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Whittier AK Highlining, and Fishing Too...
Whittier, Alaska is a small town that doesn't really seem to have a reason to be there, except the convenient access to the ocean that was the original purpose for the town during World War II. It's nestled on a small patch of level ground next to the ocean, and surrounded by steep forested hills, cliffs, and waterfalls. At first glance it doesn't quite seem like the ideal spot for rigging a highline, but Kelsey said he'd found a good spot near his family's cabin, so we went out to rig it and try for the first walks.
The spot chosen is a round bowl carved from the rock by one of the many streams running out of the mountains. A waterfall drops in one end and flows out the other, and the steep sides are covered in greenery wherever greenery can find a hold. A road passes close by, and Kelsey's shed can be seen under a bridge in the background.
The line rigging went as highline riggings usually go: several tries and system redesigns were required to get something put together that was the right length, strength, and redundancy to trust our lives to it. In time we paired up a length of 1-inch tubular webbing and a 10mm static rope, stretched to the proper tension and anchored off solidly enough to support the one-ton or so of dynamic force we can expect during a leash fall - the worst kind of highline falls. The rigging took us into the late afternoon and with energy low, Kelsey decided to give it a shot and test the feel.
Walking a 1-inch wide piece of nylon high in the air is a tough job for the mind to handle. Kelsey sits at the edge and looks out over the gap he means to step across.
After the line saw a few attempts and walks back and forth, our attention diverted into other more relaxing pursuits, so we walked a few hundred feet downhill to the ocean and started lobbing hooks into a small arm aptly named "Salmon Run." Sandra, another friend of ours, showed up for the fun. Here's Sandra and Tracy learning the tricks of this kind of fishing.
We dragged in a number of nice looking fish and released almost as many back into the ocean, keeping a couple shiny silvers to take home to the stove. Here, Sandra shows off one of her "humpies," a pink salmon with a classic hump on the back. These fish are not too popular for eating, so this one headed right back where it came from after the shot.
Weathered driftwood provided a bit of distraction for me, although as much as I tried I couldn't really capture the images that I wanted of it. Not sure if I need different glass or what, but my shots didn't seem to do it justice.
The night was spent cozy and warm in Kelsey's cabin, and we woke to a forest heavy with rain and dew. Our friend Ty made it through the tunnel that accesses the town and joined us, and we set out to make sure the highline saw a few more walks this day.
The cloudy weather slowly lifted over the course of the day, but not fast enough to dry out our line. The first few attempts proved a bit wobbly as the sopping heavy nylon whipped us around and shook us off. I stepped down to the water level for a new perspective, and found myself in a fairly nice location for shooting other things around us.
Ty started out on a few hours of effort to walk across the highline, shaking off the pounds of water and working out his wobbly nerves. Our new GoPro video camera recorded a good twenty minutes of Ty hesitating at this point before taking a nice fall.
Ty struggles through the mental block, using all the tools in his inventory to overcome, including some ipod tunes, an intense stare, and of course the old tried and true tongue trick that has served so many people so well. :rofl
Of course all of this isn't quite enough to break through the powerful mind block of highlining, and as spectators line up on the cliffsides nearby, Ty puts on the show everybody wants to see, and takes fall after fall after fall!
Finally, after a few hours of swapping places, walking, and falls, Ty pushed through and made it all the way across, nearly coming off at least a couple times before finally getting the "send."
It's a little contorted and frantic, but this maneuver somehow kept Ty on the line! :rofl
Ty relaxes after his walk, thoroughly worked by all the falls and the mental stress of the event. It's a big relief to finally make it across, but then comes the mental turmoil of whether or not one really wants to try to walk BACK!
After Ty gave up on the return walk, Kelsey stepped up again to give it a few attempts. A highline fall requires a certain amount of technique to prevent serious smackage and rope burns, and Kelsey is currently in the progress of perfecting such technique. At this point, it's a little lacking!
After a few very valiant attempts and some wicked whippers, Kelsey gave up and let the walk wait for another time. We broke the line down, and headed out of Whittier and back to civilization and our regular lives again, satisfied with our few days of good fun and achievement. Hope you've all enjoyed partaking at least a little bit as well, and remember, the invite is always open for more of you to join in the fun!
The spot chosen is a round bowl carved from the rock by one of the many streams running out of the mountains. A waterfall drops in one end and flows out the other, and the steep sides are covered in greenery wherever greenery can find a hold. A road passes close by, and Kelsey's shed can be seen under a bridge in the background.
The line rigging went as highline riggings usually go: several tries and system redesigns were required to get something put together that was the right length, strength, and redundancy to trust our lives to it. In time we paired up a length of 1-inch tubular webbing and a 10mm static rope, stretched to the proper tension and anchored off solidly enough to support the one-ton or so of dynamic force we can expect during a leash fall - the worst kind of highline falls. The rigging took us into the late afternoon and with energy low, Kelsey decided to give it a shot and test the feel.
Walking a 1-inch wide piece of nylon high in the air is a tough job for the mind to handle. Kelsey sits at the edge and looks out over the gap he means to step across.
After the line saw a few attempts and walks back and forth, our attention diverted into other more relaxing pursuits, so we walked a few hundred feet downhill to the ocean and started lobbing hooks into a small arm aptly named "Salmon Run." Sandra, another friend of ours, showed up for the fun. Here's Sandra and Tracy learning the tricks of this kind of fishing.
We dragged in a number of nice looking fish and released almost as many back into the ocean, keeping a couple shiny silvers to take home to the stove. Here, Sandra shows off one of her "humpies," a pink salmon with a classic hump on the back. These fish are not too popular for eating, so this one headed right back where it came from after the shot.
Weathered driftwood provided a bit of distraction for me, although as much as I tried I couldn't really capture the images that I wanted of it. Not sure if I need different glass or what, but my shots didn't seem to do it justice.
The night was spent cozy and warm in Kelsey's cabin, and we woke to a forest heavy with rain and dew. Our friend Ty made it through the tunnel that accesses the town and joined us, and we set out to make sure the highline saw a few more walks this day.
The cloudy weather slowly lifted over the course of the day, but not fast enough to dry out our line. The first few attempts proved a bit wobbly as the sopping heavy nylon whipped us around and shook us off. I stepped down to the water level for a new perspective, and found myself in a fairly nice location for shooting other things around us.
Ty started out on a few hours of effort to walk across the highline, shaking off the pounds of water and working out his wobbly nerves. Our new GoPro video camera recorded a good twenty minutes of Ty hesitating at this point before taking a nice fall.
Ty struggles through the mental block, using all the tools in his inventory to overcome, including some ipod tunes, an intense stare, and of course the old tried and true tongue trick that has served so many people so well. :rofl
Of course all of this isn't quite enough to break through the powerful mind block of highlining, and as spectators line up on the cliffsides nearby, Ty puts on the show everybody wants to see, and takes fall after fall after fall!
Finally, after a few hours of swapping places, walking, and falls, Ty pushed through and made it all the way across, nearly coming off at least a couple times before finally getting the "send."
It's a little contorted and frantic, but this maneuver somehow kept Ty on the line! :rofl
Ty relaxes after his walk, thoroughly worked by all the falls and the mental stress of the event. It's a big relief to finally make it across, but then comes the mental turmoil of whether or not one really wants to try to walk BACK!
After Ty gave up on the return walk, Kelsey stepped up again to give it a few attempts. A highline fall requires a certain amount of technique to prevent serious smackage and rope burns, and Kelsey is currently in the progress of perfecting such technique. At this point, it's a little lacking!
After a few very valiant attempts and some wicked whippers, Kelsey gave up and let the walk wait for another time. We broke the line down, and headed out of Whittier and back to civilization and our regular lives again, satisfied with our few days of good fun and achievement. Hope you've all enjoyed partaking at least a little bit as well, and remember, the invite is always open for more of you to join in the fun!
John Borland
www.morffed.com
www.morffed.com
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Looks like you guys had fun!
Very pretty photo of the girls fishing!
As for the highline - you guys are nuts! I've tried lowline and slacklines and can only make it a few steps... but you chose a really incredible spot to rig it up!
Jake
http://dgebben.smugmug.com/