When I stumbled on these foxes it was an incredible moment I'll never forget. The funny part is... THEY stumbled upon me.
Here I am standing at the crossroads of two trails that intersect in 3 different directions. I stood there enjoying the evening spring air. Im looking in the trees in the large section of forest in front of me waiting for anything to move. After what was probably 4-5 minutes, I look to my right and at the bottom of the trailhead is an adult Female Red Fox. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was expecting to find blue jays and MAYBE a woodpecker, and before me about 50 yards is a fox just... staring at me...
This moment marked the beginning of an entire Month Long filming session with the entire Fox Family including their Kits.
Todays episode is probably my favorite so far for a few different reasons. On one hand, I've been exploring Wildlife Photography for the last year to see if it's something I want to pursue more seriously, and on the other hand I'm always looking for fun and interesting ways to make the YouTube Content Creation lifestyle more scalable and realistic. I think the balance of hunting local and remote wildlife (when I can) mixed with stoic and leadership ideas may be the very thing I've been looking for.
Also, I never thought I'd be sitting behind the camera with my adrenaline rushing... Filming Fox Kits did that for me.
Notebook entry No. 012 - In todays entry we explore the peaks and waterfalls of Hanging Rock State Park here in North Carolina
We climb to the top of Moores Knob for a fantastic 360-degree view above the treeline (you can see for miles on a clear day), check out balanced rock, which you'll see soon enough is... a well balanced rock lmao... and then we hit up the stunning Window Falls and Hidden Falls where I get to practice some of my cinematography and discover a secret waterfall that I NEVER knew existed. Really excited for yall to see that in todays episode.
If you're thinking about hiking Hanging Rock, planning a day trip, or just love authentic adventures in nature, this one's def for you!
Notebook entry No. 011 - In todays entry we explore streams in the shadow of Stone Mountain.
I wanted to get more reps of stream photography in since our last video only this time with a new piece of equipment! Today I'm riding around on my new Himiway D5 2.0 E-Bike! It was honestly such a blast to use this as a new way of exploration and creativity. Typically I'm driving around in the truck, and even if I see a spot that might be cool, its not always easy to stop. Sometimes there's no parking at all. Now with the E-Bike, I can just leave camp, and get off wherever I want because I'm already outside hah. Thanks to Himiway for sending this out, its really going to level up my exploration game.
If you've been thinking about getting into E-bikes or picking up one yourself, This might be the one for you! Check out the Himiway D5 2.0 here https://himiwaybike.com/ericliffrig59
Notebook entry No. 09 - I'm super excited about this months video because its been a long time coming and was my first 4-5 day road trip of the channel. I'm constantly being invited out to awesome places each year and I always for some reason talk myself out of them making sense with my plans. Its too expensive, I cant find time, next quarter might be better, etc. etc. Well THIS TIME, I decided to just say screw it! I knew I would spend more time driving than actually being in Colorado but if I don't go now... when the hell else am i going to go???
Throughout this episode/ journal entry, we see places such as The Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina, specifically The Oconaluftee River, spend a little time in Denver, we check out Chief Mountain on our way up to Mt. Blue Sky, Echo Lake, and even spend a full afternoon in Boulder hiking along the flat Irons which was probably the most underrated hike I've ever been on.
I also mix in lots of little wildlife encounters along the way which is so fun now that we've got the lens reach. We captured some awesome shots of Prairie Dogs, Elk, and several different birds along the way.
For me this trip wasn't just about adventure and seeing new things... it was about taking care of and managing friendships even from far. We even made a few new friends during this trip which was a massive bonus! Hope you enjoy.
Notebook entry No. 08 - Today we find our way back at Twentymile Creek, a spot that my father recently showed me as his original fly fishing stomping grounds.
The last time I was here I got skunked so I came back... but this time with my camping gear as we plan on spending two days on stream with the hope of pulling out some rainbow trout. One of my favorite parts about being in the Smokies is that you cant help but be encompassed by its wonder and forget the outside world. This place is so magical and every time I come back I cant help but get thoughtful about life, and bettering myself which is something we all could have a little bit more of. We touch on that a little bit today so I hope you enjoy.
Notebook entry No. 07 - Dad took me out to one of his old fly fishing spots; Twentymile Creek in the Smoky Mountains. This is a stream that he would visit in the mid 90s to get away from work and learn how to fly fish. He's been telling me about this place ever since I was a kid, and today is the first time we get to try it out together as adults. We don't advertise ourselves as "highly skilled fisherman" by any means, but we DO enjoy coming out on a small streams like this, relaxing, thinking and conversing about stoic ideas, and on the low chance the occasional surprise of a trout rising to our flies. This stream in the smokies is probably the most difficult I've ever been on in terms of downfall and terrain. LOTS of work to get to decent pools where fish might be hiding which to be honest made this feel like much more of an adventure. With that being said, we did skip the first quarter mile just above the ranger station. We did most of our fishing up towards campsite 93 where coverage was thick and the stream was hard to get to.
Notebook entry No. 03 - First time walking up Bullhead Creek and outside of completely submerging my Sony under water, it was a great time. I wasn't sure what to expect shortly after Hurricane Helene but it seemed like the presence of life, bugs, critters, and even small fish was non existent.
Notebook entry No. 01 - Join me on a morning walk as I try and tire out my puppy Australian Shepherd