Outposts looks back at 2010: Unusual news 2

With the year ending, it is worth looking back at memorable posts of 2010. Each day this week through Friday, Outposts will recount some of the records broken, the achievements reached, the notable passings and the downright unusual during 2010 in the outdoors, action and adventure world.

Hunter's ticking timepiece attracts some interesting clock-watchers

Minnesota bow-hunter Doug Strenke received a surprising, and amusing, reaction after hanging up a large, white-faced clock near the infrared trail camera he installed on the property he hunts, wanting to keep track of when deer visit the area, since the cam had no time-stamp function.

The St. Paul Park, Minn., resident was worried that the clock would scare everything away "within miles." Instead, his trailcam began photographing lots of deer and, Strenke said, "A lot of my pictures show the deer looking at the clock."

Photo credit: Doug Strenke

Bigfoot alive and well and living in North Carolina

Bigfoot has apparently gone blond and lives in North Carolina. At least according to Cleveland County resident Tim Peeler, who told local authorities of his encounter with the 10-foot tall creature.

Peeler thought he was calling coyotes, but instead got surprised and frightened by what -- or who -- came a-calling.

"This thing was 10-foot tall. He had beautiful hair," said Peeler.

Screen-grab credit: NBC affiliate WCNC NewsChannel 36, North Carolina

Sailboat struck by breaching whale

A couple sailing off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, on July 18 got the surprise of their lives but were uninjured when a breaching southern right whale crashed onto their sailboat, damaging the vessel.

"It was quite scary," said Paloma Werner, who had been out sailing with her boyfriend and business partner, Ralph Mothes of the Cape Town Sailing Academy. "We thought the whale was going to go under the boat and come up on the other side. We thought it would see us."

Photo credit: European Pressphoto Agency

Outposts looks back at 2010: Unusual news

With the year ending, it is worth looking back at memorable posts of 2010. Each day this week through Friday, Outposts will recount some of the records broken, the achievements reached, the notable passings and the downright unusual during 2010 in the outdoors, action and adventure world.

Toddler using Barbie fishing pole lands 20-lb. muskie

Two-year-old Ella Haag was fishing with her grandparents at Round Lake near Randall, Minn., on May 15 when she landed her first fish, using her pink Barbie fishing pole.

Her grandfather grabbed a net and soon they pulled in a 30-inch muskie weighing in at a little under 20 pounds -- a fish bigger than the angler who caught it.

Screen grab: Fox 9 News Minnesota video

 

American adventurer crosses English Channel using helium balloons and a chair

In a stunt definitely from the "don't try this at home" category, American adventurer Jonathan Trappe crossed the English Channel on May 28 in a chair attached to a cluster of helium balloons, touching down safely in a French field.

When asked what had inspired him to make the journey, Trappe replied, "Didn't you have this dream, grabbing onto a bunch of toy balloons and floating off?"

Photo: Gareth Fuller / Associated Press

 

Wingsuit base-jumping video well worth watching

This video, on YouTube since June, is awesome to watch. The wingsuit base-jumper displays some daring moves as he navigates cliffs and mountaintops before opening his parachute.

One thing I keep wondering is: How does one test such a suit to make sure it works as intended before jumping?

Screen grab: YouTube.com/JokkeSommer

Outposts looks back at 2010: Passings

With the year ending, it is worth looking back at memorable posts of 2010. Each day this week through Friday, Outposts will recount some of the records broken, the achievements reached, the notable passings and the downright unusual during 2010 in the outdoors, action and adventure world.

Three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons, 32

Legendary surfer Andy Irons died at the age of 32. The three-time world champion passed away during a layover in Dallas en route from Puerto Rico to his home in Hawaii. His body was discovered in a hotel room Nov. 2, after he failed to respond to a wake-up call.

Irons, who was raised on Kauai, became ill during an ASP World Tour event in Puerto Rico. He was apparently suffering from symptoms similar to those associated with dengue fever.

Photo credit: ASP

Capt. Phil Harris, 53, of 'Deadliest Catch'

Phil Harris, the hard-talking captain of one of the crab-fishing vessels featured on the Discovery Channel series "Deadliest Catch" died Feb. 9 after suffering a stroke Jan. 29 while in port offloading his boat, the 128-foot Cornelia Marie. Harris was 53.

Harris captained the Cornelia Marie for 18 years and had two sons, Josh and Jake, who worked as deckhands on the vessel.

Photo: Discovery Channel

 

Extreme skier Fredrik Ericsson, 35, falls to his death scaling K2

Fredrik Ericsson, one of the world's leading high-altitude skiers, fell to his death Aug. 6 while attempting to scale and then ski from the 28,251-foot summit of K2. Ericsson was 35.

Featured in a June Outposts item, the extreme skier was on a quest to ski down the three highest peaks on the planet -- K2, on the border between China and Pakistan; the Himalayan peak of Kangchenjunga; and Mt. Everest, on the border of Nepal and Tibet.

Photo: FredrikEricsson.com

 

Outposts looks back at 2010: Achievements

With the the year ending, it is worth looking back at memorable posts of 2010. Each day this week through Friday, Outposts will recount some of the records broken, the achievements reached, the notable passings and the downright unusual during 2010 in the outdoors, action and adventure world.

Kelly Slater clinches historic 10th ASP World Tour title

Kelly Slater made sporting history on Nov. 6, claiming an unprecedented 10th Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Tour title.

Culminating a 20-year effort, Slater, 38, accomplished an incredible feat that will undoubtedly remain at the top of the ASP record book for a long time.

"I feel relieved, honestly," Slater said. "It’s been the most stressful title I’ve ever had, because it’s sort of an unknown place and you know at my age people say, 'You shouldn’t be doing this.'"

Photo credit: Kirstin Scholtz / ASP

Lance Mackey wins fourth consecutive Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

With 11 dogs in harness, musher Lance Mackey rode into Nome, Alaska, at 2:59 p.m. March 16, passing under the burled arch and the Widow's Lamp hanging from it to win the 38th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The 39-year-old Mackey, from Fairbanks, Alaska, also rode into the record books, becoming the first to win the "last great race on Earth"  four times in a row.

Photo credit: Bob Hallinen / Anchorage Daily News

 

Irvine woman with rare disease conquers Mt. Everest

Cindy Abbott lives with adversity. The Irvine resident started losing vision in her left eye more than 15 years ago, and began having a slew of mini-strokes and vertigo. Finally, in 2007, Abbott was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis, a rare and potentially deadly disease of uncertain cause.

Abbott, 51, has no idea how long she has left to live because of the incurable disease. But she did not let the debilitating affliction hold her back, and on May 23, became the first person with Wegener's Granulomatosis to reach the top of Mt. Everest.

Photo credit: Bill Allen

Outposts looks back at 2010: Records

With the year ending, it is worth looking back at memorable posts of 2010. Each day this week through Friday, Outposts will recount some of the records broken, the achievements reached, the notable passings and the downright unusual during 2010 in the outdoors, action and adventure world.

Angler lands 405.2-pound yellowfin tuna, likely new world record

Angler Mike Livingston, a retired school administrator from Sunland, boated a yellowfin tuna weighing in at 405.2 pounds, likely a new all-tackle world record.

The fish, which measured 85 3/4 inches from nose to tail and had a girth of 61 1/2 inches, took almost three hours to land. It has been submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for approval as an all-tackle world record.

Photo credit: Bill Roecker / Fishingvideos.com

 

It's official: Big bass caught in Japan ties world record held for more than 77 years

On Jan. 8, the International Game Fish Assn. verified that a 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass tied the all-tackle world record held for more than 77 years. Although the fish was caught in July 2009, I included this on the list because the record was verified in 2010.

Japan's Manabu Kurita, 32, made his catch at Lake Biwa, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. The fish measured 27.20 inches in length and 26.77 inches in girth.

Photo credit: Manabu Kurita

 

Big Bear Lake's Jordan Romero, 13, becomes youngest person to scale Mt. Everest

Jordan Romero, a 13-year-old from Big Bear Lake, became the youngest person to scale Mt. Everest, the world's tallest peak. The eighth-grader's contingent confirmed by satellite phone on May 21 (Pacific time) that his climbing group had reached the 29,035-foot summit.

Romero's accomplishment finished his quest to climb seven of the world's tallest mountains, one on each continent.

Photo credit: Prakash Mathema / AFP/Getty Images