 Luke Shorty - ThePilgrim | All Comments |
Comments | |
| 25th September 2009 adam | clydesdale horse - From: Sweet Pea 2006 sorry to burst your bubble but thats not a clydesdale its a belgian i know this because i show clydesdales |
| 1st September 2009 Lisa | Two Rivers Lunch Allagash Maine - From: NFCT: Into the wilds and out the Allagash to the Eastern Terminus we go! I really enjoyed your article. Awesome Pics. Sounds like you had a blast especially meeting Evelyn. My parents own Two Rivers Lunch and I can hardly wait for them to read this article. I will print a copy and put it in the restaurant. Hope you make this an annual event. Oh, and by the way we "Moosetowners" always said, "Make a mad dash to the "Gash" and that would be one awesome canoe race. Free Breakfast at Two Rivers Lunch for both of you if you get this one started. |
| 12th August 2009 Michael Sulock | Yowza - From: The Winter of 2009 There had been a rumor going around Asheville that The Pilgrim was considering a return. That sledding video looks pretty sweet. Almost awesome enough to make me wish for an early return to winter. |
| 5th June 2009 Mississippi | Yo Luke - From: A Teachable Moment...(of high velocity and sudden stops) AKA How to make a Pumpkin Pie using gravity and a medival siege machine. Poland?!?!?!?! I think we need to catch up! |
| 10th November 2008 Favorite aunt Janet | velocity - From: A Teachable Moment...(of high velocity and sudden stops) AKA How to make a Pumpkin Pie using gravity and a medival siege machine. You can do this with skateboarding too ya know. Maranacook has done it with you know who. |
| 3rd November 2008 Jason Atkinson | Much more beautiful then our painting!! - From: The Grand Teton Lake Tour We have a print of a painting above our bed, with a plaque with "Teton Lake" and the artists name (Robert Wood). We decided to google it, and your blog/pics was the first result. Thank you for sharing these gorgeous pictures. My fiancee now definately wants to make it down there! |
| 26th October 2008 I AM | We are all ONE - From: A Teachable Moment...(of high velocity and sudden stops) AKA How to make a Pumpkin Pie using gravity and a medival siege machine. Be one with the Pumpkin |
| 26th October 2008 Lisa | - From: A Teachable Moment...(of high velocity and sudden stops) AKA How to make a Pumpkin Pie using gravity and a medival siege machine. Holy Toledo!! :-) lol. Gives a whole new edge to teen pumpkin smashing. |
| 17th October 2008 michael s. | thanks for posting - From: Fall in the 207 Nice post dude. Things are looking good in your neck of the woods. Just watch out that you don't do too much "relaxing" or "enjoying company". |
| 16th October 2008 Jen | Wow - From: Fall in the 207 Your pictures are really beautiful, Luke. You are one talented man! When folks are wearing flannel and sweatshirts, you gotta figure jumping into that water is gonna be intense. |
| 16th October 2008 JM | Gorgeous - From: Fall in the 207 These photos are beautiful, Luke. Those leaves, that lake...more than that, it really seems to fit you. Happy Fall. |
| 3rd October 2008 Amanda | - From: Enter the Brewfest! Where is that icosahedron? What a cute frog! |
| 2nd October 2008 tomas | Looks like a good day - From: Enter the Brewfest! Luke, even if I count only the beers you had on camera I am sure you were not the designated driver. |
| 30th September 2008 Amanda | - From: The name is Bond...Bond Cliff. Driven through the White Mountains many times, but never hiked around there. Sounds like an awesome trip! Especially the part about all the blueberries and the Ramen stuffing stuff . . . mmm . . . I shouldn't read your journal while I'm hungry. The "What's he looking at?" picture of Tom is great. It's epic, except he's cheesin a little too hard. :D He needs a more serious look and some armor. |
| 29th September 2008 Justin | Nice. - From: The name is Bond...Bond Cliff. Looks like an awesome trip, man. Thanks for posting the photos! |
| 27th September 2008 Robin (R^3) | Luke, you are a big boy! - From: The name is Bond...Bond Cliff. hehehehehe ... whole box of stuffing + ramen ... That lends to our old-school breakfast status check. Man, can you pack it down! The hike + view sounds fun/beautiful. I'd check out that trail in a second. Awesome sweetness :) |
| 22nd July 2008 Hilary | Hey! - From: NFCT: Into the wilds and out the Allagash to the Eastern Terminus we go! Luke! Hey there! How are you!?! What a great canoe trip -- glad to see you're enjoying the free time that comes with being out of school. I don't think I ever gave you permission to leave Montana. I just got here, and was looking forward to visiting you in Bozeman, but no longer. Glad you're doing well. Take care, Hilary |
| 18th July 2008 Robin (R^3) | :) - From: NFCT: Into the wilds and out the Allagash to the Eastern Terminus we go! Looks like you both had a great time! Such an awesome adventure! Let's chat soon. Take care. |
| 18th July 2008 Jen | translation - From: NFCT: Two Large Lake Crossings and Up the somtimes mighty always muddy Missisquoi River according to google translator: ATTENTION TO OUR CHILDREN IS PERHAPS THE YOUR which maybe means, please pay attention and don't run over our children? |
| 17th July 2008 Christopher Breeze | Rhyolite - 40 years ago - From: From Ghost Town to thriving Metropolis through the Valley of Death. While participating with an Explorer Scout troop in 1968, which specialized in desert exploration, we ended up in Rhyolit after spending the day at the Mint 400 desert auto race. There was a terrible sand storm blowing, winds about 50 mph and you could not see anything. We took shelter in the abandoned and dilapidated three story bank building, the only place secure enough to endure the wind and sand was one of the two old bank vaults. We could not get our gear into the upper vault as it had been stripped of the bank flooring, so we sheltered in teh lower one which smelled really bad, worse that a port-o-potty. The next day we went to an old railroad station in town that had been set up as a museum, one of the few remaining buildings in tact. It was being run by an old lady. She asked about our small group, and we told her that we had sheltered in the lower vault at the old bank. A grim look came over her face and she informed us that a few days before the police had recovered a completely nude, male body with the finger chopped off and the head missing - obviously a mob hit in her words. Thus explained the smell - The town itself back then was actually very interesting historically, as it had been one of the largest towns in Nevada with over 35,000 inhabitants, three major railroads and no less than five major banks. When the government reduced the price of gold, the mines laid off workers on a temporray basis expecting the price of goald to resume at it's original rate. Many of the peopel who were originally from other states as far back as the eats coast packed up their bags for a trip not much different than a vacation. Gold did not increase, the mines stayed closed and people did not return, some had even left their doors unlocked and wash hanging on the lines drying in the desert sun. The reason Rhyolite lookes the waty it does is that building materials were very scarce in teh desert, and when the railroads quit running to that town, people would just strip all the buildings of anything useful. The shell of thebank survived because it was reinforced concrete - no way to take it way by theives. |
| 14th July 2008 Jen | wow - From: NFCT: Into the wilds and out the Allagash to the Eastern Terminus we go! These are some really beautiful photos. Kudos to you guys for such an awesome, inspiring adventure. |
| 30th June 2008 Thom T (Dad) | Too much slug info - From: NFCT: Upriver and into Rangley, Maine Congrats on making it to Maine. I just read the many comments others posted about slugs. Wow. Way too much information, for me! |
| 28th June 2008 John | Canoe - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. I'm glad your safe,I'm even more happy you didn't borrow my canoe!! |
| 25th June 2008 megan | Answers to your slug question - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. I hereby give you a ranger rick article on slugs: Title:SLIMY, SLITHERY, SLUGS AND SNAILS. Author(s):Ellen Lambeth. Source:Ranger Rick 35.4 (April 2001): p.23. (1006 words) From General OneFile. Document Type:Magazine/Journal Bookmark:Bookmark this Document Library Links: Full Text :COPYRIGHT 2001 National Wildlife Federation Take a good look at this sneaky snail and its little hitchhiking pal. Slimeballs like these could be prowling your neighborhood right now. Can you track 'em down? Read on for clues to help you investigate these oozers and their partners in slime. What has a head connected to its foot, which is also its belly? Did you guess a snail, like the one in the photo below? If that's your final answer, then you're absolutely right! Scientists even call a snail a "belly-foot." It just sounds better when they say it, because they use the scientific name: gastropod. Snails are soft, squishy animals with simple bodies. So are their shell-less cousins, the slugs. Snails and slugs come in all sizes, shapes, and colors and live in all kinds of places. Some snails live in the ocean. You sometimes see their shells washed up on the beach. There are sea slugs too. They have colorful bodies but no shells. Some snails live in freshwater. Maybe you've found them in ponds or even in aquariums. But the snails and slugs on these pages all live on land. If you look, you might find some like them right in your own backyard. Nighttime's the right time to look for land snails and slugs. That's especially true during warm weather when it's also muggy or drizzly. But what if it's not the right time? Then search for these slimy guys in their hideouts. Try any place that's dark and damp, such as under a pile of leaves or an upside-down flowerpot. Your first clue is a silvery trail of slime. WHICH IS WHICH? The main difference between snails and slugs is the shells: Snails have 'em; slugs don't. The common garden snail at left can scrunch into its shell when the weather's not right. But the colorful slug below seems to get along just fine without a shell. Bet you can see why it's called a banana slug! The slug above is almost a snail, but not quite. Can you find the tiny almost-shell on its back? SHELL A hard "home" that grows in swirls as the snail grows. See the growth lines, like rings in a tree trunk? FOOT Crawling body part. Muscles in the foot move in waves like a bulldozer's tread. That helps push the animal forward on a layer of slime. TENTACLES Eyes at the tips of the long ones see light and dark. Short ones feel around and sense food. Both kinds can be pulled into the head for safety. BREATHING HOLE On a slug's right side. In a snail, it's under the edge of the shell. MANTLE A protective "coat" of thick skin on a slug's back. On a snail, it's under the shell. A gland in the mantle makes the material that forms the snail's growing shell. PRIME SLIME TIME! The coolest thing about slugs and snails is their goo. Without it, they're nowhere. The ooey-gooey stuff has another name besides slime: mucus (MYOO-kuss). Mucus oozes from a gland in the front of the foot. Sometimes it's sticky and sometimes it's slippery, depending on where the creature is crawling. It protects the animal's body from sharp surfaces--even a razor's edge (above). Yowie! Slime helps a snail or slug get around. Here's how: 1) The animal oozes out some mucus, 2) it moves little muscles in its foot, and 3) it slides forward on top of the slime layer. Hey, maybe it's easier to use someone else's slime layer! (left) The slug above is trying a really slick trick. It's dangling from its own "rope" of slime to climb from leaf to leaf. Slime also helps keep moisture in the body and dirt and germs out. Some snails and slugs can make a slimy foam that grosses out an enemy until it loses its appetite. And slime can be useful when the weather gets too hot or cold or too dry. A snail just seals off the opening to its shell with a thick plug of slime. Ahhh, cozy and safe inside! MAMAS AND PAPAS Believe it or not, a single slug or snail is both a mom and a dad. But each one still needs to find a mate. It's like two families in one. The pair of them fertilize each other's eggs. Then off each one goes to lay its own eggs. It might leave its eggs under some leaves or in another moist hiding spot. Or it might drop them down a hole dug into the soil, as this one is doing. Plip! Plop! Plup! The weirdest thing is, the eggs are coming from a hole at the snail's front end! After a couple of weeks or so, tiny, pale copies of the adults will break out of the eggs. That's what the little guy in the small photo above is doing. This baby slug is checking out the world for the very first time. Slugs and snails have plenty of enemies. Looks as if the salamander at left has just picked a fresh banana--a banana slug, that is! Toads, moles, mice, and snakes are just a few of the other animals that dine big-time on slimers. Even people sometimes eat snails--some people anyway! And there are some birds that eat nothing but snails. Snails and slugs eat lots of different things too. Some eat dead or living animals, sometimes even each other. But many eat mostly plant parts. The garden slug below left is about to make a meal of a juicy, ripe strawberry. Inside a slug's or snail's mouth is a tongue-like tool with a very rough surface (see close-up drawing below). This tool is called a radula (RAD-joo-lah). It works like a file to scrape off bits of food. Now you know just how cool snails and slugs are, right? So don't be sluggish. Don't move at a snail's pace. Hop right up and get outside, quick! Maybe you'll meet a snail or slug in your neighborhood that you can get to know a lot better! = Hope that helps!!!!!! |
| 25th June 2008 Lisa | - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. In true geek-dome, Luke, I know the answer to your slug questions (well, some of them) thanks to Animal Behavior 101...or well, 240. Slugs like to wrap themselves in slug juice when Marvin Gaye starts playing...I saw a video! hahaha, I know, I know....and I believe they lay eggs. ....hm, yes, I'm going to lock that in as my final answer. Salt kills them because of osmosis: water leaves their body, causing dehydration. Impressive, hey, who knows about slug sex? I am happy to hear you survived the Nulhegan, and she finally relinquished your paddle. Best of luck crossing back into Maine—awesome adventure! |
| 24th June 2008 valerie | slugs babies! - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. They mate the regular way, then put their fertilized eggs in a hole in the ground to hatch. And because this is my forte: Slug juice is mucus! It keeps their bodies from drying out. When you salt them, they die, because the salt absorbs all their body moisture. |
| 24th June 2008 Corinne | whoops - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. Accidentally hit the "submit button." I'm not done. Back to the slug babies. Ok, "apophallation" happens because the slugs can get entangled during their mating and it's a way to free themselves. The slug who is the unlucky one here, can reproduce in the future, but only as a female. Also, I think Wiki might need to fact check about the number of eggs laid. I'm reading in other places that they lay between 500 and 1300 eggs in several batches. That makes more sense. 2) Slug juice: Slugs' bodies are mostly made up of water, and since they can dry out really easily, they produce two types of mucus, one thin & watery and one thick & sticky. Both types are "hygroscopic," meaning that both types of mucus attract water molecules (sweet!). This helps them to retain moisture. The mucus helps slugs to move around and also contains fibers which prevent the slug from sliding down vertical surfaces. 3)Love camping gear: Hmm, now, Wiki didn't have an answer for this, but I did learn from the internet that slugs apparently love milk and beer. So, there's that. Maybe they like tents and other fabric things because they're easier to climb? (Which would make sense for the company that produces the "Slug and Snail Shocka," a fabric with copper in it that gives slugs a gentle shock when they go onto it...supposed to deter them from areas) 4) Why does salt kill them? Osmosis. Slugs have very permeable skin. And, since slugs are mostly water, when you decrease the concentration of water outside the slug, i.e., put salt on it, water leaves the slug's body, thus dehydrating it. Phew, good questions...I now feel like I know a lot more about slugs than I ever wondered about. Safe trip for the next bit, guys! Corinne |
| 24th June 2008 Corinne | Slugs - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. Well besides the fact that, holy cow, sounds like quite an adventure (glad you're ok, sorry you lost stuff, glad you reclaimed some of it), I'm writing to answer hopefully all of your slug-related questions. No, unfortunately, this doesn't come from personal expertise on these gastropod mullusks, but instead from the reliable wikipedia: 1.) How are slug babies made (do they hatch from eggs?) This is going to disturb you. Well, first, slugs are hermaphrodites. When a slug locates a mate, they circle each other, do their DNA-exchange, and a few days later, about 30 eggs are laid in a hole. Now, according to Wiki, a commonly seen practice among slugs is "apophallation," when one slug CHEWS OFF the other's penis. 2.) What is the Slug juice that they make? 3.) Why do the LOVE camping gear? 4.) Why does salt kill them? |
| 24th June 2008 tiffany | slug info--gross! - From: NFCT: Going up the Clyde River/Stream/Swamp and how the Nulhegan ate our Canoe. MUCUS Slugs have two types of mucus: one which is thin and watery comes from the glands of the foot epithelium, the other which is thick and sticky comes from the pedal gland and originates at the front of the foot.The thin mucus is spread out form the centre of the foot to the edges,the thick mucus spreads out from front to back. The whole surface of the body produces also mucus.The pedal gland of Limax is embedded in the foot muscle,in Milax it lies in the haemocoel on top of the foot. Mucus is very important in the slugs life for moving around.Mucus contains fibers which prevents the slug from sliding down vertical surfaces. Because slugs don't have a shell to protect them they use mucus for this purpose. Mucus also prevents the slug from drying out,it absorbs water. In navigation mucus comes also in handy,and some species use slime cords to lower themselves on the ground and during mating(Limacidae). Some species have pigmented mucus,for example yellow in Arion subfuscus. REPRODUCTION Slugs are hermaphroditic,which means that they have both female and male reproductive organs. Often a slug will follow another slugs mucus trail and eat it.Then the slugs circle around eachother.The genitalia are being pushed out,often visible as a bluish swelling on the right side of the body.The slugs move closer together and the genitalia make contact.Sperm is transferred in the form of spermatophores. The Great Grey Garden slug often mates in midair hanging on a slime cord. two slugs mating their genitalia are pushed out pictures courtesey of this site. In the case of Bananaslugs something else happens,it is called apophallation. What it means is that one slug will bite off the penis of the other. Because the penis cannot regrow the castrated slug is forced to be "female" and offer eggs. FERTILISATION AND EGG LAYING The spermatophore passes to the spermatheca where the outer layer is digested and the sperm released.Some of it pass to the hermaphrodite duct where it fertilises the eggs. The place where fertilisation takes place is a part between the hermaphrodite duct and albumen gland,called the fertilisation pocket. Between mating and egg laying is usually a short period,for Agriolimax reticulatus this is 8-10 days and for Arion ater some weeks. In a lot of species self-fertilisation is normal(Agriolimax agrestis,A.meridionalis,A.laevis),although in some species (Agriolimax reticulatus)this is rarely the case. Normally eggs are diposed in holes in the ground.Ofcourse the number of eggs and size depends on the species.Vaginulus borellianus lays 610-1365 eggs in 8-13 batches in a continious string.Agriolimax reticulatus lays about 500 eggs in batches of up to 33 eggs. |
| 23rd June 2008 Karen MacDonald | General Store - Richford, VT - From: NFCT: Two Large Lake Crossings and Up the somtimes mighty always muddy Missisquoi River Met you when you portaged the rail trail (math teachers). I'm wondering if by the General Store you meant the old IGA grocery store (formerly Blouin's) which has been closed for a few years. There is now a new grocery store in town called "Mac's" which is near the fire station by the bridge. The Pinnacle Peddler (gas station/del) is not far from the old IGA and has great pizza and sandwiches! Happy canoeing. |
| 20th June 2008 Jen | Holy Cow - From: NFCT: Two Large Lake Crossings and Up the somtimes mighty always muddy Missisquoi River Glad you guys are making it. I hope you are being careful; it would be a sorry world if it were suddenly shorter by two wonderful mathematicians. Speaking of which, did you talk to the math teachers about Euclid or Lobachevsky, Riemann or Fermat? Or was it all rapids here, camp there? I hope you are both having fun amidst all that treachory, whatever you are discussing! |
| 19th June 2008 Corinne & Elisabeth | Hi from Corinne & Elisabeth! - From: NFCT: Two Large Lake Crossings and Up the somtimes mighty always muddy Missisquoi River Hey Luke & Brett! We just finished a bike ride and some crosswording...did you know that there is a gameshow called Merv Griffin's crosswords? Runners-up get watches. Anyway! Good luck with the next part of the trail! We miss you and talk about you all the time, Elisabeth says. :) |
| 16th June 2008 Kim | - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Hey! I'm enjoying your entries--especially love hearing about upstate NY, I lived there for 2 yrs. Have a Saranac for me! All the best, have a great rest of your trip! |
| 15th June 2008 michael sulock | Keep on truckin! - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Luke, Sounds like you guys are having a good time. Nice writeup, it is almost like I am there. Too bad about the camera, maybe you can grab another one somewhere. The entire state of Montana misses your presence. Wishing you well, Michael |
| 13th June 2008 Angela | - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus I saw a special on Lake Champlain. It does look huge, but have you ever seen Great Salt Lake from a plane? Anyways, Champ the lake moster lives there. Try to get a pic with him. I hear he's shy and doesnt do public appearances often. Get him to sign your boobs for me if you see him though. |
| 13th June 2008 Angela | - From: My Birthday at the Pow Wow Hmmm, a Pendleton blanket! I used to live in Pendleton! Pow wows are fun; Ive been to a few (in said Pendleton; had an ex that is a Native American in the tribe there) and I always had a good time. Shoulda bought me a lobstah when YOU were HERE. Instead we had to make do with stuffed manicotti. You left your Spudnuts; I ate them. |
| 11th June 2008 Tom Hayes | Bridger Ridge Entry - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Hi Luke, The race director of the Bridger Ridge Run wants me to post on the ridge run website your blog about your hike on the ridge two years with Shane and Gauss. Can you give me permission before you are devoured by mutant black flies? Tom |
| 11th June 2008 David Summerfield | Great story - can I put in on the BRR Website? - From: The Bridger Ridge Run Trail...OF DOOM! I just came across your tale of doom. Loved it - and with your permission would love to have it on our Bridger Ridge Run website. Can we do it? I know this is a year or 2 after the writing, so I hope you read this! (I'm the race director) |
| 10th June 2008 Albie | Lake Champlain - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Awesome!!!! Do me two favors. 1. Pee in Lake Champlain for me. 2. If you see Champ (he's Vermont's Loch Ness monster), say hello, take a picture, and ask him not to bump the canoe too badly! Looking forward to your next entry! Al |
| 10th June 2008 Roger | - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Keep up the good work. The best is yet to come! |
| 10th June 2008 Thom T (dad) | Congrats - From: NFCT: The Saranac River from headwaters to terminus Well done. Enjoy the day off. We enjoy reading of the progress, and the challenges. |
| 9th June 2008 Michael | Enjoy! - From: NFCT: Our First Resupply in Long Lake Don't pet the mosquitoes or ride the black flies. |
| 8th June 2008 Jen | The Dance - From: My Birthday at the Pow Wow From these pictures, one would assume that The Dance for Luke consists of bending your left arm. Interesting... That was in no way meant as a diss on the Pow Wow or the honor of being honored and included in the Pow Wow. I just found it amusingingly coincidental that in every picture taken of you during this dance, you appear to be walking with your left arm bent. Did it hurt? You know, my good natured smart mouth comes across all wrong in print. I hope no one is offended, although I suppose if you find it offense or think that someone else will, you won't display it. This is getting out of hand; I must stop now! I LOVE MATH!!!! |
| 7th June 2008 tam | - From: NFCT: Leaving Adirondack Park via Sarnac Lake Village glad to hear all is well, stay above the water, unless funk removal is needed! Have lots of fun. Tam |
| 6th June 2008 tiffany | - From: NFCT: Leaving Adirondack Park via Sarnac Lake Village Luke--that is where my ironman will be in July! |
| 6th June 2008 CCP | Luke Bonanza! - From: My Birthday at the Pow Wow My Dear Lukas! or is that Lukass! How can i ever forget this, you have no idea how many words i wished i could have said to you, but none will equal the honor that i and MSU have for you! When i am 89, perfect number or not, i will be making an upside down peace sign and yelling to someone somewhere... "pee on you" while jumping up and down with my walker... you are great and i love and miss you and am looking for a job for you here! |
| 6th June 2008 aunt janet | lobstar - From: My Birthday at the Pow Wow I am already in Maine, but I would like you to buy me a lobstar anyway. Love you |
| 5th June 2008 cheryl polacek | stupid black flies - From: NFCT: Our First Resupply in Long Lake hey hey, congrats on conquering the first portion of your trip, keep taking some pictures! its good to hear from you even if its on travelblog. keep writing! |
| 4th June 2008 Corinne | bugs! - From: NFCT: Our First Resupply in Long Lake Sorry to hear about the black flies guys! Stay tough. Also, Luke, I had a dream that I was on a canoe trip with you. Pretty random, huh? You should tell Brett that he is living my dream, apparently. Good luck with the next part of your trip, can't wait to hear about it! |
| 3rd June 2008 emile | you luddite - From: NFCT: Our First Resupply in Long Lake what's a public computer website? |