — A short hike, they called it. Just 4.2 miles to Scoville Point and back to the lodge.

Now it’s three hours later, and I’m still hiking. The way is strewn with rocks and boulders, giant roots and planks across the boggy spots. The trail hugs ancient lava ridges that drop off to icy blue water. I’ve seen two loons. Stopped dozens of times to look at wildflowers. Seen only two other hikers. Am I going the right way? Who knows? I spot moose droppings on the path. Listen hard. Hear nothing except the whisper of a breeze through the greenery.

Earlier today, the captain of the Queen IV ferry boat, Don Kilpela, told me he encountered a moose and her calf right on this path. He didn’t move. She didn’t move. Then he sang four songs to her, including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“She stood there listening to me for 10 minutes,” he said, eyes twinkling. “I wasn’t afraid.”

Now, as I brush through the narrow path headed back to what I hope is civilization, such as it is, I find myself thinking, can you really sing to a moose? If you saw a moose, what should you sing? Does a moose prefer pop or rock? Or just Judy Garland?

It takes a boat ride
If you’ve ever thought of coming to Isle Royale, you may be picturing backpacks, hiking boots and prowling wolves — and automatically counted yourself out.

You’re not alone. Just 14,038 people last year visited Isle Royale, Michigan’s only national park. More than 80% of nights on the island are spent on backcountry camping. The rest are spent at the island’s only lodge. Almost no one comes just for the day.

Why? Logistics. You can’t drive to Isle Royale because it’s 56 miles north of Copper Harbor in the middle of Lake Superior. The choppy ferry ride takes 3 1/2 to 6 hours, depending on whether you leave from Copper Harbor or Houghton.

And when you arrive, it’s 210 square miles of wild.

Yes, there are rustic campsites. One lodge. A few docks. A lighthouse. A handful of summer homes remaining from before the island became a national park in 1940. Some trails. But that’s about it. Isle Royale has no roads.

Famed for its classic, ongoing predator-prey study that has tracked moose and wolf populations for 51 years, Isle Royale is arguably the sexiest science project ever.

But if and when you do finally get here, you realize two things.

One, you don’t have to be a hard-core backpacker to enjoy Isle Royale.

Two, Isle Royale couldn’t care less whether you come.

It’s not here to impress you. You are here to impress it.

‘Nice and wild’
There are many myths about Isle Royale (see sidebar). But myth is part of its mystique. Is it actually in Canada? Is it really the least-visited national park? Will you be eaten by wolves? Is the only hotel on the island closing?

I add my own possible myth to the list — this dubious idea of singing to a moose. One authority on this subject, I imagine, would be Rolf Peterson, the Michigan Tech research professor specializing in the wolf-moose study. He lives on Isle Royale in the summer and a few weeks in the winter, but, who am I kidding? He’s not exactly hanging around waiting for tourists’ dumb questions.

I have better luck talking to backpackers. I meet a friend, John Bassier, a biology teacher at Ferndale High School, who has brought more than 300 students here in his 40 years as a teacher. Backcountry camping on Isle Royale, Bassier says, teaches self-reliance, tolerance for discomfort and cooperation. I meet up with him as he finishes a 6-day hike on the Minong Trail with two Ferndale police officer friends. They’re weary, glad to shed their 35-40 pound packs and feeling great.

“It was nice and wild,” says Detective Bill Wilson.

“A couple nights we could see a gazillion stars,” says Bassier.

“At night we heard wolves calling,” says Capt. Tim Collins.

They also encountered a moose and her calf, foxes, eagles, ospreys and snakes. And very few people.

Not a camper? Try the lodge
If you aren’t into camping, you can stay, as I did, at the Rock Harbor Lodge. Don’t think hotel. Think dorm. The 60-room facility has no phones, cell phone service, Internet, TV or radio. Every room looks directly onto Lake Superior. Think of it as a retreat, a cloister without the prayers.

So far this year, lodge business is down, continuing a depressing trend from last year, says Kim Alexander, the lodge’s general manager.

“It’s not a shock we’re not setting any records,” he says. He admits lodge prices — which run $250 a night — are out of reach of some visitors in this economy.

“People say for $250 a night they could stay at the Ritz-Carlton,” he says. “But the Ritz-Carlton is not being charged 18 cents a gallon for water. We also pay the National Parks Service $250,000 a season for electricity. It’s a concern.”

To cut costs for customers, the lodge dropped its lodging-meal plans this spring and now books rooms on their own, letting people eat a la carte at the restaurant or grill.

Another advantage of staying at the lodge is the M.V. Sandy tour boat, which can take visitors places they can’t hike or don’t have time to hike. I take an evening cruise that goes clear around to the north side of Isle Royale to watch the sunset. The next day, I cruise to Edisen Fishery and the 1844-era Isle Royale lighthouse.

Lighthouse Isle Royale

That’s when luck steps in. It happens that the Edisen Fishery is next door to the wolf study headquarters. And it happens that the Petersons are home.

Moose masters
A narrow path leads to a small cottage with red shutters in the woods. Out steps Candy Peterson. Then her husband, Rolf. They spend six months a year here, from spring to fall. They even raised their children here.

Surrounding the small cottage, officially called Bangsund Cabin, are tables full of moose remains. Moose bones. Moose antlers. Moose skulls. Moose parts, all tagged, labeled as to where found, when the animal died and under what circumstances (rutting, arthritis, other moose mishaps).

Rolf Peterson is wearing a blue cable knit sweater with a tiny hole in one elbow. He and Candy are grandparents, but they look very young. Isle Royale may be the fountain of youth.

To the surprise of the seven boat tourists, the Petersons stop to chat. They invite us into the cabin. They patiently answer the most basic and naive questions about moose and wolves and their own unconventional lives here. Moose swam or crossed on ice to Isle Royale in the early 1900s, followed by wolves in 1948-49. For the last 50 years, scientists have tracked the balance of wolf and moose populations, which have fluctuated depending on weather, the health of the animals and the success of their habitat.

Finally, I work up the nerve to ask my question.

“The captain of the Queen told me he sang to a moose,” I say. “Is that a good idea?”

“Oh, Don,” Peterson says. He must have heard this story before, probably a million times. But he plays along. Because moose have poor eyesight but good hearing and can be unpredictable, talking to a moose if you unexpectedly encounter one tells the moose you are not a predator.

“Moose don’t like surprises. For some reason, when you talk to them, it works,” he says. “High pitches are more comforting than low pitches.”

Ah. Not a myth. Sing to the moose.

No moose, no wolves, no Tigers
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to hike Isle Royale to learn it well. I day-hike down to Suzy’s Cave and Three Mile (a 6-mile loop). I attend park ranger talks about the geology of the island and spend a morning with an artist in residence trying to draw wildflowers. I meet a man hiking back from two weeks on the trails. His first question — how are the Tigers doing?

I don’t know, I say. Nobody does.

No, I don’t see a moose. Or a wolf. But as I walk, I hum. You know, just in case anyone — or anything — is listening.

Rock Harbor Isle Royale